Yankees MILB 8/26: Dax Kilby’s Big Night

Notes:

Trade analysis links:
Jose Caballero/Camilo Doval (link)
David Bednar/Jake Bird (link)
Ryan McMahon (link)
Amed Rosario (link)
Austin Slater (link)

My thoughts on Core Jackson.

The Yankees have released RHP Leonardo Pestana, who was pitching for Triple-A Scranton.

The 26-year-old started his professional journey in 2018 and was primarily a starter through 2023. Injuries were a major part of that journey, as he has never tossed more than 54.1 innings in a season.

This year, he pitched to a 6.49 ERA (6.99 FIP) in 43 innings with a 24.6% K, 17.1% BB, and 45% GB.

RHP Yerry De los Santos was demoted to Scranton, while RHP Wilking Rodriguez, one of the final cuts during Spring Training, was activated from the 60-day injured list.

Injury Log


Scranton (75-49; 37-15 in second half) (Defeated Syracuse, one of the teams trying to run them down in the standings, 9-4)

2B Jorbit Vivas1-for-4, BB, K
C J.C. Escarra1-for-5, HR (1), RBI, R
Escarra isn’t sulking down here, as he is hitting .314 (16-for-51).
CF Spencer Jones0-for-4, 3 K
Jones is 15-for-91 (.165) with 37 strikeouts in August. He was hitting better lately, to be fair, though tonight’s game is one to toss.
LF Brennen Davis1-for-3, HR (10), RBI, R, BB
Davis has ten home runs in 20 Triple-A games. My goodness.
   PR-LF Ismael Munguia0-for-0, R, SB (23)
1B T.J. Rumfield0-for-3, R, BB, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz3-for-4, RBI, 2 R
The veteran masher is 22-for-65 (.338) in August. In an interesting twist, De La Cruz (who is known as an all-or-nothing hitter) hasn’t homered this month.
3B Jeimer Candelario1-for-3, HR (7), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, K
The veteran has homered in three of his last four games. According to GameCast, this home run went 534 feet. I have this sneaky suspicion that is a glitch in the system.
DH Jose Rojas1-for-2, HR (24), 2 RBI, R, SB (11), 2 BB
SS Andrew Velazquez1-for-4, 2 RBI, K

LHP Ryan Yarbrough: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Yarbrough tossed 63 pitches tonight and has to be close to a return. The Yankees may see something in Paul Blackburn and wish to keep him, but is he not the most logical candidate to cut?  Yarbrough can slide right into the same role.
RHP Bailey Dees: (W, 1-0)  0.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Wilking Rodriguez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Rodriguez’s first appearance since June 4th. The 35-year-old grinder, who hit 97 MPH tonight, is still trying to get back to MLB for the first time since 2014 (two scoreless innings for the Kansas City Royals. It was the only time he has ever appeared in MLB. This takes dedication, folks.)
RHP Jake Bird1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
I know it’s only Triple-A, but Bird needed an outing like this. 
LHP Jayvien Sandridge0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Scott Effross0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


Somerset (62-59; 27-25 in second half) (Lost to Binghamton, 8-1. Somerset picked the wrong time to go into a slump. The only good news is that Hartford also lost, so the Patriots remain 0.5 games ahead in the race for a playoff berth.)

Somerset’s season ends on September 14th.

CF Brendan Jones1-for-4, 2 K
SS George Lombard Jr.0-for-4, 2 K
I again remind myself of all the fools who were calling for the Yankees to use him right out of Spring Training. The best part about that is he won’t be the last one to get this treatment from fans who think earning some hits against Joe Quadruple-A in Spring Training is somehow meaningful.
3B Dylan Jasso1-for-3, BB, K
Thankfully, if he was injured on Saturday, he wasn’t out for long. He is hitting .276/.344/.438 (16 doubles, 13 HR, 63 RBI) in 459 PA and has a 5-game hitting streak.
LF Jace Avina0-for-3, BB, K
1B Coby Morales0-for-4, K
DH Tyler Hardman1-for-4, 2B (22), R, K
Hardman, who is auditioning for everyone at this point, is having a nice August (20-for-72 (.278); 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR).
RF Garrett Martin0-for-3, BB
C Tomas Frick0-for-3, K
2B Jake Gatewood1-for-3, RBI, 2 K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 2-5)  4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
At this level: 5.09 ERA (58.1 IP, 53 H, 34 R, 32 ER, 4 HR, 32 BB, 45 K)
RHP Baron Stuart1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
With De los Santos and Rodriguez pitching for Scranton, Stuart was sent back to Somerset.
LHP Will Brian0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Carson Coleman1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Coleman becoming a legitimate relief prospect again would be quite the story. 


