Notes:
OF Spencer Jones is on his way after the freak Jasson Dominguez injury this afternoon. It is possible (probable?) he will make his debut against Brewers’ ace Jacob Misiorowski. This was always going to happen, right? Jones, with his strikeout issues, is going up against the pitcher with a 14.0 K/9 and 38.1% strikeout rate. I instantly had flashbacks to Gary Sanchez. Sanchez had two pinch-hit appearances for the 2015 Yankees but didn’t make his first start until 2016. That day, he took on an ace as well: White Sox lefty Chris Sale.
Regardless, Jones has been tearing the cover off the ball recently and earned this opportunity. He owns a .258/.366/.592 triple slash with 11 home runs and 41 RBI over 142 plate appearances. He has also stolen seven bases in nine attempts.
If you know anything about me, it is that I don’t love to sugarcoat things. When it comes to minor league players, I try not to be too critical. But 100% Pollyanna doesn’t make people trust you, right? When it comes to Jones, the swing-and-miss remains a major concern.
In 2025, he compiled a 35.4% strikeout and 19.2% swinging strike rate. In 2026, he has reduced his strikeout rate to 32.4%, but the swinging strike is up to 20.2%. His contact rate of 59.2% is also well below what you want out of a Major League hitter. A rate between 55-59% comes with an expected batting average in the .187 range. At 60-64%, it goes up to .221.
Interestingly, I used Munetaka Murakami as a comparison last week. Murakami currently has the lowest qualified contact rate in MLB (58.9%), and his 16.7% swinging strike is the fifth-worst in baseball.
Are Murakami and Jones outliers, or is Murakami due for a correction? First of all, what Jones is doing in Triple-A shouldn’t be correlated with what another player is doing in MLB. This is a fun exercise, but it doesn’t tell us much. Secondly, we have no idea what direction Murakami’s career will take. He is hitting only .237, relying on an elite walk rate and 14 long balls to drive his value. Regression is likely, though we can’t rule out Murakami continuing to adjust to his new surroundings.
The Yankees know all this. I am not typing anything revolutionary. Jones is the best option, as adding Seth Brown or Yanquiel Fernandez to the 40-man roster doesn’t inspire confidence. They are hoping he crushes some mistakes until Dominguez or Giancarlo Stanton comes back. Neither is imminent, so Jones will get plenty of opportunities to show what he has.
Defensively, Jones routinely is given strong marks in scouting reports, and he can play all three outfield positions.
Scranton (19-16) (Lost to Worcester, 10-8, in 12 innings. Eventually, both teams were using catchers as pitchers…)
As for RHP Brendan Beck‘s MLB debut, he did all you can ask for. Yes, he allowed three walks over three innings. Yes, he probably lacks a strikeout pitch. However, he allowed only a pair of runs. If you expected better, your expectations were too high. The Yankees were desperate for innings, and he provided nine outs. From a personal standpoint, I like it when someone the Yankees draft makes it to the big leagues, whether it is for a few innings or as an MLB regular. As expected, he was sent back here after the game with Kervin Castro (conveniently on the 40-man roster) replacing him. You can’t get more extreme than Castro. He posted a 0.00 ERA in 13.1 innings during his debut 2021 campaign with the Giants. In 2022, he posted a 10.22 ERA in 12.1 innings for the Giants and Cubs.
2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, SB (1), HBP, 2 BB
Lombard Jr. is reaching base (10 walks, 2 HBP in 39 plate appearances since his promotion). He has struck out only six times. Eventually, the hits will come.
SS Anthony Volpe: 1-for-6, SF, RBI
If you aren’t concerned, you have a level of positivity I can only strive for. His hit was against a catcher, and it was a 97.5 MPH groundball to the shortstop.
RF Yanquiel Fernandez: 1-for-6, BB, 2 K
3B-1B Oswaldo Cabrera: 2-for-6, 2B (5), 2 R, BB
Cabrera has played much better lately (11-for-28 with five doubles in May), but wasn’t a likely call-up option. May as well let him play everyday down here while Max Schuemann handles “last man off the bench” duties.
1B Seth Brown: 4-for-5, 3B (1), RBI, 2 R, BB
Brown, obviously angry (/sarcasm), takes out his frustration on the baseballs tonight.
PR-3B Jonathan Ornelas: 0-for-0
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, R, BB, 3 K
C Payton Henry: 2-for-6, 2 K
LF Duke Ellis: 4-for-5, 2B (2), HR (1), 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB (15), BB, K
Ellis obviously wants to replace Jones’ power.
CF Kenedy Corona: 1-for-5, RBI, SAC, 2 K
RHP Adam Kloffenstein: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K, HR
The Yankees probably considered Kloffenstein over Beck. He is younger and has a cup of Major League coffee with the Cardinals. That said, I am happy they went with Beck instead.
RHP Zach Messinger: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
4.57 ERA (21.2 IP, 16 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 17 K). He threw three scoreless innings his last time out.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Yovanny Cruz: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Cruz, who has routinely hit 100+ MPH, averages “only” 98 MPH tonight (98.3 max). He generated three whiffs on three swings with his splitter. He owns a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 IP (9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 20 K)
RHP Harrison Cohen: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Edinson Duran: (L, 0-1) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
Scranton ran out of rested pitchers, so the third-string catcher had to take the hill. Duran actually touched the lower-90s with his four-seam fastball.
Somerset (14-16) (Shut down Reading, 11-0. The runs keep piling up for the Patriots…)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, 2B (8), 2 RBI, R, BB, K
Avina has an 8-game hitting streak (13-for-39; 5 doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI).
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-5, HR (11), 2 RBI, 2 R
Martin ties Jones for the organizational home run lead. He has seven home runs in his last eight games.
