Tag: Garrett Martin

Yankees MILB 5/31: Dillon Lewis’ Hot May Ends with a Homer

Notes:

A lot of roster assignments in the DSL today in anticipation of their openers on Monday. I say openers because the Yankees have two Dominican Summer League (DSL) teams. If you are new to this, they do play each other during the season.

One unique feature of the DSL is that the rosters do not count towards the organizational limit. If you look at their rosters, you will often see a zillion pitchers, a million catchers, and several hundred thousand infielders who are labeled as “shortstops” (every outfielder is a center fielder, also!).

SS Mani Cedeno is one of the most highly touted prospects. The 16-year-old signed for $2.5 million in January. One of his teammates is 18-year-old OF Francisco Vilorio. Vilorio, signed for $1.75M in 2024, struggled in his first taste of professional ball last year. He hit .196/.294/.345 with four homers and eight stolen bases in 42 games. 2025 is already a big year for his prospect status. I doubt many top players struggled in back-to-back DSL seasons.

Now for the reality: Many of the best players who come out of the DSL signed for much less than the bonus babies.  I won’t get into the entire list, but Mariano Rivera famously signed for $2,500 in 1990. It was a different system and bonus structure, but that is one of the biggest international bargains in history. Who do I think will be those “surprise” players in the DSL? A moment of honesty: I don’t know who 99% of these players are, never mind trying to project their futures.

Injury Log

Scranton (25-28) (Defeated Worcester, 3-0)

DH Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2B (6), R, SB (9), K
Since promotion: .360/.436/.453 in 163 PA (6 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 27 R, 9-for-13 SB, 12.3% BB, 14.1% K). In his last five games, in order: 3B, 3B, C, C, DH. He compiled 34 hits in 23 May games.
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-2, HR (8), 2 RBI, R, SB (4), BB
The veteran had an outstanding May: .317/.389/.622 with 7 homers and 22 RBI in 23 games.
C Alex Jackson: 1-for-4, RBI, K
.302/.387/.604 in 111 PA (8 HR, 28 RBI, 21 runs in 26 games). He has never hit in MLB, but he is valuable as a #3 catcher.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, SB (4), BB
Rumfield in May: .343/.422/.486 with four doubles and a pair of home runs. 
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-3, BB, K
SS Braden Shewmake: 1-for-4, 2B (2)
CF Ismael Munguia: 0-for-4, CS (4), K
2B Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-2, SB (13), BB
3B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-2, R, BB, K

RHP Allan Winans (W, 4-0): 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
0.27 ERA (33.1 IP, 23 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 39 K). You see numbers like these, and your first instinct may be “What about that BABIP?” In Winans’ case, it is normal: .280.  Anyway, Winans needs to be precise because he doesn’t throw hard. His 4-seamer maxed at 89.7 MPH (sinker reached 89.8).
RHP Clayton Beeter: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Beeeter reached 96.4 MPH with his 4-seamer. Season: 1.13 ERA (8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 12 K)
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
Four walks and three strikeouts in an inning of work (his outing spanned two innings). Now for the good stuff: Rodriguez reached 99.3 MPH with his 4-seamer, and his cutter reached 98.9. If you are skeptical of that number, so am I. It is possible that it was a misread 4-seam fastball. Either way, those readings keep teams interested. Season: 4.42 ERA (18.1 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 17 BB, 27 K).
RHP Colten Brewer (S, 3): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.98 ERA (20.1 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 26 K)

Somerset (23-26) (Lost to Akron, 10-5. The game ended on a triple play with the bases loaded)

3B Jazz Chisholm Jr.: 1-for-3, SB (1)
I doubt he will be down here much longer. The Yankees typically want a player to play a full game in the field before they consider activation.
   3B Max Burt: 0-for-2, K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, 3 K
We all have bad days. At this level, he is hitting .200 (15-for-75) with a double and a triple. He has 18 walks (18.8%) and 21 strikeouts (21.9%). The Yankees knew there would be struggles. They feel that he can handle them.
DH Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2B (13), R
In April, Flores hit seven doubles and five homers. In May, he compiled six doubles and five homers. He played more games in May, but he has been consistent.
2B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4
CF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, 2 HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (9), BB
This is Martin’s third career 2-HR game. He has 31 doubles, 20 homers, and 26 stolen bases in 149 career games. 
LF Brennen Davis: 0-for-3, RBI, R, BB, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4
RF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R, K
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 1-4)  4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 7 K, HR
5.02 ERA (43 IP, 43 H, 25 R, 24 ER, 6 HR, 25 BB, 52 K)
RHP Baron Stuart: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
5.00 ERA (27 IP, 17 H, 17 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 20 BB, 27 K)
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR

Hudson Valley (30-19) (Lost to Wilmington, 5-1. The Renegades flew out of the gate but haven’t played as well lately. They have fallen into third place behind Brooklyn (34-15) and Greensboro (33-15).)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, K
.265/.438/.618 in 89 PA. Including 2024, Riggio is hitting .227/.363/.429 in 569 PA at this level with 17 homers, 62 RBI, 90 runs, 15.8% BB, 20.4% K, and a 29-for-39 stolen base rate. 
LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, SB (21), BB, K
Jones finished May a perfect 10-for-10 stealing bases. After showing some pop in April (.238/.347/.425), it disappeared in May (.239/.339/.315). I’m not concerned.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Parks Harber: 1-for-4, RBI
.323/.380/.515 in 108 PA since his promotion. His 53 total hits are tied for second with Jesus Rodriguez (the organizational leader is Rafael Flores, who has 55)
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, 3 K
.225/.323/.344 in 186 PA. Castillo slumped in May (.186/.286/.286) after a strong April (.275/.370/.420). 
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, HBP, K
SS Jose Colmenares: 0-for-4, CS (2), 2 K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, 2B (10), BB, 2 K
RF Luis Durango: 1-for-4, CS (1), K

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (L, 3-2): 5.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
3.38 ERA (48 IP, 31 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 0 HR, 22 BB, 57 K).  A lot of groundballs, zero home runs allowed (9 allowed in 231.1 career innings), and a high strikeout rate. A 21-year-old doing this in High-A is impressive, even if there are a few warts.
RHP Chris Kean: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.00 ERA (21 IP, 18 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 19 K)
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Tampa (26-23) (Lost to Fort Myers, 11-1)

SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, 3 K
Maybe I am being harsh, but we all see the reality here, right?
DH Edgleen Perez: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-3, HBP
CF Cam Eden: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Dillon Lewis: 2-for-4, HR (9), RBI, R, K
Lewis doesn’t want May to end, as he finished the month 29-for-94 (.309) with 15 extra-base hits (5 doubles, 2 triples, 8 HR), 26 RBI, 24 runs, and a 7-for-7 stolen base rate. He entered tonight in a 5-way tie for first place in the league home run race. I don’t know if anyone else hit their 9th, nor do I care. 
3B Juan Matheus: 2-for-4, K
.291/.362/.358. He finishes May 30-for-96 (.313) with 13 RBI, 15 runs, and a 10-for-13 stolen base rate.
RF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, SB (6), BB, K
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, SB (8), BB, 3 K

LHP Brock Selvidge (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
This is only his third rehab appearance. 
RHP Gus Hughes: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP J.T. Etheridge: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
6.00 ERA (9 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 10 K)
RHP Cade Austin: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR

FCL (9-11)

Their game against the Phillies was postponed. They will try to play two on Monday.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/17: Roc Riggio Homers Twice

Notes:

The rumblings about Jesus Rodriguez are starting. I get it – the Yankees have an issue with offense at third base, and Rodriguez can further help balance the lineup.

But is he a third baseman?  The Yankees have tried various positions with him. A natural catcher, he also has experience at 1B/2B (limited)/3B/LF. MLB Pipeline’s write-up on his defense was rather…scary? Pipeline, however, isn’t the only source for your prospect needs. Fangraphs was more flattering, even talking him up as potentially above-average at the hot corner.

I have been bullish on his offense for several years now. He crushed the Complex League in 2022 (which should always come with hesitation) before his promotion to Low-A in 2023.  While with the Tampa Tarpons, he showed his FCL game was no fluke, as he hit .297/.378/.426, earning a promotion to High-A after 84 games. All he did in Hudson Valley the rest of that season was hit .356/.464/.533 in 25 games. His 2024 season was similarly exciting, though he ran into trouble after his promotion to Somerset. That trouble continued into 2025, and his current Double-A triple slash is .196/.250/.339 in 30 games. When Alex Jackson was injured earlier this season, the Yankees moved Rodriguez to Scranton, where he started flourishing again. His issues in Double-A may be sample-size related. His BABIP there is only .207.  You want a prospect to conquer Double-A. It’s Prospect Following 101. He didn’t, but it’s hard to argue against his success.