Hudson Valley (71-46; 34-20 second half) (Somehow lost to Brooklyn, 10-9. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead and still held a 9-7 edge heading into the bottom of the 9th. Brooklyn’s Nick Roselli hit a 2-out, 3-run walk-off home run to stun the Renegades. It was the 22-year-old’s first High-A home run (28th game). Wow.)

Greensboro won, so they have a 3-game lead over Hudson Valley. They face each other in the last week of the season (next week). Hudson Valley wants those six games to mean something.

CF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-3, 2B (12), R, SB (11), 3 BB, K
Since promotion: .239/.326/.445 in 283 PA (12 doubles, 3 triples, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 11-for-12 SB, 10.95% BB, 19.8% K). This is his first career 3-walk effort.
2B Core Jackson: 2-for-5, 2B (5), 2 R, BB, K
3B Juan Matheus2-for-4, 2B (7), 2 BB
Matheus’ 30th double (112 games) between here and Tampa. He will never come close to 30 home runs (understatement), so a 30/30 doubles/stolen bases season is a fun accomplishment for him.
SS Kaeden Kent1-for-5, 2 RBI, R, HBP, K
C Engelth Urena0-for-5, R, BB, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan1-for-4, BB, K
RF Camden Troyer: 2-for-4, 2B (2), RBI, R, BB, K
Troyer is hitting .310/.383/.357 in his first 47 professional plate appearances. He has five walks and four strikeouts.
LF Luis Durango: 3-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, 4 SB (14), HBP, BB
Speed is Durango’s game. He hasn’t homered since his 2021 debut season, but he does have 101 career stolen bases (80.8% success rate) in 217 games. In case you forgot (and why would you remember?), he was chosen in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft out of the Cleveland organization.
DH Joe Delossantos1-for-5, 3B (1), RBI, R, K

RHP Brandon Decker5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Since promotion: 5.40 ERA (21.2 IP, 20 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 9 BB, 28 K). 
RHP Brady Kirtner0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Chris Kean: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 0 K
RHP Tony Rossi1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Making matters worse: Rossi struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the 9th.
RHP Tyrone Yulie: (L, 1-3)  0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
Yulie has zero saves and six blown saves this season.


Tampa (57-60; 21-31 in the second half) (Destroyed Bradenton, 13-2. The Tarpons don’t have a playoff berth to fight for, but they can make a run at a .500 season.)

C Edgleen Perez, traded to the Pirates as part of the David Bednar trade, is playing for Bradenton. He is 7-for-41 with a pair of doubles since the trade. However, he has walked (9) more times than he has struck out (6).

Tampa’s season ends on September 7th.

SS Dax Kilby: 4-for-5, 3B (1), 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB (8), BB, K
While I have been consistently saying that what he does in 2025 shouldn’t be overanalyzed, I can say that it is impressive how quickly the 18-year-old is adjusting to professional baseball. This is his 4th multi-hit performance in his last five games, and his triple slash reads .308/.400/.410 in 45 PA. 
3B Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R, SB (32), BB
.214/.330/.325 in 425 PA (17 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 50 RBI, 58 R, 32-for-41 SB, 14.1% BB, 28.7% K). While he has hit better lately (23-for-81 (.284) in August), his overall OPS is still 73 points below his 2024 number.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K
Tejeda’s hitting streak ends at ten.  His on-base streak is up to 17.
CF Marshall Toole0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
1B Jackson Lovich2-for-2, 3B (2), 2 RBI, R, BB
The good news: Lovich remains red hot to start his career (14-for-22 (.636; 4 doubles, 2 triples) + hitting safely in all six games, including five multi-hit efforts.) The bad news: I am not sure why he was pulled from the game.
   1B Josue Gonzalez0-for-1
RHP Richie Bonomolo Jr.: 0-for-5, 2 K
RF Willy Montero3-for-5, 2 RBI, R
Montero’s third 3-hit effort in August.  He is 22-for-72 (.306) this month.
LF Eric Genther2-for-4, 2B (3), 3 R, HBP, K
The undrafted free agent signing is 9-for-36 (.250; 3 doubles, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 10 R, 7 BB, 6 K)
C Ediel Rivera: 1-for-5, RBI, R, SB (3), 2 K

RHP Luis Serna2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Serna tossed 39 pitches in his third start, coming off an injury. As I said about Cade Smith on Sunday, we aren’t going to get much of a read on the 21-year-old this year. Someone mentioned the possibility of sending him to the Arizona Fall League. That seems possible.
RHP Cade Austin1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Franyer Herrera: (W, 2-0)  2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Since promotion: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K.  He had a 2.33 ERA and 28/9 K/BB over 27 innings for the FCL squad.
RHP Tyler Boudreau: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Gus Hughes1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


FCL (28-30)

Their season is over.


