Month: May 2024

Yankees MILB 5/31: Spencer Jones Breaks Out

News:

The Mets, in their neverending quest to buy a championship, acquired C Luis Torrens from the Yankees for $100,000. This move hurts the Yankees’ catching depth, but Torrens was #4 on the depth chart behind Jose Trevino, Austin Wells, and Carlos Narvaez. They aren’t hurting in this department. The Yankees weren’t stopping a veteran toiling in the minors from an MLB opportunity. As for the minor league depth, Scranton has Narvaez and Josh Breaux. The Yankees could assign Ben Rice or Agustin Ramirez to the level and maneuver others around to fill in rosters.

As a correction to my report yesterday: RHP Cody Poteet is not starting for Scranton on Saturday. He’s heading to San Francisco to pitch for the Yankees instead. His injury was a blister, often problematic for pitchers but better than most potential ailments.

Scranton (34-21) (Lost to Toledo, 1-0)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, BB
3B Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, SB (4), K
For Scranton: 7-for-41 with 9 walks and 12 strikeouts.
1B Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, SB (2), HBP, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, 2B (11), BB, K
With Torrens gone, Narvaez is the no-doubt #3 catcher. 
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, 2B (8), 2 K
.242/.350/.470 in 161 PA.
2B Kevin Smith: 0-for-3
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Josh Maciejewski: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Maciejewski was promoted to Scranton today.
RHP Art Warren: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Clayton Andrews (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (24-25) (Crushed Bowie, 13-5)

CF-RF Spencer Jones: 3-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 4 RS, SB (12), BB, K
Jones’ first HR since April 23 as he extends his on-base streak to 14 (his triple slash has gone down during this stretch!) But maybe, just maybe, tonight is the start of something bigger as we head into June. He is hitting .220/.314/.327 with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. 
DH-CF Jasson Dominguez: 3-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (1)
For Somerset: 11-for-33 (.333) with 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored.  He is on a 6-game hitting streak (11-for-25).
1B Ben Rice: 3-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, RS, BB, K
.249/.373/.497 in 205 PA. In his last 10 games, he is 11-for-36 with 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI.
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2B (9), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Ramirez’s 11th multi-hit game. This season, he is hitting .271/.376/.554 in 197 PA. 9 of his 12 home runs came in April, but 8 of his 9 doubles came in May. His BABIP, so low to start the season, now sits at .273.
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 2B (17), 3B (3), 2 RBI, RS, K
.319/.402/.534 in 194 PA. With all the big shots here, who would have thought that Cowles would be outshining them in OPS?  He is one double away from his season best (he hit 18 in 2022 and 2023).
RF-LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, 3 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-4, CS (1), BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, 3 K
  P Jesus Liranzo: 0-for-0
2B Anthony Seigler: 3-for-4, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI, 3 RS, SB (7)
Seigler has 3 HR in his last 2 games. This is his first multi-HR game since July 27th, 2021.

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 3-4) 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR
He left with two runners on and two outs, and both scored. Such is life. Season: 4.79 ERA (56.1 IP, 52 H, 32 R, 30 ER, 3 HR, 17 BB, 56 K).
RHP Jesus Liranzo (S, 1): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (24-22) (Mauled Aberdeen, 10-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
.211/.364/.358 in 154 PA. April and May were similar: .213/.356/.383 in April; .211/.368/.342 in May.
SS Jared Serna: 3-for-4, HR (10), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
.253/.371/.489 in 213 PA (11 doubles, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 34 R). After hitting .211/.344/.352 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in April, he hit .282/.390/.583 with 8 HR and 29 RBI in May. It isn’t easy to drive home 29 runs in one month (he played in 25 May games)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS, 2 BB
.310/.395/.521 in 167 PA. It wasn’t quite Serna, but Avina drove home 21 runs in May.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-2
After an awkward play in the field, Rodriguez left the game.
   PH-RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, 2B (8), 2 RS
DH Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
.244/.391/.437 in 169 PA. He hit .242/.367/.424 in April and .246/.411/.449 in May.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
Flores thrived in May (.361/.474/.508; 9 doubles; current 6-game hitting streak). He hit .211/.308/.404 in April. 
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RS, BB, HBP, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-5, 3 K
RF Kyle Battle: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K

LHP Kyle Carr: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Like with Vrieling, Carr left with two runners on, and both scored.
RHP Luis Arejula (W, 3-3): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (18-31) (Lost to Palm Beach, 4-3. They loaded the bases in the top of the 9th, but couldn’t score. Oh well)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RS, BB
.220/.374/.280 in 147 PA.  A .237/.438/.271 April was followed up with a .203/.299/.288 May. There was an injury mixed in between the two months.
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, RBI
.201/.316/.318 in 212 PA (.214/.327/.381 in April; .189/.307/.263 in May). I keep saying it because it is true: We must be patient. And that patience comes without knowing whether or not he will develop. That’s life when you track prospects.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, BB, K
.263/.358/.446 in 204 PA. Jasso drove in 20 runs in May (8 in April).
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, RS
April: .200/.273/.333. May: .267/.420/.480 with 7 of his 9 doubles. Lombard Jr. and Arias are teenagers. Castillo isn’t old, but he is 21. That can make all the difference.
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, BB, K
.187/.255/.247 in 184 PA. He was better in May, but still needs to find his groove. 
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-5, 3 K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, K
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, K
LF Daury Arias: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB

RHP Ryan Harvey: (L, 2-3) 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Bow wasn’t throwing a high-90s sinker tonight (peaked at 95.2). That said, he did not issue any walks, either. Season: 3.00 ERA (21 IP, 16 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 25 K).
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.50 ERA (24 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 26 K). Even in these short outings, he will use his 5-pitch mix. I don’t know if the Yankees still think he can start (he’s never started a professional game…), but they haven’t asked him to focus on 2-3 pitches.
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

FCL (12-8) (Lost to the Tigers, 4-1. Do they get tired of playing the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Tigers all the time?)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-3, SB (5), BB, 2 K
.333/.436/.394 in 39 PA (5-for-5 SB). Mayea has an 8-game hitting streak.
DH Christopher Familia: 2-for-4
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, K
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
19-for-55 (.345/.446/.636; 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 13 R, 6-for-7 SB)

RHP Chris Kean (L, 0-1): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
6.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. He should get to Tampa soon enough.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/30: Yoendrys Gomez Shines

News:

RHP Cody Poteet will start for Scranton on Saturday and will (reportedly) be the “first man up” in the Yankees’ attempt to replace Clarke Schmidt.

RHP Cody Morris, called up today, can be an option for the next start.

Scranton (34-20) (Beat up Toledo again, 9-2)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, RS, CS (2), 2 BB
DH Oswald Peraza: 0-for-5, 3 K
Eek.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
Back-to-back multi-hit efforts as he attempts to break out of his little slump.
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI, RS, K
If you are going to go 1-for-5, make the “1” count!
3B Luis Torrens: 1-for-5, RS
LF Oscar Gonzalez: 3-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, RS, HBP
I remain happy that the depth in the 2024 organization includes Gonzalez, who I think can contribute if needed (let’s hope not)
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 3 K
RF Greg Allen: 3-for-4, 3B (1), 3 RBI, RS, BB
Like Gonzalez, Allen is nice depth to have around.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-4, RBI, BB, K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: (W, 1-2)  5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
It was a brilliant performance by Gomez, who could find himself in the mix for more MLB innings. Season: 3.06 ERA (32.1 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 19 BB, 39 K)
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.07 ERA (25.1 IP, 19 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 28 K). I believe that an MLB opportunity will come for Mauricio. Even if it isn’t with the Yankees (it can be!), I think there’s a good shot he’ll stick somewhere.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (23-25) (Lost to Bowie, 7-2, in 12 innings)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, HBP, 2 K
Jones increases his on-base streak to 13. That is encouraging but he isn’t hot. Perhaps it’s the start of something bigger…
DH Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-5, K
Ramirez is at .265 with a .919 OPS. He is in a minor 3-for-22 slide.
1B Ben Rice: 0-for-4, BB, K
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-5, K
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-5, 2 K
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-5, RS, SB (6), 3 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 2-for-5, SB (1), K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS
The prospect nerd in me still gets excited when I see good things from Seigler. Without the injuries, who knows where he would be today? That’s just the brutal part of sports.

