Yankees MILB 8/7: George Lombard Jr. Goes Yard
Notes:
Trade analysis links:
Jose Caballero/Camilo Doval (link)
David Bednar/Jake Bird (link)
Ryan McMahon (link)
Amed Rosario (link)
Austin Slater (link)
More promotion news:
OF Jackson Castillo was promoted from Hudson Valley to Somerset. Castillo, a 22-year-old outfielder, was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023. For Hudson Valley this year, he hit .242/.337/.336 with five home runs, 47 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 22 attempts. He will be joined by SS Alexander Vargas and 1B/OF Coby Morales (both played for Somerset earlier this season)
Hudson Valley will welcome OF Joe Delossantos (who has played in only one game this season – a rehab game before the FCL season ended) and several 2025 draftees/signings: Outfielders Camden Troyer (12th round) and Robbie Burnett (undrafted free agent), along with SS Core Jackson (5th).
Once again, movement comes with releases. The Yankees released OF Anthony Hall and 1B Kiko Romero. Hall, their 4th-round pick in 2022, hit .234/.333/.358 in 182 minor league games. A standout for the University of Oregon, Hall injured himself during his first professional at-bat in 2022. Whether that impacted his career, we won’t know. However, the bat never caught on. Romero, drafted in the 7th round in 2023 out of Arizona, hit .213/.351/.371 in 125 minor league games.
The Yankees released JT Brubaker. Since they couldn’t trade him, the two options (if no team claimed him) were either an outright assignment to Scranton (something he could have rejected) or release. The Yankees would have saved a little money if he had been claimed, but it wasn’t worth it to them. The Yankees were buying low on Brubaker (they sent Keiner Delgado to Pittsburgh), hoping they could work with him. Injuries ruined his progression. The Yankees also received international bonus pool money in that deal.
Scranton (66-42; 28-8 in second half) (Defeated Lehigh Valley, 4-1)
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, R, K
I can see Vivas being valuable as a shuttle infielder over the next few seasons. He likely doesn’t have enough to be an everyday contributor for the Yankees, but he has enough where you aren’t afraid to plug him in if someone goes on the injured list for a few weeks. I don’t envision them cutting him from the 40-man roster, but trade possibilities also exist.
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R, SB (14), 2 K
He hasn’t homered recently, but he has six stolen bases in his last six games. His race to 30/30 now shows 29 home runs and 24 stolen bases. He still leads minor league hitters in home runs, but Ryan Ward has closed in (28).
DH T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, HR (14), 2 RBI, R
Rumfield is up to .314 with a .910 OPS (29 doubles, 14 HR, 77 RBI). He ranks in the top ten in all of minor league baseball in runs batted in.
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, BB, K
1B Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, K
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-3, 2B (11), BB, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-2, SB (7), 2 BB, K
SS Braden Shewmake: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-4, CS (6), K
RHP Allan Winans: (W, 10-0) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
His MLB performances haven’t stood out, but we can still marvel over this minor league campaign. He owns a 1.16 ERA over 70 innings with a 77/22 K/BB.
RHP Zach Messinger: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Jayvien Sandridge: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Somerset (56-49; 21-15 in second half) (Lost to Binghamton, 5-4)
LF Brendan Jones: 0-for-3, HBP, K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, R, K
Lombard Jr. follows up yesterday’s triple with a home run. He is now at .208/.321/.347 with 22 extra-base hits (12 doubles, 4 triples, 6 HR) at this level. Given he had only two extra-base hits (double, triple) in his first 25 games after his promotion (.224 SLG), that’s not so bad.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-3, HBP, CS (1)
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, R, BB, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, HR (16), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
Hardman has 16 homers in 86 games this season (10 in 96 games last year). I think his overall power profile (which includes 26 HR in 77 games before getting injured in 2023) could earn him an MLB shot down the road. I doubt that would be with the Yankees.
DH Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2B (1), R, K
Morales was 3-for-19 in an earlier stint at this level.
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4
Always nice to get that first hit out of the way quickly.
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
2B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, 2 K
RHP Carlos Lagrange: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
At this level: 3.49 ERA (49 IP, 29 H, 21 R, 19 ER, 3 HR, 36 BB, 70 K). The raw talent is obvious. 70 strikeouts in his first 49 Double-A innings will raise an eyebrow or two. Like many tall kids, it’s about the control. For the first time in his minor league career, he showed off decent control in his stint with Hudson Valley this year (7.1%), but it has spiked here. The hitters are more advanced and are making him work.
RHP Mason Vinyard: (L, 3-3) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Will Brian: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2.60 ERA (27.2 IP, 23 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 31 K)
RHP Kelly Austin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Hudson Valley (63-39; 25-13 second half) (Defeated Brooklyn, 7-1)
LF Dillon Lewis: 3-for-5, 3B (3), 3 RBI, K
Could Lewis move to Somerset? Even though he hasn’t gotten off to a good start in August (5-for-25, but with a triple and two home runs), I think he is somewhere in the queue. I also don’t have an issue with him finishing his campaign here and starting fresh in Somerset in 2026. A lot goes into this that we aren’t privy to.
