Tag: Trent Sellers

Yankees MILB 8/15: Kaeden Kent Goes Yard

Notes:

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

Alexander Vargas, one of the most expensive international players in the system, has been released.

The shortstop, who signed for $2.5 million in 2018, struggled to find a groove. In his debut 2019 campaign, he hit a decent .233/.313/.373 (97 wRC+) with a homer and 15 stolen bases. Like with every prospect, 2020 was a lost season as it was canceled due to COVID. Further complicating his development, he played in only 42 games in 2021.

In summary, after signing in 2018, he played in 90 games from 2019 to 2021. Using Pipeline, he ascended to the 13th position in the organization (2021) and appeared on their list in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

His prospect status eroded in 2022 (.203/.271/.311; 68 wRC+) and 2023 (.206/.248/.342; 59 wRC+). He hit better in 2024 (94 wRC+) and 2025 (92 wRC+), but that wasn’t enough to keep his job. At 23 years old, he could catch on elsewhere, especially since he has a solid defensive reputation.

By the way, one name I forgot about for a possible demotion once Fernando Cruz and Ryan Yarbrough are ready is Brent Headrick.  Pick two of three from Headrick, Yerry De los Santos, and Cam Schlittler. Some of that depends on what Yarbrough’s role will be.

Injury Log

Scranton (68-47; 30-13 in second half) (Lost to Indianapolis, 6-5, in ten innings.)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-5, R, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (30), R, BB, K
.308/.391/.495 in 463 PA (30 doubles, 1 triple, 14 HR, 79 RBI, 70 R). 
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-5, RBI, 4 K
Jones falls under .300 since his promotion (.294/.369/.629). When he had his 3-HR game (the last game he played before his back injury), he was hitting .400/.457/.950 at this level. That was unsustainable, but there is no doubt that his slump is a deep one. Also, the strikeouts are appearing in bulk.
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, HR (23), RBI, R, BB, K
Rojas, who has homered in three straight games, is eight home runs away from tying his personal best (2019 for Salt Lake).
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-4, HR (4), RBI, R
SS Braden Shewmake: 1-for-3, R, SB (12), BB
Shewmake has survived on the 40-man roster all season.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, 3 K
  PR Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-0, CS (4)
  C Rob Brantly: 0-for-0
LF Duke Ellis: 1-for-4, SB (25)

RHP Kenta Maeda: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Maeda’s second start isn’t as impressive as the first one was.
RHP Baron Stuart: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Kervin Castro: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Jake Bird: (L, 1-1)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Bird needed a night like this. No, I don’t care that the ghost runner scored – he wasn’t even on the mound when it happened.
LHP Jayvien Sandridge: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (59-53; 24-20 in second half) (Lost to Portland, 3-1)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2B (6), R, BB
Avina is hitting .244/.340/.384 in 100 PA (12% BB, 23% K) since his promotion. Not bad for a 22-year-old getting his first taste of Double-A.
DH Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, RBI, SB (13), BB
Jones is 36-for-43 in the stolen base department this season and continues to have a higher OPS here (.774) than he had in Hudson Valley (.711).
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, SB (1)
Jasso isn’t a big walker (7.6%). Stealing bases? 3-for-5 in his career. Whether he can hit consistently will determine his future.
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, 2B (19), R, 2 K
CF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, 2 SB (16), BB, 2 K
Martin’s first stolen bases since June 27th. He missed some time due to injury.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, K
C Tomas Frick: 2-for-4, K
2B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-4, K

RHP Trent Sellers (L, 2-5): 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
3.65 ERA (91.1 IP, 73 H, 40 R, 37 ER, 8 HR, 47 BB, 103 K). He’s rarely asked to go deep into games. How rare? This is the first time in his career that he has completed six innings.
LHP Ryan Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Hudson Valley (68-41; 30-15 second half) (Defeated Aberdeen, 5-2. As I stated last night, this team has been gutted as the season has gone along – but it isn’t stopping the wins. At least not yet)

CF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
They even win a game where their “veteran” player doesn’t contribute much.
3B Kaeden Kent: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R
Kent is the first 2025 Yankees’ draftee to put one over the fence.
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-2, R, HBP, BB
DH Juan Matheus: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 2 R, 2 K
Matheus continues to chug along. He is 11-for-34 (.324) with five doubles since his promotion and is on a 5-game hitting streak (10-for-21). 
SS Core Jackson: 0-for-2, 2 HBP
1B Tyler Wilson: 2-for-4, RBI
Wilson is 8-for-22 since his promotion.
RF Cam Troyer: 0-for-4, RBI
2B Connor McGinnis: 0-for-3, BB, K
LF Joe Delossantos: 0-for-3

LHP Xavier Rivas: (W, 1-0) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 12 K
Rivas also had a 13-strikeout effort for Tampa earlier this season. In two starts here: 12.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 17 K. The 23-year-old was drafted in the 16th round in the 2024 draft out of Ole Miss (he pitched only one season for the Rebels after transferring from Indianapolis)
RHP Jordany Ventura: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Tony Rossi (S, 7): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Tampa (52-58; 16-29 in the second half) (Lost to Dunedin, 7-6, in ten innings)

DH Dax Kilby: 1-for-5, SB (2), K
Kilby is 2-for-17 with a pair of stolen bases. This is about getting his feet wet heading into the off-season.  That would be true even if he were 12-for-17.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-5, RBI, R, 2 K
1B Kyle West: 0-for-1, K
I am not sure why West left the game.
   C Ediel Rivera: 0-for-2, R, HBP, BB, K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-5, R
RF Marshall Toole: 2-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI, R, SB (37)
Toole’s 3-run home run tied the game in the 9th. He is hitting .301/.403/.493 in 325 PA. Five home runs in 325 plate appearances doesn’t qualify as a power surge, but Toole has impressed this season with his combination of speed and extra-base hits. We’ll see if he can maintain it at higher levels, but many prospects don’t progress beyond this point.
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 1-for-4, CS (1)
CF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 2B (4), BB, K
.242/.345/.396 since his promotion.
LF Eric Genther: 1-for-3, R, SB (2), BB
C-1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, R, SB (10), BB, K

RHP Mariano Salomon: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
Since promotion: 5.47 ERA (24.2 IP, 24 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 5 HR, 9 BB, 20 K). 
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Gus Hughes: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Chris Veach: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.66 ERA (47.1 IP, 39 H, 22 R, 14 ER, 5 HR, 26 BB, 62 K)
RHP Hans Montero: (L, 0-1) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
The Yankees rarely ask their relief prospects to pitch on back-to-back days. Their position players? Fair game.

FCL (28-30)

Their season is over.

In case you are wondering, the DSL ends on August 19th. The Yankees have no shot at the playoffs. The Bombers still have a chance to make it into the 16-team field.

DSL Yankees (22-31) (Lost to the DSL Rockies (39-14 – wow), 12-5)

DH Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-3, R, BB
SS Mani Cedeno: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
The strikeouts are high, but he is starting to show pop (all three HR are in August; .588 SLG)
2B Carlos Bello: 0-for-3, SB (14), BB, 2 K
LF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-4, R, K
1B Diego Flores: 2-for-4, 2 2B (5), RBI, 2 R
The 18-year-old is hitting .271/.357/.375 in 56 plate appearances.

RHP Jhosneyker Colina (L, 1-3): 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
The 17-year-old has tossed 42.2 innings this year, which is valuable. He has a 4.85 ERA and 30/20 K/BB.
RHP Jose Vargas: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Ilarraza: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K

DSL Bombers (29-24) (Defeated the DSL Rangers Blue, 11-4.  They cannot catch the Marlins for the division and automatic berth, so it’s all about those wild cards. They have won three in a row and will probably need to win on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday. Their final three games are against DSL Colorado (21-31), DSL Miami (36-17), and DSL Mets Blue (18-35).

SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-4, BB
He is now the owner of a 10-game hitting streak (16-for-39; 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR)
1B Leni Done: 1-for-2, 4 R, SB (15), CI, BB
3B Juan Torres: 4-for-5, 2B (10), 3B (1), 4 RBI, 2 R, K
.361/.401/.524 in 162 PA (10 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 43 RBI, 31 R, 12-for-20 SB, 3.7% BB, 12.3% K). He has three straight multi-hit efforts, and this was his first 4-hit game. Looks like he is going with the old “You can’t walk your way off the island” mantra.
DH David Carrera: 2-for-5, RBI, K
LF Angel Ventura: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 SB (21), BB
C Carlos Rondon: 1-for-3, HR (2), 3 RBI, R, BB, K
After going 8-for-61 in 28 games last year, he is hitting .258/.434/.419 in 26 games this year.

RHP Randy Angomas: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
The 17-year-old comes within an out of notching his first professional win.
RHP Christopher Vasquez (W, 1-1): 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Diego Carrillo: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
The 18-year-old is 4-0 with a 4.36 ERA in 15 games (33 IP, 29 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 5 HR, 16 BB, 29 K)

 

Yankees MILB 8/2: Engelth Urena Homers

Notes:

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

Injury Log

Scranton (62-41; 24-7 in second half) (Lost to Nashville, 7-5)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, BB
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, 2 SB (10), CS (1), 2 BB, K
Jones accomplishes his first career 20/20 season (29 HR, 20 SB). 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, R, BB
Rumfield has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games. 
  PR Ismael Munguia: 0-for-0
DH J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, R, BB
This is Escarra’s first appearance since his demotion. You feel bad for him, but numbers crunches are real.
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-4, RBI, K
LF Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, BB
SS Braden Shewmake: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, R, K
RF Duke Ellis: 1-for-4, R, SB (18), 2 K
Ellis has a 6-game hitting streak. This is the first non-multi-hit game during the streak.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, RBI, R, 2 K

RHP Sean Boyle: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Until Ryan Yarbrough comes back, there can be a battle down here for who the #6 starter is. Boyle owns a 4.32 ERA in 98 innings (88 H, 54 R, 47 ER, 11 HR, 33 BB, 97 K). 
RHP Kervin Castro: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.44 ERA (31.1 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 41 K). Almost feels meaningless to report on relief pitchers right now!
LHP Jayvien Sandridge (L, 2-1): 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Joel Kuhnel: 0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Scott Effross: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (54-47; 19-13 in second half) (Defeated Richmond, 3-1)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, R, SB (15), HBP
Lombard Jr.’s first stolen base since June 27th. Just one of those things.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-2, 2 BB
Avina has ten walks in 14 games since his promotion. He is hitting .245/.373/.429.
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K
.280/.344/.456 in 390 PA (14 doubles, 6 triples, 12 HR, 52 RBI, 53 R, 7.2% BB, 21.5% K). Jasso has seven multi-hit efforts in his last ten games.
LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, R
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, K
  RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-1
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, R, K
C Tomas Frick: 2-for-4, RBI
2B Duncan Pastore: 0-for-3, HBP
SS Max Burt: 1-for-4, RBI

RHP Trent Sellers: (W, 2-4) 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
3.90 ERA (80.2 IP, 67 H, 38 R, 35 ER, 8 HR, 39 BB, 94 K)
RHP Mark Leiter Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Leiter Jr. could join the team in Texas. My guess is that Brent Headrick is the next reliever to go down to Scranton.
RHP Danny Watson: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
6.16 ERA (38 IP, 47 H, 27 R, 26 ER, 6 HR, 7 BB, 40 K).  His streak of walkless appearances is up to 18.
RHP Indigo Diaz (S, 4): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (60-38; 22-12 second half) (Lost to Wilmington, 3-0)

LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, SB (20), BB, K
Castillo is 20-for-21 stealing bases this year and 43-for-50 in his career. 
CF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-3, SB (8), BB
Meanwhile, Lewis is 21-for-23 stealing bases this year and 24-for-26 in his career.
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-3, BB, K
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4
His long hitting streak feels like it happened 20 years ago. He is in a 2-for-45 slump. Oof.
C John Cristino: 0-for-4, 3 K
3B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, K
RF Anthony Hall: 2-for-3, 2B (6)

LHP Kyle Carr (L, 4-6): 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
2.30 ERA (94 IP, 66 H, 33 R, 24 ER, 6 HR, 40 BB, 80 K). Carr was cruising into the 7th inning, where all three Wilmington runs scored. This was the first time Carr allowed more than one earned run in a game since May 27th. 
RHP Chris Kean: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
3.58 ERA (32.2 IP, 30 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 4 HR, 13 BB, 33 K)

Tampa (47-50; 11-21 in the second half)  (Defeated Lakeland, 8-3)

3B Juan Matheus: 2-for-5, HR (2), RBI, 2 R
Matheus led the game off with a homer. He is on a 6-game hitting streak and is hitting .262/.356/.352 in 382 PA (21 doubles, 1 triples,2 HR, 41 RBI, 49 R, 35-for-43 SB).
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-5, RBI, R, 2 K
Tejeda is 7-for-26 (.269) with two doubles and a homer since returning from his rehab. He is on a 6-game hitting streak.
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 2B (13), RBI, 2 R, SB (23), K
.193/.313/.302 in 337 PA with 23 stolen bases in 29 attempts. He has still not finished a day this season with a batting average of .200 or better.
C Engelth Urena: 2-for-4, HR (9), 3 RBI, R, K
Urena sets a personal best for home runs in a season. He is hitting .207/.331/.332 in 393 PA
LF Wilson Rodriguez: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, BB
DH Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4
RF Marshall Toole: 2-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 2 R, K
.305/.413/.491 in 269 PA (13 doubles, 10 triples, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 52 R, 29-for-32 SB). While I thought the 22-year-old could be an interesting sleeper, if you predicted he would have an OPS > .900 on August 2, I would have called you delusional.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-4, K

LHP Allen Facundo: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Facundo, who has been dazzling with his velocity, wasn’t throwing quite as hard tonight (maxed at 96.6 MPH; averaged 94.2). For Tampa: 1.15 ERA (15.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 17 K).
RHP Cade Austin: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Tanner Bauman: (W, 3-7)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Chris Veach: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (28-30)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (20-24) (Defeated the DSL Bombers, 3-0)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-3, K
SS Mani Cedeno: 0-for-0, R, 3 SB (18), CS (2), 3 BB
Walk Cedeno at your own risk!
3B Richard Matic: 0-for-2, HBP, 2 K
C Justin Capellan: 2-for-2, RBI, R, SB (15), BB
RF Estivenzon Montero: 1-for-2, 2B (7), RBI, R, BB, K
DH Isaias Castillo: 2-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, CS (1)
Castillo’s first game since June 30th. The 17-year-old is hitting .340/.456/.574 in 57 PA with a 9-for-10 stolen base rate.
LF Wilberson De Pena: 0-for-3
De Pena’s debut as a member of the Yankees’ organization. He was acquired from the Angels for Oswald Peraza.

