Notes:
I wish I had something to offer you.
Scranton (40-40) (Lost to Indianapolis, 6-5. A good day for Carlos Lagrange, this was not)
2B Marco Luciano: 2-for-5
Luciano’s third straight 2-hit effort, raising his Triple-A average from .220 to .252.
RF Yanquiel Fernandez: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, K
CF Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, RBI, 3 K
He left the game after an “Injury Delay” on a play in the outfield.
CF Duke Ellis: 0-for-1
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 2-for-3, HR (14), RBI, R, 2 BB
Martinez Jr. sets a new personal best for home runs in a season.
3B Jonathan Ornelas: 1-for-4, RBI, R, HBP, K
Ornelas is down to .300. He hasn’t been below .300 since April 2nd (started the season 1-for-5).
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-5, K
C Abrahan Gutierrez: 2-for-5, RBI, R, K
SS Owen Cobb: 2-for-4, 2B (1), R
RHP Alexander Cornielle: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Danny Watson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Will Brian: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
At this level: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 8 K
RHP Carlos Lagrange:(L, 1-4) 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
At least he didn’t break his leg, to our knowledge. Anyway, yeah – what the Yankees are doing is risky, even though many think of it as a “slam dunk” conversion. One effort like this isn’t the end of the experiment, of course. He hit 100.9 MPH with his fastball (averaged 98.8) and threw ten of his 20 pitches for strikes.
RHP Bradley Hanner: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.17 ERA (37.1 IP, 28 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 46 K). The 27-year-old minor league veteran (has never appeared in an MLB game) has pitched well this year.
Somerset (39-36) (Lost to New Hampshire, 5-3. They scored three in the top of the first, and that was it. I would say they should stop emulating the MLB team, but they can’t even score three in the first. That’s my way of hoping that egg will be on my face later tonight)
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, R
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-3, 2B (17), RBI, R, HBP, K
.286/.364/.563 in 261 PA. The 30.3% K rate remains high. If anyone wonders why I focus on K% so much, it’s reliable even if it doesn’t tell an entire story. Swinging Strike % is another easy number to look at. He has played in 104 Double-A games after a 144-game stint in Hudson Valley. We’ll see if the Yankees decide to give him some Scranton playing time before the season ends.
RF DJ Gladney: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Nicholas Torres: 0-for-3, CI
DH Coby Morales: 2-for-4, 2B (16), HR (14), 2 RBI, R, SB (12)
The extra-base hits keep coming. Morales is hitting .277/.357/.504 (16 doubles, 14 HR, 57 RBI, 49 R, 12-for-19 SB, 11.3% BB, 27.8% K). The question is “Is he a legitimate prospect?” My answer doesn’t change much: Depends on what you want out of him. Can he be an Eric Wagaman type, the former Yankees prospect who is bouncing around and finding MLB at-bats? Yes. Wagaman even managed to play in 140 games in 2025. Do I see the next Ben Rice? No. Not every success story becomes an All-Star Game debate.
C Miguel Palma: 0-for-4
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, SB (1), BB, K
SS Kevin Verde: 0-for-3, 2 K
PH Manuel Palencia: 0-for-1
2B Connor McGinnis: 1-for-3, 2B (6)
LHP Kyle Carr (L, 6-5): 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
4.32 ERA (66.2 IP, 68 H, 37 R, 32 ER, 7 HR, 27 BB, 83 K). All stats count, but other than a 2-start stretch where he allowed 14 runs over 6.1 innings, he’s been consistently good. A Double-A pitcher having success will attract interest at the trade deadline.
RHP Ben Grable: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 3.10 ERA (20.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 25 K). Is Grable ascending to the top relief prospect in the system? If we want to toss Carlos Lagrange to the side, you can make an argument for that.
RHP Chase Chaney: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Hudson Valley (34-39) (Split a doubleheader against Bowling Green)
Game 1 (Won, 8-0)
3B Kaeden Kent: 3-for-3, HR (6), SF, 2 RBI, 2 R
Kent’s 11th 3+-hit effort this season. He has three 3-hit efforts in his last four games.
