Tag: Juan Matheus

Yankees MILB 4/18: Roderick Arias Hits a Slam

Notes:

I don’t typically write much about releases, as they happen often (especially in the lower minors and DSL), but I saw today that the Yankees released RHP Kristofer Bow, their 14th-round pick in 2022.

Bow didn’t lack talent, but control is an issue. Last season, for Tampa, he went 3-2 with a pair of saves and a 5.45 ERA. He owned a 24.0% K, 15.6% BB, and 46.9% GB.

Nowadays, with roster limits, prospects have to show something to stay. Even if the Yankees think there is something here to work with, roster space is an issue, and talented but erratic prospects feel the squeeze.

Scranton placed veteran LHP Brandon Leibrandt on the 7-day injured list.

Scranton (11-7) (Defeated Durham, 5-0)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 3-for-4, 2 R, SB (3), HBP
Vivas has four multi-hit efforts during his 6-game hitting streak (13-for-24). He has five 3-hit games this season and has a strikeout rate of 5% (BB% is 11.3). Crazy start to his campaign (.364/.443/.530).
LF Everson Pereira: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, R
.286/.400/.571 in 75 PA (6 doubles, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 15 R, 13.3% BB, 13.3% K). I will say it again: Rumfield will likely make his MLB debut at some point. The odds aren’t high it will happen with the Yankees.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, R, SB (1), 2 K
Since the promotion: 5-for-15 (..333). Rodriguez stole 21 bases in 2023, but that number fell to 9 last season.
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-3, R, SB (4), HBP
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, 2B (6), 2 RBI, BB, K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-3, BB, K
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, 2B (2), 2 K
2B Max Burt: 0-for-4, K
Burt has been grinding through the system since being drafted in the 28th round in 2018. This is his 44th Triple-A contest (329 games at Double-A)

RHP Allan Winans: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
RHP Sean Boyle: (W, 2-2)  5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K
Boyle’s last two games: 10 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 10 K. He could make his MLB debut in 2025. I can envision that in an “emergency” situation (ie, second game of a double-header, etc.)
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K

Somerset (6-7) (Annihilated Altoona, 12-1)

2B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, 2B (2), RBI, R, BB
.278/.350/.472 in 40 PA (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 3 BB, 6 K). He started the season 2-for-15 without an extra-base hit. He is 8-for-21 with four extra-base hits since.
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
It was not an eventful night, but it dropped Jones’s K% below 30 (29.82%).
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, 2B (2), 4 RBI
Flores equals his personal best for RBI in a game (6th time in his career)
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-5, 2B (5), R, K
Hardman has four doubles and a homer in his last six games.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-5, R, 4 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, 2B (4), SF, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, K
.333/.406/.481 in 32 PA. He hit well in limited spring training time and has carried that over into the early regular season.
3B Jake Gatewood: 2-for-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, R
Gatewood has 125 career minor league home runs (842 games). 
DH Antonio Gomez: 2-for-5, 2 R, K
RF Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 3B (1), RBI, 2 R, K
A nice 2025/Double-A debut for Familia

RHP Baron Stuart: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Luis Pacheco (W, 1-0): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jordany Ventura: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Percival: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Hudson Valley (9-4) (Defeated Wilmington, 2-1)

CF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, R, SB (7)
.167/.314/.381 in 51 PA.
3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, BB
His 10th career game at 3B (first this season). He is on a 6-game hitting streak (9-for-19; 6 BB). If you want a blossoming prospect, Lombard Jr. is doing that before your very eyes.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-2, RBI, CI, K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-1, HBP
   PR-1B Coby Morales: 0-for-1

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: (W, 1-1)  6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
3.38 ERA (16 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 18 K). He falls one short of his personal best for strikeouts in a game.
RHP Chris Kean: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Sebastian Keane (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Keane’s third career save (one in each year of his career – 2023, 2024, 2025)

Tampa (7-6) (Outlasted St. Lucie, 14-9)

3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, HR (1, grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 R, SB (5), HBP, 2 BB, K
This kind of night shows you the raw potential Arias has. He is hitting .167/.322/.315 in 59 PA (5-for-5 SB).
C Edgleen Perez: 2-for-4, RBI, R, 2 BB, K
Perez is 3-for-8 with a double and three walks the last two nights. Perhaps the 18-year-old is starting to get comfortable.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-4, R, 2 BB, 2 K
1B Parks Harber: 2-for-5, RBI, BB
Harber’s hits were 110.8 and 110.5 MPH.
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-5, 2 R, 3 K
RF Dillon Lewis: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 R, 3 K
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, 2 R, CS (1), 2 BB, K
CF Marshall Toole: 0-for-3, RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 K
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-2, 2B (2), SF, 4 RBI, 3 R, SB (3), 2 BB
Matheus has shown off his discipline. It is nice to see him have a productive night beyond that. He came up one short of his personal best for RBI in a game (set in 2022 in the DSL).  His 2025 BB%/K%:  22.9/8.6.

LHP Tanner Bauman: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
After a solid first career start, his last two haven’t gone according to plan. If you are concerned about that, you worry too much. 
RHP Jackson Fristoe: (W, 1-0)  4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
Fristoe threw 44% cutters (average 91 MPH), 31% 4-seamers (max 95.4; average 92.6), 21% sliders, and 4% change-ups.
RHP Jack Sokol: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Gamecast registered six different pitches, so he was featuring a starter’s arsenal out of the pen. This makes sense, as he was a starter in college.
RHP Alex Bustamante: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/21: Josue Gonzalez Doubles, Homers

News:

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

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

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

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

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

3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, 2B (15), BB
Durbin has 111 walks (10.9%) and 92 strikeouts (9.1%) in his minor league career.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, HBP
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, K
Trammell is 6-for-30 as the Yankees try to do what others failed at: Tap into the potential he once had.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, K
13-for-38 (4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR) at this level.
DH-P Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, K
2B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, RS, K

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

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

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, SB (9), K
DH Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 3 K
Dominguez’s rehab was moved here from Tampa.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3, BB, K
C Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, K
Rice has 3 extra-base hits in May (10 in April). Perhaps this will get him going…
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, RS, SB (7), BB
Cowles is 30-for-34 (88.2%) stealing bases the last two seasons.
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, BB
2B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-2, SF, RBI
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-4)  4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 4 HR
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
For Somerset: 2.08 ERA in 8.2 IP (5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)

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

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

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

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

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

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (L, 0-6)  4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
5.50 ERA (36 IP, 40 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 39 K). The Yankees likely love his ability to keep the ball on the ground. That elevated ERA doesn’t have anything “bad” attached to it. A little over a hit per inning but a reasonable walk rate, etc. 
RHP Cade Austin: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
4.10 ERA (26.1 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 6 BB, 31 K). Not bad for his debut season…
RHP Kris Bow: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.63 ERA (17.1 IP, 11 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 21 K). It’s all about whether or not he can keep the walks at a reasonable level.

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

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-3, BB
Mayea was signed for $4.35 million during the 2023 international signing period. He hit .276/.382/.400 in 38 DSL games last year.
DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-5, RBI, K
C Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (4), RBI, 2 RS
Gonzalez is tied for the FCL lead in home runs and is second in slugging percentage (.758). His OPS (1.289) leads the league.
LF-CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, SB (6), BB, K
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
SS Juan Matheus: 3-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
Matheus’ 6th career 3-hit game (first since 2022)

RHP Danny Flatt: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
1.42 ERA (12.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 15 K). The 19-year-old could make his Low-A debut this season.
RHP Hansel Rosario: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!