Month: May 2025

Yankees MILB 5/2: Spencer Jones Goes Yard

Notes:

With Jazz Chisholm Jr. out until early-to-mid June or longer, the opportunity is there for Jorbit Vivas to make an impression. I won’t ignore the fact that it will eventually open a spot for DJ LeMahieu. Beyond that, your depth is Braden Shewmake (activated off the IL today and on the 40-man), Jake Gatewood, and Andrew Velazquez. If anyone dares to ask about George Lombard Jr., it’s grounds for me to block you from reading my website.

Given his absurdly low K% in Triple-A, it was funny that Vivas struck out in his first plate appearance. Baseball!

Clayton Beeter is in Scranton to continue his rehab. He isn’t far away.

Many players were activated on the FCL roster for tomorrow’s opener. I won’t get into that. Of note, 2B Roc Riggio and RHP Trystan Vrieling will begin rehab assignments. OF Luis Durango, chosen in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 out of Cleveland, will also start a rehab assignment. The 22-year-old hit .250/.344/.311 in 153 plate appearances for Low-A Lynchburg last season. He was an impressive 21-for-22 stealing bases. 21 stolen bases in 41 games? Nice.

Injury Log

Scranton (15-15) (Lost to Syracuse, 6-3)

SS Braden Shewmake: 0-for-3, 2 K
  PH-SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-1, K
No worries about Shewmake. It is his first game back, so they didn’t allow him to play a full game.
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), K
Rodriguez is 14-for-28 (.500) during his 7-game hitting streak. He continues to play C/DH for Scranton. They haven’t deployed him at his other positions (mainly 3B and 1B, though he has a little LF (24 games) and 2B (3) experience).
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
C Alex Jackson: 1-for-4, 2B (2), R, K
Jackson, not known for his offense (especially in MLB), has a 6-game hitting streak.
   C Ronaldo Hernandez: 0-for-0
RF Dominic Smith: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, R
LF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-3, BB, K
De La Cruz makes his Yankees’ organizational debut.
3B Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, BB, K
2B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 K
CF Ismael Munguia: 0-for-3, K

LHP Brandon Leibrandt: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Leibrandt was activated off the injured list today.
RHP McKinley Moore: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Clayton Beeter: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Beeter topped out at 97.4 MPH (averaged 95.7).  He threw ten sliders and nine 4-seam fastballs.
RHP Geoff Hartlieb: (L, 2-2)  0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Rob Zastryzny: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (11-14) (Lost to Richmond, 8-7, in 10 innings)

1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-6, 2 K
Jasso has been on fire recently. Throw this game out and start over tomorrow.
2B DJ LeMahieu: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
I am not an idiot. If LeMahieu is healthy (BIG IF), Vivas’s stay in the Bronx could be short. That isn’t what I want. It is what I expect.
  PH-2B Jose Colmenares: 2-for-2, 2B (1)
Colmenares earns his first Double-A hits (0-for-15 entering tonight)
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 K
Jones leads the Eastern League with 9 home runs and 20 runs scored.  The next highest home run total (as of this writing) is 6.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-6, 2B (8), K
Flores is tied for the Eastern League lead with 21 RBI.
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-5, R, 2 K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-2, 2 R, HBP, 2 BB, K
Get on base any way you can…
3B Alexander Vargas: 3-for-4, 3B (1), 2 RBI, BB, K
Vargas hit six triples in 2023 and 2024. This triple came in the 9th, narrowing a 7-4 deficit to 7-6.
LF Jared Wegner: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, K
His RBI single in the top of the 9th tied the game at 7.
SS Max Burt: 1-for-4, R, SB (3), BB, K

RHP Baron Stuart: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
RHP Danny Watson: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Ryan Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Anderson, typically a consistent bullpen arm, has struggled this year. This was a needed appearance.
RHP Harrison Cohen: (L, 0-2)  0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (17-8) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 9-1)

CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, R, BB
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-5, 2B (6), 3 RBI, R, 2 K
His 3-run double in the 7th turned a tight 4-1 game into a 7-1 game. All six of his doubles have come in his last 14 games. He is hitting .312/.491/.455 in 106 PA. I don’t mind throwing “cold water” on a prospect to give people a reality check. With Lombard Jr., the faucet is shut off. I have nothing to offer you as a “weakness.”  We’ll see what happens in the upper minors.
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, R, SB (2), BB, K
.316/.450/.405 in 100 PA. Avina isn’t much of a basestealer (20-for-28 in 279 career games)
3B Parks Harber: 0-for-4, K
DH Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, R, 2 K
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, 2 R, BB
.244/.337/.317 in 95 PA. Let’s hope he is starting to turn the corner.
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, R
2B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (5), BB, K
A nice night for Escanio, who does his job as an organizational utility guy. He offers speed and infield defense, but the bat lags.