Rodriguez isn’t your traditional corner power hitter, but we need to look at what he is up against: Strong defender Oswald Peraza, who the organization hasn’t shown much faith in; Jorbit Vivas, who isn’t seen as much of a defender at third base and has struggled to hit; Pablo Reyes, who Rodriguez could replace right now and nobody would flinch; DJ LeMahieu, who I think the Yankees want to play mostly at second base until Jazz Chisholm Jr. returns. The Yankees wouldn’t ask him to take over for current MLB All-Stars. We are talking about being better than replacement level.

Would I do it? It’s tempting. Even if you are skeptical about his profile, you can ride a hot streak for a while. Or, maybe your skepticism is misguided, and his bat will play just fine in MLB. Most of the hesitation comes from an aggressive approach and the questions about whether he can hit velocity. The problem with the latter is that he hasn’t faced enough velocity to draw any conclusions.

What is working against this possibility? The Yankees aren’t playing him every day at third base in the minors. If the plan was for Rodriguez to play third, that would be his position nearly every night. He has played third base in only nine of his 33 games between Somerset and Scranton.

Injury Log

Scranton (21-21) (Defeated Toledo, 7-2)

C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 3B (2), R, CS (2), 2 K
Rodriguez owns a 9-game hitting streak that includes five multi-hit games (four consecutive). He is hitting .385/.479/.510 in 117 PA. Fire is too soft a word to use.
LF Dominic Smith: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R
A veteran like Smith is not only auditioning for the Yankees, as veterans can easily ask out of their minor league deals (or, like with Luis Torrens last year, can be traded in small deals). Smith is 16-for-42 (.381) with four homers and 16 RBI in May.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, R, HBP, K
RF Everson Pereira: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Cooper Hummel: 1-for-2, 2B (1), SF, RBI, BB
3B Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, HR (8, grand slam), 4 RBI, BB, K
Rojas has three grand slams this month (5/1, 5/7, 5/17). He has 8 HR and 34 RBI in 36 games. If only he weren’t a 32-year-old journeyman.
2B Braden Shewmake: 1-for-3, R, BB
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-4, 2 K
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI
A fun story in spring training, Munguia is hitting only .219/.321/.328 in 164 PA. He is 8-for-10 stealing bases.

RHP Anthony DeSclafani: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
He touched 95.3 MPH with his sinker, which likely has Matt Blake drooling.
LHP Brent Headrick: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Headrick, a victim of the numbers game earlier this season, reached 97.1 MPH with his fastball today.
RHP Allan Winans: (W, 2-0) 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
0.00 ERA (23 IP, 16 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 31 K). They used him in a piggyback role today, which doesn’t bother me. His season has been impressive.

Somerset (17-20) (Defeated Portland, 11-5)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 R, BB
Lombard Jr. plays third base for the second day in a row (hadn’t played the position before that since his promotion). For Somerset: 6-for-31 (3 RBI, 7 R, 3-for-3 SB, 9 BB, 8 K). Overall, he is at .292/.461/.407 in 152 PA with more walks (32) than strikeouts (30). He is 14-for-16 stealing bases.
C Rafael Flores: 3-for-5, HR (8), 3 RBI, 3 R
Flores has homered in back-to-back games and is surging. His triple slash is .303/.350/.538 in 145 PA (10 doubles, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 19 R, 6.4% BB, 29.9% K). He has three 3-hit games in May. By the way, his 8 HR are tied for second in the Eastern League. Spencer Jones (who has missed several games now) still leads with 9.
CF Garrett Martin: 3-for-5, 2B (7), 3 RBI, R
.222/.336/.398 in 128 PA. He isn’t striking out much (20.3%). I don’t have info on his quality of contact, though.
2B Dylan Jasso: 3-for-5, 3 RBI
.284/.338/.507 (7 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R).  Last 9 games: 13-for-36 (.361; 2 doubles, 2 HR, 9 RBI). 
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-5
1B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-4, R, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-2, 2B (7), R, 2 SB (7), CS (4), 2 BB
.250/.333/.402 in 105 PA. Vargas is having a strong May (.282/.378/.513).
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, SB (3), BB
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
He left the game after an “injury delay.” That is not encouraging.
  PR-DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-0, R

RHP Trent Sellers: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
Sellers was cruising until he allowed a 2-run HR with two outs in the 6th. The 6th inning remains his “blocker” as he has yet to complete six full innings during his career. Season: 3.48 ERA (33.2 IP, 19 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 44 K)
RHP Danny Watson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Scott Effross: (W, 1-0)  1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
A tough outing for Effross, who has struggled to get back to MLB.
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.11 ERA (15.1 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 20 K)
RHP Kelly Austin: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.54 ERA (11.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 11 K)

Hudson Valley (25-12) (Outlasted Aberdeen, 10-7)

LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (16), BB
.229/.338/.366 in 157 PA. 
2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 R
Riggio’s first career multi-HR game. He is 8-for-34 (.235) since returning from his rehab stint (2 doubles, 3 HR, 9 RBI)
DH Parks Harber: 4-for-5, 3B (1), HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 R
Harber’s first career 4-hit effort.  Since promotion: .362/.413/.603 in 63 PA (3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 12 R). Overall, Harber is hitting .331/.418/.575 in 146 PA (7 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 26 RBI). Yes, he may move two levels this season and get to Somerset.
RF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
  RF Luis Durango: 0-for-1, SB (1)
Durango was 21-for-22 in the stolen base department in 2024.
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, R, K
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
3B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-2, 3 R, SB (4), HBP, BB, K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-2, 2B (7), 2 RBI, R, 2 BB
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
He didn’t have it today, but his teammates bailed him out. Season: 3.22 ERA (36.1 IP, 22 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 0 HR, 17 BB, 43 K). Rodriguez-Cruz has allowed only 9 HR in 219.2 career innings.
RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 3-0)  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.80 ERA (10 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 10 K)
RHP Hayden Merda: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
3.78 ERA (16.2 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 22 K). As a starter in 2023 (he missed 2024 due to injury), he allowed ten homers in 95.2 innings.
RHP Bryce Warrecker (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Warrecker’s first career save. His dominant season continues: 0.53 ERA (17 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 23 K)

Tampa (18-20) (Lost to Palm Beach, 5-4)

DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
Perez is 15-for-53 (.283) in May after going 10-for-56 (.179/.373/.196) in April. I’ve said it multiple times: The only thing missing is power. That isn’t concerning as he is 18 years old. You hope he grows into some pop.
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, BB
RF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-5, R, SB (8), 2 K
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-4, R, SB (10), 2 K
Matheus is 13-for-22 (.591) during his 6-game hitting streak. He is an under-the-radar switch-hitting middle infielder prospect.
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-4, R, K
2B Hans Montero: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 2 RBI
Sneakily, Montero is up to .278 with a .846 OPS. He is 12-for-33 (.364) in May with four doubles and two home runs.
3B Owen Cobb: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RBI
Cobb has 11 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR) in 13 games.
CF Marshall Toole: 2-for-4, 2B (6), R, K
Toole is 7-for-19 (.368) during his 6-game hitting streak. He has four doubles and a triple during the streak. 
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-4, K

RHP Greysen Carter: (L, 1-3)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 1 K
Carter is why the Development List exists. I advocate for continuing to throw kids out there to learn, but he is lost (6.75 ERA in 24 IP with a 25/27 K/BB)
RHP Brandon Decker: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.59 ERA (17 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 20 K)
LHP Jayvien Sandridge: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
This line defines Sandridge’s career. Looking at the data, Sandridge peaked at 95.8 MPH (averaged 94.2) and generated four whiffs (on 11 pitches) with his slider. The Yankees are trying to unlock the 26-year-old who allows few hits, walks half the ballpark, and strikes out the other half.
RHP Chris Veach: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
1.80 ERA (15 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 26 K). I know Savant isn’t always perfect, but Veach used six different pitches to earn four outs (change, curve, sinker, 4-seamer, cutter, slider). You may ask if Veach was a starter in college. The answer is no, as none of his 57 college appearances (mostly with South Carolina) were starts.
RHP Cade Austin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (5-6) (Lost to the Blue Jays, 5-1. The Yankees compiled only two hits)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, R, 2 K
It’s not so bad when one of those hits is a home run by their best prospect at the level. I don’t love the strikeouts for a big prospect repeating the level (27.7%), but his start remains encouraging (.293/.370/.512).
RF Brennen Davis: 1-for-3, K

RHP Jose Rodriguez (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Jose Martinez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Martinez’s 2025 debut. The Yankees grabbed him after the Red Sox released him in February. Not that DSL numbers tell a full story, but Martinez put together a 45/9 K/BB over 41.1 IP (3.48 ERA) for Boston’s DSL squad last year.
RHP Mariano Salomon: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Franyer Herrera: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Jose Ledesma: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Ledesma’s 2025 debut. Last season, the 22-year-old pitched to a 1.25 ERA in 21.2 IP with a 28/14 K/BB in the DSL.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 4/27: Rafael Flores Doubles, Homers

Notes:

OF Everson Pereira is listed as active but hasn’t played since April 19th. Injuries are a part of Pereira’s story. He has never played in more than 102 games. His second-highest total is 82. You have to be available to be useful.

