Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
C Mitch Garver was placed on the restricted list as we await the Yankees’ plans for him. It comes down to which catcher they want to roster during the postseason.
OF Luis Durango‘s stint on the injured list didn’t last long, as he was activated today by Somerset.
“Who leaves when Aaron Judge comes off the injured list?”
First things first: Let’s get Judge off the injured list.
Once that happens, options are limited. The most likely candidates are Amed Rosario, Heliot Ramos, and Spencer Jones. I don’t think it is revolutionary for me to say that Jones deserves his spot. Nor is it hyperbole to say he deserves to be the everyday center fielder. This is coming from someone skeptical of Jones throughout his minor league career, but the proof is in the performance. His outfield play needs work, but it isn’t like Trent Grisham is wowing everyone with stellar defensive performance.
The Yankees traded a pair of prospects for Ramos. One can envision Ramos in right field vs. left-handed pitching to keep Judge off his feet as he returns from injury. The problem there is that if they want to play Paul Goldschmidt while DH’ing Judge, Ben Rice and Luis Garcia Jr. would go to the bench. Carrying Jones and Ramos gives you five outfielders with three 1B/DH types. It wouldn’t be the most flexible roster, though Jose Caballero‘s presence eases the pain. Garcia Jr. has experience at second base, though that would be a “break glass in case of emergency” solution.
The Yankees like Rosario, but he seems to be the most likely candidate. I hope the Yankees don’t use the “numbers game” excuse to demote Jones, but it’s been done before (and not just by the Yankees).
Scranton (70-61; 33-24 in the second half) (Defeated Lehigh Valley, 9-2)
CF Jarred Kelenic: 1-for-4, R, BB, 3 K
Kelenic has hit safely in all four games since signing (6-for-19).
3B Anthony Volpe: 2-for-3, 2B (7), R, SB (8), HBP
Volpe was pulled after a lineout in the 5th inning. I am not sure why. He owns a 5-game hitting streak (three straight multi-hit games).
LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-0, BB
RF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, RBI, R, SB (13), BB
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, RBI, R, BB
2B Marco Luciano: 1-for-5, RBI, 3 K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-for-5, 2B (14), RBI, R, K
LF-3B Max Schuemann: 3-for-5, HR (4), RBI, 2 R
DH Yanquiel Fernandez: 3-for-4, 2 HR (24), 4 RBI, 2 R
Fernandez has four multi-HR games this season, though this is his first since May 19th.
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
RHP Clarke Schmidt: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Schmidt topped out at 95.1 MPH (averaged 94.1). Last season, he averaged 94.3 MPH with his fastball. The last time he was used mostly as a reliever (2022), he averaged 94.7 MPH.
RHP Alexander Cornielle: (W, 5-3) 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
2.70 ERA (60 IP, 48 H, 18 R, 18 ER, 6 HR, 31 BB, 59 K)
RHP Bradley Hanner: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Eli Morgan: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Somerset (69-59; 32-27 in the second half) (Defeated Erie, 8-6. The Patriots are 2.5 games behind Reading with ten games to go)
SS Core Jackson: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, R, SB (7), BB
Jackson launches his first Double-A home run (13th overall). He has stolen 39 bases in 46 attempts.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, HBP, 3 K
2B-3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
3B-1B Coby Morales: 2-for-4, HR (21), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, 2 K
.282/.374/.491 in 506 PA (20 doubles, 4 triples, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 80 R, 21-for-31 SB, 13.0% BB, 24.3% K). He has started 72 games at third base and 41 at first base (he has past outfield experience, but hasn’t played there in 2026).
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-1, HR (13), 3 RBI, R
I am not sure why Moylan left the game. He is the new organizational leader with 26 home runs.
2B Connor McGinnis: 1-for-3, BB
RF DJ Gladney: 2-for-5, 2B (23), 2 R, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-3, 2 BB, K
Castillo started the season hot, but is hitting .243/.348/.356 in 455 PA. In July and August, he hit .178/.320/.233. There isn’t a way to sugarcoat that, but his BB (16.3%) and K (12.4%) rates were solid, and his .202 BABIP shows plenty of bad luck baked into the triple slash.
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-5, 2 RBI
DH Luis Durango: 0-for-5, 3 K
RHP Chase Hampton: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
Good outing last time out, but not-so-great tonight. He owns a 9.59 ERA at this level.