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: (W, 3-1) 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
What, he couldn’t repeat his 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K performance? Bust!  Season: 2.25 ERA (28 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 35 K). Impressive.
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
0.93 ERA (9.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 15 K). Warrecker, who stands an impressive 6’8″, allowed 30 walks in 65.1 innings during his debut 2024 season. If something clicks with his control/command, his prospect status goes up either as a starter or a reliever.
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.38 ERA (10.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 14 K). Not a bad start to his first full season as a reliever.

Tampa (9-16) (Lost to Bradenton, 9-2. They are quickly falling out of the first-half title race)

DH Edgleen Perez: 0-for-4, K
CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2B (8), R, BB
Sanchez leads the Florida State League with his 8 doubles (as of this writing).
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, SB (4), K
2B Austin Green: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4, K
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-4, 2B (6), R, 3 K
1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (4)
On April 17th, he was hitting .067/.216/.100. Now, he is hitting .153/.268/.220 (7-for-29 with three doubles and four walks since his low point). He isn’t “hot” – he is playing better.
LF Marshall Toole: 2-for-4, RBI, SB (5), 2 K
.286/.375/.306 in 56 PA (1 double, 4 RBI, 7 R, 5-for-5 SB, 12.5% BB, 26.8% K). Poole has four multi-hit efforts in his last seven games.
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, K

LHP Tanner Bauman (L, 0-2): 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
7.91 ERA (19.1 IP, 20 H, 18 R, 17 ER, 0 HR, 21 BB, 16 K). Some first-year prospects jump out of the gate like Griffin Herring, some have initial struggles like Bauman, and some are between those extremes.  N
RHP Gus Hughes: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
His name is Alexander David Hughes. I would love to know the story behind “Gus.”
RHP Brandon Decker: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
2.31 ERA (11.2 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 14 K)
RHP Jack Sokol: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
9 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 8 K

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/1: Griffin Herring Ks 11

Notes:

The Yankees claimed OF Bryan De La Cruz off waivers from the Braves. In a corresponding move, Giancarlo Stanton was moved to the 60-day IL.

De La Cruz is a one-dimensional power hitter. In 2024, with the Marlins and Pirates, he hit .233/.271/.384 with 21 home runs in 622 plate appearances. This year, the power hasn’t shown up in a small sample size, as he didn’t homer in 50 PA for the Braves. De La Cruz is meh defensively, rating strongly with his arm but not with his range.  He has experience at all three outfield positions. Speed-wise, he rates out fine on Baseball Savant and is 15-for-19 (78.9%) stealing bases in his career.

My take:  The Yankees are looking for right-handed pop, so adding De La Cruz as a depth piece makes sense. It’s a zero-risk move. As a prospect guy, I hope Everson Pereira is above him on the depth chart, but nothing wrong with depth chart competition.

RHP Huey Morrill was promoted from Hudson Valley to Somerset. Morrill owned a 0.93 ERA in seven games for Hudson Valley with a 6/4 K/BB over 9.2 innings.

The FCL season starts on Saturday. I cover the FCL/DSL for those new to this report, but not as extensively as the other levels. For example, you won’t get daily lineups except on (maybe) Opening Day.

Infielder DJ LeMahieu is scheduled to resume his rehab stint on Friday.

Injury Log

Scranton (15-14) (Outslugged Syracuse, 19-8. The Railriders compiled 23 hits, with eight hitters accomplishing multi-hit efforts.)