RHP Hector Moreno: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
To say the 17-year-old needed this is a massive understatement. Montero owns a 29.16 ERA and 10/27 K/BB (that’s not a typo) over 8.1 innings in his professional debut.
RHP Anthony Mena (W, 2-1): 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

DSL Bombers (23-21) (Lost to the DSL Yankees, 3-0)

SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-3, 2B (6)
CF Ruben Castillo: 1-for-3, CS (8), 2 K
DH Jose Castro: 1-for-3, CS (3), K
2B Juan Torres: 1-for-3
Torres has a 14-game hitting streak.
C Carlos Villarroel: 1-for-1, SB (6), 2 BB

RHP Luis Burgos (L, 2-4): 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
2.66 ERA (40.2 IP, 30 H, 18 R, 12 ER, 2 HR, 18 BB, 41 K)
LHP Ronald Tejada: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Yankees MILB 7/10: Griffin Herring Dominates

Notes:

If you didn’t enjoy RHP Cam Schlittler‘s MLB debut, it’s time for a new hobby. Like Luis Gil, his ability to overpower hitters stands out.

Is he rough around the edges? Of course. His control and command are a work in progress, and he is still refining his secondary pitches (beyond his MLB-ready slider/sweeper).

However, throwing 98-100 MPH can mask some flaws. He did enough to earn more starts, and it isn’t like the Yankees have many other options until Gil is ready.

Injury Log

Scranton (49-37) (Defeated Buffalo, 11-7)

C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, RBI, K
Rodriguez has a 6-game hitting streak.
RF Spencer Jones: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (6)
Jones is unconscious. He is hitting .386 (17-for-44) since his promotion (3 doubles, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 14 R, 6-for-6 SB, 8 BB, 15 K). Those 15 K have come in 54 PA (27.8%, which is a solid number for him). Overall, in 60 games, he has 21 homers, 43 RBI, 56 runs, and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts.
CF Everson Pereira: 0-for-1, 2 R, 2 SB (8), 4 BB
Pereira, who set a personal best for walks in a game,  loves to swing but has six walks in his last two games. Go figure.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (21), SF, 3 RBI, R
Rumfield is up to .295 thanks to four multi-hit efforts in his last five games (10-for-21 with 10 RBI).
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-5, 2 K
His first hit since being signed (1-for-12).
2B Nicky Lopez: 3-for-4, RBI, R, SB (1), BB
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-5, R, K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-3, 2 R, SB (21), HBP, BB
LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-4, R, SB (10), BB, K

RHP Brendan Beck: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
Beck has reached a bump in the road after an incredible start (12.1 IP, 15 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 BB, 9 K in last three starts). Beck is up to 72.2 innings between here and Somerset after not pitching at all in 2024 (only 34 innings in 2023). My point is that fatigue/dead arm could be setting in.
RHP Baron Stuart: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Kervin Castro: (W, 4-0)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
1.96 ERA (23 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 29 K)
RHP Zach Messinger: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen (S, 3): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (44-39) (Outpitched past New Hampshire, 1-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Lombard Jr.’s RBI single in the 8th provides the only run.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, K
DH Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-2, BB, K
Since promotion: .248/.325/.416 in 117 PA (7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 15 R, 5-for-6 SB, 11.1% BB, 19.7% K). After going 0-for-3 on June 26th, he was hitting .203/.256/.319.
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 3 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, R, BB, 2 K
2B Max Burt: 2-for-3, SB (9), K

RHP Trent Sellers: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K
3.56 ERA (65.2 IP, 47 H, 29 R, 26 ER, 6 HR, 33 BB, 79 K).  Last three starts: 15 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 19 K. Undrafted hidden gem? Maybe.
RHP Bailey Dees (W, 5-4): 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
As a reliever: 8 games, 2.37 ERA (19 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 19 K). In case you don’t know, Dees was a reliever until the Yankees tried him as a starter in 2024 and the first several weeks in 2025.
RHP Indigo Diaz (S, 2): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (50-32) (Defeated Asheville, 7-2)

DH Jace Avina: 0-for-2, R, 2 HBP, BB, K
He hit four home runs the previous two nights and was hit by two pitches tonight. Coincidence? I think not!
CF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-5,  RBI, R, SB (14), K
CF Jackson Castillo: 4-for-4, HR (4), RBI, 2 R, 3 SB (17)
Castillo, who earned his first career 4-hit game, is 12-for-28 in July and is up to .250/.345/.346 in 325 PA (13 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 40 RBI, 38 R, 17-for-18 SB, 11.7% BB, 20% K). He was hitting .221/.318/.303 after going 0-for-4 on June 27th. 
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, R, HBP, 2 SB (10)
Vargas has an 18-game on-base streak (at least one hit in 17 of those games). 
3B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, BB, K
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, RBI, R
Since promotion: 7-for-30 (.233) with a double and four RBI. 
2B Duncan Pastore: 2-for-3, R, BB, K

LHP Griffin Herring: (W, 3-1)  7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
At this level: 2.21 ERA (40.2 IP, 31 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 38 K). Overall, he is up to 85.1 innings with a 96/32 K/BB. In his last outing, he also went 7 innings, giving up one run on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. A trip to Somerset is possible.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Between here and Somerset: 0.55 ERA (32.2 IP, 13 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 23 K).
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
0.75 ERA (36 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 38 K). If you want me to nitpick, he struck out a lot of hitters in April/May (29 in 21.2 IP) and not so many since (9 in 14.1 innings). 

Tampa (45-37) (Defeated Lakeland, 6-5)

DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB
Does it ever surprise you how hitters suddenly figure out a level?  Again, the power isn’t there yet – but his approach is amazing and he is starting to earn some hits on top of the walks (63 in 72 games). The minor league leader in walks entering tonight was Ryan Jackson (SD) with 66 in 79 games.
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-3, 2B (12), R, 2 BB
Arias is closing in on .200 (.196). He hasn’t cleared that hurdle all season.
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, R, BB, 2 K
Urena has four 2-RBI games in his last nine games played (zero RBI in the other five games – baseball!)
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K
3B Juan Matheus: 0-for-3, SB (31), 2 BB, K
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 2B (1), R, SB (2)
Since promotion: 6-for-21 (1 double, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 2-for-2 SB, 4 BB, 1 K). 
1B Hans Montero: 0-for-5, 3 K
LF Marshall Toole: 3-for-5, 2B (12), 3B (10), 2 RBI, R, K
Toole walks it off with an RBI single in the 9th. He is hitting .313/.417/.505 in 235 PA and is on a 9-game hitting streak (14-for-31; 2 doubles, 4 triples, 7 RBI, 7 R, 8 BB). Given the type of player Toole is, I sense he could become a favorite amongst prospect watchers. He is the first Yankees’ prospect to reach double digits in triples since Jorge Mateo hit 11 in 2017.
2B Owen Cobb: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, K

LHP Xavier Rivas: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
Since promotion: 4.11 ERA (30.2 IP, 24 H, 16 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 19 BB, 38 K).
RHP Gus Hughes: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Chris Veach: (W, 2-1)  2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

FCL (24-24) (Defeated the FCL Tigers, 13-12, in ten innings. The Yankees blew a 12-5 lead in the 9th (yikes), but a win is a win. This game deserves a full boxscore)

SS Dexters Peralta: 3-for-5, SF, RBI, R, CS (3), K
It’s going to be a tough climb for Peralta, who was hitting .101/.212/.112 at the end of June. He is now hitting .143/.238/.171.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-2, 2B (2), BB
Tejeda is 4-for-10 on his rehab stint.
   3B Kevin Verde: 1-for-2, SF, RBI
C Ediel Rivera: 2-for-4, 3 R, BB
.242/.340/.355 in 147 PA. He had a solid May and a rough June. Thus far, in July, he is 6-for-21 with a pair of doubles.
CF Isael Arias: 1-for-5, SF, 2 RBI, R, 2 SB (16), 2 K
1B John Cristino: 3-for-5, 2 RBI, R, BB, 2 K
Cristino has three multi-hit efforts in his last four games. 
2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, BB, K
Walk-off sacrifice fly.
LF Gabriel Lara: 0-for-4, R
LF-P Santiago Gomez: 0-for-1
He didn’t earn a hit, but he did something on the hill!
RF-LF Luis Puello: 2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, 3 R, K
DH Gabriel Terrero: 2-for-3, 2B (2), HR (3), 2 RBI, 3 R, SB (7), 2 BB, K
I would characterize this as a busy day!  Terrero (19) is hitting .300/.360/.500 in 89 PA with three homers and 21 runs batted in.
   P-RF Johan Contreras: 0-for-0
Pitcher/RF? This game went off the rails, folks.

