Notes:
The Yankees have signed veteran infielder Nicky Lopez to a minor league deal. This comes a couple of days after he opted out of his minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Yankees likely offered him more money.
The 30-year-old Lopez played in 18 games for the Angels and Cubs this season, hitting .042/.179/.042 (1-for-24). In 2024, he was a big part of one of the worst teams in history, as he hit .241/.312/.294 in 124 games for the White Sox. Lopez’s main strength is versatility, as he has experience at 2B/SS/3B plus a handful of games at first base and left field. OAA likes him wherever he plays, while DRS isn’t fond of his shortstop play.
By far, his best season was with the 2021 Royals. That year, he produced an amazing 5.5 fWAR (he has 2.5 fWAR in all his other seasons combined), hitting .300/.365/.378 in 565 plate appearances with 22 stolen bases in 23 attempts.
Lopez once added value on the basepaths, but is only 11-for-20 stealing bases from 2023 to 2025.
Bottom line:
Lopez is a left-handed hitting bench piece who doesn’t add much value offensively. Braden Shewmake recently landed on the injured list for Scranton, so he will likely take his place. I assume he has negotiated an opt-out into this contract as well.
Several transactions for the Tampa Tarpons today. OF Wilson Rodriguez and RHP Mariano Salomon were promoted from the FCL, and 2B/OF Austin Green added to the position player logjam by being activated off the injured list. With Owen Cobb‘s activation yesterday, they will need to be creative with the lineup.
Rodriguez, their 17th-round pick in 2023, hit .263/.359/.375 in 93 plate appearances with a pair of homers and 13 RBI. He was also 8-for-10 stealing bases. Salomon (22) pitched to a 2.30 ERA (4.26 FIP) over 31.1 innings (2 starts/9 relief appearances) with 33.9% K, 6.1% BB, and 39.4% GB rates. He pitched well in the DSL in 2023 and 2024.
Despite being listed on “rehab stints,” RHPs Carson Coleman and Kevin Stevens haven’t pitched in a month. It is likely their stints have been stalled.
Hopefully, RHP Clarke Schmidt doesn’t need Tommy John surgery. Even if he doesn’t, forearm strains don’t heal overnight. Who would replace him? It won’t be Luis Gil, who is starting a rehab assignment soon but won’t be ready for weeks (he has an option left, so they can burn it to extend his rehab). I know most will want to see Cam Schlittler, despite his struggles on Wednesday night. Brendan Beck would be a long-shot choice. Sean Boyle would be a fun story, but stories don’t always equate to MLB success. Veterans Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans don’t excite anyone.
Heading into 2025, I had concerns about their depth. Those concerns were elevated when Gerrit Cole went down early in spring training. Now, they might be without Ryan Yarbrough (who was signed for his ability to start if needed) and Schmidt for a while. This is not an ideal situation.
Injury Log
Scranton (44-36) (Lost a heartbreaker to Lehigh Valley, 6-5)
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-5, 2B (2), R, K
Spencer is hitting a decent .429 since his promotion (9-for-21; 2 doubles, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R). Given that he has struck out eight times, I will assume that the BABIP gods are loving him right now in this small sample size craziness.
DH Everson Pereira: 1-for-4, RBI, R, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
2B Jose Rojas: 2-for-4, RBI, R, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-4
His trip to Toronto was short-lived, as Trent Grisham‘s injury didn’t keep him down for long.
SS Andrew Velazquez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (10), 2 RBI, CS (3), 2 K
LF Duke Ellis: 1-for-4, SB (8), 2 K
Ellis is 8-for-11 stealing bases for Scranton.
RHP Carlos Carrasco: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Carrasco is in line to be on perfect rest for Schmidt’s next start. Note: I am not advocating for that, but it would be the easy way out.
RHP Baron Stuart: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
This is not Stuart’s Triple-A debut, as he tossed a 7-inning complete game here last season.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: (L, 1-3) 0.2 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Harrison Cohen : 0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
It was only to get one out (which wasn’t accomplished), but this is the first time that Cohen has been asked to pitch on back-to-back days in his professional career.