RHP Bailey Dees: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
The second run scored after he left a game (on a 2-out strikeout/wild pitch. So stupid). Anyway, brilliant performance for Dees (longest outing of his career). Season: 3.71 ERA (51 IP, 45 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 5 HR, 19 BB, 50 K). This is his 9th straight start where he allowed three runs or fewer.
RHP Jack Neely: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
1.40 ERA (25.2 IP, 16 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 40 K).  I get that a prospect doesn’t need to stay in Triple-A for long (if at all), but I think it is time to get him there to prep him for his MLB debut. 
RHP Luis Velasquez: (L, 1-2): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Carlos Gomez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (23-22) (Mauled Aberdeen, 11-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-2, 3B (3), 3 RS, 2 BB
.210/.358/.361 in 148 PA (6 doubles, 3 triples, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 24 R, 16.9% BB, 18.2% K). If he reaches his potential, I see him as a pain-in-the-butt table setter type. So far, he hasn’t hit for average in his brief professional career.
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, HBP, K
9 RBI in his last two games and 24 RBI in 23 May games.
LF Jace Avina: 3-for-4, 2B (15), SF, 2 RBI, RS
Avina has five 3-hit games and is hitting .309/.391/.525 in 161 PA.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
Position update: C: 19 games (16 starts); 2B: 3 starts; 3B: 13 games (12 starts); LF: 8 starts. While he hasn’t played there in 2024, he made 28 starts at first base in 2023.
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, 2 2B (14), 2 RS, BB
Flores has four doubles in his last four games (9 doubles in May). He is hitting .281/.390/.456 in 136 PA (14.7% BB, 22.8% K). He is a C/1B type and is someone to pay attention to.
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (6), HBP, 2 K
Martin launches his first professional homer. Congrats!
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, RS, SB (4), BB, 3 K

RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 4-3) 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K
4.60 ERA (43 IP, 42 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 41 K). He has some impressive starts mixed with starts where he has struggled a bit. All a part of the learning curve.
RHP Trent Sellers: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.73 ERA (29.2 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 31 K). The Yankees have so many legit (in my opinion) relief prospects that some can get lost in the shuffle – Keating is under the radar.

Tampa (18-30) (Lost to Palm Beach, 4-3)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 SB (12), 2 BB, K
.219/.373/.272 in 142 PA. He is 12-for-13 SB. As for the power, he’s 18 years old. He’ll likely grow into some pop.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, BB, K
.240/.383/.430 in 128 PA with equal 19.5% BB and K rates.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, RBI
RF Coby Morales: 0-for-4, K
DH Tomas Frick: 1-for-3, 2 RS, BB
3B Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, SB (3)
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-4, 2 K

RHP Josh Grosz: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
He is back at the level where he belongs. To his credit, he settled in after allowing three quick runs in the first.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
2.96 ERA (27.1 IP, 20 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 20 BB, 29 K). He is generating ground balls and has a decent K rate. The walks? Something he needs to work on.
RHP Ocean Gabonia (L, 0-2): 1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (12-7) (Defeated the Tigers, 9-5)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, RS, SB (4), BB, K
7-game hitting streak.
LF Christopher Familia: 4-for-5, RBI, RS
It shouldn’t be long before they declare his rehab over and his assignment to (I assume) Hudson Valley.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-5, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 K
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 3-for-4, 2 2B (3), RBI, 2 RS, BB
17-for-48 (.354/.483/.542)
SS Juan Matheus: 3-for-5, HR (2), 4 RBI, 2 RS
.263/.435/.460 in 283 career PA (6 HR, 48 RBI, 52 R)

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
9 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 12 K
RHP Sabier Marte (W, 3-0): 4.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Jordy Luciano (S, 1): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/29: Jared Serna’s Big Night

News:

IF Kevin Smith cleared waivers. Unlike the last time, he could have declined an outright assignment but didn’t do so. He will return to Scranton.

Scranton (33-20) (Avenged last night’s 10-0 loss by crushing Toledo, 11-2)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
Vivas started 1-for-14 on his second rehab stint. He is 8-for-20 since.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-2, 3 RS, 3 BB, K
If both are still around, Vivas/Peraza could be a part of a battle for the second base job in 2025. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, HR (3), RBI, RS, CS (2), K
Rumfield’s first extra-base hit since May 7th.
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Rojas’ 7th HR in May. In 2023, it would have earned him a promotion to the full-time MLB LF job.
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI, RS
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, K
3B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB
CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-3, 2 RS, SB (18), BB
.262/.392/.350 in 125 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 15 RBI, 20 R, 18-for-20 SB). Lockridge is 119-for-142 stealing bases in his 461-game minor league career.

LHP Tanner Tully (W, 1-3): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
0.75 ERA (12 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K)
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Phil Bickford: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.54 ERA (20.1 IP, 19 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 27 K). 

Somerset (23-24) (Walked it off against Bowie, 2-1)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
His RBI single in the bottom of the 9th won the game, and he needed that! This extends his on-base streak to 12, though as I said yesterday, the numbers aren’t eye-popping during this stretch.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-2
Dominguez’s first game in the field this season.
   PH-CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, K
The Yankees rarely, if ever, allow a rehabbing player to play a full nine innings the first time they play in the field.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2B (8)
While he hasn’t homered in a while, he is hitting .300/.389/.525 during May. There wasn’t a way he was maintaining the “9 HR a month” thing he did in April. As his HR rate has dropped, his BABIP has normalized and I think we are seeing a clearer picture of who Ramirez can be.
C Ben Rice: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
For those who clamor for Rice to play first base, let me ask you this: Anthony Rizzo has been an issue. We don’t know if he will ever be good again. Neither do the Yankees. Yet, the organization continues to put Rice behind the plate rather than giving him extensive reps at first base (14 starts this season). In my world, this tells me that Rice is not seen as a replacement at first base, even as I declared last night that he can be a 2025 option.  Catching increases trade value, but MLB crisis >>> trade value. Do they think a crisis doesn’t exist? Or, is it that Rice wouldn’t solve the crisis?  At the very least, I think it is fair to ask.
3B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, BB
2B-SS Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, RS, CS (2), 2 BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-2, RBI, SB (9), 2 BB
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3
  2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1, K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Messinger sets a new best for strikeouts in a game. Season: 3.56 ERA (55.2 IP, 45 H, 30 R, 22 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 66 K). BB/9, by year: 2022: 4.84; 2023: 4.80; 2024: 2.91.  He compiled a 1.95 ERA in 27.2 IP with a 36/8 K/BB during May.
RHP Colby White: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 0.79 ERA (11.1 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 12 K). Pestana has been with the organization since 2018, but injuries have limited him to 140.2 innings. The Yankees likely threw him into the bullpen in 2024 as a “last ditch” effort and it has worked so far. He will be 26 in July.
RHP Kevin Stevens (W, 3-0): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (22-22) (Defeated Aberdeen, 9-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-4, 2 HR (9), 7 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Serna hit a grand slam and a 3-run blast. He ties his best for RBI in a game (set last July) and has 7 HR in May (five of them in two games). Overall, he is hitting .241 with a .831 OPS in 202 PA (11 doubles, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 32 R, 14.9% BB, 17.8% K)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, BB, K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, BB
Rodriguez is hitting .329 with a .913 OPS. In his last three games, he is 8-for-12 with 3 doubles and a pair of walks.  He has 66 games played at this level over the past two seasons, hitting .339. He does all this while playing anywhere they ask him to play. 
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, 2 RS, K
Last 10 games: 11-for-35 (.314) with seven walks.
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-2, 2 RS, HBP, BB
RF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, SF, 2 RBI, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 3-1) 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Stuart was returned here from Scranton, where he tossed a 7-inning complete game in an emergency start.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.08 ERA (30.1 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 37 K)