George Lombard Jr. and Roderick Arias left their games early yesterday. Lombard Jr. was back in the lineup today while Arias was not. Hudson Valley pulled Lombard Jr. during a blowout, so there was nothing to worry about.

The Yankees have released RHP Alex Bustamante. The 24-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Injury Log

Scranton (12-13) (Lost to Charlotte, 13-12, in 12 innings)

CF Ismael Munguia: 0-for-4, RBI, 3 R, SB (6), HBP, 2 BB
11.4% BB, 7.0% K. He is doing what you want a leadoff hitter to do.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-6, RBI, R, BB, 2 K
Vivas is hitting .322 with a .878 OPS (5 doubles, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 14 R; 13.9% BB, 6.5% K)
DH-C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, HR (1), SF, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Rodriguez swats his first Triple-A homer. He is hitting .325 with a .913 OPS since his promotion. This ties his personal best for RBI in a game.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (7), 3 RBI, R, SB (1), HBP, 2 BB, K
Hopefully, this is the start of a hot streak.
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-7, RBI, 3 K
RF Jose Rojas: 1-for-5, 2B (7), 2 R, SB (1), 2 BB, 2 K
C Ronaldo Hernandez: 1-for-5, R, BB, K
   PR-P Edinson Duran: 0-for-0
SS Jake Gatewood: 1-for-4, RBI, R, 2 BB
2B Andrew Velazquez: 2-for-6, R, SB (7), 3 K

RHP Jake Woodford: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, HR
4.32 ERA (16.2 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 4 HR, 9 BB, 12 K). While not prospects, veterans in Triple-A are fighting for depth chart placement. You never know when an emergency will present itself in MLB. Woodford hasn’t pitched well in 2025.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: (W, 2-1)  2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
4.76 ERA (11.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 HR, 8 BB, 16 K)
RHP McKinley Moore: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
LHP Rob Zastryzny: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Kervin Castro: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
1.23 ERA (14.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 17 K). Nice start to the season for the 26-year-old with 20 games of MLB experience (Giants, Cubs).
RHP Edinson Duran: (L, 0-1):  1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Duran’s second career pitching appearance (first was in 2022) 

Somerset (9-12) (Lost to Hartford, 13-5)

3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, K
.258/.329/.485 in 73 PA
2B DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-2
LeMahieu plays in back-to-back games for the first time during his rehab stint.
   PH-2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-2
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
.230/.360/.541 in 89 PA (2 doubles, 7 HR, 12 RBI, 15 R, 4-for-5 SB, 15.7% BB, 34.8% K). His .541 SLG ranks fifth in the Eastern League.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, 2B (6), HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 K
.266/.322/.494 in 87 PA (6 doubles, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 10 R, 8.0% BB, 33.3% K). Last season, he struck out 25.3% of the time. 33.3% is too high – I am not saying anything groundbreaking.
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, K
Martin has homered in back-to-back games (3 HR in his last five games)
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
The 26-year-old Hardman hasn’t been the same since his 2023 injury (26 HR in 77 games that year; 11 HR in 113 games since).
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, R, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, K
Gomez is 2-for-25 since his promotion.
SS Max Burt: 1-for-2, 2B (3), SF, RBI, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
3.86 ERA (18.2 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 24 K). Sellers had a rough first start (3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER) but has settled in since. He had an under-the-radar 2024 debut season, pitching to a 2.26 ERA in 83.1 IP with a 100/40 K/BB.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Danny Watson: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
Watson dug the hole. Ayers lit it on fire, allowing three of Watson’s runs to score on a grand slam.

Hudson Valley (15-6) (Doubled up Asheville, 8-4. There is so much intriguing talent at this level. The next wave of Yankees prospects to watch closely.)

DH Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, SF, 2 RBI, R, CS (2), BB, K
.236/.349/.444 in 86 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 18 R, 11-for-13 SB, 12.8% BB, 22.1% K). 
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B (4), HBP, 2 BB, 2 K
.306/.494/.452 in 87 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 16 R, 9-for-11 SB, 22.99% BB, 20.7% K). He has three doubles in his last five games, so the extra-base power is starting to show. The .494 OBP ranks second in the South Atlantic League.
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-5, RBI, K
.267/.375/.417 in 72 PA (6 doubles, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 6 R, 3-for-3 SB, 15.3% BB, 27.8% K)
CF Jace Avina: 3-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, R, BB
Avina has back-to-back 3-hit efforts and is 12-for-22 during his 6-game hitting streak. He is up to .313/.458/.406 in 83 PA (18.1% BB, 21.7% K). The .458 OBP ranks fifth in the South Atlantic League.
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-5, SB (5), K
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, R, BB, 3 K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-2, 3 R, 2 HBP, BB
Not the typical way to reach base four times, but he’ll take it.
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-4, RBI, R, BB, 3 K
2B Duncan Pastore: 3-for-5, 2 2B (2), 3 RBI, R, K
Pastore doesn’t play often but is 14-for-42 (.333) in 16 career games with a 5-for-5 stolen base rate. 

LHP Kyle Carr:  4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR
2.16 ERA (16.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 16 K). He threw 69 pitches, so they aren’t yet pushing him (has yet to throw more than 4.2 innings this season).
RHP Chris Kean: (W, 2-0) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Hayden Merda: (S, 1) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Merda’s first career save.

Tampa (8-13) (Lost to Dunedin, 8-5. Edgleen Perez remains out of the lineup but is not on the injured list. Yes, I am keeping this note here until his status changes!)

CF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, BB
Lewis is struggling to get on track (.171/.247/.257). The 21-year-old was their 13th-round pick in 2024.
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB
.185/.341/.354 in 82 PA (2 doubles, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, 17.1% BB, 20.7% K). His start was slow (2-for-22)
DH Parks Harber: 1-for-3, R, SB (4), HBP, BB
Yes, Harber is too old for this level and will need to be moved up at some point. He played at major Division I schools, swatting 54 HR in 206 games for Georgia and North Carolina. This level of competition isn’t challenging him.
RF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-3, SB (6), 2 BB
2B Austin Green: 0-for-4, RBI, R, SB (3), BB, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
SS Juan Matheus: 0-for-4, K
LF Marshall Toole: 2-for-4, R, SB (4), K
Toole has three multi-hit efforts in his last five games. His triple slash has jumped from .208/.345/.208 to .286/.375/.310.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, RBI, R, 2 SB (4)
Gonzalez is having a tough start to 2025 (7-for-51). Today’s performance was needed.

RHP Gage Ziehl: (L, 0-2)  4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Last year’s 4th-round pick had a solid debut (4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K), but his last two starts haven’t been up to the standard. No need to be worried, as that’s baseball.
RHP Chris Veach: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
2.89 ERA (9.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 15 K)
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
Fristoe is throwing hard (maxed out at 96.5), so the hope is that his early-season struggles are due to rust (he didn’t pitch after June 23rd last season due to injury).
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
1.64 ERA (11 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 9 K). Kirtner was drafted by the Mets in 2023, but decided to return to Virginia Tech. In 2024, he went undrafted and signed with the Yankees.

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 4/25: Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz Strikes Out 12

Notes:

Some pitching promotions to announce.

LHP Will Brian and RHP Cole Ayers are coming to Somerset from Hudson Valley.
RHP Tony Rossi was promoted from Tampa to Hudson Valley.

In his debut season, the 25-year-old Rossi (undrafted free agent, 2024) was predictably overwhelming Low-A hitters (7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K).
The 26-year-old Brian (10th round, 2022) was equally effective for Hudson Valley (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K).
Ayers (16th round, 2021) has the most experience of the trio (106 games from 2022 to 2025). Like the others, he owns a 0.00 ERA this season (6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K). This isn’t his first taste of Somerset, as he appeared in eight games for the Patriots in 2024.

Unfortunately, promotions sometimes come with cuts. The Yankees released right-handed relievers Cole Percival and Colby White from their minor league contracts.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez nearly cleared waivers but the Dodgers nabbed him. Oh well.