CF Ismael Munguia: 3-for-5, RBI, 3 R, SB (7), BB
.255/.373/.382 in 128 PA
DH Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, 2 HR (5), 3 RBI, 3 R, BB, K
Pereira tends to go on home run binges from time to time.  This is his 10th career multi-home run game (including a 3-HR effort on September 5, 2021)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 4-for-5, RBI, 3 R, BB
.272/.387/.489. He has broken free of his 1-for-24 slump.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 3-for-6, 3 R
Rodriguez has five multi-hit games in 14 contests since his promotion, including three 3-hit games. For Scranton, he is hitting .388/.500/.490 and, during his 6-game hitting streak, he is 13-for-24.  Red hot.
RF Dominic Smith: 2-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 K
3B Jose Rojas: 3-for-6, 3 HR (6), 8 RBI, 3 R
Rojas’s first career 3-HR game. He also set a new personal record for RBI in a game.
2B Jake Gatewood: 3-for-6, RBI, 2 K
Gatewood is 7-for-28 with a homer and 7 RBI since his promotion.
LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2 2B (4), RBI, R, 2 BB, K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-6, R, K

RHP Zach Messinger: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
6.48 ERA (25 IP, 30 H, 18 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 15 BB, 23 K)
RHP Kervin Castro: (W, 3-0)  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.10 ERA (16.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 19 K)
RHP Colten Brewer: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (11-13) (Lost to Richmond, 5-1)

3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, BB, K
DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-3, SB (6), BB, K
.235/.375/.553 in 104 PA. Overall, in Double-A, his triple slash is .256/.342/.461 in 163 games with 34 doubles, 6 triples, 28 HR, 102 RBI, 101 runs, and 39 stolen bases in 52 attempts.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-2, 2B (4), R, SB (9), 2 BB
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, BB, K
CF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, 2B (4), BB
Martin has seven walks in his last three games and four extra-base hits (2 doubles, 2 HR) in his last five games. Before this run, his triple slash was .174/.333/.348. Now, it is .210/.388/.468.
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, RBI, K

RHP Cam Schlittler: (L, 2-2) 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
2.33 ERA (27 IP, 22 H, 12 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 29 K).  He hadn’t allowed more than one earned run in a start this season (allowed 6 runs, but only one earned, on 4/17)
RHP Cole Ayers: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Morrill’s Double-A debut.

Hudson Valley (16-8) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 9-2)

RF Brendan Jones: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, BB, K
There goes the .500 OBP! Bust!  Lombard has reached base safely in 21 of 22 games and has drawn a walk in five straight contests.
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
LF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
His insane 8-game hitting streak, where he averaged two hits per game, is over.
3B Parks Harber: 1-for-4, K
Harber is 5-for-12 since his promotion 
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, R, BB
.228/.319/.291 in 91 PA. The lack of power (2 doubles, 1 HR) is the most surprising thing in his profile (15 doubles, 13 HR, .404 SLG in 104 games here last year)
DH Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, BB, K
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, 2 BB

RHP Josh Grosz (L, 1-1): 4.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
6.06 ERA (16.1 IP, 18 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 22 K)
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Hayden Merda: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
4.05 ERA (6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 6 K). Keating has 184 strikeouts in 142.1 career innings. However, he has walked 76.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (9-15) (Lost to Bradenton, 1-0)

C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-4
.183/.367/.200 in 79 PA (21.5% BB, 25.3% K)
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-2, HBP, BB
.173/.337/.320 in 95 PA (15.8% BB, 21.1% K)
LF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, 2 K
Lewis’s rough start continues (.159/.233/.241 in 90 PA).
2B Austin Green: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Juan Matheus: 0-for-3, SB (5), CS (3), BB, 2 K
CF Marshall Toole: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, HBP
Montero’s first career game at first base. 
3B Owen Cobb: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Griffin Herring: (L, 3-1)  6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, HR
Tough luck loss. Season: 0.60 ERA (30 IP, 17 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 39 K). Herring generated 26 whiffs with his slider (8 whiffs)/sinker (7)/changeup (8)/4-seamer (3) combination. What do I make of the 21-year-old’s start?  What is there to say? This is domination for last year’s 6th-round pick out of LSU, and he could/should find himself in Hudson Valley relatively soon.
RHP Cade Austin: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Chris Veach: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
2.61 ERA (10.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 18 K). 

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.