Tampa (18-29) (Lost two games to Palm Beach)

Game 1 (Lost, 8-7, in 11 innings. This was the conclusion of yesterday’s suspended game)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-6
Well, this improves the K%. #Positivity.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-6, RS, SB (12), 5 K
This certainly does not improve the K%. #Reality.
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-5, 2B (15), RBI, RS, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, RS
  LF Daury Arias: 1-for-2, 2B (4), RBI
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-5, 4 K
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, K
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-2, K
  C Edinson Duran: 1-for-3, 2B (3)
DH Tomas Frick: 3-for-4, RBI
  PR-DH Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1, RS

RHP Luis Serna: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
4.75 ERA (36 IP, 28 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 42 K). May: 24.2 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 26 K. Serna has allowed 3 home runs in 136.2 career innings. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Cade Austin: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.31 ERA (32.2 IP, 25 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 7 BB, 37 K). The HR rate is high, but this is a solid debut season. 
RHP Montana Semmel: 1.2, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow (L, 1-1):  0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 2 (Lost, 5-0, in a 7-inning game)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, 2 K
Ouch. These two games didn’t go Arias’ way. He is hitting .200/.314/.320 in 207 PA (13.5% BB, 35.7% K)
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, K
.260/.341/.425 in 82 PA.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 2 K
.184/.251/.241 in 175 PA
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-3
25-for-81 (.309/.406/.383) with 16 RBI in May.
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-3
.316/.409/.434 in 88 PA (6 doubles, 1 HR, 11 RBI).  Frick isn’t an everyday presence, but he has hit well.
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-2, K
DH Edinson Duran: 0-for-2, K
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-1, CS (1), BB, K

RHP Cade Smith: (L, 2-3)  4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
He generated 14 whiffs with his slider. Season: 3.02 ERA (41.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 14 ER, 1 HR, 20 BB, 51 K). So far, his debut season is nothing to complain about.
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.61 ERA (22.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 24 K)

FCL (11-7)

Scheduled day off. This is a weird league.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/28: Jasson Dominguez Homers

News:

Nothing

Scranton (32-19) (Lost to Toledo, 10-0)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-3, 3B (1), BB, K
Vivas’ rehab assignment is over and he was (predictably) assigned to Scranton.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, K
Rumfield is in a minor 2-for-21 slump. More importantly, he has an extra-base hit slump that has reached 16 games.
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, 2 BB
Narvaez owns a 17.1% BB rate. A backup catcher who flashes an offensive tool or two is valuable in MLB (Narvaez also has some pop in his bat).
DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-4, K
LF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, 2B (4), K
Trammell is 11-for-47 (.234) since joining Scranton.
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 K
CF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, SAC, 2 K

LHP Edgar Barclay: (L, 3-3): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
A much-needed solid evening for Barclay, who has struggled recently.
LHP Clayton Andrews: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Art Warren: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 HR
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (22-24) (Lost to Bowie, 10-2)

1B Ben Rice: 1-for-4, HR (12), RBI, RS
Last 7 games: 7-for-24 (1 double, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 5 BB, 4 K). On the season, he is hitting .242/.368/.503 in 191 PA (14.7% BB, 21.5% K). The Yankees continue to give him a lot of time behind the plate (great for value!), but he should be considered a candidate for the 2024 first base job if Anthony Rizzo is not retained.  
DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, 2 K
Dominguez has homered in two of his last three games. Last 4 games: 7-for-18. The bat has predictably heated up.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4
Ramirez had a big head start in the Eastern League (and organizational) home run race, but Rice has caught him. Anyway, he is hitting .275/.383/.569 in 183 PA, so I won’t worry about a random 11-game homerless streak.
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
It may be surprising to hear Jones is on an 11-game on-base streak. It hasn’t been the prettiest of streaks (6-for-41, 8 walks, 21 K), so take it for what it is worth.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, 2B (16), BB, K
.320/.408/.529 in 184 PA (16 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 29 R, 7-for-7 SB)
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4
LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4
.295/.360/.484 in 136 PA. Back-to-back multi-hit efforts and seven 2-hit games in his last 13 games played (0 hits in the other 6 games).
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, BB

LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 4-3) 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Selvidge cruised through 3 innings but ran into a string of tough luck in the 4th that knocked him out of the game. Season: 3.40 ERA (47.2 IP, 36 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 23 BB, 49 K). After reducing his walk rate considerably in 2023, it has spiked thus far in 2024. 
RHP Ryan Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR

Hudson Valley (21-22)

They played on Memorial Day, so they had today off.

Tampa (18-27) (Their game against Palm Beach was suspended, tied 5-5, in the 5th inning. They will conclude this game tomorrow, followed by the regularly scheduled game)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, RS, SB (12), 3 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, RS
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-2, RS, BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-2, 2 K
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, RS
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-2, K
  C Edinson Duran: 0-for-0
DH Tomas Frick: 1-for-2, RBI

RHP Luis Serna: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
4.75 ERA (36 IP, 28 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 42 K). May: 24.2 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 26 K. Serna has allowed 3 home runs in 136.2 career innings. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (11-7) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 10-4, in a 9-inning game)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-4, 3B (1), 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB, K
.346/.433/.423 in 30 PA. He has a 6-game hitting streak.
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RS, BB, K
For Familia, the FCL must feel like Little League to a high schooler.
  LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-2, 3B (2), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
7-game hitting streak. Imagine a world where the Yankees received two interesting prospects for Jake Bauers. By the way, Bauers is hitting .217/.308/.426 for the Brewers entering Tuesday’s action.
DH Edgleen Perez: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
6-game hitting streak and .350/.536/.500 in 56 PA overall.
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-5, 3 K
While his teammates are heating up, Gonzalez has cooled off. That’s how it goes.  He is hitting .204/.418/.510 in 67 PA.
2B Abrahan Ramirez: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
.318/.455/.477 in 56 PA. He plays mostly 2B/3B though he did get time in LF in 2023.
3B Luis Ogando: 1-for-4, HR (2; grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 K
.226/.306/.452 in 36 PA.
SS Santiago Gomez: 2-for-3, RS, 3 SB (5), CS (2), 2 HBP, K
47-for-57 (82.5%) stealing bases in his career.
RF Fidel Montero: 1-for-4, SB (6), BB, 3 K

RHP Eric Reyzelman: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
The 5th-round pick in the 2022 draft is here on a rehab assignment. He is known for his elite fastball (reaches 100 MPH).
RHP Angel Benitez: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
LHP Rafelin Nivar (W, 1-0): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Alejandro Gomez: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Michael Peres: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Juan Sanchez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/27: Jesus Rodriguez Collects 2 Hits

News:

Nothing

Scranton (32-18)

Scheduled day off.

