Yankees MILB 6/1: Jasson Dominguez: 3-Run Boom!

News:

UTIL Oswaldo Cabrera was demoted to Scranton after the Yankees-Mariners game last night.

Cabrera was a high-energy catalyst last season for the Yankees. He hit .247/.312/.429 (108 OPS+; 111 wRC+) while playing strong defense at multiple positions (including the outfield, where he was a novice). This season, he couldn’t get anything going. Cabrera hit .195/.246/.292 (46 wRC+) with 3 home runs and 15 runs batted in. One encouraging sign is his 19.6% strikeout rate, but nothing else in his offensive profile was solid enough to make you think a turnaround was coming soon. The only position he is blocked at in the minors is shortstop (Oswald Peraza). That said, Peraza could slide over to other positions to give Cabrera some time at shortstop.

This isn’t the end of Cabrera’s story. He has things to work on, and Scranton is where he will work on them. The Yankees aren’t immune to injuries, so it is up to Cabrera to keep himself sharp so that he can be next in line when a need arises.

OF Kole Calhoun is opting out of his minor league deal. The Yankees have 72 hours to promote him or release him. The promotion seems doubtful.  He was in tonight’s lineup for Scranton, as the Yankees can still use him until the 72 hours are up. Including tonight, the 35-year-old is hitting .291/.396/.547 in 22 games for Scranton.

Scranton (27-27) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-3)

CF Estevan Florial1-for-5, 2 K
Florial’s hitting streak is up to 11 (19-for-52 (.365); 6 HR, 13 RBI, 12 runs). By the way, the last time Estevan Florial didn’t reach base in a game was back on April 30th (23-game on-base streak)
SS Oswald Peraza1-for-5, HR (10), RBI, RS
Peraza now has an 8-game hitting streak (13-for-38 (.342); 7 HR, 9 RBI, 10 runs). Hitting .342 during a hitting streak is strong – for Peraza, it has allowed him to maintain his .340 batting average for the season. By the way, Peraza hasn’t drawn one walk during the streak – when you are hitting for this much power, why would you want to walk? 
LF Kole Calhoun1-for-4
DH Andres Chaparro1-for-3, 2B (8), RS, BB, SB (3)
.257/.326/.482 in 215 plate appearances. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
RF Elijah Dunham1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, RS, K
C Rodolfo Duran0-for-3, BB, K
1B Billy McKinney1-for-2, 2B (5), RBI, BB, HBP
3B Jesus Bastidas1-for-4, 2B (7)
Bastidas didn’t want May to end (.353/.443/.559), but he starts off June with an extra-base hit.
2B Wilmer Difo1-for-3, BB, K

RHP Jhony Brito5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR
He allowed a 3-run home run to former Yankees farmhand Jake Cave.
RHP James Norwood (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
LHP D.J. Snelten1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.80 ERA (23.2 IP, 13 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 29 K). Something tells me that just getting back on the mound is a big accomplishment for Snelten, who hadn’t pitched since 2019 (when he was with the independent Chicago Dogs). He pitched in four games for the San Francisco Giants back in 2018.
RHP Colten Brewer1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (27-20) (Scored 11 unanswered runs in an 11-7 comeback over Portland)

SS Trey Sweeney0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Sweeney is where he needs to be as he tries to break through with the bat. He has drawn walks all season but the hits aren’t coming consistently. I am confident they will.
CF Jasson Dominguez1-for-4, HR (8), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Dominguez had the SLG up to .433 after the games of 5/18. He slid a bit after that, but this blast has him over .400 (.404) to go along with his .365 OBP. 
C Austin Wells0-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Wells drew a pair of run-scoring walks. He is hitting .250/.347/.534 in 101 plate appearances at this level (he is 5-for-26 without a home run (but 6 walks) in his last seven games)
3B Tyler Hardman1-for-3, HR (9; Grand Slam), 5 RBI, BB, 2 K
The grand slam gave Somerset an 8-7 lead. Hardman has driven home five runs in a game twice this season. He is hitting .228/.306/.512 (5 doubles, 2 triples, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 21 R, 4-for-5 SB)
DH Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, 2B (3), SF, RBI, K
RF Jeisson Rosario2-for-4
1B Eric Wagaman1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 SB (9)
Wagaman was 11-for-19 stealing bases in his career prior to this season (9-for-10 in 2023). 
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-1, 3 RS, 3 BB, SB (2)
Palensky is now 12-for-12 stealing bases between here and Hudson Valley.
2B Max Burt1-for-3, 2 RS, BB