RHP Jordarlin Mendoza: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
The 21-year-old was activated off the 60-day injured list today. His last appearance was on June 1, 2024.
RHP Jose M. Rodriguez: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 3 K
Entering today, he walked 12 batters in 32.1 innings. Just one of those games, though he kept the damage somewhat limited. His ERA is 1.49 with a 38/18 K/BB over 36.1 innings.
RHP Chance Nolan: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Alexis Paulino: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
As you can see, walking batters was a problem today.
LHP Pedro Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Johan Contreras: 0.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
I am not sure why Rodriguez wasn’t left in to get that final out. Contreras is not a pitcher, though he has five career appearances on the hill.
RHP Santiago Gomez (W, 2-0): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
That’s correct – the 21-year-old infielder has two wins this year. Not only did he earn the win, but he kept the ghost runner from scoring!

DSL Yankees (12-16) (Lost to DSL Miami, 6-5, in 11 innings)

SS Mani Cedeno: 0-for-4, HBP, BB, 2 K
.185/.371/.235 in 105 PA.
CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-5, 2B (3), 3 K
2B Carlos Bello: 1-for-6, R, K
3B Richard Matic: 1-for-4, 2B (8), HBP, K
Matic is maintaining his 1.000+ OPS (.311/.442/.568 in 95 PA; 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 21 R).
C Justin Capellan: 1-for-3, 2B (9), R, 2 HBP
LF Estivenzon Montero: 2-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Speaking of maintaining a 1.000+ OPS. Montero is hitting .347/.437/.600 in 87 PA (4 doubles, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 12 R). The 18-year-old had a nice debut season in 2024 (.242/.361/.364).
RF Angel Ventura: 2-for-5, RBI, 3 K

RHP Jhosneyker Colina: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Colina (17) owns a 3.42 ERA in 23.2 IP (17 H, 12 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 19 K)
RHP Varis Villarreal: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

DSL Bombers (14-14) (Defeated the DSL Marlins, 5-3)

SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-2, R, 2 SB (15), BB, K
.280/.467/.347 in 105 PA (3 doubles, 1 triple, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 19 R, 15-for-19 SB, 26 BB, 23 K). If you are asking for a piece of advice (you aren’t): Don’t worry about home run totals in the DSL.  Marinez is playing extremely well.
RF Jose Castro: 2-for-3, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, SB (4)
Meanwhile, Castro is 19 and in his second tour of this level. Not surprising that he would hit a few long balls.
2B Juan Torres: 1-for-2, R, SB (8), HBP
LF David Carrera: 1-for-3, R, SB (9)
1B Remy Veldhuisen: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, CS (1)

RHP Cesar Acosta: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
RHP Alexis Gonzalez (W, 2-0): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Kevin Centeno (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The 19-year-old earns his first career save.

Yankees MILB 7/4: Everson Pereira Homers, Drives Home 3

Notes:

Bonus baby outfielder Brando Mayea was moved from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

If he does come back in 2025, it will have to be in Low-A Tampa, as the FCL schedule will run out before he is eligible to come off the list. They can make it retroactive to May 31st.

Mayea, who signed for a whopping $4.35 million, hit a solid .276/.382/.400 in 38 DSL games in 2023. Promoted to the FCL for 2024, his power dissipated (no home runs), though he still hit .281/.370/.326 with 19 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Asked to repeat the level, the 19-year-old was hitting .297/.373/.500 with three homers and 19 RBI in 84 plate appearances. He will turn 20 in September, presumably without yet tasting a full-season league.

Injury Log

Scranton (44-37) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-4)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-5, K
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-2, HR (2), RBI, 3 R, 3 BB
Since promotion: .314/.410/.406 in 283 PA (12 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 41 R, 13.8% BB, 15.9% K). Rodriguez had a tough June, though he salvaged it by increasing his walk rate. He has ten walks in his last ten games.
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, 2 BB, K
Jones is 9-for-24 since his promotion (2 doubles, 3 HR, 5 BB, 10 K)
LF Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, HR (13), 3 RBI, R, K
.249/.336/.468 in 235 PA. In 129 Triple-A games (575 PA), he’s hitting .271/.353/.505 with 21 doubles, 31 homers, 99 RBI, and 109 runs. The downside is a 31.5% K rate.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, K
C Alex Jackson: 0-for-3, BB
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-3, BB, K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-4

RHP Brendan Beck: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Since promotion: 2.93 ERA (15.1 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 HR, 1 BB, 11 K). Overall: 2.07 ERA (69.2 IP, 51 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 5 HR, 13 BB, 63 K). He maxed at 93.7 with his 4-seam fastball tonight.
RHP Sean Boyle: (L, 6-6) 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
4.46 ERA (78.2 IP, 71 H, 45 R, 39 ER, 9 HR, 26 BB, 77 K). 

Somerset (40-39) (Won, 4-3, in ten innings)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5, 2 K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, K
Lombard Jr. continues to show off his patience (15.0% BB at this level after a 20.7% rate for Hudson Valley). Between the two levels, he has scored 58 runs while walking 57 times in 76 games.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, 2B (23), SF, RBI, BB
Flores has three doubles and a homer in four July games and eight doubles in his last 12 games.
CF Garrett Martin: 2-for-5, R, 2 K
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-2, 2B (11), SF, RBI, BB
  PR Cam Eden: 0-for-0
  3B Max Burt: 0-for-0, SAC
DH Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, BB (intentional), 3 K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-5, RBI, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, R, BB, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Sellers tossed a career-high 98 pitches. Season: 3.88 ERA (60.1 IP, 46 H, 29 R, 26 ER, 6 HR, 29 BB, 73 K).
RHP Sebastian Keane: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
Keane’s Double-A debut. Over the last two years for Hudson Valley, he pitched to a 4.47 ERA in 98.2 innings with a 102/54 K/BB. Some of that time was spent in the rotation.
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Kelly Austin: (W, 2-1)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
He struck out the side with the ghost runner on second base in the 10th. Season: 3.86  ERA (25.2 IP, 22 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 24 K). Austin has struggled since a hot start (6 R in 2.2 innings over his last three games entering tonight). Good to see him put together a strong performance.

Hudson Valley (45-32) (Lost to Brooklyn, 7-4)

CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, RBI, K
RF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-4, CI, K
Since promotion: .189/.244/.360 in 120 PA (3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 10 R, 4-for-4 SB, 5.8% BB, 21.7% K)
DH Coby Morales: 2-for-5, 2B (15), R
Morales is 6-for-14 with a pair of doubles in July. He was in a 0-for-15 slump heading into the month.
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, K
Castillo finally breaks his home run drought (first HR since May 15th). He’s hitting .229/.325/.316 in 308 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 33 R, 13-for-13 SB). The solid RBI number is due to a strong showing with RISP.
3B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, HR (5), RBI, R
Vargas has a 13-game hitting streak (20-for-46 (.435); 3 doubles, 4 HR, 13 RBI)
2B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-4
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, 2 K

RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 4-7)  5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
4.04 ERA (75.2 IP, 57 H, 40 R, 34 ER, 5 HR, 29 BB, 83 K). A tough night for the 22-year-old, though he did miss some bats.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Tony Rossi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 1.40 ERA (19.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 23 K). Rossi encountered the first bump in his career road the last two times out (all three runs in two innings). Hopefully, he’s back on track.