Injury Log

Scranton (12-12) (Lost to Charlotte, 4-1. This game started late due to rain so they decided to only play 7 innings)

CF Ismael Munguia: 0-for-2, SB (5), BB
3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-2, CS (3), BB
After an insane, unsustainable stretch, Vivas is now 1-for-12 in his last four games. He has drawn three walks, however.
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-2, R, BB
Rodriguez is hitting .290 with a .775 OPS in 42 PA since his promotion.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3
Rumfield’s first game since Sunday. No idea why, but it was obviously minor.  
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-3, 2B (2), RBI
C Ronaldo Hernandez: 0-for-3
SS Jake Gatewood: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-2, K
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-2

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-2)  4 IP,3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
4.79 ERA (20.2 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 22 K). It’s only the 4th time in Messinger’s career where he has allowed 2+ HR in a game (tonight was his 85th game/67th start).
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
4.82 ERA (9.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 BB, 13 K)
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
He did allow an inherited runner to score. Season: 0.00 ERA (8.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 12 K)

Somerset (8-11) (Mauled by Hartford, 19-4)

2B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-2, 3 BB
Jasso had three walks in 14 games entering tonight. Baseball!  By the way, walks aren’t a foreign concept to Jasso (he had a solid 9.8% rate last season). Tonight’s three walks jumped his 2025 rate to 9.2.
LF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
.242/.383/.591 in 81 PA (2 doubles, 7 HR, 12 RBI, 14 R, 4-for-5 SB, 17.3% BB, 33.3% K). It’s the theme for Jones – encouraging profile with an obvious red flag.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 R
DH Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (3), 3 RBI, R, K
Martin has two doubles and two homers in his last four games (one of each in his first 12 games)
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-2, 2 BB
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, 2B (5), R
3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-1) 2.2 IP, 4 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 3 K
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Ayers ate a few innings and slowed down the Hartford machine.
RHP Diomedes Hernandez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The 20-year-old catcher/first baseman makes his 4th career pitching appearance. Perhaps he should have started?

Hudson Valley (13-6) (Shut down Asheville, 3-0)

LF Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, CS (2), K
.273/.461/.400 in 76 PA (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 14 R, 9-for-11 SB, 22.4% BB, 21.1% K). A lot to like in his profile so far. 
DH Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, 2 K
.240/.377/.340 in 61 PA (5 doubles, 9 RBI, 4 R, 3-for-3 SB, 18.0% BB, 29.5% K)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB
.250/.403/.286 in 72 PA (2 doubles, 6 RBI, 9 R, 1-for-2 SB, 16.7% BB, 25.0% K)
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 3 K
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-2, R, SB (4), BB, K
3B Josh Moylan: 2-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, R, SB (2)
2B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, CS (2), K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, K

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: (W, 2-1)  6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K (new personal best; struck out seven in a row at one point)
Since he was acquired for Carlos Narvaez, here is a Narvaez update: The catcher has played in 18 of Boston’s 27 games, slashing .210/.269/.371 with 4 doubles and 2 home runs. He is grading out well defensively, however. As for Rodriguez-Cruz, the 21-year-old owns a 2.42 ERA (22.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 30 K). That works.
RHP Sebastian Keane: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.18 ERA (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K)
RHP Tony Rossi (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
His first Hudson Valley appearance results in a save. Can he be fast-tracked to Somerset this season? Certainly. I am not a fan of holding relief pitchers back. However, let’s be patient.

Tampa (8-11) (Lost to Dunedin, 4-2. Edgleen Perez remains out of the lineup but is not on the injured list.)

3B Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
After a 5-game hitting streak (5-for-21), Arias is 0-for-10 in his last three games. He is hitting .147/.293/.250 in 82 PA (15.9% BB, 26.8% K). Arias owns a paltry .200 BABIP, which should normalize. There is a “positive” for you.
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-4
.172/.329/.362 in 73 PA (16.4% BB, 23.3% K). Like Arias, there is a small sample size BABIP issue (.179).
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-4, R, SB (5)
Wilson is 5-for-7 stealing bases. He is searching for his first extra-base hit of 2025 (17 games)
2B Austin Green: 1-for-3, R, SB (2), BB, K
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, BB, K
.250/.365/.375 in 52 PA (5 doubles, 10 RBI, 5 R, 4-for-5 SB, 9 BB, 7 K). Matheus owns a BB/K rate above 1.00 in his career (98/89).
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, K
CF Marshall Toole: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, 2 K

LHP Tanner Bauman: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Bauman needed a decent outing after a pair of rough ones. This qualifies. The biggest issue is walks (17 in 14.1 IP).
RHP Cade Austin: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Sean Hermann (L, 1-1): 2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 4/8: Spencer Jones Homers

Notes:

Nothing to report

Scranton (5-4)

Their game against Rochester was postponed. They will try to play two tomorrow.

Somerset (1-3) (Lost a tough one to Reading, 5-4. Reading scored four runs in the top of the 9th to take the win)

3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, K
A tough 1-for-18 start to his campaign.
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, R, SB (1), 2 BB
4-for-13 (1 double, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB, 4 BB, 5 K)
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, R, HBP, K
Martin hit 12 HR in 87 games for Hudson Valley last year.
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
SS Jake Gatewood: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, 2B (2), RBI
4-for-8 with a pair of doubles and two RBI.

RHP Brendan Beck: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
The Yankees drafted the 26-year-old in the 2nd round in 2021 (Stanford). Considered a “fast track” type, injuries have slowed him considerably. His only action came in 2023, when he pitched 34 innings over ten starts for the FCL (one start)/Hudson Valley (9 starts). The road has been long, but we’ve seen successful pitchers start their careers in their mid-to-late 20s.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Kelly Austin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Jordany Ventura:  (L, 0-1) 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
Meltdown alert.
RHP Zach Greene: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (2-2) (Lost to Brooklyn, 7-3)

CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
2-for-18 (2B, 3B, 3 RBI, R, 1-for-1 SB, 2 BB, 8 K)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, R, SB (1), BB, K
3-for-13 (3B, RBI, 4 R, 1-for-2 SB, 3 BB, 5 K)
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, SB (1), BB, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, R, BB, K
Moylan had buzz when the Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2023. His 2024 season (.246/.357/.381; 8 HR, 42 RBI) left room for improvement, so he is back at this level.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-3, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 1-for-2, RBI, BB, K
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3

RHP Carlos Lagrange: (L, 0-1)  3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR
Loaded with talent in his 6’7″ frame, the 21-year-old has dealt with injuries and wildness in his brief (98.2 IP) career.
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
The 25-year-old pitched to a 3.09 ERA in 55.1 IP at this level in 2024.  He briefly made his way to Somerset, but is back here to begin 2025.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Tampa (3-1) (Came back to defeat Fort Myers, 5-3. The Tarpons scored five times in the top of the 9th)

SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, R, SB (1), BB, 2 K
Arias finally collects that first hit of 2025 (1-for-16; 7 K). He doubled, scored a run, drove home a run, and walked in the 9th.
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-3, 2 K
   PH-C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-1, R, BB, K
CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, 3B (2), K
Speed is a big part of the 20-year-old’s game. He should be able to stick in CF.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
1B Parks Harber: 1-for-3, RBI, CS (1), BB, K
Harber’s RBI single in the top of the 9th tied the game.
RF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-3, R, BB, K
2B Austin Green: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (1), K
Green’s 2-run single broke the 2-2 tie in the 9th.
3B Juan Matheus: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Andrew Landry: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
The 23-year-old was drafted in the 16th round in 2023 (Southeastern Louisiana). In 2024, he pitched in seven games at this level, posting a 6.98 ERA in 19.1 IP with 16 walks and 12 strikeouts.
RHP Cole Zaffiro: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The Yankees signed the 22-year-old as an undrafted free agent last year (Wake Forest).
RHP Gus Hughes: (W, 1-0)  2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Hughes’ first career win. Congrats.
RHP Alex Bustamante (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 8/22: Jasson Dominguez: 2 More Hard Hits

News:

Most of the time, roster crunches work themselves out.

In 2024, that might not be the case for the Yankees. The first move was easy, as Oswald Peraza was demoted to make room for Jazz Chisholm Jr. However, it won’t get easier from here.

Utilityman Jon Berti is about to begin a rehab stint, as is 1B Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo can replace Ben Rice, who has options and hasn’t hit much lately. Berti? Good luck with this one. From a management standpoint, the Yankees can do the easy thing:  Demote Oswaldo Cabrera and keep everyone else. Berti would, in theory, be taking most of Cabrera’s playing time and the Yankees can justify it by saying DJ LeMahieu is their only viable defensive first baseman after Rizzo. Berti has never played the position and Cabrera has 28.1 innings there.

Is that what I would do? No.

Beyond that, OF Jasson Dominguez is finding his groove. While we have to factor in a potential adjustment period, it is hard to argue that Alex Verdugo is a better option.

As messy as that is, the pitching staff could be messier. Scott Effross, Nick Burdi, Lou Trivino, Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton, and Cody Poteet are potential MLB options, and Luis Gil will come off the injured list at some point. Schmidt will be promoted as soon as he is ready. The others? They will be in a logjam. The Yankees can demote Will Warren (when Schmidt is ready) and DFA Tim Mayza. Unlike Effross and Hamilton, Trivino is out of options. Once his rehab is over, a roster move must be made. It’s a situation where the Yankees bullpen hasn’t been top-notch, but some of their scrap heap pickups (Tim Hill, Michael Tonkin) have pitched well enough to keep their jobs. Jake Cousins is pitching too well (and missing bats) to send down.

My not-so-educated guess?  They will demote Warren for Schmidt and DFA Mayza for Trivino. Effross, Burdi, Hamilton, and Poteet may have to “wait their turn”. Hamilton has yet to start his rehab stint, so we don’t know what to expect. Keeping Poteet stretched out in Scranton would be prudent. Effross’ rehab ended a while ago. The Yankees aren’t convinced he is ready to contribute, but he is pitching well lately. They have the ability, through options, to keep Gil down in Scranton beyond his IL stint. They can use it as a reset and give him a few innings there to ensure he doesn’t go cold.

