Yankees MILB 7/29: Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz Tosses 6 Scoreless Innings
Notes:
In case you missed them, here is my article on the Ryan McMahon transaction and my analysis of the Amed Rosario transaction.
Antonio Gomez was assigned to Tampa today. The catcher-turned-pitcher was on the Development List. He made his first appearance on the hill tonight, maxing out at 99.9 MPH.
LHP Henry Lalane‘s rehab assignment is over, which makes sense since the FCL season is over. The system’s #13 prospect (Pipeline) is officially with Tampa. Essentially, he is resuming his rehab, but it won’t be called that.
Spencer Jones was back in the lineup after missing three games due to back spasms.
The Yankees traded RHP Carlos Carrasco to the Braves for cash or a player to be named (I would place strong odds on it being money). Carrasco pitched to a 5.91 ERA (5.31 FIP; 69 ERA+) in 32 innings for the Yankees. For Scranton, he was a valuable innings-eating veteran.
Scranton (59-40; 21-6 in second half) (Lost to Nashville, 7-3)
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, K
Rodriguez increases his hitting streak to 16 in his last at-bat of the evening.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, BB
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-5, 2B (9)
RF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, 2B (6), R, K
Jones hits as if his back never spasmed. He is hitting .405/.459/.940 (again, that’s his SLG, not his OPS!) in 98 PA since his promotion and .317/.412/.707 (LOL) overall.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, RBI
Since promotion: 8-for-36 (.222) with a homer and four RBI.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-3, 2B (28), R, HBP, K
.312/.395/.502 in 392 PA for the doubles machine (he has 11 in 21 July games)
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, R, K
LF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, K
SS Braden Shewmake: 1-for-3, SF, RBI
RHP Luis Gil: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, HR
Gil threw 75 pitches (50 strikes) and reached 98.4 MPH (averaged 95.8). He threw 40% 4-seamers, 37% sliders, and 23% changeups, generating 15 whiffs. I don’t like “rushing” players coming off injury, but everything looks good with Gil – he is using his entire mix, throwing as hard as you would expect, and generating whiffs. I have no problem with him pitching for the MLB club this weekend.
RHP Zach Messinger: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kervin Castro: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.52 ERA (29.2 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 40 K)
RHP Scott Effross (L, 1-3): 0.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
At this point, Effross is a shuttle arm for the Yankees. Is he in danger of being cut from the 40-man roster? Perhaps not yet, but the likelihood that he will return to form seems low.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Somerset (52-45; 17-11 in second half) (Outpitched Richmond, 1-0)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, HR (5), RBI, R
Lombard Jr.’s home run in the 6th was all that was needed tonight. Since promotion: .212/.326/.347 in 291 PA. He has a .411 SLG in July and has eight doubles and three home runs in his last 24 games.
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-3
Riggio is 19-for-66 (.288/.382/.561) in July.
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, 2 K
Jasso has a 7-game hitting streak and is hitting .308/.349/.449 in July. Like every hitter at every level in baseball history, he’s had his share of struggles, but he has been pretty consistent all year.
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-2, CS (2), BB
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, BB, K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, K
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, HBP
RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: (W, 1-1) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Rodriguez-Cruz is likely going to be asked about a lot over the next few days. Since promotion: 2.37 ERA (19 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 15 K). Overall: 2.28 ERA (102.2 IP, 67 H, 35 R, 26 ER, 2 HR, 41 BB, 114 K). Is he untouchable? Of course not. However, the 21-year-old has impressed with his ability to miss bats and keep the ball in the ballpark. He owned a 53.1% GB entering tonight.
RHP Hayden Merda: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Merda’s 5th straight scoreless outing (5.2 IP). It’s lowered his ERA (since his promotion) from 14.54 to 6.30.
RHP Danny Watson (S, 4): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
6.25 ERA (36 IP, 45 H, 26 R, 25 ER, 6 HR, 7 BB, 38 K). He owns a 2.08 ERA in 8.2 July innings and hasn’t walked a batter in 17 straight appearances (23.2 innings).
Hudson Valley (58-36; 21-10 second half) (Defeated Wilmington, 13-6)
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-6, RBI, R, 2 K
CF Dillon Lewis: 3-for-5, 2B (7), SF, 3 RBI, 2 R
He is on an impressive 10-game hitting streak that has increased his triple slash from .183/.243/.357 to .244/.306/.439 since his promotion.
RF Coby Morales: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
2B Jose Colmenares: 2-for-6, 3B (3), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
Colmenares has a 6-game hitting streak (9-for-24; 4 doubles, 2 HR, 10 RBI)
DH Josh Moylan: 1-for-6, RBI, 2 K
3B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, 2 BB
C Manuel Palencia: 4-for-5, 2 2B (3), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Palencia’s 4th career 4-hit effort (including one in the FCL this year).
1B Kiko Romero: 2-for-4, 2 R, BB
Romero is 8-for-32 (.250/.390/.438) since coming back from injury.