SS Core Jackson: 1-for-4, 2B (12), 2 RBI
Jackson has an 8-game hitting streak (11-for-38; .289)
C Eric Genther: 1-for-4, 2B (11), R
1B Kyle West: 1-for-4, HR (14), RBI, R, K
LF Wilson Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2B (12), RBI, R, K
2B Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, HR (8), RBI, R, CS (7)
RF Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, BB
Tejeda’s first career game in RF (one game in LF for Tampa)
DH Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
CF Luis Durango: 1-for-2, SAC, SB (5)
LHP Franyer Herrera (W, 5-3): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
What a performance. Herrera, who has tossed 13 scoreless innings over his last two appearances, is floating under the radar in this pitching-rich system. He is a 21-year-old (won’t turn 22 until next season) who is pitching well in his first taste of this level. He owns a 3.99 ERA in 56.1 innings (49 H, 31 R, 25 ER, 11 HR, 29 BB, 65 K). Is that a perfect profile? Of course not. Walks are a bit high, and the home run rate needs to come down (it was tremendous in rookie ball and Tampa, so hard to tell if this is just bad luck or the level adjustment itself). I will point out that he has never posted a bad season since entering the system in 2022. While some youngsters have issues in the rookie leagues (as you have seen in my reports), Herrera did not go through that phase.
Game 2 (Lost, 5-3. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the 9th, but were only to score two runs on groundouts.)
SS Kaeden Kent: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (19), 2 K
Kent’s .313 average leads all Yankees’ minor leaguers (not including the rookie leagues). He has a 7-game hitting streak and is 19-for-22 stealing bases. You already know there isn’t anything blocking him in Somerset, so it comes down to when they think he is ready.
DH Eric Genther: 1-for-3, HR (7), 2 RBI, R, HBP
LF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-3, SB (15), BB, K
Rodriguez has a 6-game hitting streak (10-for-23). Is a trip to Somerset before the end of the season possible? He is hitting .262/.374/.443 and is 15-for-18 stealing bases.
1B Kyle West: 0-for-4, K
3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, K
Arias has a 9-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games. His OPS is up to .747. He had an encouraging season for Tampa in 2024 but a disappointing one in 2025. The 21-year-old has perked up in his first taste of High-A – is it sustainable? He owns a 30.1% K. It was 32.6% in April, 27.1% in May, and is 31.2% in June.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3
C Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-2, 3B (2), BB
15 of his 34 hits have gone for extra bases (7 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR).
CF Camden Troyer: 1-for-3, K
RF Robbie Burnett: 2-for-3, K
RHP Sean Paul Linan: (L, 1-7) 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
The strikeouts are there (66 in 46.2 innings), but not much else has gone right.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Given he pitched for Somerset in 2024 (pre-injury), I assume he will make his way there again at some point.
RHP Kevin Stevens: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Stevens’ third stop on his rehab tour.
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Brandon Decker: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Tampa (41-34) (Defeated Dunedin, 5-4, in ten innings)
SS Jackson Lovich: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, R, BB, K
His sacrifice fly was the game-winner.
1B-2B Hans Montero: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 SB (20)
Back-to-back 20+ stolen base campaigns. He’s been caught only once this season.
C Luis Puello: 1-for-5, RBI, SB (3)
LF JoJo Jackson: 0-for-4, CS (8), K
2B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 0-for-0, SF, RBI, CS (7), 3 BB
Fun day! Martin-Grudzielanek is hitting .270/.379/.435 in 298 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 49 R, 23-for-30 SB (76.7%), 12.8% BB, 23.5% K).
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-2, 2B (6), RBI, 2 BB
He left the game after hitting the double.
PR-1B David McCann: 0-for-0
DH Greg Bozzo: 0-for-4, 2 K
Bozzo appears about as often as the 17-year periodical cicadas.
RF Gabriel Lara: 1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R, 2 K
Lara’s fourth HR between here and the FCL ties his personal best.
CF Isael Arias: 0-for-4, R, 2 K
Arias’ Tampa debut. As stated yesterday, he is a speed guy without much offensive success.
RHP Brennan Stuprich: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
4.82 ERA (37.1 IP, 33 H, 23 R, 20 ER, 5 HR, 13 BB, 37 K)
LHP Jose Ledesma: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Matthew Tippie: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Greysen Carter: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
He is still throwing hard (maxed at 100.9 MPH), but he hasn’t been as crisp lately.
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza (W, 2-2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
His sinker and 4-seam fastball both maxed at 98 MPH.
RHP Josh Tiedemann (S, 6): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
FCL Yankees (20-21)
Day off. The squad is nine games back of the Blue Jays and 3.5 games (five in the loss column) behind the Nationals in the race for the league’s lone wild-card berth.
DSL Yankees (11-8)
Day off. They are 2.5 games behind the Rangers Red for the Division title. Remember, there are eight division winners and eight wild-cards in this crazy league that plays a World Cup-style tournament to determine the champion.
DSL Bombers (9-10)
Day off. They are 2.5 games behind DSL Colorado in their race for the Division title.