Yes, one position player and pitcher will be promoted on September 1st. That helps but doesn’t completely relieve the jam.

Scranton (69-52) (Lost to St. Paul, 8-7)

3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB
The pesky Durbin is 15-for-55 (.273) in August with more walks (13) than strikeouts (8).
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-5, RS, SB (10), CS (1)
Dominguez’s two singles were hit at 108.3 and 108.2 MPH and he has four multi-hit efforts in his last 7 games. By the way, Dominguez is now 97-for-116 (83.6%) stealing bases in his minor league career. I have written a lot about his stats since his latest comeback without mentioning his overall season for Scranton: He is hitting .304 with a .786 OPS in 125 PA.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-4, 2 2B (24), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Rumfield has six doubles in his last 10 games. 
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-5, 3B (1), 3 RBI, RS
Trammell has 20 RBI in 18 August games.
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, K
Escarra has a 7-game hitting streak (10-for-27 with four doubles)
LF Jahmai Jones: 2-for-5, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-2, HBP, 2 BB
SS Kevin Smith: 1-for-5, 3 K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 3 HR
RHP Ron Marinaccio: (L, 1-3)  1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Last 6 games: 8.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K

Somerset (59-56) (Lost to Portland, 3-1. They are now 4.5 games out. Before this series started, I said the Patriots needed to take 5 out of 6 to make the race interesting. So far, they are 2-1. 4 out of 6 would be acceptable, but the calendar is starting to run out (22 games left))

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 3 K
.248/.329/.419 in 453 PA (20 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 59 R, 21-for-29 SB, 10.4% BB, 37.1% K).
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, SB (9), K
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, 2 2B (20), SB (21)
.217/.328/.395 in 349 PA (20 doubles, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 47 R, 21-for-24 SB, 13.8% BB, 18.1% K; .240 BABIP).  Moving Seigler to 2B is doing the job to keep him healthy, at least.  He is four games away from his first 100-game campaign.
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, 3 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-3, 2B (5), SB (7), HBP
Vargas is 17-for-58 (.293/.359/.500; 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR) in August. Entering tonight, he was hitting .301/.347/.504 (138 wRC+) in 121 PA since June 7th (yes, he missed time due to injury)
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, 3 K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Messinger had to push himself through 90 pitches tonight. Season: 3.40 ERA (132.1 IP, 107 H, 67 R, 50 ER, 8 HR, 44 BB, 123 K). In his last 6 starts: 1.98 ERA (36.1 IP, 27 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 23 K). No, it isn’t lost on me that his hot stretch comes with a reduced K%.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Danny Watson: (L, 1-5) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 2.87 ERA (15.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 24 K)

Hudson Valley (62-54) (Swept a doubleheader against Wilmington)

Game 1 (Won, 7-6)

CF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, SB (4), K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, RS, K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RS, BB
LF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, HR (10), 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
This was the appetizer (scroll down to Game 2 for more)…
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 RS, SB (3)
DH Dylan Jasso: 2-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, RS
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, BB, K
C Edison Vivas: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, K
With Omar Martinez on the IL, Hudson Valley needed another catcher. Enter the 18-year-old Vivas, who entered this game with 27 games of professional experience (26 in the DSL, 1 in the FCL). He hit .217/.333/.253 with no homers and 8 RBI in those games. So, naturally, he is promoted to High-A and has a solid debut. I have zero information on him. His signing bonus isn’t listed, so they signed him for a small number. Additionally, I searched my website for his name and this is the first time I have typed it. In other words, I won’t pretend to know who he is. 
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Brian Hendry: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
If you forgot about the 24-year-old, it is understandable. This was his first appearance since April 25th. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his professional career (12 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 7 BB, 17 K). He was the Yankees’ 10th-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Oklahoma State.
RHP Sebastian Keane: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Matt Keating (W, 4-3): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Blane Abeyta: 2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Won, 6-0. Three pitchers combined on a 7-inning no-hitter)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-2, RS, SB (24), BB, 2 K
Riggio didn’t finish the game last night and missed Game 1 today. However, he was back out there in Game 2. 
LF Brandon Jones: 0-for-2, RS, SB (5), BB
With Tampa/Hudson Valley: 12-for-38 (.316/.544/.553; 3 doubles, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, 10-for-10 SB, 19 BB, 11 K). This is how you make an early impression.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3
CF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, 2 HR (12), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Martin has a 3-HR, 7 RBI day. It pushes his season to .210/.310/.436 in 289 PA (13 doubles, 3 triples, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 45 R, 13-for-15 SB, 9.7% BB, 28.0% K). 
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K
DH Coby Morales: 2-for-3, 2B (1), RS, CS (1)
Morales is 6-for-14 since his promotion and is hitting .256/.362/.326 in 398 PA overall (10 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 50 RBI, 56 R, 34-for-42 SB (80.95%), 12.6% BB, 28.9% K). He is 22 years old, so there is room for growth. He spends time at 1B/LF/RF. 
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Gomez has a 7-game hitting streak (8-for-23) and a 17-game on-base streak (21-for-56 (.375); 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 6 BB)
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-2, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2

RHP Trent Sellers: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
At this level: 2.28 ERA (75 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 3 HR, 34 BB, 88 K). As a starter: 0.69 ERA (26 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 29 K). The walk rate has fallen considerably as a starter.
RHP Mason Vinyard: (W, 6-2)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.07 ERA (41 IP, 29 H, 20 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 55 K). I told you to pay attention to Cole Ayers last night because, amongst a group of potential Somerset call-ups, the Yankees chose him. That is nothing against Vinyard, Keating, or whoever you think of. 
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
If you are going to finish off a no-hitter, you may as well do so in style. With Enyel De Los Santos‘ stint being among the quickest in history, Balboni is left carrying the torch for the deadline deal with the Padres (for Brandon Lockridge).

Tampa (48-66)

Their game against Ft. Myers was canceled due to inclement weather. It won’t be made up.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over. The Bombers had a good season but it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs.

Yankees MILB 8/16: Carlos Lagrange Impresses

News:

After an outfield collision the other night, CF Jackson Castillo was placed on the injured list for Hudson Valley. Castillo hit .256/.386/.404 (133 wRC+) in 334 plate appearances for Tampa, earning his promotion to Hudson Valley. He has played seven games for the Renegades, going 8-for-23 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI. His combined 137 wRC+ ranks 4th amongst full-season prospects in the entire organization (third if you eliminate Ben Cowles, who was traded at the deadline).

Scranton (68-48) (Defeated Buffalo, 3-2)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, RBI
SS Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Durbin owns a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-18, 1 double, 2 HR, 2 SB). He has one RBI in each game. Additionally, he is playing all over the field. In these five games, he has 2 starts at 2B, 1 start at SS, 1 start at 3B, and 1 start in LF. This could be the Yankees’ vision.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, K
Since there isn’t a developmental reason for Taylor Trammell to play CF, I think it is notable when the Yankees give Dominguez reps in LF. Since returning from his latest injury: 12-for-61 (.197) with a pair of doubles and a homer.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (21), RS
Rumfield has three 2-hit performances in his last six games. He is hitting .284/.353/.455 in 374 PA since his promotion.
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-2, RBI, BB
2B Jahmai Jones: 0-for-3, 2 K
DH Greg Allen: 0-for-3
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, RS, K
RF Cam Eden: 1-for-3, RS

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
The Yankees have used him as a 3-5 inning guy all year, which hints at how they view him. He owns a 3.88 ERA (65 IP, 45 H, 29 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 35 BB, 67 K). If you have forgotten, he is out of options in 2025.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
4.17 ERA (45.1 IP, 52 H, 29 R, 21 ER, 8 HR, 18 BB, 43 K)
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Scott Effross: (W, 3-1)  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The fact that the Yankees went through the steps to add Tim Mayza to the 40-man/26-man rosters tells you that the Yankees are not comfortable with Effross’ progress. From a statistical standpoint, his last six games show progress (9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K).
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (S, 6): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (56-55) (Lost to Hartford, 7-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
Flores is 15-for-44 (.341) with 4 doubles, 5 homers, and 9 RBI in August.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, K
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, 3B (2), 2 K
Richardson has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-17, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR). 
DH Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-3, SB (20), BB
Seigler, always seen as an athletic catcher before his conversion to 2B, is 20-for-22 stealing bases this year (he stole 16 as a catcher in 2022).
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, K