Somerset (22-23)

Scheduled day off.

Hudson Valley (21-22) (Lost to Aberdeen, 9-4)

CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, HR (5), RBI, RS
14 doubles, 5 homers in 33 games. Last year, he hit 22 doubles and 14 homers in 99 games.
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-5, 2B (11), RS, K
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 2B (12), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Rodriguez has 6 hits in his last two games and is 29-for-82 (.354) in May with 9 doubles. His ability to play many positions leverages him well for a promotion to Somerset.
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Hardman is no longer on his rehab stint and was assigned to Hudson Valley.
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, 2B (4), BB
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, K
2B Beau Brewer: 0-for-2, CI, BB

RHP Jackson Fristoe: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
4.70 ERA (23 IP, 18 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 28 K). He’s pitched exactly 3 innings in four of his five May starts. The Yankees have yet to push him. They will eventually.
RHP Trent Sellers: (L, 4-2)  1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
As expected, Sellers was sent back down here from Scranton.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Joel Valdez: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (18-27)

Scheduled day off.

FCL (10-7) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 2-1, in a 7-inning game)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, RS, SB (2), K
Mayea has a 5-game hitting streak.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, BB, K
.333/.529/.500 in 51 PA. 
DH Christopher Familia: 1-for-2, BB, K
The 23-year-old Familia put himself on the map in 2023 when he hit .307/.378/.617 in 68 games for Tampa/Hudson Valley. In those 68 games, he hit 22 home runs and drove home 63. While much of that damage was done in Tampa (.928 SLG!), 11 homers were hit in Hudson Valley. Anyway, he is here on a rehab stint.
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (1), BB, K
Sanchez has a 6-game hitting streak and is hitting .370/.463/.609.

RHP Hansel Rosario: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 3-0): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
4 appearances/3 wins. Life as a middle reliever in the FCL, where starters rarely qualify for wins.
RHP Jesus Castellanos (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/26: Cam Schlittler Dominates

News:

RHP Matt Sauer was returned to the Yankees after he cleared waivers.

Chosen by the surprising Royals in the Rule 5, Sauer went 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA in 14 games (16.1 IP). His rate numbers were not great (13.1% BB/10.7% K/31.7% GB).

The Royals would have likely accepted that if they weren’t playing so well. They are off to a 34-19 start, which hinders developing Sauer at the MLB level.

The Yankees do not have to add Sauer to their 40-man roster. I am not sure what his free agency status is, but if he is selected in this year’s Rule 5, the team that selects him would not have to offer him back.

Scranton (32-18) (Lost to Syracuse, 10-2)

1B DJ LeMahieu: 0-for-2, BB
The Yankees will insert someone with a .000 Triple-A batting average into their everyday 3B slot? Anyway, I figured the Yankees would give him a rep at first base….
   1B Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2
RF Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, 2B (12), SF, RBI, K
3B Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, 2 BB
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, 2 K
  C Josh Breaux: 0-for-1
The Railriders activated Breaux from the Development List.
C-P Luis Torrens: 2-for-4, HR (4), RBI, RS
.287/.351/.465 in 114 PA.
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-2, RS, BB, HBP, 2 K
CF Greg Allen: 1-for-4
2B Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, BB, K
Lockridge’s first career start at second base.

RHP Will Warren:  (L, 3-4) 3 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
Nobody wants May to end more than Warren, who now has an 8.53 ERA in 44.1 IP (51 H, 44 R, 42 ER, 13 HR, 19 BB, 48 K). Warren was in contention for a rotation spot this spring and had a strong April in Triple-A. However, it’s been downhill from there. There must be a reason for it….
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
0.82 ERA (11 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 11 K)
RHP Cody Morris: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Josh VanMeter: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Luis Torrens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K
Scranton is so thin that they needed two position players to eat innings today.

Somerset (22-23) (Lost to New Hampshire, 13-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
.215/.301/.311 in 153 PA (11.1% BB, 35.3% K). Please, please, please stop bragging about a prospect’s contact rate in spring training.
DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
6-for-22 with a homer and 3 runs batted in.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, 2 K
.275/.385/.577 in 179 PA (14.5% BB, 18.99% K). He’s hitting, he’s taking walks, and he’s running (11-for-11 SB). I am a Keep it Simple Stupid type – prospect analysts shouldn’t overthink things with Ramirez. He belongs somewhere on the Top 100 lists – and could even threaten a Top 50.
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-4
.320/.406/.527 in 180 PA with a 7-for-7 SB rate. He has 30 starts at SS, 8 at 3B, and 5 at 2B. He has also appeared in a game in LF (didn’t start it though)
1B J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, SB (5), HBP, 2 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, RS, SB (8), K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-5)   4 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 HR
RHP Jack Neely: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
1.54 ERA (23.1 IP, 15 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 34 K). This ends a streak of six straight scoreless outings.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (21-21) (Defeated Brooklyn, 4-2)

DH Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, RS, BB, 3 K
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-5, RBI, 3 K
Serna is 2-for-24 in his last six games. He tends to run streaky.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, RS, BB
C Jesus Rodriguez: 4-for-5, 2 2B (11), RS, SB (4), K
Rodriguez has 4 3+ hit games (including 2 4-hit efforts) and 15 multi-hit games.  He is hitting .318 with a .891 OPS (11 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 27 R, 4-for-7 SB). Rodriguez just rakes. It is as simple as that.
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, 2B (14), 2 K
18 of Avina’s 38 hits have gone for extra bases.
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-2, 2B (12), 2 RBI, 2 BB
17-for-49 in May (7 doubles, 12 RBI, 12 BB).
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, RS, HBP

RHP Cam Schlittler: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Schlittler sets a new best for strikeouts in a game. He owns a 1.77 ERA (40.1 IP, 18 H, 14 R, 8 ER, 4 HR, 19 BB, 50 K). He generates ground balls and strikes out a high percentage of hitters. That is a prospect the Yankees love to work with. He should get to Somerset in 2024.
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Arejula: (W, 2-3)  2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Tampa (18-27) (Defeated Jupiter, 5-2. Tampa won the final four games of this series by a combined 20-4 score. Jupiter (24-21) is a good pitching squad but they do have the worst offense in the FSL)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, 3B (1), 2 RS, BB
His first career triple. He is hitting .229/.382/.286 in 131 PA (18.3% BB, 24.4% K)
DH Roderick Arias: 2-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 RS, SB (11), K
.211/.328/.337 in 198 PA (7 doubles, 4 triples, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 26 R, 11-for-17 SB, 14.1% BB, 33.8% K). 
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB
.276/.362/.465 in 185 PA
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2, 2 SF, 2 RBI
Productive outs!
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, SB (6)
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-4
3B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, 3 K
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, K

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (W, 1-6) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
5.27 ERA (41 IP, 44 H, 24 R, 24 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 45 K)
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
1.74 ERA (20.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 23 K). He allowed a pair of home runs in his second appearance, but only one since (zero in 9.2 May innings)
RHP Aaron Nixon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.28 ERA (24.2 IP, 18 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 20 BB, 25 K).
RHP Jordy Luciano (S, 1): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB,0 K

FCL (9-7)

Scheduled day off.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/25: Jasson Dominguez’s Big Day

News:

Nothing important.