Tampa (43-33) (Both games against Clearwater were postponed)

Game 1 (Lead, 4-3. This game is the conclusion of last night’s game. They will try to finish 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 steal 30 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
Cobb’s first game since June 13th. He is hitting .333/.385/.544 in 106 plate appearances while playing second base, shortstop, and third base.

LHP Xavier Rivas: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, HR

FCL (20-23)

Their game against the Phillies was postponed. They will try to play a pair tomorrow.

DSL Yankees (11-13) (Knocked off the DSL Marlins, 6-4. The pitching staff struck out 16 Marlins in this 7-inning game)

SS Mani Cedeno: 1-for-3, 2B (2), K
.182/.365/.242 in 85 PA. He has a pair of doubles, a triple, and three stolen bases. The strikeouts are elevated (36.5%).
CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-2, R, BB, K
.270/.434/.302 in 83 PA. His OPS is up nearly 100 points from his debut campaign, though the power is not yet showing up (two extra-base hits in 19 games. Last year, he swatted 13 extra-base hits in 42 games.)
2B Carlos Bello: 1-for-3, 2B (5), R, K
The 17-year-old continues his impressive debut season (.292/.440/.492 in 84 PA; 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 19 R, 6-for-7 SB). While he is not a millionaire bonus baby, he did secure a $400,000 signing bonus.
3B Richard Matic: 0-for-2, R, SB (4), HBP, 2 K
.295/.408/.557 in 76 PA (7 doubles, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 18 R, 4-for-6 SB, 14.5% BB, 28.9% K). Matic struggled here as a 16-year-old in 2024 but is playing better in 2025.
C Justin Capellan: 2-for-3, 2 2B (7), RBI, R, CS (2)
Capellan didn’t struggle in 2024, but is showing more in 2025. Over his brief career, he has 19 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 40 RBI, and 31 runs in 58 games.
DH Carlos Villarroel: 2-for-3, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 R
Villarroel didn’t homer in his first 14 games this season. He has three in his last two games. It isn’t often I am typing up multi-HR efforts in the rookie leagues.

LHP Carlos De La Rosa: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Only 17, De La Rosa is impressing with the K/BB ratio (29/3 in 15.2 innings). According to Baseball America, De La Rosa (who is only 5’11”) touches 93 MPH. The Yankees don’t typically spend big on international pitching (beyond trying to get a few Japanese stars!) but handed De La Rosa $400,000.
RHP Rafael Arias (W, 3-0): 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
One good way to pile up wins is by being a middle reliever in the rookie leagues, where starters don’t often go five innings. The 21-year-old Arias owns a 5.30 ERA and 27/7 K/BB over 18.2 innings.
LHP Luis Rodriguez (S, 2): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
The 20-year-old owns a 5.94 ERA in his debut campaign (16.2 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 16 K). The BABIP is .404.

DSL Bombers (10-13) (Split two games against the DSL Twins)

Game 1 (Lost, 16-5. This was the conclusion of a game started on June 16th. I won’t go into crazy detail.)

CF Ruben Castillo: 1-for-5, 3 K
SS Stiven Marinez: 0-for-5, K
Now that this game counts, it will bring down his triple slash a bit.
C Queni Pineda: 1-for-3, 2 R, K

RHP Diego Carrillo: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
4.38 ERA (12.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 10 K)

Game 2 (Won, 9-5)

DH Stiven Marinez: 1-for-4, 2B (2), SB (10), BB
.254/.464/.322 in 84 PA. Marinez is 10-for-12 stealing bases and has a 26.2% BB rate.
CF Ruben Castillo: 0-for-5, R, 3 K
SS Christofer Reyes: 2-for-4, RBI, R, 2 K
RF Jose Castro: 1-for-3, 2 R, SB (1), BB, K
.267/.368/.533. It’s only 19 PA, though.
3B-1B Leni Done: 0-for-4
2B Adrian Feliz: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (3), K
C Carlos Rodon: 0-for-1, R, SB (1), 2 BB
  PR-3B Juan Torres: 1-for-1, 2 R, CS (4)
The 17-year-old is hitting .309/.387/.473 in 62 PA (3 doubles, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 6-for-10 SB)
1B-C Edgar Jimenez: 0-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
Productive outs!
LF Eddinson Charles: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (2), 3 K

RHP Alexis Gonzalez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Ronald Tejada (W, 1-1): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Yankees MILB 5/28: Carlos Lagrange’s Big Effort

Notes:

Early-season standout Griffin Herring was promoted from Tampa to Hudson Valley.

The Yankees went heavy on SEC pitchers in the 2024 draft, and the left-handed Herring was no exception. Out of LSU, the Yankees drafted him in the 6th round and signed him to an overslot bonus (as a draft-eligible sophomore, he had leverage). He was an instant sensation for Tampa, pitching to a 0.39 ERA in his four April starts.

While no pitcher at any level can keep up that pace forever, Herring came close. In eight starts, he went 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA (2.87 FIP) over 44.2 innings with a 33.3% K and 9.2% BB. The K rate matches what he did for LSU in 2024. As you may suspect from a pitcher with his numbers, there is some luck involved. He owned a whopping 89% strand rate.

At any rate, he joins fellow 2024 SEC draftees Bryce Cunningham (Vanderbilt) and Ben Hess (Alabama) in the Hudson Valley rotation. The rotation also includes Carlos Lagrange, Kyle Carr, Josh Grosz, and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Amongst this group, only Grosz (who has talent) isn’t on the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Yankees Prospects list.

No, I don’t expect them to go with a 7-man rotation. They will either do some piggybacking, or someone is on their way to Somerset.

Injury Log

Scranton (23-27) (Lost to Worcester, 5-4)

3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, SF, RBI
Is he receiving more time at 3B?  Four of his last six games have been at third base, including back-to-back games. Before this stretch, he caught three straight games. The not-so-fulfilling answer is that I don’t know, but one thing is showing up this year: They haven’t asked him to play 1B/2B/OF at all (second base was never likely to happen, and he doesn’t really *need* to play first base regularly). I think they want him to get comfortable at third base while showing other organizations what he can do behind the plate. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, 2 BB
.297/.392/.493 in 176 PA. Rumfield is 23-for-61 (.377) with four doubles and a pair of homers in May. He will likely go down the path of Dermis Garcia, Andres Chaparro, and Eric Wagaman – eventually making MLB on squads that can afford them the opportunity. 
DH Everson Pereira: 1-for-5, 2 RBI
The long May layoff interrupted what was a good month (.255/.406/.617 with a double and 6 home runs).
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
LF Jose Rojas: 0-for-5, K
C Ronaldo Hernandez: 2-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
This is Hernandez’s first game since May 7th. If you want to get on the “Rodriguez is playing more 3B!” train, perhaps adding Hernandez back to the roster is a sign for you (the other catcher is Alex Jackson). 
CF Ismael Munguia: 0-for-3, R, HBP
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
2B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-1, R, HBP, 2 BB, K

LHP Brandon Leibrandt: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Effross has a 27.00 ERA for Scranton (2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K).
RHP Geoff Hartlieb: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.57 ERA (21 IP, 23 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 22 K). It may be hard to remember that Hartlieb was amongst the final spring training cuts.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: (L, 1-2)  1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR

Somerset (22-24) (Lost to Akron, 1-0. The Patriots have scored one run in their last two games.