RHP Cam Schlittler: (L, 0-2)  5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
Since promotion: 11 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 7 K
RHP Colby White: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (58-52) (Walked it off against Hickory, 3-2. The Renegades are right in the middle of the second-half division title race)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, 2 2B (22), 2 RBI
.216/.338/.376 in 403 PA. This is his second multi-hit effort in his last three games, and we hope his BABIP continues to normalize (.256).
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, 2B (24), K
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, SB (1)
He is more about walks and power than speed, but he did steal 8 bases in 2023 (the only season that he compiled more than one)
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 3 K
CF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, HR (9), RBI, RS, SB (12)
Martin walks it off in the 9th. He has homered in two of his last four games.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, RS, K
LF Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
2.43 ERA (70.1 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 3 HR, 33 BB, 83 K). As a starter: 21.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 24 K. His walk rate dropped considerably since he was moved to the rotation. 
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Blane Abeyta (W, 2-2): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (45-64) (Lost to Clearwater, 5-3, in 10 innings)

CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-2, RS, SB (5), 2 BB, K
Jones has drawn 10 walks in 7 games and has yet to be caught stealing.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 2B (18), RBI, RS, BB
.253/.310/.371 in 403 PA. He is 15-for-45 (.333) in August.
LF Marshall Toole: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, CS (2)
Toole is 8-for-24 with 7 RBI, 7 walks, and 6 stolen bases in 8 attempts.
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Joe Delossantos: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-3, BB, K
  PR-1B Coby Morales: 0-for-0
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
3B Owen Cobb: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
He allowed a leadoff single in the 5th, which eventually came around to score. Lagrange was humming again (maxed out at 98.3, averaged 97.1). The Yankees aren’t a system of extreme velocity, but Lagrange brings it. If he can harness his control (he’s only walked one hitter in 6.1 innings at this level), watch out.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Pacheco: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Pacheco threw a 96.5 MPH sinker tonight. I am seeing signs as to why the Yankees signed the 25-year-old. He owns a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 IP with a 12/2 K/BB at this level.
RHP Jordy Luciano: (L, 2-4)  0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-35) (Lost to DSL Rockies, 4-2)

SS Dexters Peralta: 1-for-1
I don’t know why he was pulled, but he was lifted for a pinch-runner after his leadoff single. That likely isn’t good.
  PR-SS Ovandy Frias: 1-for-1, CS (2), 2 BB
CF Louis Pierre: 1-for-4, 3B (2), RS, K
2B Jelson Coca: 2-for-4, RBI, K

DSL Bombers (29-23) (Lost to DSL Tigers 1, 3-2. With little margin for error, this is a big loss in their quest to earn a playoff berth)

2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, RS, SB (24)
.270/.442/.405 in 147 PA. He is 24-for-29 in the stolen base department.
C Carlos Villarroel: 2-for-3, RBI
.286/.382/.400 in 123 PA. As I said yesterday, I don’t get excited over 17-year-old’s in the DSL. However, this is another young catcher having a solid season down here.

RHP Enixon Sanchez (L, 3-1): 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Only 17 (he started the season at age 16!), Sanchez owns a 2.79 ERA in 29 IP (14 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 16 BB, 29 K)
RHP Rafael Arias: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
13 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 18 K. Arias is a 20-year-old in his debut season.

Yankees MILB 6/23: Carlos Narvaez Goes 5-for-5

News:

The Yankees acquired 1B/3B J.D. Davis (and cash) from the Oakland Athletics for IF Jordan Groshans. The money will likely cover most (if not all) of what remains on Davis’ 1-year deal. It isn’t much.

Davis is hitting .236/.304/.366 (98 wRC+) in 135 PA. He has four home runs and five runs batted in. Interesting. The defensive metrics don’t love his performance, so he better hit if he wishes to keep a job. He had a run between 2019-2022 where he hit .276/.363/.457 (127 wRC+) over 1,258 plate appearances with a 10.5% BB and 27.3% K. However, the numbers haven’t been as strong in 2023-2024.

The Yankees need offense with Giancarlo Stanton out and there isn’t much available. They are not ready to give Agustin Ramirez a role, and none of the veterans in Triple-A excite you.

The bottom line? They wouldn’t need to do a signing like this if Gleyber Torres or DJ LeMahieu were producing. LeMahieu is showing no signs of life with the bat. He is moving towards “sunk cost” territory (if he isn’t there already).  I hope he doesn’t impact Ben Rice‘s playing time much. With the DH spot open, they can be flexible with playing time.

Scranton (42-32) (Mauled Buffalo, 18-9. They scored 12 runs in the 5th inning. As for last night’s postponed game, it is now listed as canceled. Instead of playing two in today’s heat (and pitching issues may have played a role), the game was permanently wiped off the calendar)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-5, RBI, RS, BB, K
Last 6 games: 7-for-23. Before you toss away the Victor Gonzalez deal, remember that Vivas was a part of it.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-5, RBI, RS, HBP, K
Ramirez is 1-for-16 since his promotion. He is hitting .275/.358/.537 in 279 PA overall.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, 2B (14), HR (7), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Since promotion: .298/.354/.468 in 226 PA. He has four HR in his last 12 games.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 5-for-5, 2B (15), HR (8), 4 RBI, 4 RS, SB (5), BB
Entering today: .254/.382/.424. Now: .271/.396/.457 in 210 PA (15 doubles, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 40 R). His best for RBI in a season is 44, set in 100 games last year. Narvaez never had a 4-hit game before today, never mind a 5-hit effort.
SS Jeter Downs: 2-for-5, 2B (12), RBI, 2 RS, SB (13), HBP, 2 K
.279/.372/.541 in 208 PA (12 doubles, 3 triples, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 36 R, 13-for-17 SB). 
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, 2B (8), 3 RS, 2 SB (5), 3 BB
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-5, HR (4), 4 RBI, 2 RS, SB (3), K
For Scranton: .279/.327/.443 in 150 PA. Gonzalez has some appeal but is still a “break glass in case of emergency” type.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 3-for-5, 4 RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (24), K
.285/.408/.369 in 157 PA. He has 24 stolen bases (26 attempts) in 47 games.
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, SB (9), BB, 3 K

RHP Cam Schlittler: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Schlittler also hit 3 batters. This will impact the strong numbers he had before today, but toss it. He was brought here from Hudson Valley because they needed a rested arm. Regardless, the offense bailed him out.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Jake Cousins: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Jesus Liranzo: (W, 1-0)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Season (between here and Somerset): 2.45 ERA in 33 IP (25 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 53 K)

Somerset (32-36) (Lost two games to Erie. It is odd to see Somerset struggle. Though the players always change, winning has become expected here)

Game 1 (Lost, 10-7)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB
Rodriguez’s first Double-A home run. While he was pulled from this game and didn’t play in Game 2, I wouldn’t read into that (yet) – the heat is brutal in Somerset today.
  C Peter Serruto: 0-for-0
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-5, 2 K
For Somerset: 8-for-28 (.286) with a double and a pair of home runs.
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, 2 BB, K
CF Grant Richardson: 2-for-5, SB (11)
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, 3 RS, 2 BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 3-for-5, 2B (4), 3 RBI
His reward was not playing in Game 2. He has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-20).
SS Alexander Vargas: 4-for-5, 3 RBI, K
Useless fact of the day: Vargas has exactly one 4-hit game in each of the last four seasons.

RHP Bailey Dees: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
This will be a wasted start, but that isn’t a big deal. Season: 3.80 ERA (68.2 IP, 60 H, 33 R, 29 ER, 9 HR, 24 BB, 74 K).
RHP Trystan Vrieling: (L, 7-5) 5 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
This was a tough afternoon for Vrieling. Season: 5.08 ERA (79.2 IP, 82 H, 48 R, 45 ER, 8 HR, 24 BB, 75 K). They knew there would be some growing pains by throwing him immediately into the Double-A fire. 
RHP Carlos Gomez: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP McKinley Moore: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 2 (Lost, 11-5)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-3, RS, BB
Jones entered the month with a .641 OPS. It is now .702.
3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, BB
Cowles is on a little 5-game hitting streak (5-for-18, 1 double, 1 HR). He has slumped a bit in June (18-for-75 (.240)), so I hope this is a start of a new hot streak.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, RBI, RS
DH Elijah Dunham: 3-for-3, 2B (9), HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (7)
Dunham is hitting .257/.363/.451 in 168 PA at this level.
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, 2 K
.253/.314/.389 in 210 PA. He was strong in April/May but has struggled in June.
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, RBI, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, BB
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, K
1B Max Burt: 1-for-3, RS, K

RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 0-1)  4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
Like Scranton, Somerset needed a starter and Grosz was available (from Tampa). I will say the same thing I said about Schlittler: Toss it.
RHP Danny Watson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K
Watson is having trouble getting his season going after his injury. Let’s see what he does in the second half. 
RHP Colby White: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
2.52 ERA (25 IP, 21 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 40 K). The 26-year-old, who missed 2023, hasn’t allowed a home run in 29.2 career innings (43/13 K/BB)

Hudson Valley (34-34) (Outlasted Greensboro, 12-9. They hit 5 home runs)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Riggio is at .217/.370/.380 in 230 PA. He has three home runs in his last seven games. 
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-5, RBI, K
Serna is now 0-for-20 since missing a game after a HBP. That has dropped his triple slash from .280/.380/.504 to .258/.357/.464.
DH Jace Avina: 2-for-4, 2B (19), RS, BB, K
.275/.355/.459 in 251 PA (19 doubles, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 29 R, 4-for-5 SB). He has three doubles and multi-hit efforts in his last six games.
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
.286/.397/.469 in 229 PA (17 doubles, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 27 R). 
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
.243/.382/.405 in 228 PA. 
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, 2 HR (5), 4 RBI, 3 RS, BB
Martin’s first career multi-HR game. He has 5 HR in 36 games this year (0 in 18 games during last year’s debut season).
3B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI, 3 RS, BB, 2 K
Moylan’s first career multi-HR game. Hopefully, he can build off this effort as he had some “post-draft” buzz last year.
CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (6), K
LF Nelson Medina: 0-for-5, K

RHP Jackson Fristoe: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Fristoe left the game due to a shoulder issue, according to GameCast. Yikes.
RHP Luis Arejula: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
3.14 ERA (28.2 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 30 K)
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Cole Ayers: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
2.68 ERA (40.1 IP, 31 H, 16 R, 12 ER, 2 HR, 15 BB, 49 K)
LHP Joel Valdez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Juan Crisp (W, 1-0): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
Crisp is a catcher who was asked to get eight outs. The system used a lot of pitchers today (and recently), so tomorrow’s day off across the full-season leagues will come in handy.