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, 2 R, CS (7), BB
RHP Andrew Landry: (W, 1-1) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, HR
Landry was promoted from Tampa for the second time in three weeks. With trades and injuries, Hudson Valley needs arms.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Jordany Ventura: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
Rare misstep for Warrecker, but at least it happened during a blowout. He owns a 1.70 ERA in 42.1 IP (24 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 45 K)
Tampa (45-48; 9-19 in the second half) (Lost to Clearwater, 11-8, in ten innings)
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, K
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-4, RBI, R, BB, K
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 R, 3 K
Nice to see Arias go yard during an otherwise disappointing campaign.
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-5, R
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 3B (1), RBI, R, 3 BB, K
Since promotion: 12-for-48 (.250; 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 9 R, 9 BB, 9 K)
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-5, RBI, R, K
Montero is hitting .304 (17-for-56) at this level.
1B Tyler Wilson: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 2 RBI, R, K
Tejeda is versatile and speedy enough with excellent bat-to-ball skills. Power? Not likely to be a part of his profile. His ceiling is likely in the Ronald Torreyes area. And there is nothing wrong with that ceiling.
LF Marshall Toole: 1-for-4, SB (28), 3 K
Toole has 28 stolen bases in 31 attempts. His K% was 20.0% entering tonight, and this was the first time he struck out three times this season (once last season).
LHP Henry Lalane: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
As stated above, don’t expect extended outings for a while. The big lefty wasn’t throwing hard tonight (low-90s), but that can be attributed to his time off.
RHP Sunayro Martina: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
The 21-year-old Martina makes his Tampa debut. His rookie league resume isn’t great (5.45 ERA; 79.1 IP, 67 H, 63 R, 48 ER, 5 HR, 59 BB, 84 K). We don’t have full StatCast data tonight, but I do see that he reached 96.8 MPH.
RHP Cade Austin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Antonio Gomez: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Gomez threw 19 pitches (11 strikes) in his pitching debut. One of the runs allowed scored after he left the game. This is a fun story to follow.
RHP Chris Veach: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Tanner Bauman: (L, 2-7) 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
FCL (28-30)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (17-24) (Outlasted the DSL Twins, 11-10, in ten innings. This game was a DSL Special, as the Yankees scored 11 runs on 15 hits and nine walks. They scored seven runs between the 8th and 10th innings. They tied the game in the 10th on a walk and “walked it off” with a hit-by-pitch.)
CF Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-5, R, BB, K
SS Mani Cedeno: 2-for-6, 2 R, 2 SB (14), 3 K
.183/.360/.238 in 161 PA (3 doubles, 2 triples, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 30 R, 14-for-15 SB, 18.0% BB, 37.3% K)
2B Carlos Bello: 0-for-4, 2 R, CS (3), HBP, BB, K
The 17-year-old got off to a strong start but is 3-for-35 in his last ten games. He has drawn six walks.
3B Richard Matic: 3-for-4, 3B (3), 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (7), 2 BB, K
Matic has certainly adjusted in 2025, hitting .368/.500/.614 in 150 PA (10 doubles, 3 triples, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 32 R, 7-for-12 SB, 20% BB, 22.7% K). The crazy thing is that a .500 OBP ranks him only 6th in this league (he is 4th in SLG and OPS). He turned 18 on July 26th.
DH Justin Capellan: 2-for-6, 2 K
LF Estivenzon Montero: 2-for-4, 3B (1), HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (8), 2 BB, K
.302/.393/.569 in 135 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 18 R, 8-for-11 SB, 12.6% BB, 27.4% K). The 18-year-old has 14 extra-base hits in 33 games (8 in 31 games in 2024).
C Edgar Jimenez: 2-for-3, R, SB (5), CS (1), 2 BB, K
PR Alfiery Matos: 0-for-0, SB (9)
RF Angel Ventura: 2-for-4, RBI, R, BB, K
1B-C Diego Flores: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (1)
RHP Enixon Sanchez: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, HR
4.11 ERA (35 IP, 38 H, 21 R, 16 ER, 2 HR, 23 BB, 39 K)
RHP Emanuel Vargas: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
LHP Fredy Penuelas: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Rafael Arias (W, 5-0): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
DSL Bombers (21-19) (Lost to the DSL Phillies White, 4-3)
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-5, SB (20), K
.230/.404/.286 in 166 PA. Marinez is in a 2-for-23 slump.
CF Ruben Castillo: 1-for-3, 2B (8), R, SB (19), CS (7), HBP, BB
Castillo is on a 5-game hitting streak and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
DH Juan Torres: 2-for-4, RBI
Of all the Yankees’ debuting talents in the DSL, I think Torres has impressed the most. The 17-year-old is at .339/.393/.495 in 122 PA and is on an 11-game hitting streak. The funniest part is that, in a sea of huge signing bonuses, he received $50,000. Yes, I realize that one DSL season doesn’t make or break a prospect.
2B Christofer Reyes: 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (21)
3B Leni Done: 1-for-4, K
LF David Carrera: 1-for-2, SF, 2 RBI, BB
LHP Junior Tavera: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Ronald Tejada (L, 1-3): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
The 18-year-old is missing more bats in 2025, but the overall numbers have tumbled (1.75 ERA in 25.2 IP in 2024; 7.08 ERA in 20.1 IP in 2025).
RHP Alexis Gonzalez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K