RHP Gray Fenter3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
RHP Steven Jennings2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
An outstanding job by the bullpen to keep Portland (a good offensive squad) off the scoreboard. Jennings (24) has a 3.65 ERA in 24.2 IP (17 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 33 K)
RHP Justin Wilson: (W, 2-1)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.34 ERA (18.2 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 17 K). Wilson allowed four runs in one inning a few outings ago, which crushed his numbers a bit. Still, the walks are obviously high and control has always been his bugaboo. There is still time for the Yankees to work with him.
RHP Tanner Myatt1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (27-21) (Lost to Aberdeen, 1-0. They drew five walks (plus an HBP) but couldn’t get the big hit)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-5, 2B (16), 3 K, CS (3)
Jones’ 16 doubles rank second in the league (Wilfred Veras (Nationals) has 20).
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-3, BB, K
Vargas didn’t have a great May (though he ended the month on a bit of a hot streak). Let’s see what June brings…
1B Rafael Flores0-for-3, BB
C Antonio Gomez1-for-3, BB, K
Gomez had two passed balls, giving him 9 on the season. Are his offensive struggles leading to defensive lapses? His defense has received rave reviews in the past and it is something they can probably clean up. 
DH Grant Richardson0-for-4, 3 K
2B Ben Cowles0-for-3, BB
RF Aldenis Sanchez0-for-2, BB, HBP, K
3B Eduardo Torrealba0-for-4
LF Kyle Battle0-for-4, 4 K
Battle’s first game since 4/14 didn’t go according to plan.

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-3): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
This is what you call a tough-luck loss. He sports a 2.78 ERA in 45.1 IP (39 H, 21 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 22 BB, 55 K)
RHP Indigo Diaz2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Diaz was sent down here from Somerset, where he sported a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings with a 25/16 K/BB.
RHP Jack Neely2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.80 ERA (20 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 32 K). Neely has 124 strikeouts in 72.1 career innings, The walks aren’t ideal (38), but I am always a believer in moving college relievers as quickly as possible.

Tampa (20-28) (Lost to Bradenton, 7-2)

2B Jared Serna2-for-5, 2 K
Serna has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games. However, only three of those games feature multiple hits, so his average has dropped from .325 to .310 (not exactly bad!). The strikeout rate has ticked up lately, thanks to eight strikeouts in his last four games (he didn’t reach eight strikeouts for the season until May 9th (his 22nd game)).
CF Anthony Hall1-for-5, RS, K
Hall hasn’t skipped many beats since his 4-for-33 April. He was dominant in May and is trying to carry that over to June.
DH Agustin Ramirez1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
Ramirez has been pretty consistent (especially in the walk column) since the start of the season (he now has 29 in 157 PA (19.1%)).
SS Brenny Escanio1-for-4, 3 K
LF Christopher Familia1-for-4, K
RF Tayler Aguilar0-for-3, BB, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez3-for-4, RBI, SB (6)
Rodriguez has two 3-hit games this season. He hit well in the rookie leagues, so let’s see how his first year in a full-season league goes.
1B Beau Brewer0-for-2, 2 BB, SB (1)
3B Ronny Rojas0-for-4, K

LHP Brock Selvidge6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
3.15 ERA (45.2 IP, 42 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 9 BB, 48 K). It is way too early to look at an innings load, but I will point out that Selvidge tossed 42.2 innings in the rookie leagues last season. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Adam Stone: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Stone’s professional debut. He was signed as an undrafted free agent last July out of Harvard. He stands 6’6″. Tonight, he pretty much only used his 91-93 cutter (20 of his 22 pitches)
RHP Alex Bustamante: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
The life of a reliever, where one performance can jump your ERA from 2.18 to 3.86.
RHP Shane Gray0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Yankees MILB 5/21: Drew Thorpe: 6 Scoreless Innings

News:

Nothing new to report.

