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!