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, BB
Castillo starts his season with a 12-game hitting streak (18-for-47; .391).
2B Marco Luciano: 1-for-4, 2B (9), RBI, R, BB
Luciano has a 9-game hitting streak (15-for-34).
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-5, HR (8), 2 RBI, R
Morales sets a new personal best for HR in a season (in 29 games; he hit seven in 116 games last season)
3B Tyler Hardman: 3-for-5, 2 R, K
Hardman has a 9-game hitting streak that includes six multi-hit efforts (three 3-hit games). He was batting .203 before the streak and is now hitting .313 with a 1.024 OPS.
DH Manuel Palencia: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, K
C Abrahan Gutierrez: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
SS Owen Cobb: 2-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
LHP Xavier Rivas: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
5.40 ERA (18.1 IP, 15 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 26 K). He has three scoreless appearances and three medicore appearances on his 2026 resume.
RHP Matt Keating: (W, 2-1) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Michael Arias: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Hudson Valley (15-14) (Lost to Winston-Salem, 7-3)
2B Kaeden Kent: 0-for-4, K
A rare boring night for Kent.
SS Core Jackson: 0-for-2, SB (11), HBP, BB, K
Jackson’s .357 OBP is helped by five HBP (he also has 14 walks).
1B Kyle West: 1-for-4, 3 K
3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, K
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (5), K
Rodriguez has three multi-hit efforts in his last five games. He is over .200 for the first time since Opening Day (.205/.345/.318). His BABIP is up to .258, so balls are starting to fall in for him.
LF Josh Moylan: 2-for-3, HR (3), 3 RBI, R, HBP, K
CF Camden Troyer: 0-for-4, 4 K
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-2, 2 BB
DH Connor McGinnis: 0-for-3, 3 K
PH Eric Genther: 0-for-1, K
LHP Allen Facundo: (L, 0-1) 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, HR
A recent Pipeline article identified him as the Yankees’ farmhand with closer potential. It’s there. He throws hard and has legitimate swing-and-miss stuff. For now, you keep him in the rotation for as long as possible. Since being promoted (only two starts), he has walked eight (13 strikeouts) over 8.1 innings. Tonight’s home run was only the second he has allowed in his career (171.1 innings).
RHP Jack Sokol: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Andrew Landry: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Chris Veach: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
11.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 19 K. Dominance.
Tampa (14-16) (Lost to Ft. Myers, 10-6. For fans who have been around a while, Ft. Myers’ has a 19-year old shortstop named Bruin Agbayani. Yes, he is the son of former Mets’ outfielder Benny Agbayani. I am so old.)
CF Luis Durango: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (6), CS (2), BB, K
Durango has hit safely in all seven of his rehab games.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-4, R, BB
Tejeda has a 23-game on-base streak. The hits have slowed down a bit, however (1-for-14 in his last four games)
1B Jackson Lovich: 1-for-5, R, 3 K
RF Brando Mayea: 0-for-4, R, K
C Engelth Urena: 2-for-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, R, CS (2), BB
393 feet at 100.8 MPH. As I have said many times, the question for him is whether projected power converts into game power.
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 0-for-4, R
DH JoJo Jackson: 0-for-2, HBP, BB, K
LF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, K
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-2, 2B (2), R, 2 BB
LHP Justin West: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, HR
The strikeouts are nice, at least. He has a 6.48 ERA over 25 innings (31 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 35 K)
LHP Jose Ledesma: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
Mendoza is a project. He throws a very hard sinker (hit 98.8 MPH with it tonight), but he obviously has issues with control. He is the type of arm you want to work with.
RHP Matthew Tippie: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
As ugly as Mendoza’s line is, it wasn’t helped by Tippie allowing all three inherited runners to score.
RHP Josh Tiedemann: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Being the good friend he is, Tiedemann didn’t want Tippie to feel alone. He also allowed three inherited runners to score.
FCL Yankees (4-0) (Stopped the Phillies at the 1-yard line with five seconds to go, 21-13)
This was one of those “FCL specials.” What a crazy boxscore.
3B Richard Matic: 4-for-6, 2 2B (2), RBI, 4 R, 3 SB (3), K
Matic is 6-for-19 (.316).
2B Leni Done: 3-for-4, 2B (1), SF, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 SB (3), BB
Done is 7-for-14.
RF Wilberson De Pena: 4-for-5, 3B (1), HR (1), 6 RBI, 2 R, CS (2)
8-for-18 with eight RBI. He has three doubles, a triple, and a homer.
CF Jose Castro: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, R, 2 CS (2), 2 BB, 2 K
DH Justin Capellan: 2-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
The 19-year-old hit six home runs in 45 games in the DSL last season.
C Luis Puello: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 SB (2), BB
SS Dexters Peralta: 1-for-5, RBI, R, 3 K
LF Gabriel Lara: 1-for-2, 2B (1), 2 R, SB (2), 3 BB
1B John Cristino: 3-for-5, 3 HR (3), 6 RBI, 3 R, K
Before you get excited, Cristino is a 26-year-old who the Yankees signed to a minor league contract in March 2025. That said, it’s still an impressive day.
RHP Blake Gillespie (W, 1-0): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, HR
Gillespie puts up a normal stat line on a day that was far from normal. The 22-year-old made three starts for Tampa earlier this season, pitching to a 2.87 ERA in 15.1 innings with a 15/7 K/BB.
LHP Marco Manzano: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 K, HR
The 22-year-old spent 2024 and 2025 in the DSL, where control was an issue.
RHP Mariano Salomon: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Jorge Luna: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The 21-year-old made 12 appearances (10 starts) for the DSL squad in 2024 (missed 2025), compiling a 3.64 ERA in 42 innings with a 51/18 K/BB.