Yankees MILB 5/21: Josue Gonzalez Doubles, Homers

News:

Oswald Peraza‘s rehab stint is over and he has been assigned to Scranton. While this was inevitable, it is now official: Peraza’s final option has been used. They won’t be able to demote him in 2025 without exposing him to waivers.

OF Brando Mayea made his 2024 debut on Monday, going 0-for-1 with a walk. He earned his first hit of the season this afternoon.

With Somerset in New Hampshire and Hudson Valley in Brooklyn, the Yankees transferred DJ LeMahieu‘s rehab from the former to the latter. He will reportedly join the Yankees in Anaheim.

According to the roster page, Clayton Beeter is on the injured list down in Scranton. With Will Warren struggling and Chase Hampton on the shelf, the starting pitching depth has taken some hits. Yoendrys Gomez is talented but they haven’t stretched him out much. Cody Poteet pitched well in a start earlier this season. Like Warren, Edgar Barclay has struggled lately. This is something to monitor as it is nearly impossible to get through a full season using only 5-6 starters.

Scranton (29-16) (Didn’t have a fun night against Syracuse, losing 12-1)

3B Caleb Durbin1-for-3, 2B (15), BB
Durbin has 111 walks (10.9%) and 92 strikeouts (9.1%) in his minor league career.
SS Oswald Peraza1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
1B T.J. Rumfield0-for-3, HBP
C Carlos Narvaez0-for-4, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell0-for-3, K
Trammell is 6-for-30 as the Yankees try to do what others failed at: Tap into the potential he once had.
RF Oscar Gonzalez1-for-3, K
13-for-38 (4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR) at this level.
DH-P Jose Rojas0-for-3, K
2B Jeter Downs0-for-3, K
CF Brandon Lockridge1-for-3, RS, K

RHP Will Warren: (L, 3-3) 4 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Oof. Warren was dominant in his four April starts (his rough opener was in March), pitching to a 2.33 ERA in 27 innings. May hasn’t been so kind: 24 runs (23 earned) over 14 innings with six home runs allowed. Triple-A is a crazy offensive environment, but that doesn’t explain *all* struggles.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Art Warren2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Phil Bickford1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Jose Rojas1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Pulling double duty for the second time this season.


Somerset (19-20) (Lost to New Hampshire, 10-2)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-4, SB (9), K
DH Jasson Dominguez0-for-3, RS, BB, 3 K
Dominguez’s rehab was moved here from Tampa.
1B Agustin Ramirez0-for-3, BB, K
C Ben Rice1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, K
Rice has 3 extra-base hits in May (10 in April). Perhaps this will get him going…
SS Ben Cowles0-for-3, RS, SB (7), BB
Cowles is 30-for-34 (88.2%) stealing bases the last two seasons.
LF Jared Wegner1-for-4, 2 K
3B J.C. Escarra0-for-2, BB
2B Jordan Groshans0-for-2, SF, RBI
RF Elijah Dunham0-for-3

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-4)  4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 4 HR
RHP Carlos Gomez1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
For Somerset: 2.08 ERA in 8.2 IP (5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)


Hudson Valley (19-18) (Lost to Brooklyn, 7-1)

3B DJ LeMahieu1-for-3, RBI, K
   3B-2B Beau Brewer0-for-0
SS Jared Serna0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Serna’s on-base streak is up to 19.
2B Jorbit Vivas0-for-3, K
Vivas is 2-for-21 during his rehab stints this year.
  PH-3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-1
DH Tyler Hardman0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Jesus Rodriguez2-for-4, 2 2B (9), K
.314/.387/.504 in 155 PA. After hitting a solid .293/.354/.440 in April, he has elevated his game to .339/.425/.581 in May. This is the stuff that promotions are made of, though I think we are several weeks away from the first batch of in-season promotions.
CF Jace Avina0-for-4, K
C Omar Martinez1-for-4, 2B (5), K
Martinez increases his hitting streak to 7.
1B Rafael Flores0-for-3, K
RF Cole Gabrielson1-for-2, 3B (1), RS

RHP Cam Schlittler: (L, 3-1)  4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 5 K
1.80 ERA (35 IP, 15 H, 13 R, 7 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 42 K). Other than a few bouts of wildness, Schlittler has thrown well in 2024. 
RHP Huey Morrill1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Matt Keating3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
3.24 ERA (25 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 27 K). Keating is a multi-inning reliever with four outings where he has compiled 9 outs. 