Tampa (25-43) (Split a doubleheader against Palm Beach)

Game 1 (Won, 5-4, in the conclusion of the suspended game from Friday. This game went a full 9 innings)

DH Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-5, 2 K
For Tampa: .313/.366/.382 in 164 PA. He doesn’t go hitless often, so when he does it in back-to-back games, it stands out!
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-2, RS, SB (18), HBP, BB
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, RBI
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-2, RS, CS (2), HBP, BB
RF Willy Montero: 2-for-4, RS
LF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, 2 SB (15)
C Oscar Silverio:  0-for-0, BB
  PH-C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-1, 2 RBI, BB, K
Gomez with a big 2-run single as his rehab continues.

RHP Luis Serna: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
The weather cuts Serna’s start for the second consecutive time. This effort pushes his ERA below 4.00 (3.98 in 52 IP (37 H, 23 R, 23 ER, 2 HR, 15 BB, 61 K)). His ERA was 10.32 in his first three starts and 6.97 after five starts. He has been on quite a roll and is still under 20 (until July 20th).
RHP Scott Effross: (W, 1-0)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Effross struck out the side in his second inning of work. Of his 26 pitches, 22 were strikes.
RHP Joey Gerber: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Cade Austin: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Montana Semmel (S, 4): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
This game was dicey late, as Palm Beach turned a 5-0 deficit into a 5-4 deficit in the 9th. Tampa was able to hang on.

Game 2 (Lost, 13-11. This was a 7-inning game. They scored six runs in the bottom of the 7th (after scoring four in the 6th) and brought the winning run to the plate, but couldn’t take it further)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-5, 2B (11), 2 RBI, RS, SB (18)
Lombard is at .228 with a .676 OPS (11 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 24 R, 18-for-19 SB). This isn’t spectacular but he is holding his own.  He is 9-for-31 (.290) in his last 8 games with 3 doubles, a triple, a home run, and three stolen bases.
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2B (10), RBI, RS, BB, K
Arias is hitting .212 with a .676 OPS. He has 22 extra-base hits (10 doubles, 6 triples, 6 HR) in 65 games, but also owns a 35.9% K rate.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-5
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 K
Castillo is hitting .249 with a .784 OPS. He has 38 walks (17.8%) and 44 strikeouts (20.6%) in 214 PA.
3B Hans Montero: 2-for-5, HR (4), RBI, RS, 3 K
A much-needed double-header for Montero, who started hot at this level but has cooled off recently.
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-4, RS
Montero has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games (reached base safely in all 17 games). He is hitting .250 with a .675 OPS (before the streak, he was hitting .182/.250/.241). A jump of 184 points in OPS is impressive.
DH Coby Morales: 2-for-3, 2 RS, BB
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-1, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 3 BB
RF Daury Arias: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, K

RHP Cade Smith: (L, 3-5)  4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
3.94 ERA in 61.2 IP (47 H, 33 R, 27 ER, 3 HR, 30 BB, 78 K). He has some ups-and-downs this season, but his overall season is impressive.
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
2.18 ERA (33 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 5 HR, 18 BB, 38 K)

FCL (23-13)

Scheduled day off. With a little more than a month to go in the season, the FCL team is two games up on the Tigers for first place.

DSL Yankees (5-10)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (9-5)

Scheduled day off.

 

Yankees MILB 6/20: Spencer Jones: 2 Hits, RBI, SB, BB

News:

OF Jasson Dominguez will miss at least eight weeks due to an oblique injury. That pushes his return to mid-August, where he will undoubtedly be rusty. He can still be one of the September call-ups, but we must be realistic about 2024 expectations. He hasn’t played much and the Yankees will likely be cautious. As I said last night, it isn’t quite a lost season but it isn’t a productive one for his development either.

Scranton (41-29) (Lost to Buffalo, 9-4)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, SB (22), RS, BB, K
With Dominguez and Everson Pereira out, the #5 outfield slot is there for the taking. Known for his speed and defense, he is hitting .274/.404/.363 in 151 PA with 22 stolen bases in 24 attempts. 
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-1, RS, 4 BB
With Scranton, Vivas has 19 walks in 21 games (98 PA; 19.4%)
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-4, RBI, HBP
Many hitters never figure out how to hit in MLB. We don’t know if that will be true for Peraza. However, I am shocked at how badly he is slumping in Scranton. Unless something is bothering him, he should be crushing this level. He is at .176/.317/.216.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, HBP, K
Ramirez is off to a 1-for-9 start in Scranton. It was fun while it lasted…
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4
DH Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-4, 2B (14), K
Narvaez continues to show off his pop (14 doubles, 7 HR in 57 games; .431 SLG). 
RF Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, HR (14), RBI, RS, K
Rojas has 14 homers in 52 games. Impressive, but the 31-year-old owns a .188/.245/.339 triple slash in 83 MLB games (2021-2022). He spent 2023 in Korea (.253/.345/.474 with 19 homers)
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, 2 K
Downs has a 5-game hitting streak and is 14-for-35 (.400) in June with a 7-for-8 SB rate. 
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB, K
Trammell has homered in two of his last three games.

LHP Tanner Tully: (L, 1-5) 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 4 HR
RHP Jake Cousins: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Cody Morris: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Josh VanMeter: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Kevin Smith: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
VanMeter and Smith are veteran utility players who received an inning on the hill tonight.

Somerset (32-34) (Lost to Erie, 9-7. Everyone in the lineup collected at least one hit)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-5, RBI, SB (17), BB, 3 K
June: 20-for-70 (.286; 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 13 R, 5-for-6 SB). He entered June with a .641 OPS. It is now .704.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-6, RBI
Rodriguez earns his first Double-A hit. Congrats! Fans of the Patriots are getting a dose of his versatility: Third base in his Double-A debut, and catcher tonight. As for the multi-hit game, he has 22 in 58 games this season. Machine.
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, BB
3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-5, RS, SB (12), 2 K
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-5, RS, SB (8), 3 K
DH Elijah Dunham: 2-for-3, 2B (8), 2 RS, 2 BB, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, 2B (10), HR (7), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Seigler is showing some pop and speed this year (10 doubles, 7 HR, 11-for-12 SB) but that doesn’t mean his prospect status is coming back (.198 with a .670 OPS). Anyway, the 7 HR ties his personal best, set in 2022.
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-5, 3B (2), RBI, RS, 2 K
Vargas is hitting .211 since his promotion. By most accounts, the glove is still MLB-quality – the bat just hasn’t developed. That sounds somewhat like Kyle Holder, but Vargas likely has more offense to tap into. That said, he has to prove it. In case you are wondering about Holder, he hasn’t played since 2022.