DSL Yankees (24-32)

Their season is over.


DSL Bombers (31-25)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/20: Spencer Jones Hits #31

Notes:

Trade analysis links:
Jose Caballero/Camilo Doval (link)
David Bednar/Jake Bird (link)
Ryan McMahon (link)
Amed Rosario (link)
Austin Slater (link)

Today was another promotion day in the system.

LHP Geoffrey Gilbert and RHP Huey Morrill, two key cogs in a dominant Hudson Valley bullpen, were promoted to Somerset. Morrill made one appearance for Somerset earlier this season.

Replacing them in Hudson Valley are right-handed pitchers Brady Kirtner and Jack Cebert. The 23-year-old Kirtner pitched to a 2.59 ERA in 30 relief appearances for Tampa. Cebert was the Yankees’ 15th-round pick in the 2025 draft out of Texas Tech (he spent three years at South Florida before transferring). While he was assigned to the FCL after the draft (paper move), he has yet to make his professional debut.

RHP Ty Boudreau was assigned to Tampa. Also out of Texas Tech, the 22-year-old Canadian was signed as an undrafted free agent. He spent most of his college years pitching for Sylvan Lake, a Canadian summer collegiate league squad.

You know the drill by now: With roster shuffling comes unfortunate releases.

The Yankees released RHP Luis Pacheco and LHP Ryan AndersonThe Yankees signed Pacheco in 2024, giving him his first taste of affiliated baseball since 2019, when he was a member of the Phillies organization.

Anderson was with the organization for a while. Drafted in the 12th round in the 2019 draft, he pitched to a 4.46 ERA in 252.1 minor league innings. He made it as high as Scranton (two games) but spent the majority of the last three seasons in Somerset.

I am not ignoring the Core Jackson story. It needs a separate blog post, which I am working on. Hopefully, I will have something to post tomorrow.  Bottom line? There’s no place for that, and using “I was stupid” as an excuse insults everyone’s intelligence.

Injury Log


Scranton (70-47; 32-14 in second half) (Lost to Buffalo, 4-1)

2B Jorbit Vivas1-for-4
Vivas is 17-for-64 (.266/.422/.313) in August. I mentioned a few weeks ago that he can settle into a role as a shuttle infielder. As someone mentioned to me, he is out of options after 2025. Hence, scratch that idea. 
1B T.J. Rumfield0-for-3, BB, K
.305/.392/.495 in 477 PA. 
CF Spencer Jones1-for-4, HR (15), RBI, R, K
This bomb went 443 feet at 111.2 MPH. At this level: 295/.368/.628. Overall: .284/.379/.610 in 390 PA (15 doubles, 31 HR, 66 RBI, 83 R, 25-for-29 SB, 12.6% BB, 31.3% K).
DH Brennen Davis0-for-4, K
Of all their minor league signings last winter, Davis was the most intriguing. Injuries have derailed his 2025 campaign (and have been a problem throughout his career). He is hitting .321/.381/.750 in 63 plate appearances at this level.
LF Jose Rojas0-for-3, SB (10), CS (1), BB, K
Rojas reaches double digits in stolen bases for the first time since 2018.
3B Jeimer Candelario0-for-4, 2 K
SS Braden Shewmake1-for-2, K
   SS Andrew Velazquez0-for-1
C Omar Martinez0-for-2, BB, K
Martinez is hitting .242/.350/.333 in 40 plate appearances since his promotion. In 92 games between three levels, he is at .227/.325/.373 in 385 plate appearances.