Tampa (14-26) (Lost to Jupiter, 3-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, BB, K
.202/.380/.250 in 108 PA. He is 3-for-25 with two walks since coming back from the injured list (20 walks in 16 games before his injury)
2B Roderick Arias1-for-4, 2B (6), K
Arias hit the double 107.2 MPH. All 12 of his extra-base hits have come hitting left-handed. As a right-handed bat, he is only 7-for-33 with one walk and 18 strikeouts. If you go back to his debut season (2022), he has one extra-base hit (double) against LHP. Is this meaningful? Yes, since you want to see progress in all phases of his game.  Is it fixable? Yes, as he is still a teenager.
1B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, K
CF Jackson Castillo0-for-3, SB (7), BB
.266/.404/.494 in 99 PA. In May, he has 16 walks and 5 stolen bases in 15 games.
3B Hans Montero0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF Willy Montero0-for-4, K
LF Coby Morales0-for-3, K
C Manuel Palencia1-for-3, 2B (6)
Palencia has 13 strikeouts in 122 Low-A plate appearances (10.7%). For now, he is a contact guy (.301 career average) who hasn’t shown much power (he has yet to hit a home run in his career).
DH Tomas Frick0-for-3, K

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (L, 0-6)  4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
5.50 ERA (36 IP, 40 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 39 K). The Yankees likely love his ability to keep the ball on the ground. That elevated ERA doesn’t have anything “bad” attached to it. A little over a hit per inning but a reasonable walk rate, etc. 
RHP Cade Austin2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
4.10 ERA (26.1 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 6 BB, 31 K). Not bad for his debut season…
RHP Kris Bow1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.63 ERA (17.1 IP, 11 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 21 K). It’s all about whether or not he can keep the walks at a reasonable level.


FCL (7-6) (Defeated the Tigers, 6-4)

CF Brando Mayea1-for-3, BB
Mayea was signed for $4.35 million during the 2023 international signing period. He hit .276/.382/.400 in 38 DSL games last year.
DH Edgleen Perez1-for-5, RBI, K
C Josue Gonzalez2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (4), RBI, 2 RS
Gonzalez is tied for the FCL lead in home runs and is second in slugging percentage (.758). His OPS (1.289) leads the league.
LF-CF Brian Sanchez1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, SB (6), BB, K
3B Abrahan Ramirez0-for-3, 2 BB
SS Juan Matheus3-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
Matheus’ 6th career 3-hit game (first since 2022)

RHP Danny Flatt4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
1.42 ERA (12.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 15 K). The 19-year-old could make his Low-A debut this season.
RHP Hansel Rosario2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/7: A Big Day for Agustin Ramirez

News:

The following players are on the FCL 7-day injured list (according to the roster page):
OF Brando Mayea
RHP Carlos Lagrange
LHP Henry Lalane

Essentially, three of their top Rookie League prospects are hurt. That’s not what you want to see.

If you are wondering about his whereabouts, infielder Rougned Odor is also on the 7-day injured list. For now, he will have to strike out in his sleep.

Scranton (23-10) (Lost to Rochester, 8-5)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, SB (15), HBP
.293/.417/.455 in 152 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 23 R, 15.1% BB, 9.9% K, 15-for-16 SB). He has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers and defenses.
CF Everson Pereira0-for-4, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, HBP, K
Rumfield has 8 doubles in 18 games since his promotion. 
C Carlos Narvaez0-for-4, RS, BB, 3 K
DH Jose Rojas1-for-4, BB, K
RF Oscar Gonzalez2-for-4, RS, K
Gonzalez is 6-for-20 since returning from his rehab stint (also went 6-for-20 on the rehab stint)
3B Josh VanMeter0-for-4, K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-3, 2B (4), SF, RBI, RS
.259/.340/.481 in 95 PA.
LF Luis Gonzalez2-for-4, 2 2B (5), RS, K

RHP Will Warren: (L, 3-1) 6 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
Warren’s first rough outing since Opening Day. He allowed four runs without recording an out in the first and had trouble settling in. Season: 4.86 ERA (33.1 IP, 28 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 8 HR, 10 BB, 36 K)
RHP Nick Burdi1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
You can’t ask for much more in his first rehab appearance. He averaged 98 MPH (peaked at 98.8) with his fastball and threw his full slider/fastball/sinker combination. I assume he will be back in New York soon enough.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Clayton Andrews1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K


Somerset (13-14) (Knocked down Altoona, 8-1)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, SB (5), BB
.250/.316/.417 in 79 PA. Jones has 60 stolen bases in 159 career games (15 caught stealing; 80%)
DH Agustin Ramirez: 3-for-3, 2B (2), HR (10), 3 RBI, 3 RS, SB (6), 2 BB
Ramirez gets the OPS over 1.000 (.258/.405/.618). This is the second time he reached base five times in a game this season and his BB% (18.9%) is better than his K% (18.0%). Flaws in his offensive game are difficult to find.
C Ben Rice0-for-5, 2 K
.263/.387/.505 in 120 PA. He is 5-for-18 with three walks in five May games but is looking for his first extra-base hit.
SS Ben Cowles0-for-5, 2 K
Not a good day for those named “Ben,” but their bright days outshine their darker ones in 2024.
1B J.C. Escarra1-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
3B Jordan Groshans2-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, K
LF Grant Richardson2-for-4, 2 2B (10), RS, K
.308/.375/.513 in 88 PA. He is tied with Cowles for the Eastern League lead in doubles and is 9th in average. The fun thing is that this is a continuation of what he did in 15 games at this level in 2023. When I combine the numbers, he is hitting .321/.396/.565 with 11 doubles, 7 homers, 25 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 36 Double-A games.
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, RS, 3 K
2B Anthony Seigler0-for-2, 2 BB