Somerset (39-39) (Lost to Reading, 2-1)
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, CS (2)
Since promotion: .269/.333/.591 in 102 PA (6 doubles, 8 HR, 21 RBI)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, 2 K
Since promotion: .203/.330/.308 in 221 PA (7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 35 R, 14-for-16 SB, 14.5% BB, 24.4% K). There are some good things there, even if you aren’t enamored with the OPS.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, 2B (22), BB
.291/.350/.505 in 329 PA (22 doubles, 14 HR, 52 RBI, 44 R, 5-for-5 SB, 8.2% BB, 26.7% K). He owns a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-19; 2 doubles, 2 HR). Eastern League ranks: Batting average: 6th; Hits: 2nd; Doubles: 3rd; HR: 2nd (behind former teammate Spencer Jones!); RBI: 2nd; SLG: 3rd; OPS: 4th.
LF Garrett Martin: 1-for-4, R
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4
CF Brendan Jones: 4-for-4, RBI, SB (3)
The wonder of small sample sizes: This one game raised his Double-A triple slash from .190/.256/.304 to .229/.287/.349. There’s some feast/famine in his Double-A profile, as he owns three 3+ hit games since his promotion but also has 12 zero-hit efforts. It’s part of the adjustment for a 23-year-old in his first taste of Double-A.
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, SB (7), CS (1), BB, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 1-2) 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
As I said the last time he started, they were likely to start amping up his pitch count. Tonight, he tossed 75 pitches. At this level: 3.27 ERA (22 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 20 K). Overall, he is up to 29.2 innings over eight starts.
RHP Danny Watson: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
7.14 ERA (29 IP, 35 H, 23 R, 23 ER, 6 HR, 7 BB, 33 K). Watson’s ERA was still 10.95 on May 18th. Since then: 4.32 ERA (16.2 IP, 18 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 17 K). The walks, or lack thereof, stand out.
RHP Bailey Dees: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
At this level: 4.47 ERA (58.1 IP, 49 H, 30 R, 29 ER, 7 HR, 30 BB, 69 K). After tossing seven shutout innings in a start for Hudson Valley (he was sent down for only one game), he came back as a multi-inning reliever. Stats: 2.93 ERA (15.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 17 K)
Hudson Valley (45-31) (Defeated Brooklyn, 4-1)
DH Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, R, BB
.229/.326/.305 in 304 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 37 RBI, 32 R, 13-for-13 SB, 11.8% BB, 20.1% K). The power has completely disappeared, which is interesting. He has one extra-base hit (double) in his last 28 games. He had eight extra-base hits in 18 April games.
CF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 3-for-4, 2B (14), 2 RBI, R
LF Jace Avina: 2-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
.288/.407/.451 in 194 PA. I like the 14.4% BB rate.
3B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, RBI
Vargas increases his hitting streak to 12.
2B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-3, BB, K
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, R, SB (9), 2 BB, K
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-4, R, K
LHP Griffin Herring: (W, 2-1) 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 2.14 ERA (33.2 IP, 25 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 29 K). Overall: 1.61 ERA (78.1 IP, 49 H, 16 R, 14 ER, 3 HR, 30 BB, 87 K). His ERA continues to lead all qualified minor league pitchers.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
0.33 ERA (27 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 22 K). Including his two games with Somerset: 0.60 ERA (30 IP, 13 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 23 K)
RHP Matt Keating (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.49 ERA (25.1 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 27 K).
Tampa (43-33) (Lead Clearwater, 3-2, in the 4th. This game was suspended. They will try to complete it tomorrow)
CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, R, K
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-2, 2B (12), K
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-2, HR (5), 2 RBI, R
Once this is official, he will have three HR in his last two games.
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-2, SB (30)
While not yet official, he will be the first Yankees’ prospect to 30 stolen bases this season.