LHP Ryan Yarbrough (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Yarbrough was pulled after 50 pitches. He is likely close to his return.
LHP Jayvien Sandridge0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Jake Bird0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
No, I am not surprised that Allan Winans was called up instead of Bird. I think they are doing a hard reset with Bird. Additionally, it makes sense to bring up someone who can give you bulk innings.
RHP Ian Hamilton1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
Hamilton’s Triple-A ERA is an unsightly 9.64 (9.1 innings). If he is working on something, that’s fine; however, Hamilton has dropped off considerably after being one of their many bullpen surprises.
RHP Baron Stuart2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


Somerset (61-54; 26-20 in second half) 

Their game against Hartford was postponed. They will try to play a doubleheader tomorrow.


Hudson Valley (69-42; 31-16 second half)

Their doubleheader against Jersey Shore was postponed. It’s been raining down here all day. They will attempt a doubleheader tomorrow. As of now, the second game hasn’t been rescheduled.


Tampa (55-59; 19-30 in the second half) (Swept Ft. Myers in a doubleheader)

Game 1 (Won, 15-4)

SS Dax Kilby2-for-4, 2B (2), 2 R, SB (3), BB
Kilby is 6-for-17, including back-to-back multi-hit efforts, since his 0-for-9 start.
3B Roderick Arias0-for-4, R, SB (29), BB, 2 K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-5, RBI, R, K
CF Marshall Toole4-for-5, RBI, 3 R, 4 SB (42)
Toole sets personal bests for hits and stolen bases in a game. I guess he was too tired to play in Game 2. His numbers: .307/.408/.491 in 333 PA (13 doubles, 12 triples, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 59 R, 42-for-47 SB, 13.8% BB, 20.4% K). He is the first Yankees’ minor leaguer to clear 40 stolen bases since Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez in 2023. I never claimed it was long ago.  As for 50 stolen bases, that wasn’t long ago either: Anthony Volpe stole exactly 50 in 2022.
1B Jackson Lovich3-for-4, 2B (2), 3B (1), 2 RBI, 4 R, SB (1), BB
Lovich follows up his 4-hit debut with a 3-hit effort.
DH Richie Bonomolo Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 R, 2 BB
RF Willy Montero3-for-4, 5 RBI, R
Montero’s second career 5-RBI effort (2022).
LF Eric Genther2-for-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, R, HBP, BB
Genther’s first professional home run. He joins Kaeden Kent in the “Home runs by 2025 draftees” club (technically, Genther was an undrafted free agent).
C Ediel Rivera0-for-4, BB, K

RHP Sunayro Martina4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
Martina maxed at 94.3 MPH (generated six whiffs on 18 swings against his 4-seamer). He heavily features his fastball and curve.
RHP Jackson Fristoe (W, 5-2): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Fristoe reached 96.6 with his 4-seam fastball today.
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Mendoza looks like a sinker/slider type (84% of his pitches today). He generated three whiffs with the slider.

Game 2 (Won, 4-0)

DH Dax Kilby0-for-2, 2 SB (5), CS (1), 2 BB
Methinks Kilby is starting to settle into being a professional baseball player. If there weren’t questions about his ability to stick at shortstop, he likely goes earlier in the draft – but those questions exist, so it could come down to whether his bat can “carry” at a less demanding defensive position. Reports are favorable.
SS Roderick Arias2-for-4, CS (9)
2B Enmanuel Tejeda1-for-3, R, BB
Tejeda is on an 8-game hitting streak that features eight 1-hit efforts (8-for-32; 4 BB, 2 K). 
CF Willy Montero0-for-3, BB, K
1B Jackson Lovich1-for-4, RBI, SB (2), 2 K
You mean he wasn’t going to be able to keep up a 7-for-8 pace?  I guess he will accept 8-for-12.
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek0-for-2, R, 2 SB (3), 2 BB, K
9-for-36 with five walks. 
RF Richie Bonomolo Jr.: 1-for-2, 2 R, SB (3), BB
The Yankees drafted a Richie and signed an undrafted Robbie in July. These sound like kids who were hanging out playing stickball in the 1970s.
C Josue Gonzalez0-for-3
LF Hans Montero: 2-for-2, 2B (11), 3B (1), 2 RBI, SB (18), BB

RHP Ty Boudreau1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Boudreau’s professional debut. He reached 94 MPH with his 4-seam fastball. He also featured a curve, slider, and change-up.
RHP Mariano Salomon: (W, 1-4)  4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 4.71 ERA (28.2 IP, 26 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 5 HR, 9 BB, 24 K)
RHP Cole Zaffiro1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
His first appearance since July 26th.
RHP Gus Hughes1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


FCL (28-30)

Their season is over.


DSL Yankees (24-32)

Their season is over.


DSL Bombers (31-25)

Their season is over.