Scranton (32-18) (Lost to Syracuse, 9-6)

3B DJ LeMahieu: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
LeMahieu was transferred to the 60-day injured list, but that was just a paper move to get Kevin Smith on the MLB roster. Once LeMahieu flies out to Anaheim, they will activate him and DFA Smith. 
  PH-3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-2, 2 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-4, 2 RS, BB
6-for-24 and back-to-back multi-hit efforts. Note: I don’t care about his Tampa/Somerset rehab numbers – I am just reporting on his Triple-A statistics.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
.298/.355/.411 in 138 PA here and .303/.372/.401 in 172 PA overall.
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
.274/.378/.468 with 6 doubles, 2 HR, and 15 RBI in 16 May games.
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 BB, K
RF Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, 2B (11), 3 RBI, BB
Rojas has been the productive veteran presence. He has 11 doubles, 9 HR, and 31 RBI in 39 games.
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, RBI, K
Gonzalez now has a 9-game hitting streak. 
2B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 K
CF Greg Allen: 2-for-5, SB (8), K
.246/.409/.377 in 89 PA

LHP Ben Shields: (L, 0-1)  1.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
You have to hope it doesn’t hurt the kid’s confidence. He was placed here only because Scranton needed a starter and he was rested.
LHP Clayton Andrews: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
1.13 ERA (24 IP, 18 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 26 K). 

Somerset (22-22) (Defeated New Hampshire, 5-3)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
.220/.302/.318 in 149 PA. He has hit safely in five of his last six games and has reached base safely in nine straight games. However, this is not a claim that he is “hot,” as he is only 6-for-35 with 6 walks in those games. 
DH Jasson Dominguez: 3-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS
Dominguez has five hits in his last two games. He may be finding his groove, which is the first hurdle. They still haven’t put him in the outfield, and it may be a while before they do.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-5, 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
Ramirez launches his second career triple (229 games). He has five RBI in his last three games. He is hitting .324/.422/.574 in May (6 doubles, 3 HR, 15 RBI) after hitting .247/.370/.610 in April (1 double, 9 HR, 19 RBI).  His BABIP in the first month was low. It has since normalized (.282) and we are seeing the results of that.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-2, 2 BB
.242/.371/.490 in 187 PA. In addition to hitting some HR lately, he is drawing walks. 
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
.329/.415/.541 in 176. After a .351/.433/.623 April, he is hitting .304/.395/.449 in May. He was never going to be able to maintain the April pace. The May stat line is impressive enough.
LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-3, BB
.288/.356/.483 in 132 PA. In his last 12 games, he has six 2-hit games and six 0-hit games. 
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
2B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-1, BB
Vargas’ first game since May 3rd.
   2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-2, 2B (8), RS

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
4.44 ERA (50.2 IP, 45 H, 27 R, 25 ER, 2 HR, 14 BB, 50 K)
RHP Colby White: (W, 1-2)  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
It was unknown by 99% of the fanbase that White was on the 40-man roster. Anyway, he recently cleared waivers and was outrighted to Somerset.
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1.1 IP,1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
3.31 ERA (16.1 IP, 15 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 23 K). The 2022 undrafted free agent signing missed all of 2023 due to injury.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Since promotion: 9.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He continues his impressive run.

Hudson Valley (20-21) (Lost to Brooklyn, 7-3)

RF Jace Avina: 2-for-4, K
.306 with a .909 OPS. He has 9 multi-hit games (31 games played). 
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-4, RBI, SB (6), 2 K
Serna’s 22-game on-base streak is snapped. He has four straight successful stolen base attempts (1-for-6 to start the season)
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, 3 K
Only the second 3 K game in his career (223 games)
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RS, SB (1), 3 K
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, 2B (11), RS, BB, K
Flores has 11 doubles in 31 games (he hit 15 in 105 games in 2023)
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, 3 K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, 2B (2), RS

RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 0-1) 3.1 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
His High-A debut doesn’t go well, but it’s not his fault. He is not ready for this level (in my opinion), but they needed an arm and he was available.
RHP Cole Ayers: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
2.22 ERA (28.1 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 35 K). Strong performance by Ayers in 2024.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R,  BB, 3 K

Tampa (17-27) (Defeated Jupiter, 6-1)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5, 3 K
.225/.378/.265 in 127 PA (10-for-11 SB).
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, RS, K
.209/.330/.337 in 194 PA. He has hit safely in six of his last seven games (7-for-30)
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
.268/.354/.465 in 181 PA (14 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 24 R, 9.9% BB, 25.97% K).  He has 8 doubles, 4 homers, and 19 RBI in May.
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-2, 2B (8), RBI, RS, SB (8), 2 BB
.264/.414/.473 in 116 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 17 R, 20.7% BB, 20.7% K, 8-for-9 SB). He is 18-for-61 (.295/.470/.541) in May.
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, RS, BB
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-4, K
LF Dayro Perez: 0-for-4, 3 K

RHP Ryan Harvey: (W, 2-2)  5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Last two starts: 10.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 14 K. This has dropped his ERA to 5.59 in 19.1 IP with a 23/9 K/BB.
RHP Cade Austin: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
3.72 ERA (29 IP, 25 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 6 BB, 35 K). This is a strong debut season, with only problematic home runs. I am more interested in that K/BB.
RHP Kris Bow: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.44 ERA (18.1 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 22 K). 

FCL (9-7) (Defeated the Phillies, 5-4, in a 9-inning game)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-5, RBI, 3 K
6-for-18 with two walks and six strikeouts. He has reached base in all five of his games.
C Edgleen Perez: 2-for-4, K
.324/.521/.500 in 48 PA. He has 12 RBI in 12 games.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-4, 3 K
.227/.452/.568 in 62 PA. He is in a little 0-for-11 slump.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, K
.364/.451/.614 in 51 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 10 R, 7 BB, 12 K, 6-for-6 SB). Acquired as part of the deal for Jake Bauers (along with Jace Avina), his HR today was his first career blast.
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, 2B (2), RS, HBP, K
The 20-year-old switch-hitter has started at SS in 12 of the team’s 16 games. He is hitting .273/.377/.432.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 0-for-4, RBI, RS, SB (5), K
RF Joel Mendez: 2-for-4, 2B (3), 3B (1), RS, 2 K
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-3, RBI, SB (2), BB, K

RHP McKinley Moore: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The hard-throwing Moore was moved here from the Development List. The Yankees are trying to work him through control issues.
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K
Mendoza owns a 23/10 K/BB over 13.2 IP.
RHP Orvis Fernandez (W, 2-0): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Juan Sanchez (S, 1): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Listed as a catcher, this is his professional debut on the hill. As a hitter, he hit .255/.265/.468 in 16 FCL games in 2023.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/24: Allen Facundo Ks 11

News:

IF Caleb Durbin, who has put his name on the map the past two years, was placed on the 7-day IL today after being hit by a pitch last night.

Durbin is hitting .299/.413/.458 in 215 PA with 17 doubles, 3 home runs, 36 RBI, 34 runs, and 20 stolen bases. He has played 2B/SS/3B/LF/CF.

A non-contact injury cost him a big chunk of the 2023 season (he played only 69 games).

Depth arm Cody Poteet is also on the injured list. The Yankees are in a pitching depth crisis, losing Poteet and Clayton Beeter recently. Additionally, Will Warren and Edgar Barclay are struggling.

At this point in the season, you must make do with what you have. Brian Cashman could look to make a minor deal for minor-league depth, but the Yankees aren’t the only team that treasures veteran minor-league pitching depth.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez was promoted to the Yankees with Nick Burdi back on the injured list. Gomez’s time could be short once Ian Hamilton is ready. The Yankees hate giving up pitching depth, which is likely why they continue to hold on to Dennis Santana and Michael Tonkin. I have seen more than I need to see.