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 0-for-2
Rodriguez’s Low-A debut.
LF Austin Green: 0-for-1, R, BB, K
1B Hans Montero: 0-for-2
RF Marshall Toole: 1-for-2, 3B (9), RBI
2B Owen Cobb: 0-for-1, BB
LHP Xavier Rivas: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, HR
FCL (20-23) (Shut down the FCL Tigers, 2-0, in a rain-shortened five-inning contest. Nobody was credited with an RBI in the game)
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-2, R
DH Dexters Peralta: 1-for-2, 2B (2), K
C Ediel Rivera: 0-for-1, R, HBP
3B Luis Escudero: 1-for-2, SB (10)
RHP Jose Rodriguez (W, 1-3): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Kyle Carr tossed a shutout for Hudson Valley last night. Rodriguez does it in the FCL today. He finally figured out that, if he wants to win, he can’t allow any runs. He is 1-3 despite a 0.84 ERA (32.1 IP, 17 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 35 K)
DSL Yankees (10-13) (Lost a pair of games to the DSL Rangers Red)
Game 1 (Lost, 10-6. This was the conclusion of a suspended game from June 16th. I won’t go into too many details.)
SS Mani Cedeno: 0-for-5, R, 2 K
C Justin Capellan: 3-for-4, HR (2), 4 RBI, R
.293/.373/.534 in 67 PA (5 doubles, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, 7-for-8 SB). Remember that the number in the line score is retrofitted back to when the game started, which is why that shows two home runs while he has three.
1B Jesus Guerrero: 2-for-3, 2 2B (2), RBI
The 18-year-old earns his first two professional extra-base hits.
RHP Jhosneyker Colina: 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
I bet that first name is easier to pronounce than you think!
Game 2 (Lost, 6-4)
3B Alfred Ciriaco: 1-for-3
.341/.431/.364 in 51 PA
SS Carlos Bello: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, 3 K
C Carlos Villarroel: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, R, BB, 2 K
The 18-year-old launches his third career home run. He is hitting .285/.393/.394 in 51 career games at this level.
CF Angel Ventura: 1-for-3, R, 2 SB (10), BB
Ventura has a 7-game hitting streak (9-for-24). He has stolen eight bases in those seven games.
LHP Marco Manzano: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
2.31 ERA (11.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 16 K)
DSL Bombers (9-12) (Defeated the DSL Mets Blue, 5-4, in a 7-inning game. They were down 4-3 entering the bottom of the 7th)
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, K
Marinez’s strong start continues. He is hitting .280/.500/.340 in 74 PA (1 double, 1 triple, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 14 R, 9-for-11 SB, 21 BB, 15 K). He has reached base safely in 16 of his 18 games and has at least one walk in nine straight contests.
C Queni Pineda: 1-for-3, R, BB
CF Ruben Castillo: 1-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
.239/.329/.463 in 76 PA (3 doubles, 3 triples, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 8-for-10 SB). He started his career 2-for-22 but has picked up the pace.
LF Browm Martinez: 1-for-2, RBI, R, 2 SB (13), 2 BB
Marinez is hitting a cool .400/.507/.636 in 67 PA (4 doubles, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 21 R, 13-for-14 SB, 8.96% BB, 11.9% K). The DSL is crazy, as Martinez is one of seven players hitting .400+ (including a kid (Cristian Arguelles, Rockies) who is 41-for-86 (.477)).
2B Christofer Reyes: 0-for-1, SF, RBI, SB (14), 2 BB
DH Jose Castro: 1-for-2, SF, RBI
No, Castillo’s 2-run home run wasn’t the hit that sent everyone home. Rather, it was the back-to-back sacrifice flies by Reyes and Castro.
LHP Junior Tavera: 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
RHP Chaury Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
The 18-year-old makes his 2025 debut.
LHP Kevin Centeno (W, 1-1): 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
He likely thought the home run in the top of the 7th would doom his squad, but they picked him up. The 19-year-old picks up his first professional win.