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 3-6)  5 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 3 HR
RHP Danny Watson: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but Watson is likely still in “get back into a groove” mode after a long-term injury.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
For Somerset: 2.57 ERA (21 IP, 16 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 20 K)
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (33-32) (Lost to Greensboro, 4-2)

LF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, K
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-4
Since being hit by a pitch and missing a game, Serna is 0-for-11. It could be a coincidence. I hope that it is.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, 2 K
.212/.305/.372. He has hit safely in six of his last seven games.
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, 2B (5), RS
.222/.357/.284 in 199 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 23 R, 15.6% BB, 23.1% K).  So far, the power hasn’t shown up (.313 SLG in 24 games in Tampa last year). 
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, K
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, RBI
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, K

RHP Sebastian Keane: (L, 5-5) 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
Keane allowed three runs in the first inning but worked it out. Season: 5.02 ERA (57.1 IP, 55 H, 33 R, 32 ER, 6 HR, 29 BB, 55 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
2.29 ERA (19.2 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 31 K)
RHP Luis Arejula: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.46 ERA (26 IP, 23 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 27 K)

Tampa (24-42) (Lost to Palm Beach, 5-2)

3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-4, RS, CS (4)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, 2B (10), RS, K
.228/.360/.321 in 225 PA (10 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 23 RBI, 23 R, 17-for-18 SB). He is on a 6-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games. Before this 10-game stretch, his triple slash was .207/.359/.269. His OBP has barely moved, but his SLG is up 52 points.
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (17), CS (8), K
.209/.301/.364 in 289 PA (9 doubles, 6 triples, 6 HR, 38 RBI, 35 R, 17-for-25 SB). He has eight extra-base hits and 19 RBI in June, which is good. However, the strikeouts remain prominent.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, HBP, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-2, BB
.241/.298/.366 in 245 PA (13 doubles, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 28 R, 8-for-9 SB). Entering June, his triple slash was .207/.288/.283.
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-2, 2B (9), BB
.270/.391/.400 in 138 PA. Frick is doing a nice job in his debut season.
LF Daury Arias: 1-for-3, K

RHP Bryce Warrecker: (L, 0-1) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Warrecker’s Tampa debut (he appeared in a game earlier this season for Hudson Valley). He pitched well through 4 innings but ran into trouble in the 5th. The 22-year-old out of Cal Poly (drafted in the 20th round in 2023) is an interesting prospect. The Yankees are good at converting these pitchers into something valuable.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
3.96 ERA (38.2 IP, 26 H, 21 R, 17 ER, 1 HR, 29 BB, 39 K). He hit 95 MPH with his 4-seamer, which they should be able to work with. You don’t need me to tell you that control is an issue.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 2 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Standing 5’10”, the 22-year-old Luciano packs a punch, maxing out at 96 MPH with his heater. His issue? Control. He has walked 30 batters in 33.1 innings this year and 76 in 82.1 innings in his career.

FCL (21-13) (Squeaked past the Phillies, 3-2)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, 2 K
Mayea is hitting .270/.356/.303 in 101 PA, which isn’t so bad. The K% is 27.7%, borderline but not in the “red alert” zone. Another metric I like to look at is Swinging Strike %. Entering today’s action, Mayea’s was at 22.9%, which will raise an eyebrow or two. Anyway, let’s see what happens as he gets more reps.
DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 2-for-2, 3B (2), RS, BB
Is Ramirez going to become the latest obsession? He is hitting .396/.518/.582 in 115 PA and has seven multi-hit efforts in his last eight games. That’s not easily done at any level of baseball, folks.
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2B (12), RBI, RS
Sanchez has 17 extra-base hits (12 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR) in 27 games. Additionally, he has 20 RBI, 23 runs, and 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
SS Juan Matheus: 2-for-3, 2 RBI

RHP Hansel Rosario: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
LHP Michael Peres (W, 1-0): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Jesus Castellanos (S, 2): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

DSL Yankees (4-9) (Lost to the Rangers Blue, 7-1)

SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-3, RS, SB (7), BB, K
CF Gabriel Lara: 1-for-3, CS (1), BB
When you have a speedster like Lara, you want him running all the time in minor league games as he attempts to turn raw speed into base-stealing ability.

RHP Varis Villarreal: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL Bombers (7-5) (Defeated the FCL Tigers 1, 4-3)

C Queni Pineda: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
The 17-year-old is 8-for-27 (9 walks, 5 strikeouts)
RF Browm Martinez: 1-for-3, K
CF David Carrera: 1-for-3, RBI, K
SS Kevin Verde: 1-for-3, 2B (4), RS
1B Jesus Marquez: 2-for-3, 2 RBI
The 17-year-old is listed as a catcher but has only played 1B/DH thus far (only five games).

RHP Alexis Paulino: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Well, that is what you call dominance. He is 21 and in his third season down here.
RHP Ismael Delgadillo (S, 1): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The 19-year-old earns a save in his first professional appearance.

Yankees MILB 4/18: George Lombard Jr. Reaches Base 6 Times

News:

The Yankees claimed OF Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Dodgers. In a corresponding move, IF Kevin Smith was designated for assignment. Trammell is out of options so he must be placed on the MLB roster.

Once one of baseball’s brightest prospects, Trammell has struggled in MLB, hitting .165/.266/.361 in 357 plate appearances with 15 homers and 39 RBI. His walk rate is solid (10.9%) but his career strikeout rate is 37.3%.

It’s a low-risk move and it is easy to cut bait if it doesn’t work out.

As for Smith, the Yankees lose shortstop depth by waiving him. Anthony Volpe‘s only backup is Oswaldo Cabrera, who is playing third base. One has to assume that DJ LeMahieu is close to returning.

Scranton (12-5) (Doubled Up Lehigh Valley, 8-4)

SS Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, 2 K
How rare is a multiple-strikeout game for Durbin? This is his first such game in 2024 after doing it once in 2023.  It has happened five times in 208 career games. Amazing.
CF Everson Pereira: 3-for-4, 2 HR (6), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Pereira’s 9th career multi-HR game.  He has six homers and 13 RBI in 15 games.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, 4 K
Three hits last night. Four Ks tonight. You cannot find a game more humbling than baseball. 
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-2, RS, 2 HBP
LF Jose Rojas: 0-for-2, 2 RS, CS (1), 2 BB, K
  LF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-4, K
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-2, 2B (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
DH Josh Breaux: 0-for-4, 4 K
RF Luis Gonzalez: 1-for-2, 2B (2), RBI, RS, 2 BB, K

RHP Will Warren: (W, 2-0) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Since his tough season-opening start against Buffalo (bad weather):
2.40 ERA (15 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 20 K)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Clayton Andrews: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (5-7) (Defeated Hartford, 5-3)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, K
3-for-13 with a double, two walks, and three strikeouts.
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
Ramirez reaches base twice in four plate appearances, qualifying as a boring night for him.
1B Ben Rice: 2-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 2 RS
I commented last night that he hadn’t played a game at first base this season. Well, now he has. Anyway, Rice is starting to heat up. He has homered in back-to-back games and is up to .250 with a .766 OPS.
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
The 28-year-old is 8-for-21 with three doubles and a homer while playing C/3B/LF/RF. He never caught professionally before this season.
3B Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
Cowles has reached base safely in all 12 games this season (at least one hit in ten of those games)
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, SF, RBI
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4

RHP Bailey Dees: (W, 1-1) 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 9 K
The Yankees aren’t holding back, despite this being his first year as a starter. Tonight, he threw 90 pitches so he may not be far away from being asked to go 100. His first start was rough (3.1 IP, 8 ER), but he followed that up with a 4.1 IP/1 R start and tonight’s performance. It’s encouraging for the 6’8″ 25-year-old.
LHP Ryan Anderson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jack Neely (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3, BB, 10 K. 

Hudson Valley (8-3) (Won a wild one over Aberdeen, 8-7)

SS Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, RS, BB
.207/.400/.345 with ten walks and six strikeouts. Pesky.
2B Jared Serna: 0-for-3, RS, CS (2), 2 BB, K
DH Jace Avina: 1-for-2, 2 RS, BB, HBP, K
Avina earns his first hit as a member of the Yankees’ organization.
C Carlos Martinez: 1-for-3, BB
RF-LF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 4 RBI, RS, SB (3)
.281/.361/.469 in 37 PA with nine runs batted in. 
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, 2 K
  RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-1, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 3 K
Romero hit three homers in 29 games during his 2023 debut season.
LF-CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-2, RS, CS (1), BB, HBP, K
Gabrielson scored the winning run in the 9th on a wild pitch.

RHP Brian Hendry:  4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
In his first two professional starts: 9 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 11 K. He was last year’s 10th-round pick out of Oklahoma State.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 3 H. 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP Joel Valdez (W, 1-0): 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Tampa (3-8) (Defeated St. Lucie, 9-5. Everyone in the lineup earned at least one hit and the Tarpons stole eight bases)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-2, 2B (1), 3 RS, 3 SB (8), 4 BB
An 18-year-old reaching base six times in a full-season league is eye-opening. The double is his first extra-base hit of 2024. He is hitting .244/.492/.268 and has reached base safely in all 12 games.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-5, 2B (1), SF, 2 RBI, RS, K
Tejeda’s first extra-base hit in 2024. He is hitting .289/.320/.311 with eight RBI in 50 PA.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-5, 2B (2), RS, BB, 2 K
LF Coby Morales: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, SB (2), K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB, HBP, K
4-for-13  with four RBI and three runs scored.
RF Daury Arias: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, SB (1), K
DH Manuel Palencia: 1-for-5, RBI, SB (1), K
CF Tayler Aguilar: 2-for-5, RBI, SB (3), 2 K
.227/.452/.409 in 31 PA. He is 15-for-17 stealing bases in his career.
2B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, RS, SB (1), BB

RHP Cade Smith: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
2.89 ERA (9.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 15 K). Last year’s 6th-round pick is off to a good enough start in his debut season.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: (S, 1)  2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Not all saves are pretty.

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!