There were several promotions today – I don’t feel any of them are in the “significant” category because I think they were done based on needs more than anything. For example, RHP Trent Sellers and LHP Ben Shields were promoted to Scranton, where they need arms. Hudson Valley was short arms (especially since Baron Stuart was needed in Scranton yesterday), so RHP Josh Grosz was promoted there from Tampa. Grosz is talented, but I am not sure if a 7.06 ERA/5.76 FIP guy is a promotion that will “stick” once the dust settles (if it settles).

Scranton (32-17) (Their pitching is decimated but is hanging tough. Tonight, they defeated Syracuse, 7-3)

DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-5, RS, K
2B Oswald Peraza: 2-for-5, RBI, RS, 2 SB (2), 2 K
4-for-20. All he can do is stay ready and perform at a high level. 
1B Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-5, 2B (10), RBI, RS, K
.231/.371/.396 in 170 PA. His performance is on par with his minor league career (.238/.361/.370). The Yankees are high on him, likely as a backup catcher who can play some first base.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-5, RBI, RS, K
Gonzalez has an 8-game hitting streak and is hitting .328/.397/.590 in 68 plate appearances for Scranton.
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
LF Greg Allen: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, SB (17), BB, K
.247/.376/.340 in 117 PA with 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
De Los Santos pitches well in his first start (minors or majors) since 2015. 
RHP Trent Sellers: (W, 1-0) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Yesterday, it was Baron Stuart – today, it is Trent Sellers. That is, pitchers they called up from Hudson Valley because they need arms. This is his first professional season. For Hudson Valley, he pitched to a 2.82 ERA in 22.1 innings with a 30/16 K/BB.
RHP Art Warren: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Phil Bickford: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Every injury moves veterans like Bickford up on the depth chart.

Somerset (21-22) (Squeaked past New Hampshire, 8-7)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2 RS, SB (11), BB, 3 K
He is not out of his slump, but he has drawn four walks in his last three games and has three stolen bases in his last four games. 
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-5, K
Dominguez is 2-for-13 since joining Somerset.
C Agustin Ramirez: 3-for-4, 2 2B (7), SF, 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (11), K
Back-to-back multi-hit efforts and his 4th 3+ hit game this season.  He is hitting .286/.400/.593 in 170 incredible plate appearances.
1B Ben Rice: 1-for-5, RBI, RS
Rice is on a 5-game hitting streak (6-for-18). He has 8 RBI in his last six games.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-1, HR (4), 2 RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB, HBP
Cowles is at .329/.419/.545 (15 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 29 R). He has been a machine since Game 1.
3B J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, 2 2B (9), 3 RBI
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4

RHP Bailey Dees: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
4.15 ERA (43.1 IP, 39 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 5 HR, 19 BB, 47 K).  Dees hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs in a game since the season opener (where he allowed 8). Tonight wasn’t perfect, but the Yankees must be thrilled with his season, given he was converted to a starter this year.
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Jesus Liranzo: (W, 1-0)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Jack Neely (S, 5): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Neely is 19-for-21 converting saves in his career. This season, he owns a 1.25 ERA in 21.2 IP (12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 33 K). A prospect doesn’t need to stay in Triple-A for long but the Yankees are likely still considering sending him to Scranton.

Hudson Valley (20-20) (Lost to Brooklyn, 7-1)

LF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, BB, K
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, SB (5), 2 K
Serna now owns a 22-game on-base streak. He is hitting .250/.377/.459 in 183 PA (10 doubles, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 29 R). He was nearly a 20/20 player in 2023 (19 HR/29 SB).  He will need to get on a roll to challenge that again in 2024, but his season has taken off after a slow start.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RS, K
1B Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, K
Martinez now has a 9-game hitting streak. 
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Garrett Martin:  1-for-3
   PH-RF Nelson Medina: 0-for-1
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, 2B (7), SB (3), BB, K

LHP Kyle Carr: (L, 0-3) 4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
A grand slam ruined his evening. Carr has struggled to put things together this season (7.34 ERA in 8 starts (30.2 IP) with a 26/25 K/BB). That said, it is his debut season and he skipped straight to High-A. One thing he has is time.
LHP Joel Valdez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.00 ERA (27 IP, 17 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 29 K)

Tampa (16-27) (Shut Down Jupiter, 1-0)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
Positional breakdown: Shortstop: 15 games; Second base: 5 games; Third base: 4 games. 
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, RS, SB (10), BB, K
.209/.333/.342 in 189 PA. He has 34 extra-base hits and 37 stolen bases in 99 career games. That’s the raw talent shining through. The rawness also comes through with the high strikeout rates, etc. I continue to sit back and be patient as I don’t think anyone can tell you where his career is going.
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
DH Hans Montero: 1-for-4, RBI, K
.305/.379/.500 in 66 PA. An interesting dilemma could present itself whenever Enmanuel Tejeda returns. There will be enough playing time for everyone, though.
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-2, SB (9), 2 BB, 2 K
3B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-4, K
LF Daury Arias: 1-for-4, K

LHP Allen Facundo: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K
Facundo ties his best for strikeouts in a game (set in 2021). The 6’0″ 21-year-old has a 2.40 ERA (30 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 38 K). He mainly featured his 4-seam fastball and slider, generating 17 whiffs with the slider.
RHP Montana Semmel: (W, 3-2) 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.19 ERA (22.2 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 18 K). The Yankees liked Semmel enough to give him a maximum bonus ($125,000) in 2020 to sign. In 2020, the rule was that any player drafted after the 10th round had a maximum bonus of $125,000 (anything higher than that would have counted towards a team’s draft allotment for the first ten rounds). Nowadays, the maximum bonus for these players is $150,000.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: (S, 2): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.79 ERA (20.2 IP, 23 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 24 K). Gabonia had a 49/29 K/BB in 53.2 innings last year, so he is doing a nice job keeping the walks at bay in 2024.

FCL (8-7) (Lost to the Phillies, 20-8, in a 7-inning game)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (1), K
5-for-13
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB, HBP, K
DH Engelth Urena: 2-for-2, 2B (1), HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, 3 BB
Urena is 5-for-20. He missed all of 2023 due to injury.
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
His strong start continues (15-for-40, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 5 RBI, 9 R, 6-for-6 SB)
2B Abrahan Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB
.316/.447/.500 in 48 PA with 11 runs batted in.
1B Diomedes Hernandez: 2-for-3, RS, HBP
3B Luis Ogando: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI
SS Santiago Gomez: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, HBP
RF Ramiro Altagracia: 1-for-3, RS, BB

RHP Bryce Warrecker (L, 0-2): 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/23: George Lombard’s 4-Hit Night

News:

OF Jasson Dominguez didn’t play in either game of today’s doubleheader for Somerset. He just played back-to-back games for the first time, so it is possible that this was planned.  They are not going to rush this rehab.