Scranton (21-24) (Lost to Charlotte, 4-2)

CF Estevan Florial1-for-4, HR (9), RBI, RS, BB
Florial has homered in three straight games (6 HR in the last 7 games). He is up to .311/.439/.605.
DH Kole Calhoun:  1-for-5, 3B (1), RS
3B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-5, RBI, K
Chaparro’s first multi-hit game since his 5-for-5 night on 5/9.
LF Elijah Dunham1-for-4, BB, 2 K
Dunham has ten walks in his last ten games.
RF Franchy Cordero2-for-5, 2 2B (7)
He has seven doubles in 15 games since his demotion.
C Rodolfo Duran1-for-4, K
1B Billy McKinney0-for-3, BB, 3 K
2B Jesus Bastidas1-for-4, 2 K, CS (4)
Bastidas’ hitting streak reaches five and he has reached base at least once in all 14 May contests.
SS Wilmer Difo: 1-for-3, HBP, SB (11)
Difo has six stolen bases in his last four games.

RHP Sean Boyle: (L, 2-3) 2.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Deivi Garcia1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
4.24 ERA (23.1 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 17 BB, 21 K)
RHP Matt Bowman1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Matt Krook1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.17 ERA (15.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 12 BB, 29 K). He should make his MLB debut at some point this season.
RHP Colten Brewer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Greg Weissert0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (23-15) (Lost to Reading, 3-1)

SS Trey Sweeney1-for-5, RS, 3 K
A little 2-for-23 slump has dropped his line to .246/.386/.352. I think some power will show up as the season goes along.
LF Jasson Dominguez:  1-for-5, 2 K, CS (2)
A little 3-for-21 slump has dropped his line to .197/.360/.393. 
DH Austin Wells1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
In addition to his 7 HR in 14 games at this level, he has also driven home 19 runs and scored 13 runs.
CF Everson Pereira3-for-4, SB (6)
Pereira has two 3-hit games in his last six games played. He is 21-for-67 (.313) in May with four doubles and five home runs. On the season, he is up to .282/.331/.508 in 137 plate appearances. After games of 5/4, he was at .232/.303/.391.
3B Tyler Hardman1-for-4, 2 K
2B Caleb Durbin0-for-3, BB
Durbin has struck out once in 44 plate appearances since his promotion (2.3%)
RF Brandon Lockridge1-for-3, BB
Lockridge is on a 7-game hitting streak (8-for-21; 7 BB)
C Anthony Seigler0-for-3, BB, K
1B Eric Wagaman1-for-4, K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-2)  5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
5.79 ERA (32.2 IP, 29 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 30 K). Last 3 starts: 3.57 ERA (17.2 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 18 K)
LHP Michael Giacone1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
1.96 ERA (18.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 23 K)
RHP Justin Wilson1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Indigo Diaz1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.65 ERA (16.1 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 14 BB, 23 K)

Hudson Valley (23-16) (Split a doubleheader with Brooklyn)

Game 1 (Lost, 6-0)

CF Spencer Jones0-for-3, 3 K
SS Alexander Vargas1-for-3, SB (7)
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, K
.208/.286/.274 in 121 plate appearances (4 doubles, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 10 R, 11 BB (9.1%), 41 K (33.9%))
DH Rafael Flores0-for-3, 2 K
1B Spencer Henson0-for-3, K
LF Grant Richardson1-for-2, BB, SB (5)
2B Eduardo Torrealba1-for-3, SB (3)
RF Aldenis Sanchez0-for-3, K
3B Marcos Cabrera0-for-2, K

RHP Chase Hampton: (L, 1-1) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR
3.10 ERA (29 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 49 K). A 15.21 K/9 works (as does the 40%+ K rate). 
RHP Nick Paciorek0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
2.92 ERA (12.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 15 K)
RHP Jack Neely0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
2.30 ERA (15.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 22 K)
RHP Harold Cortijo0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.20 ERA (19.2 IP, 17 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 25 K)

Game 2  (Won, 3-2, in 9 innings)