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5, 2 K
When the leadoff hitter gets five plate appearances in a shutout loss, you know there was some annoyance. In this case, Somerset left ten runners on base and went 1-for-12 with RISP. As for Lombard Jr., I know we have been waiting for the power to show up, and it hasn’t. Patience.  He went on an extra-base hit splurge just before his promotion here.
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
Flores is having a strong season (.300/.355/.533), but it is reasonable to worry about those darn strikeouts (28.9%). You can live with that if a player mashes, but it could limit his upside. By the way, watching the Yankees-Angels last night gave me an interesting comparison: Logan O’Hoppe. 
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-2, HBP, BB
2B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, 2 K
.286/.339/.497 in 174 PA. 
LF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-3, SB (10), BB, K
Gabrielson can take walks (.351 career OBP) and steal bases (28-for-35 in 138 career games) but the rest of the tools haven’t shown up (.225/.351/.335 career triple slash).
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, K
3B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-2, SB (9), HBP, K
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
His stay on the inactive list was a short one. Season: 3.19 ERA (36.2 IP, 20 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 47 K)
RHP Danny Watson: (L, 1-2)  1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
2.55 ERA (17.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 24 K). Cohen has been steady since entering the organization in 2023, compiling a 2.79 ERA over 96.2 IP with only 66 hits allowed and a 120/44 K/BB.
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Kelly Austin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.80 ERA (15 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 16 K). He needed a boost to the strikeout rate, and today provided that!

Hudson Valley (30-16) (Defeated Wilmington, 7-1. I love baseball – Somerset turned over the lineup for a fifth time while being shut out. Hudson Valley? Three of their hitters didn’t get to the plate four times in a 7-run effort!)

DH Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, CS (4), BB, 2 K
.246/.434/.614 in 76 PA. He came out of his rehab stint smoking but has settled down (0-for-10 in his last three games). He is 2-for-6 stealing bases after going 27-for-33 in 2024.
CF Jace Avina: 3-for-4, 2 2B (11), HR (4), 2 RBI, 3 R, K
.296/.418/.480 in 158 PA (11 doubles, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 26 R, 14.6% BB, 25.3% K). This is his 4th 3-hit effort this season (the other three were in consecutive games from 4/26 – 4/29).
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-4, RBI, SB (8), 2 K
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-4, K
Since promotion: .333/.389/.540 in 95 PA. He has been feast-or-famine lately (in his last 9 games, he has two 4-hit efforts, one 3-hit effort, one 1-hit effort, and five no-hit efforts)
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
SS Jose Colmenares: 1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 2 R
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, 2B (9), RBI
LF Luis Durango: 1-for-3, R, K
Durango is 5-for-13 since returning from his rehab stint (3-for-3 SB)
2B Duncan Pastore: 1-for-3, RBI, R, K

RHP Carlos Lagrange (W, 4-2): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, HR
4.10 ERA (41.2 IP, 31 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 12 BB, 64 K). Other than the hiccup (4 BB in 3.2 innings) in his last start, Lagrange continues to show tremendous growth in that department. 
RHP Chris Kean: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.26 ERA (19.1 IP, 18 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 18 K)
RHP Tony Rossi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 10 K. Overall: 16.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 22 K

Tampa (24-21) (Tried to play a doubleheader, but rain got in the way. Game 1 was suspended. Game 2 was canceled and will not be made up)

Game 1 (Lead, 2-0, in the 5th inning)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-1, BB
CF Cam Eden: 1-for-2
His rehab was moved to Tampa.
DH Edgleen Perez: 0-for-1, BB, K
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-2
RF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-2, K
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-2, R, K
LF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-2, K
2B Austin Green: 1-for-2, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, K
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-2

RHP Carson Coleman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Coleman’s rehab was moved here from the FCL.
RHP Andrew Landry: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

FCL (8-10)

Day off.

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 5/10: Everson Pereira is Scorching

Notes:

I have nothing to offer you.

Injury Log

Scranton (18-18) (Split a doubleheader against Rochester)

Game 1 (Won, 7-6, in 8 innings)

DH Cooper Hummel: 1-for-4
The veteran was activated off the injured list today.
  PR-DH Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-0
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, R, HBP, K
  PR Ismael Munguia: 0-for-0, R
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, RBI, R, BB
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-3, HR (3, grand slam), 4 RBI, R, BB
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
DH Alex Jackson: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 K
.311/.436/.600 in 55 PA (3 HR, 13 RBI). It is a good idea to keep an eye on the #3 catcher on the depth chart.
SS Braden Shewmake: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Jake Gatewood: 1-for-3, 2B (1), R

RHP Zach McAllister: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
The tough start to his 2025 campaign continues.
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
2.45 ERA (14.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 17 K). Solid ERA, but the walks are worrisome. I don’t care if a dominant reliever walks some hitters (Dellin Betances, for example). But you better be dominant if you are going to carry a high BB rate.
RHP Clayton Beeter: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
23 pitches/13 strikes. Beeter has options, so the Yankees can option him to this level when his rehab is complete (if they don’t have a slot for him in MLB).
RHP Geoff Hartlieb: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.21 ERA (14 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 14 K)
RHP Wilking Rodriguez (W, 1-0): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Lost, 5-4)

DH Everson Pereira: 1-for-2, HR (8), RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, K
.301/.385/.602 in 96 PA. Pereira is on a 7-game hitting streak (10-for-23 with five home runs). When Pereira hits a hot streak, they tend to be crazy.
2B DJ LeMahieu: 2-for-4, K
The rumors are out there that LeMahieu will be back in time for the Mariners’ series. As the likely everyday Yankees’ 2B, this scares me considerably. But what can you do?
1B T.J. Rumfield:  2-for-3, HR (5), SF, 2 RBI, R, SB (2)
.295/.396/.509 in 134 PA (9 doubles, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 25 R, 11.9% BB, 19.4% K). The Yankees haven’t used him and he slipped through the Rule 5. That is telling, but I bet he gets an opportunity somewhere. After all, eventually Andres Chaparro and Eric Wagaman received opportunities.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, RBI
Rodriguez is hitting .357/.472/.443 in 89 PA since his promotion. Can a player outplay their scouting report? The answer is yes. I just can’t ignore someone who continues to hit like Rodriguez does.
LF Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-4
3B Jake Gatewood: 1-for-3, K
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-3, K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Erick Leal (L, 1-4):  5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
RHP Kervin Castro: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
0.98 ERA (18.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 22 K). He is pitching well, though he isn’t overpowering (averaged 92.3 MPH with his 4-seamer today). 
RHP Colten Brewer: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (14-18) (Shut down Akron, 5-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, RBI, SB (2), BB
4-for-18 since promotion (2 RBI, 3 R, 2-for-2 SB, 3 BB, 3 K). He still needs to fill the extra-base hit column, but he is not showing signs of being overwhelmed here. His overall triple slash sits at .310/.470/.440 in 132 PA with more walks (26) than strikeouts (25).
DH Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, RBI
CF Garrett Martin:  1-for-4, R, 2 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, RBI, R, 2 K
.270/.328/.470 in 125 PA. He has three multi-hit efforts in his last six games.
CF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R, K
Richardson is bouncing back and forth between Somerset and Scranton. He has three HR between the two levels.
3B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, BB
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, R, K
LF Tyler Hardman: 1-for-5, 2 K
2B Max Burt: 1-for-4, R, K
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, SAC, SB (1), K

RHP Trent Sellers (W, 1-1): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
3.21 ERA (28 IP, 15 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 37 K). He isn’t talked about often, but is it time to count him amongst the Yankees’ pitching depth? The 25-year-old has pitched well since being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Like Beeter, Effross has minor league options.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
After initially struggling here, Vinyard has back-to-back scoreless appearances. It’s a start.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (22-9) (Defeated Wilmington, 5-2, in ten innings)