RHP Bailey Dees (W, 2-2): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
4.55 ERA (29.2 IP, 26 H, 15 R, 15 ER, 5 HR, 15 BB, 31 K). Since allowing 8 runs in 3.1 innings in his 2024 debut: 2.39 ERA (26.1 IP, 21 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 10 BB, 28 K)
RHP Yorlin Calderon1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Kevin Stevens1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


Hudson Valley (14-11) (Lost to Aberdeen, 4-3)

2B Roc Riggio1-for-4, SB (4), K
SS Jared Serna1-for-4, 2B (6), RS, SB (2), K
Serna now owns a 6-game hitting streak (13-for-29; 4 doubles, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K)
CF Jace Avina1-for-4, 2B (5), 3 K
Avina has five doubles and two home runs in 15 games. 
C Jesus Rodriguez3-for-4, 2 HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 RS
Rodriguez’s second career 2-HR game and third 3+ hit game this season (10th multi-hit game). He is at .330 with a .956 OPS and has five HR in 23 games (13 HR in 185 games entering 2024).
DH Omar Martinez0-for-3, BB, K
1B Josh Moylan0-for-3, BB
LF Nelson Medina2-for-4, K
Medina has three multi-hit games in his last four games played.
3B Kiko Romero0-for-3, K
RF Cole Gabrielson0-for-3

RHP Cam Schlittler5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
1.04 ERA (26 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 33 K). An impressive start to his 2024 campaign…
LHP Ben Shields: (L, 1-1)  2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
The typically reliable Shields has his first tough outing in his short career. It happens. Season: 2.41 ERA (18.2 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 22 K)
RHP Huey Morrill1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


Tampa (9-20) (Split a doubleheader with Clearwater)

Game 1 (Won, 8-2)

CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 3 RS, 2 SB (6), BB
DH Oswald Peraza2-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, SB (1), BB
This is one way to show the organization that you are healthy…
SS Roderick Arias1-for-2, 2 CS (5), 2 BB, K
3B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, 2 RBI
LF Willy Montero1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
2B Hans Montero1-for-3, K
1B Coby Morales2-for-3, RBI, RS, CS (1)
C Tomas Frick1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Frick, who has reached base in all 13 of his games, launches his first professional home run.
RF Daury Arias0-for-3

RHP Luis Serna: (W, 1-2)  5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
6.97 ERA (20.2 IP, 20 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 24 K).  Serna had a 2.2 IP/7 H/8 R start in April which he is trying to overcome.
RHP Montana Semmel1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.80 ERA (15 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 12 K)
RHP Kris Bow1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Bow threw one sinker at 97.2 MPH.

Game 2 (Lost, 4-3)

CF Jackson Castillo0-for-1, RBI, SB (7), 3 BB, K
Castillo’s solid doubleheader brings his triple slash up to .184/.344/.347 in 61 PA. He owns a 19.7% BB and 27.9% K. The 21-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
DH Tyler Hardman0-for-4, 3 K
Before his injury last year, Hardman hit an incredible 26 homers in 77 games for Somerset. He is here on a rehab stint.
3B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, RS, K
Jasso is 11-for-30 (.367) in May with 3 doubles, 3 HR, 12 RBI, and 7 runs scored.
RF Willy Montero2-for-3, 2B (5), RS, BB
.184/.243/.235 in 107 PA. His start was so slow (.095/.208/.143 in his first seven games) that recovery has been a long process. In May, he is 6-for-24 with a pair of doubles, three walks, and four strikeouts.
SS Hans Montero0-for-3, 2 K
1B Coby Morales0-for-2, BB, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia1-for-3, 2B (4), 2 RBI, RS
.278/.322/.352 in 59 PA. Contact is his forte (11.9% K rate) and he has a .301 career average. He is looking for that elusive first career homer (he has played in 120 games).
LF Tayler Aguilar0-for-2, BB, K
2B Dayro Perez0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (L, 0-4) 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
4.94 ERA (27.1 IP, 28 H, 15 R, 15 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 28 K). Overall, his pitching is better than his record would indicate. He generates a lot of ground balls (54.4% entering tonight) and hasn’t allowed a homer.
RHP Cade Austin1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


FCL (1-2) (Lost to the FCL Phillies, 4-3, in a 7-inning game. Yeah, even on days where they don’t play doubleheaders, games might be limited to seven innings)

C Josue Gonzalez hit the squad’s first home run of 2024. The 20-year-old is off to a 4-for-9 start with a double and homer…
DH Josh Tiedemann compiled a pair of hits, giving him his first multi-hit game…
CF Fidel Montero went 1-for-2 with a walk, run scored, and two stolen bases. After stealing 40 bases in 59 games in 2023 (my goodness), he is 3-for-3 in three games in 2024…

RHP Danny Flatt, in his professional debut: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. The 19-year-old was their 14th-round pick in 2023 (South Carolina High School)


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!