Notes:
The Yankees acquired RHP Wilmy Sanchez from the Houston Astros for infielder Braden Shewmake.
The Astros are thin in the infield, so Shewmake should help their depth. A first-round pick by the Braves in 2019, he has 31 games of MLB experience, hitting .118/.127/.191, which is good for a -11 OPS+. That “-” isn’t a typo.
Now that I said that, the Astros will have him in the lineup next weekend, and he’ll randomly go 8-for-12 against the Yankees.
As for Sanchez, he is a 22-year-old who has spent the last two seasons in Double-A Corpus Christi. Last season, he posted a 6.05 ERA (4.78 FIP) in 61 innings with an impressive 25.8% K rate, but a less than impressive 17.5% BB. This season, in seven innings, those rates are 29.6% and 14.8%. He received a blurb on the Fangraphs’ Astros Top 30 list in March. Notable was his mid-90s four-seamer that “misses bats”. Also notable was his 30-grade command. The Yankees will try to tighten that up.
What did you expect to acquire for a guy with a -11 OPS+?
Scranton (10-10)
Their game against Syracuse was postponed. The makeup date is June 3rd. It will be here before you know it. Actually, it will be here in 6.5 weeks, whether you know it or not.
Entering today, Spencer Jones is the International League leader with 21 runs batted in. That number is the third-highest in all of minor league baseball, but that comes with an asterisk as the Triple-A season started well before the other levels (the two hitters ahead of him play in the Pacific Coast League)
His 37.5% strikeout rate is 9th-worst in the International League, tied with former Yankees’ prospect Kevin Alcantara, whose career is at a crossroads at this point. I am not sure why Keith Law ranked him in his Top 100.
Jasson Dominguez is tied with Jones in wRC+ (138) and has as many walks as strikeouts (14.8% rate).
RHP Carlos Lagrange owns a 27.3% K and 15.2% BB. He has a 4.30 ERA and 5.79 FIP and is averaging 99.2 MPH with his four-seamer (99.6 MPH with his sinker).
RHP Elmer Rodriguez owns a 1.15 ERA (3.85 FIP) with a 23.2% K and 10.7% BB. He has an impressive 55.6% GB and is averaging 94.9 MPH with his four-seamer. He is mixing six pitches: Four-seamer (29.6%), sinker (28.7%), curve (16.5%), change-up (13%), slider (8.7%), and cutter (3.5%).
Somerset (6-8) (Lost to Reading, 7-6)
3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R, BB, 2 K
His home run was a leadoff blast off of the rehabbing Zack Wheeler (on Tuesday, he doubled off of Wheeler). After compiling 36 extra-base hits in 469 plate appearances at this level in 2025, he has nine in 60 plate appearances this season. As for when he gets to Triple-A, who knows? He has 529 plate appearances at this level. Volpe received 497 before moving to Scranton, though he was a little older than Lombard is now.
SS Anthony Volpe: 2-for-4, SB (2)
Volpe is 4-for-11. He played seven innings today.
SS Owen Cobb: 0-for-0, SAC
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-5, 2 K
LF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2 R, SB (1), 2 BB, K
Avina, off to a slow start, has hit safely in five of his last six games. Unfortunately, all are one-hit efforts.
2B Marco Luciano: 1-for-4, R, K
DH Coby Morales: 1-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, R, BB, K
.300/.379/.520 in 58 PA. He had three extra-base hits (all doubles) in 26 games here last year and seven (five doubles, two home runs) in 13 games this year.
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, HR (2), 3 RBI, R, HBP
Hardman’s 56th Somerset home run. That’s the most for Somerset since they’ve become a Yankees’ affiliate (2021). Elijah Dunham (now with the Angels organization) is second with 42. There’s your somewhat useless fact of the day.
CF Kenedy Corona: 1-for-4, K
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
LHP Kyle Carr (L, 1-2): 3.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Carr struggled when he was promoted here last year, and it has continued thus far this year. Combined: 6 starts, 7.67 ERA, 27 IP, 30 H, 23 R, 23 ER, 3 HR, 15 BB, 28 K.
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Reyzelman allowed one of two inherited runners to score. Season: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 12 K. The early signs remain encouraging.
RHP Michael Arias: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Keating: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kelly Austin: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
The bullpen held down the fort to give the offense a chance (they were down 7-1 at one point), but they came up just short.
Hudson Valley (7-7) (Defeated Frederick, 7-6, in ten innings. The offense has struggled most of the season, so naturally they scored three in the top of the 9th to tie it and two in the 10th to win it. Baseball!)
SS Kaeden Kent: 2-for-4, 2B (4), R, BB, K
Kent is one of the few players who are hitting (.294 with a .763 OPS). He has six games at second base, five at shortstop, and one at third base.
C Eric Genther: 1-for-3, 2B (3), 2 RBI, HBP, BB
Genther, who hit a 2-run double with two outs in the 9th to tie it, has been Hudson Valley’s best bat thus far (.366 with a .958 OPS). He has reached base safely in all 13 of his games (fun fact: He only has five walks but has been hit by eight pitches!)
1B Kyle West: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
LF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
RF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-5, K
3B Josh Moylan: 3-for-5, HR (2), 3 RBI, R
Moylan entered the day with a .091 average. Saying he “needed this” is an understatement.
CF Camden Troyer: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
DH Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-4, R, BB, K
2B Connor McGinnis: 0-for-4, 3 K
LHP Franyer Herrera: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
When evaluating Herrera, remember he is only 20 years old. Season: 4.50 ERA (10 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 15 K)
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
1.93 ERA (4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K)
RHP Hansel Rincon: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ben Grable: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 15 K. Last year’s 11th round pick (Indiana) is 23 and impressing early.
RHP Jackson Fristoe: (W, 1-1) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Tanner Bauman (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Bauman’s first professional save.
Tampa (5-10) (Lost to Bradenton, 6-4)
SS Jackson Lovich: 0-for-4, K
CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-4, 2B (2), R
I will report his ups and downs all year, but the big hope is that he plays a full season and we get to see what he can do. He has the bonus baby pedigree, which we know has mixed results.
DH Logan Maxwell: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
LF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF JoJo Jackson: 2-for-4, 2B (4), R
Jackson is 12-for-44 (.273/.407/.432) with ten walks and 11 strikeouts.
2B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 0-f0r-3, BB, 2 K
1B Austin Green: 0-for-3, R, BB
C Greg Bozzo: 2-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, R
Bozzo’s professional debut as a hitter (he made a garbage-time appearance as a pitcher earlier in the year). He homered in his second plate appearance. I am going to assume (bad idea) he played because Engelth Urena was pulled during last night’s game. If so, he made a good first impression! The Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Northeastern last year.
3B Kevin Verde: 0-for-4, K
RHP J.T. Etheridge: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Etheridge’s first 2026 appearance. Last year for Tampa, he pitched to a 6.83 ERA in 29 innings with a 34/15 K/BB.
RHP Jose Martinez: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Greysen Carter: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Since we love his velocity readings, he reached 100.1 MPH today and generated six whiffs on 11 swings with his sinker. One of those kids you draft because of his arm and hope the pitching lab fixes the control issues.
LHP Jose Ledesma: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Josh Tiedemann (L, 0-1): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K