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, K
Matheus earns a hit in his High-A debut. It’s appropriate that it was a double, given he hit 23 in 94 games for Tampa.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-3, 2 BB, K
SS Core Jackson: 0-for-4, R, K
Jackson is a 21-year-old left-handed bat out of Utah. It’s probably just a coincidence that many of their drafted middle infielders are left-handed hitters (Jackson, Kaeden Kent, Dax Kilby, Connor McGinnis).
1B Josh Moylan: 3-for-4, 2B (15), 2 R, BB, K
If you are going to get hot, you may as well do it when they are making cuts. I don’t know if Moylan was on the potential list, so I am just kidding. Anyway, he is 8-for-23 with a double and two home runs in August after hitting .281/.387/.422 in July.
RF Camden Troyer: 1-for-5, 2B (1)
I believe he earned the first extra-base hit among 2025 draftees. Troyer is a 23-year-old left-handed bat out of Liberty.
LF Robbie Burnett: 0-for-2, 2 R, BB, K
The undrafted free agent out of Georgia hit an amazing .307/.477/.693 in 256 plate appearances against some of the best college talent in the land. He spent only one year at Georgia after transferring from UNC Asheville.
2B Connor McGinnis: 1-for-4
McGinnis earns his first professional hit.
C John Cristino: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
LHP Kyle Carr: (W, 5-6) 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Carr required only 78 pitches to accumulate 21 outs. That’s incredible efficiency. Why didn’t they keep him out of there for the 8th? Honestly, I am not sure. Anyway, after tossing 104 innings of 4.76 ERA ball at this level in his 2024 debut campaign, he has a 2.23 ERA in 101 innings with an 86/40 K/BB this year. His strikeout rate is down a bit from last season, but he has compensated for that with a reduction in his walk rate.
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
0.43 ERA (42.1 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 15 BB, 34 K). 15 hits in 42.1 innings is both ridiculous and lucky.
Tampa (48-52; 12-23 in the second half)
Their game against St. Lucie was postponed. They will try to play two tomorrow.
FCL (28-30)
Their season is over.
In case you are wondering, the DSL ends on August 19th. The Yankees have no shot at the playoffs. The Bombers still have a chance to make it into the 16-team field.
DSL Yankees (20-27) (Lost to the DSL Angels, 8-7. A DSL special, as the Yankees walked 13 times but compiled only four hits. I expected to see that they left 5,000 runners on base, but they left eight and went 1-for-6 with RISP. Strange game.)
DH Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-3, 2 BB, K
SS Mani Cedeno: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, K
.179/.370/.255 in 189 PA. He has walked eight times and stolen five bases in his last four games.
3B Richard Matic: 0-for-3, 2 R, SB (9), 2 BB, K
.356/.500/.583 in 176 PA. This is the first step of many, but he will reach the FCL as an 18-year-old next year.
RF Estivenzon Montero: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
CF Isaias Castillo: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (12), BB, 2 K
.298/.429/.491 in 70 PA. He missed July for some reason, but this is still a nice season for a kid who didn’t turn 17 until June 15th.
C-1B Edgar Jimenez: 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
1B-C Jose Lavagnino: 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB
RHP Varis Villarreal: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
DSL Bombers (25-22) (Lost to the DSL Cardinals, 18-7)
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-5, SB (21)
.257/.407/.338 in 189 PA (21-for-27 SB). He is trying to finish strongly (9-for-22 with a double and a homer in August). Because I don’t report on Mondays, I missed his first professional home run on August 4th. Oops.
CF Ruben Castillo: 1-for-5, 3B (4), R, 2 K
LF Jose Castro: 2-for-3, 2B (3), SF, RBI, SB (13), HBP, K
2B Christofer Reyes: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, R, BB, 2 K
3B Juan Torres: 2-for-5, 2B (8), 3 RBI
His magic carpet ride continues, as he is hitting .349/.392/.504 in 143 plate appearances during his debut campaign. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games.
1B Leni Done: 2-for-5, HR (4), RBI, R, 2 K
Done has hit well in his debut season (.268/.392/.447 in 148 PA). He turned 18 on June 5th.
RF Angel Ventura: 0-for-2, SB (18), 2 BB
LHP Kevin Centeno: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
The 19-year-old owns a 4.80 ERA and 51/22 K/BB over 30 innings. This is his debut campaign.
RHP Jesus Guerrero: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The seldom-used 18-year-old catcher (47 plate appearances) has a 0.00 ERA in three games (3.1 innings) this season.