DH Spencer Jones1-for-4, RS
Jones is hitting .285 with a .882 OPS
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-4, K
LF Aaron Palensky1-for-4, RBI, RS
C Rafael Flores1-for-4, K
He broke up the perfect game in the 5th inning.
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, K
CF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
Walk-off RBI single.
RF Aldenis Sanchez0-for-3, RS, K, SB (9)
3B Ben Cowles0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
2B Luis Santos1-for-3, 2B (1), K

RHP Drew Thorpe6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
3.55 ERA (38 IP, 36 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 45 K)
RHP Danny Watson1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
1.69 ERA (21.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 35 K). He is having one of the best seasons amongst relievers in the Yankees’ system.
RHP Carlos Gomez: (W, 2-1)  1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (14-25) (Defeated Dunedin, 9-1)

2B Jared Serna1-for-4, RS, BB
.331/.406/.559 in 143 PA. He is 24-for-69 (.348) in May with all seven of his home runs. 
CF Daury Arias1-for-5, 2 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
.240/.363/.390 in 124 plate appearances.
DH Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
.253/.367/.398 in 98 plate appearances. He is 17-for-50 in May with nine walks. I expect him to get to Hudson Valley at some point this season.
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2B (4), SF, RBI, K
RF Nelson Medina0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
LF Tayler Aguilar1-for-4, 2B (6), RS, 2 K
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, 3 RS, BB
.256/.333/.344 in 103 plate appearances. He now has 7 games at catcher, 10 games at first base, 7 games at third base, and 2 games in left field.
1B Ronny Rojas2-for-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS

RHP Tommy Kahnle1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Kahnle hit 96.6 on the gun.
RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 1-2)  3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Stuart’s first professional win – congrats!
RHP Luis Velasquez1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.29 ERA (21 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 22 K). Batters are hitting .101 against him and he owns a 3.56 GO/AO.
RHP Manny Ramirez2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Bustamante: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.50 ERA (18 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 22 K). He has yet to allow a home run in 23 professional innings.

Yankees MILB 4/30: A Clinic in Hudson Valley

News:

Not much to report. I wish I could tell you that the second coming of Barry Bonds was ready to come up and save the Yankees, but sorry – not happening.

Scranton (10-17) (Shut down by Worcester (featuring James Paxton), 5-0)

CF Estevan Florial0-for-4, K
.254/.413/.492 in 75 plate appearances.
DH Harrison Bader0-for-4, K
1B Andres Chaparro0-for-4, 3 K
I was intrigued to see what he would do against James Paxton, a left-hander who we know has MLB success on his resume. Chaparro didn’t do well, but it’s one game in a sea of several good ones lately.
LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-3, 2B (8), BB, K
.247/.373/.376 in 102 plate appearances. His minor-league approach has allowed him to compile his share of doubles. 
2B Jamie Westbrook0-for-4
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-3, 2 K
RF Michael Hermosillo0-for-3, 2 K
C Mickey Gasper2-for-3
7-game hitting streak (9-for-26)
3B Wilmer Difo0-for-3, K

RHP Ryan Weber: (L, 2-3) 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Barrett Loseke1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.61 ERA (10.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 11 K). The Yankees bullpen is doing well so there isn’t much room for a guy like Loseke, but he can at least get himself on the radar.
RHP Michael Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (12-8) (Game with Harrisburg was canceled due to rain. It will not be made up)

Some early season numbers:

OF Jasson Dominguez is hitting .140/.380/.340 (114 wRC+) in 71 plate appearances with a 28.2% BB rate and 25.4% K rate. His .161 BABIP will eventually normalize (and you expect the strikeout rate to start to drop somewhat)…OF Everson Pereira (on the 40-man roster) is hitting .246/.317/.421 (109 wRC+) in 51 plate appearances. The triple slash is OK but he will need to normalize the 36.5% K rate…OF Brandon Lockridge is trying to bounce back from a tough 2022. This season, he is hitting .289/.333/.444 (114 wRC+) with ten stolen bases and a nice 19.6% K rate. The defense and speed will play in MLB. It is all about the bat…SS Trey Sweeney is at .234/.342/.344 (101 wRC+) in 76 plate appearances. He is in a bit of a slump recently…C Carlos Narvaez has impressed, hitting .256/.373/.488 in 51 plate appearances. Narvaez didn’t hit for any average last year (.194) but still walked at a 15% clip. If he can even hit in the .230-.240 range with that discipline and some pop, he will make MLB…Veteran utility player Max Burt has a 235 wRC+.

