Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Rename to Highlanders

The Triple-A team's new name honors the Yankees' original identity and the surrounding northeastern Pennsylvania terrain.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Baseball

Expressive editorial sports illustration of a batter mid-swing in red and navy at a small ballpark, rolling forested ridgelines behind the outfield wall. — The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders will now play as the Highlanders, a name unveiled at a fall festival reveal party at PNC Field honoring the Yankees' 1903-1912 identity. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Are you likely to attend a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre minor league game next season?

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are now the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Highlanders, a name announced at a fall festival and reveal party at PNC Field. The change revives the identity the Yankees used from 1903 through 1912, before they took their current name in 1913.

Why it matters

The rebrand ties the Triple-A club's identity to the New York Yankees' earliest history while reflecting the surrounding Northeastern Pennsylvania landscape. The team has seen attendance trending up and growing interest in family-friendly events, and the new name is part of that broader effort.

The Yankees were known as the Highlanders from 1903 through 1912 and took their current name in 1913. The Moosic-based club launched in 1989 as the Red Barons and has carried the RailRiders name since 2013.

The players

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

The Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, based in Moosic, Pennsylvania, which plays its home games at PNC Field.

New York Yankees

The Major League Baseball franchise whose former name, the Highlanders, the minor league club is adopting for its new identity.

The details

The name was unveiled during a fall festival and reveal party at PNC Field, with team officials having announced the pending rebranding in August. The club became a Yankees affiliate in 2007 under the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees name before the 2013 change to RailRiders.

1903-1912: Yankees known as the Highlanders.
1913: Yankees adopt their current name.
1989: Team launches as the Red Barons, a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate.
2007: Team becomes a Yankees affiliate and is renamed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.
November 7, 2026: Team unveils the Highlanders name at a fall reveal party at PNC Field.

Roadmap

The Highlanders name returns to a identity the Yankees franchise used from 1903 through 1912, before the parent club adopted its current name in 1913. The move mirrors how minor league affiliates often borrow from the major league organization's history to build local fan connections.

Fans attending PNC Field will see the new Highlanders identity at the team's home games under the updated branding. The change alters the name fans will see on team merchandise and in the ballpark, while the club's Triple-A affiliation with the Yankees stays the same.

The takeaway

Minor league rebrands often reconnect local fans to a parent club's history, and this renaming gives the Scranton area a link to the Yankees' original identity. Fans who want to follow the change can watch how the new branding is rolled out at PNC Field during the coming season.