Scranton (31-17) (Split a doubleheader with Syracuse)

Game 1 (Won, 3-2, on a walk-off single)

2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2B (17)
3B Oswald Peraza: 0-for-2, 2 BB
With DJ LeMahieu healthy and Gleyber Torres likely going nowhere, the path to MLB (in 2024) is hard to find. I assume the Yankees are open to trading him, especially if they have confidence in someone like Durbin. Another option certainly would be to throw him in the 2025 second base competition.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, RBI
Rumfield had the game-winning single.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-2, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, 2 K
  PR-LF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0, RS
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-2, SB (1), BB
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-2, RBI, BB
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-3, K
CF Greg Allen: 0-for-2, RS, BB

RHP Baron Stuart (W, 1-0):  7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
Called up from Hudson Valley specifically to make this start, Stuart tosses a 7-inning complete game. He probably will head back to Hudson Valley (where he compiled a 4.13 ERA in 24 IP with a 16/11 K/BB), but this was an impressive effort in a series that was dominated by offense before today.

Game 2 (Lost, 4-2)

3B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-0, RS, HBP
Durbin stayed in the game long enough to score after being HBP but left the game soon after that. Hopefully, it is precautionary.
  3B Kevin Smith: 0-for-2
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
Rumfield is hitting .300/.353/.417 since his promotion with 24 RBI in 31 games.
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, K
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (2), K
  LF Greg Allen: 0-for-1, K
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, SB (2)
Gonzalez now owns a 7-game hitting streak.
RF Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, 3 K
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-1, RS, BB
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-2

LHP Tanner Tully: (L, 0-3) 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.23 ERA (22 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 25 K). I am not sure if the Yankees are the organization that will give him a chance, but he is doing the best he can to get everyone to notice.

Somerset (20-22) (Lost a doubleheader to New Hampshire)

Game 1 (Lost, 5-4, in 9 (extra) innings)

SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-4, RS, K
1B Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, RBI, SB (10)
Ramirez has already reached double digits in HR and SB.  He is hitting .272/.394/.574.
C Ben Rice: 1-for-3, HR (11), RBI, RS, BB, K
Rice has three home runs in his last two games.
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K
DH J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, RS, K
CF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-4, K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
3.75 ERA (50.1 IP, 39 H, 29 R, 21 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 56 K).  After allowing 1.24 HR/9 in 2023, he has it down to 0.72/9 in 2024. He has also maintained a strong K rate while reducing his walks from 4.80/9 in 2023 to 2.86/9 in 2024. We may just be witnessing a maturing starting pitcher.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
This is what you call a noisy line.
LHP Ryan Anderson (L, 1-3): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Game 2 (Lost, 9-0)

DH Spencer Jones: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
.220/.302/.325 in 139 PA. Cue the complainers who say the Yankees should have traded him “when his value was high!” Some people should not follow minor league baseball if they are unwilling to understand player development. Jones didn’t forget how to play overnight – give him time to find his groove (for the record, I am not against trading most any prospect – but I don’t base that on random hot or cold minor league streaks)
1B Ben Rice: 1-for-4, K
Rice is at .247/.373/.507. Before his current hot streak (four games), he was hitting .233/.356/.444. It gets harder to improve your triple slash significantly with one little hot streak as you get later into the season, but Rice has done that lately.
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-3
He is at .324 with a .926 OPS. This is his 13th multi-hit game of the season. If the Yankees don’t go outside the organization to fill the probable 2B vacancy, put Cowles on the list of potential candidates.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, K
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, K
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2, SB (4), BB
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-2, BB
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, K

LHP Josh Maciejewski: (L, 0-2) 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 8.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Aaron Palensky: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Somerset ran out of pitchers, so Palensky had to eat four outs.

Hudson Valley (20-19) (Destroyed Brooklyn, 16-3)

3B DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS
He is on track to join the team in Anaheim.
   PH-3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-2, K
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-5, 2 RS, BB, K
Serna extends his on-base streak to 21.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 5-for-5, 2B (1), 5 RBI, 3 RS, BB
Vivas, someone to watch in the 2025 second base competition, was 2-for-21 on his rehab assignment entering tonight. He ties his best for RBI in a game, but not hits. He had a 6-hit game on 6/8/21 when he was a member of the Dodgers organization.
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
.310/.388/.490 in 165 PA. It feels like he is on a 5,000-game hitting streak, but this effort increased it to five.
CF Jace Avina: 3-for-5, 2B (13), 3 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Avina is at .310 with a .933 OPS in 132 PA (13 doubles, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 19 R, 4-for-4 SB). His K% is high (28.0) but is down from his 29.6% rate in Low-A last year. The ceiling is tantalizing.
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, 2B (6), HR (5), SF, 5 RBI, 2 RS
Don’t forget about Martinez, who is a legitimate catching prospect. He is on an 8-game hitting streak (10-for-28, 4 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI) and is up to .250 with a .849 OPS (19.7% BB, 21.8% K)
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-5, 2B (4), RS, 2 K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 3-for-5, 2B (6), RBI, RS
Gabrielson’s second career 3-hit game. 
LF Kyle Battle: 1-for-4, 3 RS, SB (5), BB
I like seeing this from prospects like Battle…

RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 3-3)  5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
5.11 ERA (37 IP, 38 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 3 HR, 18 BB, 35 K). This is the first time in his short career that he has allowed multiple HR in a game (he has allowed 4 in 68.2 innings). He is a legit prospect to place somewhere in your brain as he develops.
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Since returning from his rehab: 9.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 15 K. Add him to the mile-long list of relief prospects. 

Tampa (15-27) (Defeated Jupiter, 8-1)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 4-for-5, 3 RBI
This raises his triple slash from .193/.366/.239 to .226/.385/.269. This is his second career 4-hit effort (did it on 9/3/23, after being promoted to this level). The power hasn’t shown up yet, but remember that Anthony Volpe had 3 HR and .355 SLG in 150 PA for Pulaski in 2019.  Lombard is at 117 career plate appearances.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, K
.214/.337/.351 in 184 PA. 
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-5, 2 K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-5, HR (1), RBI, RS, K
Power has yet to be a part of Montero’s game (7th career HR in 153 games). He hasn’t hit for average this year (got off to a miserable start), but has played better in May.
DH Coby Morales: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, SB (8), BB, 2 K
.250/.370/.299 in 173 PA. He is 21-for-67 in May (.313/.413/.403). 
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, RS, K
C Edinson Duran: 2-for-3, 2 3B (3), 2 RS, BB
Oh to be a young catcher capable of legging out two triples. He has 8 triples in 110 career games. 
LF Daury Arias: 1-for-4, 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K

RHP Cade Smith: (W, 2-2)  7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
2.41 ERA (37.1 IP, 23 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 46 K). He maxed out at 95.6 MPH (averaged 93.3). This is an impressive first professional season. At 22 years old, he is a candidate for a Hudson Valley promotion this season.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

FCL (8-6) (Defeated the Tigers, 5-4, thanks to a 3-run bottom of the 8th (after the Tigers scored two in the top of the 8th. This was a scheduled 7-inning game, so the 8th inning was extra innings. Got it? Good.)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-4, K
3-for-8 with a pair of walks and strikeouts.
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-4
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-3, 2 RS, HBP, K
LF Brian Sanchez: 3-for-4, 2 2B (6), RBI, 2 RS
Sanchez has shown off his doubles/triples power in his brief minor league career (13 doubles, 5 triples in 44 games). He has five multi-hit games in 11 games this season.
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, RS, CS (4), BB
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 1-for-2, RBI, SB (3), 2 BB, K
1B Diomedes Hernandez: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
Hernandez walked it off with an RBI single. The 19-year-old is listed as a catcher, though he has yet to get behind the dish in 2024 (only 7 games played).
2B Gabriel Terrero: 0-for-1, 2 BB
RF Fidel Montero: 1-for-3, CS (1), K

RHP Angel Benitez: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
2.16 ERA (8.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 10 BB, 9 K). He stands 6’7″ and likely has some of the command/control issues that come with that. He has time to work on that.
RHP Sabier Marte: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K
0.68 ERA (13.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 12 K)
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 2-0): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/22: Caleb Durbin Walks it Off

News:

There is no news that is fit for print.

