Notes:
Cooper Hummel has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and will become a free agent if the Yankees don’t add him to their 26-man roster. I find that unlikely, as his MLB career (.159/.255/.275 in 82 games) hardly inspires confidence. Furthermore, he is primarily an outfielder, which the Yankees don’t need.
I wouldn’t cry if he replaced Pablo Reyes, but that bar is hardly high.
Scranton (21-25) (Lost to Nashville, 7-6, in 11 innings. I just noticed that former Yankees’ prospect Anthony Seigler plays for Nashville. He is hitting .282 with a .946 OPS in 150 plate appearances. The first-round pick in the 2018 draft reached minor league free agency last winter and signed with the Brewers.)
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-6, R, SB (7), K
Not his best effort during the streak, but Rodriguez’s hitting streak reaches 12. He has 25 hits in 16 May games.
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-6, R, K
C Alex Jackson: 2-for-4, 2 HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (1), BB
The alternating home run streak continues! Jackson has homered in five of his last nine games (HR, no HR, HR, no HR, HR, no HR, HR, no HR, 2 HR).
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
2B Braden Shewmake: 0-for-1, SB (4)
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, R, SB (3), BB
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-5, R, SB (11), 2 K
2B-1B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-3, SAC, BB, 2 K
One thing Gatewood has done well in his minor league career is hit home runs. This season, he has only two in 33 games.
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 K
RHP Erick Leal: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
4.26 ERA (19 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 20 K). He may be hard to hit (38 hits/98 strikeouts in 69.1 career innings), but those darn walks (47).
RHP Scott Effross: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
If I didn’t mention it, Effross is no longer on a rehab stint. The Yankees officially optioned him to Scranton.
RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-3) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Back-to-back relief outings for Messinger. He hit 95 MPH with his 4-seam fastball. A story to watch if this is a permanent move, though he was given a starter’s workload here.
Somerset (19-21)
Their game against New Hampshire was postponed. They will attempt to make it up on Saturday.
Hudson Valley (27-14) (Trounced Winston-Salem, 13-2)
2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, 3 R, HBP, BB, K
Riggio is scorching (.295/.456/.750; 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R in 12 games). He has homered in back-to-back games and has four home runs in his last four games.
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB, K
RF Coby Morales: 4-for-5, 2 2B (7), HR (4), 3 RBI, 3 R, BB, K
Morales earns his first career 4-hit effort. He went 3-for-19 in his brief Somerset stay. If he continues to rake here, he’ll get a longer stay.
1B Parks Harber: 3-for-6, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Since promotion: .338/.390/.563 in 77 PA with three 3+ hit efforts. As an undrafted college bat, you won’t see Harber high on any organizational prospect lists. Nobody will care if he keeps raking as he moves up the chain.
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 2 2B (11), 2 RBI, R
Castillo continues a recent surge, collecting multiple hits for the third time in his last five games. That has increased his triple slash from .216/.328/336 to .235/.334/.360. As you know, as sample sizes get larger, brief surges don’t increase your numbers significantly.
SS Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, R, SB (5), 2 BB, K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, RBI, HBP, K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-2, R, HBP, 2 BB, K
RHP Ben Hess (W, 4-2): 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
3.28 ERA (35.2 IP, 20 H, 16 R, 13 ER, 1 HR, 20 BB, 52 K). I love the strikeouts. The walk rate needs work. That is why they have the minor leagues.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
0.50 ERA (18 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 24 K). If the plan is to keep him in the bullpen permanently, a trip to Somerset may not be far off.
Tampa (22-20) (Their hot streak continues, courtesy of a 3-1 win over Dunedin. Dunedin entered this series as one of the top dogs in the division. They are now in second place. Tampa is in 4th place, but only 2.5 games behind first-place Lakeland.)
DH Edgleen Perez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
.225/.391/.258 in 156 PA. Perez has 31 walks (19.9%).
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-4, BB
RF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, R, 3 K
.219/.296/.425 in 162 PA (8 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 25 R, 9-for-10 SB, 9.3% BB, 29% K). His power/speed combination is enticing, and he has hit better overall in May (.279/.355/.618 with five homers and 17 RBI)
SS Juan Matheus: 0-for-2, R, SB (12), 2 BB
The hitting streak is over, but he still contributed. He is hitting .302/.369/.373 in 149 PA. Scouting reports are scarce, but Fangraphs ranked him 26th in the organization, touting his versatility (shortstop should remain part of that profile) and bat-to-ball skills. Power? Not likely to be one of his strengths.
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Owen Cobb: 0-for-4, 2 K
His hitting streak comes to an end. He is hitting .417/.455/.733 in 67 PA while playing 2B/SS/3B.
CF Marshall Toole: 2-for-4, 3B (4), R
.305/.400/.453 in 110 PA.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, K
LHP Griffin Herring (W, 4-1): 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
I said earlier this week that Bryce Cunningham has been the most impressive 2024 draftee. Given the level difference, I still believe that, but Herring has made a case. He owns a 1.21 ERA in 44.2 IP (24 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 58 K). He leads the Florida State League in strikeouts and batting average against (second in ERA and WHIP).
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Chris Veach (S, 3): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.59 ERA (17 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 29 K)
FCL (6-8) (Lost to the Tigers, 6-4)
LF Brando Mayea: 0-for-4
CF Cam Eden: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 2 SB (2), BB
The left-handed hitting outfielder (20) was drafted out of high school in the 17th round in 2023. This was only his 25th career game.
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-3, SB (3), BB, K
.297/.325/.297 in 40 plate appearances.
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, K
RHP Stanly Alcantara: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Alcantara has allowed five walks in ten innings. Before this season, he walked 56 in 38.1 innings. Progress!
DSL (0-0)
Their season starts in June.