RHP Kelly Austin: (W, 5-2) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
4.30 ERA (75.1 IP, 74 H, 44 R, 36 ER, 10 HR, 48 BB (13.8%), 100 K (28.7%))
RHP Yerry Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Hudson Valley (64-62; 34-28 in second half) (Lost to Wilmington, 5-0. They are four games behind Greensboro with four games to play. You know what’s weird? Hudson Valley and Greensboro play in the same division but didn’t play each other once all season)
CF Jackson Lovich: 1-for-3, 2 SB (17), BB, K
Between here and Tampa, Lovich has 53 starts at shortstop, 34 at third base, 11 at designated hitter, 9 in center field, and one at first base. In his 6-game trial last year, he only played first base. The Yankees are building up his versatility.
DH Maika Niu: 1-for-4, 3 K
1B Kyle West: 0-for-1, SB (18), 3 BB
C David McCann: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-2, SB (5), HBP, BB, 2 K
Montero is 13-for-42 with 11 walks since his promotion. Tonight’s stolen base was his 40th this season.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-4
LF Robbie Burnett: 0-for-3, BB, K
RF Camden Troyer: 0-for-3, BB
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 0-for-4, K
While he is 10-for-12 stealing bases, Hudson Valley hasn’t been kind to him overall (.186/.265/.267).
LHP Pico Kohn: (L, 1-2) 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Kohn could be a candidate for the Arizona Fall League. His final numbers for Hudson Valley in his debut campaign: 1.99 ERA over 22.2 IP (14 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 31 K).
RHP Jack Sokol: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Luis Velasquez: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Tampa (75-49; 40-18 in the second half) (Defeated Dunedin, 4-0, in Game 1 of a doubleheader. The game was called with two outs in the 7th. Game 2 was postponed due to rain. They will try to play two tomorrow, though there are thunderstorms in the forecast.)
SS Dax Kilby: 1-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, R
Kilby has a 28-game on-base streak. He is hitting .274/.442/.462 in 138 PA (4 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 25 R, 11-for-12 SB, 23.2% BB, 19.6% K). The only knock on him this season was his months-long stint on the injured list. That suppressed my prospect ranking, though I will likely jump him back up the list in 2027.
CF Yostin Pena: 1-for-3, SB (8), CS (1)
Pena’s single was hit at 109.1 MPH. He also reached on an error on a ball he hit at 103.9 MPH. The hype over Pena has become insane. Admittedly, I’m part of that hype, given the numbers: He has 79 RBI, 74 runs, and 35 stolen bases in 39 attempts in 56 games between here and the DSL. The Yankees challenged the 18-year-old in his first professional season by promoting him to a full-season league straight out of the DSL. He has responded well to that by hitting .354/.416/.595 in 89 plate appearances. Some would ask me to put “18-year-old” in quotes, and I get it – he is a Yankee because the Cardinals voided a deal due to age-related concerns. As always, I encourage guarded optimism, though I realize that doesn’t get clicks on social media. I will give him time before I compare him to players like Vladimir Guerrero.
RF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-3, HR (4), RBI, R
It appears that De Pena, the FCL Triple Crown winner, has suddenly taken a back seat to Pena. Fickle fans. He has struggled for Tampa (.187/.247/.387 in 81 plate appearances), so perhaps that has something to do with it. Anyway, today’s home run was his 20th this season, and he has 77 RBI in 74 games.
C Bear Harrison: 0-for-3, K
3B Anthony Potestio: 2-for-3, HR (3), RBI, R
In 15 games, he is hitting .356/.545/.647 in 66 PA (17 walks, 9 strikeouts).
LF Luis Puello: 0-for-3, K
After going 4-for-5 with two home runs on August 15th, Puello finds himself in a 3-for-29 slump.
1B Tyce Armstrong: 0-for-2
DH Brando Mayea: 0-for-2, K
This ends a streak of 23 straight starts with at least one hit. Of course, the streak ended in a game where he only received two plate appearances. Can I now say he has at least one hit in 23 straight full games?
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-2, 2B (10), R
RHP Ty Boudreau: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
3.29 ERA (106.2 IP, 71 H, 45 R, 39 ER, 9 HR, 40 BB, 118 K). That line includes a solid emergency effort for Somerset (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K)
RHP Rafael Arias: (W, 1-0) 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 12 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 17 K. The 22-year-old owned an 8.14 ERA in 24.1 innings for the FCL squad.
RHP Brennan Stuprich: (S, 1) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (33-21 regular season; 0-2 in pool play)
Their season is over.
DSL Bombers (25-29-1)
Their season is over.