RF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, R, BB, K
Jones has a 5-game hitting streak (9-for-24)
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, 2 R, BB
1B Parks Harber: 2-for-4, 2B (3), 3 RBI, BB
The raking continues for Harber, who is 15-for-44 (.341/.396/.477) since his promotion and .319/.412/.522 in 131 PA overall. He has three consecutive 2-hit efforts (four in his last five games)
LF Coby Morales: 3-for-5, 2B (4), RBI, CS (2), K
.242/.342/.421 in 111 PA.
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-5
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, CS (2), 2 BB, K
The 9-game hitting streak is over, but he draws a pair of walks to increase the on-base streak to ten.
3B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-4, SB (2)
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, 3B (1), BB
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3, 2 R, HBP, K

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
1.97 ERA (32 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 41 K). He needed 89 pitches to get 12 outs today, but damage was limited. 
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Sebastian Keane: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
0.66 ERA (13.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 20 K). The 6’8″ Warrecker is a beast out of the bullpen. Will they ask him to start again, or let him stay in this role?
RHP Matt Keating (W, 1-0): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
2.79 ERA (9.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 7 K)

Tampa (14-18) (Defeated Daytona, 10-7, in 10 innings)

DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), R, 2 BB
Perez is 9-for-35 (.257) with a pair of doubles, five runs, and six walks in May.
CF Brian Sanchez: 3-for-5, 2B (10), 4 RBI, 2 SB (8), BB
Sanchez hit a big 3-run double in the 10th. His ten doubles are tops in the Florida State League, and he has four straight multi-hit games (9-for-18 – 1 double, 2 triples, 10 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 3 SB). Sanchez has been a fun surprise since the Yankees acquired him.
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-5, 2 K
SS Juan Matheus: 0-for-5, 2 K
LF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4, SB (9), BB, K
1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, 3B (1), R, BB
RF Marshall Toole: 0-for-4, RBI, R, BB, K
2B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, 2B (2), 3 R, SB (5), 2 BB
3B Owen Cobb: 2-for-4, 2B (5), HR (2), SF, 4 RBI, 2 R, K
Cobb maintains his .500 pace (11-for-22, 5 doubles, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 13 R, 5-for-6 SB, 5 BB, 4 K). That is an insane start to anyone’s season.

RHP Greysen Carter: 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K
The only way he will learn is by throwing him out there.
RHP Cole Zaffiro: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Sean Hermann: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.25 ERA (16 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 16 BB, 17 K)
RHP Jackson Fristoe: (W, 2-1)  3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
6.38 ERA (18.1 IP, 24 H, 17 R, 13 ER, 4 HR, 10 BB, 15 K)

FCL (4-2) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 4-3, walk-off style. What kind of walk-off?  How about a walk-off steal of home? Oh, how I love the rookie leagues!)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-2, R, SB (3), BB
Mayea is 7-for-22 (.318) and has hit safely in five straight games. Encouraging.
LF Isael Arias: 2-for-4, 2B (3), 2 R, SB (3), K
Arias stole home to win the game. It was a straight steal.
RF Brennen Davis: 2-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, R, BB
The rehabbing Davis hits his first HR as a member of the Yankees’ organization.
1B John Cristino: 1-for-2, BB, K
The 25-year-old out of Towson makes his professional debut. The Yankees signed him in March. He is a local kid out of Voorhees, NJ.

RHP Jose M. Rodriguez: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
The 21-year-old pitched in six games for the DSL in 2024, and it wasn’t pretty. It’s a new year!
RHP Josh Tiedemann: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
The 13th round pick in 2023 (High School) in 20 years old. He has only 5.2 innings of professional experience.
RHP Alexis Paulino: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/3: George Lombard Jr. is Scorching

Notes:

Will the Yankees dodge a bullet with Clarke Schmidt? “Soreness in the side” is scary, but I hope so.

The Yankees lack rotation depth. This should not come as a surprise to people who read these reports. The Triple-A rotation consists of prospects Zach Messinger and Sean Boyle, along with veterans Allan Winans, Brandon Leibrandt, Erick Leal, and Jake Woodford.

Winans is on the 40-man roster and would seemingly have a leg up. In 2025, the right-hander has a whopping strikeout rate of 42.9%. Even though it’s Triple-A, it’s considerably higher than any previous season at any level. He has yet to allow an earned run in 14 innings.

Fangraphs labeled Messinger as a “depth starter” in its annual prospects report. He has an innings-eater profile, including 150 for Somerset in 2024 (6th most in minor league baseball). He hasn’t pitched well for Scranton thus far (6.48 ERA/5.18 FIP in 25 innings). Boyle has tossed three strong starts and three less-than-ideal starts. Woodford has 89 games (25 starts) of MLB experience, posting a 4.88 ERA (4.94 FIP) and 15.2% K rate.

If I don’t sound enthusiastic, that is a good observation. Their 6th starter depth is not ideal. Hence, it is imperative that Schmidt feels better when he wakes up on Sunday.

LHP Edgar Barclay was placed on the injured list for Somerset.

Injury Log

Scranton (15-16) (Lost to Syracuse, 8-2)

CF Ismael Munguia: 0-for-5
LF Everson Pereira: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, R, K
Pereira has three home runs in his last two games (5 HR in his last 8 games)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, BB
Rodriguez has an 8-game hitting streak (15-for-31).  Since his promotion, he has more walks (13) than strikeouts (10).
DH Dominic Smith: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, R, BB, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, 2 K
His first hit as a member of the Yankees’ organization.
3B Jose Rojas: 1-for-4
2B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-3, BB, K

RHP Erick Leal (L, 1-3): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
3.95 ERA (13.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 18 K). He did a nice job settling the game down.
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2.63 ERA (13.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 16 K). This is his longest career outing.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.50 ERA (12 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 18 K)
LHP Grant Richardson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
The outfielder makes his first career pitching appearance.

Somerset (11-15) (Lost to Richmond, 4-1)

3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, CS (2), BB, 2 K
LF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, 3 K
.228/.372/.554 in 113 PA (3 doubles, 9 HR, 16 RBI, 20 R, 6-for-7 SB, 17.7% BB, 36.3% K).  Even if Jones is a viable MLB player, games like tonight will be relatively common.  You take the good with the bad.
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, K
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, 2B (6), R
Vargas breaks up the no-hitter with one out in the 9th.  He is hitting .270/.338/.397 in 71 PA.
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
Gomez’s first Double-A RBI.

RHP Trent Sellers (L, 0-1): 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, HR
3.91 ERA (23 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 31 K). The undrafted free agent out of Oregon State (2023) has pitched well enough to get on the radar. 
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Luis Pacheco: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K

Hudson Valley (18-8) (Walked it off against Jersey Shore, 5-4)

RF Jace Avina: 2-for-3, 2 2B (6), 2 R, HBP, BB, K
.329/.467/.439 in 105 PA (6 doubles, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 18 R, 2-for-3 SB, 16.2% BB, 23.8% K). Avina has reached base safely in 24 of 25 games this season. He was ejected after his first AB in the only game where he hasn’t reached base.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 3-for-5, 2 2B (8), 2 RBI, 2 R
.329/.495/.488 in 111 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 22 R, 11-for-13 SB, 20.7% BB, 19.8% K). Lombard Jr. has six doubles in his last seven games and is starting to make his case for a promotion. No, I am not there yet. However, last I checked, my vote doesn’t count.
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, BB
3B Parks Harber: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, K
1B Coby Morales: 2-for-5, 2B (2), RBI, R, K
Morales’ double with one out in the 9th tied the game (brought home Lombard Jr.)
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (4), BB
Martinez has a 5-game hitting streak (6-for-18).
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K
2B Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, RBI, CI, K
Escanio with the walk-off single with one out in the 9th.
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, 2 K