RHP Will Warren owns a 4.15 ERA, thanks mostly to an insane .462 BABIP. His FIP is 1.01 with a 38.7% K and 9.3% BB. He has yet to allow a home run…RHP Richard Fitts is also pitching in some bad luck, as his 5.23 ERA is accompanied by a 3.24 FIP. He owns a 31% K and 6% BB…On the reverse side of the spectrum, RHP Clayton Beeter is the owner of a 1.74 ERA/3.58 FIP (which isn’t exactly bad). I think there are simply a lot of sample size issues going on with these pitchers…

Hudson Valley (14-7) (Destroyed Greenville, 15-2)

SS Alexander Vargas: 3-for-6, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI, 3 RS
First career multi-HR game. Prospects develop at different rates – that said, if Vargas suddenly has things click, it would be quite a nice surprise. While he did set a career-high with eight home runs in 2022, it came with a .203/.271/.311 triple slash. Let’s see how this season evolves.
LF Aaron Palensky: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (7), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
Palensky has homered in four straight games (five HR in those four games) and has six HR in his last six games. Yeah, he will be all over tomorrow’s leaderboard data dump on Twitter.
3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
  PH-3B Luis Santos1-for-2, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, K
Santos has hit exactly 2 home runs per season between 2019-2022 (remember, 2020 didn’t exist in MILB)
CF Grant Richardson1-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB, 3 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Gomez has hit safely in 13 of his 15 games this season. There isn’t much power sprinkled in (three doubles) + only three of the games are multi-hit efforts, but we’ll what we can get from a prospect who is trying to regain some shine.
1B Rafael Flores2-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS
Flores is hitting .404 (19-for-47) with five doubles and ten runs batted in. He is 25-for-61 (.410) in his brief career.
DH Anthony Garcia0-for-5, 2 K
2B Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Cowles’ first career multi-HR game. 
RF Aldenis Sanchez1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 1-0) 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
2.86 ERA (22 IP, 20 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 29 K). First professional win.
RHP Danny Watson: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, HR
11 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 20 K, 1 HR

Tampa (8-13) (Lost to Jupiter, 8-6)

2B Brenny Escanio2-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K, SB (7)
.250/.358/.309 in 82 plate appearances. Escanio, who was acquired from the Brewers as a part of the J.P. Feyereisen trade, doesn’t show up anywhere on prospect lists. However, the Yankees continue to lead him off which could be a sign of some faith that there is something to tap into.
C Austin Wells0-for-4, K
3-for-17 during his rehab stint (the numbers don’t even matter – it is all about getting his swings in)
 
C Agustin Ramirez1-for-1, RBI
CF Anthony Hall0-for-5, K
DH Nelson Medina1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS, BB, 3 K, SB (2)
.296/.371/.537 in 16 gqmes. I have no information about what his signing bonus was back in 2017, so just assume it was small.
SS Dayro Perez1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
The average has jumped from .078 to .156 over the last three games – hey, you have to start somewhere.
LF Tayler Aguilar0-for-4, K
1B Jesus Rodriguez2-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS
Rodriguez isn’t a big kid (5’9″) but he has shown off some versatility (including the ability to catch). Offensively, he is hitting .283/.371/.358 in 15 games. He has always hit for average in the short-season leagues.
3B Ronny Rojas1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
Rojas has homered in three straight games.
RF Felix Negueis0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-1) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Staurt’s professional debut. The Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent (out if Pitt) last season. His college numbers don’t jump out at you (he did have a strikeout boost last year), which is something that fascinates me about scouting. They look beyond the raw numbers to see if there is something interesting about the kid – someone liked him, and here he is.
RHP Shane Gray1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
10.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 15 K. This is his debut season and he throws left-handed – which automatically puts him on the radar.
RHP Luis Velasquez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
12.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 14 K. This is the 21-year-old’s first taste of full-season ball.