Scranton (30-16) (Walked it off against Syracuse, 12-10. They came back from 6-1 and 10-6 deficits. Triple-A is insane. No lead should ever be considered safe)

2B Caleb Durbin: 4-for-5, 2B (16), HR (3), 4 RBI, 3 RS, SAC
Durbin walked it off with a 2-run HR with two outs in the 9th. It’s his second 4-hit game and third 4-RBI game this season. He is hitting .301/.413/.457 in 210 PA (16 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 36 RBI, 33 R, 14.3% BB, 10% K, 20-for-22 SB). As of this writing, he is tied for first in doubles and stolen bases in the International League. 
DH Oswald Peraza: 1-for-5, RBI
Peraza is 2-for-13 since joining Scranton.
1B Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, 3 K
.230/.377/.397 in 162 PA (17.3% BB, 27.8% K)
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, 2B (5), RBI, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 2-for-4, 2B (7), HR (6), RBI, RS, SB (5), CS (3), BB, K
A little bit of everything. Downs got the 9th-inning rally started with a solo home run.
C Luis Torrens: 2-for-5, 2B (6), HR (3), RBI, 2 RS
.272/.340/.435 in 103 PA. When the Yankees need someone in the short term, it will be Narvaez, as he doesn’t require a 40-man move. If a long-term need occurred (let’s hope not), I don’t know who they would choose between Narvaez and Torrens. 
CF Greg Allen: 2-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (7), 2 BB
.241/.413/.397 in 76 PA. He is 11-for-34 (.324) in May. If the Yankees moved on from Trent Grisham, Allen could at least be a temporary fill-in. The organization (obviously) likes him, as he keeps coming back.
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, RS, SB (7), BB, 2 K
LF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-3, 2B (7), RBI, RS, SB (16)
I am not sure why Lockridge left the game.
  LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-1, 2 RS, BB
Trammell reached on an error with two outs in the 9th. It scored Allen to tie the game, followed by Durbin’s heroics.

LHP Edgar Barclay: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
6.59 ERA (41 IP, 44 H, 33 R, 30 ER, 9 HR, 27 BB, 40 K).  Simply put, it will be hard for Barclay to succeed with that many walks. He doesn’t have the overpowering stuff to compensate.
RHP Cody Morris: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Morris’ ERA spikes to 2.95.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (W, 4-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Durbin is the headline hero, but Misiewicz and Mosqueda deserve credit too. 

Somerset (20-20) (Revenged yesterday’s 10-2 loss with a 11-2 win over New Hampshire)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RS, SB (10), BB, 2 K
It is hardly a “breakout” but he has hit safely in his last three games. We have to look for the small things right now.
DH Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-5, K
Patience will be required as he gets his stroke back.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3, 3 RS, SB (9), BB, HBP, K
That’s a lot of activity for an 0-for-3 afternoon. Season: .265/.391/.576 in 161 PA (5 doubles, 12 HR, 29 RBI, 32 R, 16.1% BB, 18.6% K, 9-for-9 SB). In his last 6 games, he is 3-for-19 with four walks and six runs. A good hitter can contribute even when the hits aren’t falling in.
1B Ben Rice: 2-for-2, 2 HR (10), 4 RBI, 4 RS, 2 SB (7), HBP, 2 BB
Wow. This insane day increases his triple slash to .245/.373/.496 in 170 PA (14.7% BB, 22.4% K). He isn’t a big base stealer in volume, but he is efficient: 7-for-7 this season and 23-for-27 (85.2%) in his career.  This is his third multi-HR game in the last two years, all with Somerset (86 games played). Most importantly, it appears Rice is breaking out of his malaise.
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 2B (15), 2 RBI, 2 RS
Cowles hasn’t stopped hitting, as his triple slash is now .326/.410/.533 in 161 PA.  He has 12 multi-hit games and is 2nd in the Eastern League in doubles, 4th in runs (Ramirez and Rice are 1st and 3rd) and RBI (Ramirez is 2nd). 
LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2B (12), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
.296/.364/.509 in 121 Double-A plate appearances this year and .311/.385/.553 in 182 Double-A plate appearances over the last two years.
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-4, 2B (2), 3 RBI, BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-5
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, BB

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 4-2) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K
3.07 ERA (44 IP, 32 H, 20 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 47 K). His control has betrayed him in his last two starts (9 BB in 14 IP), but he limited the damage today (both runs allowed were scored after he left the game). With injuries and ineffectiveness at the upper levels, Selvidge could find himself somewhere on the MLB depth chart – I wouldn’t get your hopes up on a 2024 debut, but the Yankees have a depth issue right now.
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Both walks came at the end of his outing – may have been tiring. Season: 1.29 ERA (21 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 32 K). 
LHP Ryan Anderson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Neely seemingly ran out of gas late. Anderson did a nice job saving the inherited runners.

Hudson Valley (19-19) (Lost to Brooklyn, 3-1. The offense has only two runs in the first two games of the series)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-3, SB (7), HBP, K
.211/.346/.358 in 133 PA (15.8% BB, 17.3% K; 7-for-9 SB).
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Serna extended his on-base streak to 20 in his last plate appearance of the day.
3B-C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, RS
.312/.384/.496 in 159 PA (9 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 25 R, 10.06% BB, 14.5% K). 
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, BB, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, RBI, K
12 doubles, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 17 runs, and 4 stolen bases in 28 games.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-1
Flores left the game due to an apparent injury.
  3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, 2B (3), K
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-2, K
His first game since April 25th.
   RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-2, SB (7), BB, 2 K

RHP Jackson Fristoe: (L, 0-2)  3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
5.40 ERA (20 IP, 18 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 24 K). The Yankees haven’t yet asked him to stretch out much. While you can’t prove it caused any issues, Fristoe walked three straight batters after Flores left the game.
RHP Cole Ayers: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
2.52 ERA (25 IP, 20 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 33 K). Ayers pitched in 11 games at this level in 2023, with similar dominant results. We should see him in Somerset soon enough. He turns 25 in August.
RHP Luis Arejula: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Tampa (14-27) (Lost to Jupiter, 5-1)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RS, K
In his last four games, Arias has three extra-base hits (2 doubles, 1 triple). He is hitting .215 with a .697 OPS (7 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 17 RBI, 22 R, 15.1% BB, 35.2% K)
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, 2B (14), RBI
Jasso has four doubles in his last four games and has 17 RBI in May. He has 25 starts at 1B and 13 at 3B. 
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, BB
Castillo increases his on-base streak to 14. 
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, K
Montero is hitting .309 with a .914 OPS in 62 plate appearances. One has to love how he has taken advantage of his opportunity.
LF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 K
DH Manuel Palencia: 0-for-3
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-3

RHP Luis Serna: (L, 2-3) 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Pitch distribution: 41% changeups (9 whiffs), 31% sinkers (91.4 MPH average); 23% sliders, 5% curve. Season: 4.78 ERA (32 IP, 25 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 38 K). The 19-year-old had a 10.32 ERA in 11.1 April innings. It is 1.74 in May.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
3.57 ERA (22.2 IP, 17 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 19 BB, 23 K). Walks were also an issue in college.  The Yankees are hoping to clean that up.
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.86 ERA (19.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 20 K). He has pitched well, though he isn’t dominating. 

FCL (7-6)

Scheduled day off.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!