RHP Bryce Cunningham: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
2.10 ERA (30 IP, 23 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 34 K). Cunningham is cruising, as he hasn’t allowed an earned run (one unearned run) in his last three starts (19 IP). This is how you earn a spot in Double-A.
RHP Tony Rossi: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Between here and Tampa: 10.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 17 K. He’s 25, so moving him up another level could be in the cards soon.
RHP Chris Kean: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 2-0)  0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (10-16) (Destroyed Fort Myers, 12-5)

C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, K
.179/.364/.194 in 88 PA. Perez owns a .409 career OBP with more walks (94) than strikeouts (88). It will be interesting to see how his career blossoms as he matures.
CF Brian Sanchez: 0-for-4, SB (5), 2 K
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 K
.183/.337/.317 in 104 PA. 
LF Dillon Lewis: 3-for-4, 2 HR (3), 6 RBI, 3 R, BB
Lewis improves his triple slash from .159/.233/.244 to .186/.263/.337 in one day.  He sets personal bests for hits, homers, and RBI.
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, K
RF Tyler Wilson: 3-for-5, RBI, SB (7), K
.239/.343/.250 in 102 PA. 
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-4, CS (1), K
2B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, 2B (1), 3 R, SB (3), BB, K
.229/.327/.313 in 55 PA.
3B Owen Cobb: 2-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 2 R, BB
Cobb’s first professional home run (21st game)!  Congrats!

RHP Greysen Carter (W, 1-2): 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
“Somebody teach this kid some control before he kills somebody!” Carter is a fun project for someone whose job it is to work with projects. We are just along for the ride.
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Brady Kirtner: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
1.69 ERA (16 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 14 K)

FCL (0-1) (Lost to the Tigers, 3-1. Another “modern” aspect of the FCL is that the Yankees will play the same teams constantly. Tigers, Phillies, Blue Jays. They play in a 4-team division. It’s essentially a drawn-out round robin.)

It’s Opening Day so I will give you the full lineup:

CF Brando Mayea: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, 3 K
Mayea was their buzzy millionaire signing a few years back. The 19-year-old showed discipline last year (.281/.370/.326), but no power (2 doubles, 2 triples). He is repeating this level, which I don’t like to see. You don’t give out big bonuses, hoping the player will languish in mid-season leagues for several years. Hopefully, he will break out and get to Low-A later.
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-2, RBI
First rehab game for Riggio, who hit .221/.349/.397 in 480 plate appearances for Hudson Valley in 2024.
  2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-1, SB (1), BB
LF Luis Durango: 0-for-3, CS (1), 2 K
First rehab game for Durango. As stated yesterday, the Yankees chose him in the Triple-A phase of the 2024 Rule 5 draft (from Cleveland).
   LF Gabriel Lara: 0-for-0, BB
Known for elite speed, Lara showed offensive chops in his 2023 debut season in the DSL (.267/.401/.411 with 18 stolen bases). However, he flattened out at this level in 2024 (.202/.322/.250; 14 stolen bases). That said, he only struck out 13% of the time and had a crazy low BABIP for someone with his speed reputation (.231). I am watching him for a breakout.
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-4
The 22-year-old may be an organizational floater. I keep rooting for him to put one over the fence (0 HR in 134 career games).
RF Isael Arias: 0-for-2, SB (1), 2 BB
In his 2024 debut campaign in the DSL, he hit .246/.379/.325 with a 10-for-11 stolen base rate.
DH Ediel Rivera: 1-for-3, BB
“Who is this guy?” There are always a few in the crowd whom I don’t recognize. However, there is a good reason for that: This is the 19-year-old’s professional debut. The Yankees signed him out of Puerto Rico last July. He is listed as a catcher.
1B Luis Puello: 0-for-4, 3 K
The 19-year-old spent his first two professional seasons in the DSL. He didn’t fare well in 2023 but bounced back to hit .361/.439/.516 in 37 games last year.
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-4, R, SB (1), 2 K
Gomez is 21 and spending his 4th season in the DSL/FCL. He has significant time at 2B/SS/3B.
SS Kevin Verde: 0-for-3, BB
The 19-year-old’s FCL debut. He didn’t do much hitting in the DSL.

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
First rehab start. The Yankees threw him into the Double-A fire in his 2024 debut season. He responded by going 13-7 with a 4.58 ERA in 147.1 IP. He finished strongly (1.57 ERA in August, 3.12 ERA in September).  I assume he will be back in Somerset once his rehab is complete.
RHP Sunayro Martina (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Martina struggled in 19 innings here last year (8.53 ERA), though he did strike out 23 batters.
RHP Stanly Alcantara: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
FCL debut. He will want to forget his 2024 season (34 walks in 18.2 innings).

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 4/20: Spencer Jones Homers

Notes:

RHP Zach Greene, who was on the Development List, is no longer with the organization. The 28-year-old Greene was drafted by the Yankees in the 8th round in the 2019 draft (South Alabama). In December 2022, the Mets selected Greene in the Rule 5 draft. However, he was returned to the Yankees before the start of the 2023 campaign.

RHP Clayton Beeter is back. He began his rehab assignment in Low-A Tampa. Beeter is on the 15-day IL and has a pair of options left. Hence, when he is ready, the Yankees can option him to Scranton if need be.

Injury Log

Scranton (11-9) (Lost to Durham, 4-3)

CF Ismael Munguia: 2-for-4, HR (1), RBI, R, BB
Munguia’s first HR as a member of the Yankees’ organization (27th in 533 career games)
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-3, SB (4), BB
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-2, RBI, R, SB (3), 3 BB
Rodriguez’s third career 3 BB game.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-5, 4 K
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-5
2B Jose Rojas: 2-for-4
The 32-year-old plays almost everywhere, but this is his first game at 2B since 2022.
DH Ronaldo Hernandez: 0-for-3, 3 K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-2, R, BB
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, SAC, 2 K

RHP Erick Leal: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, HR
4.66 ERA (19.1 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 24 K). 
RHP Kervin Castro: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K
LHP Tyler Matzek: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Brent Headrick: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: (L, 1-1) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

Somerset (6-9) (Lost to Altoona, 9-3)

2B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, R, 2 K
Jones leads the Eastern League with six home runs.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R, K
Flores has 18 homers in 80 Double-A games.
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
3B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-4
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, R
Gabrielson’s first home run since August 30, 2023 (zero HR in 82 games last year)
LF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, 2 K
Gomez is 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts since his promotion.

RHP Trent Sellers: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
4.15 ERA (13 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 17 K). Sellers has allowed four HR in 96.2 career innings (0.37 HR/9)
RHP Luis Pacheco: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Ryan Anderson (L, 0-1): 0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Danny Watson: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
A tough night for the middle of the bullpen.
RHP Colby White: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (11-4) (Defeated Wilmington, 3-1)

CF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
Tough start to Avina’s season (.190/.364/.214). He is taking some walks, which is good at least.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, 2 K
.302/.466/.442 in 58 PA (1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 11 R, 7-for-8 SB, 20.7% BB, 22.4% K).  His .466 OBP leads the South Atlantic League.
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, RBI
.241/.305/.270 in 59 PA.
2B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-3, 2B (2), RBI
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-2, CS (1), BB, K
3B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, 2 K
LF Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, R, K
Moylan’s first career game in the outfield. 
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-2, R, BB, K
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, SB (1)

LHP Kyle Carr: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Carr tossed 62 pitches. He owns a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings (7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 11 K)
RHP Huey Morrill: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Hayden Merda (W, 1-0): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
After making 20 starts for Tampa in 2023, he has been used as a short reliever in 2025 (missed the entire 2024 season, so they might just be building him up)
RHP Cole Ayers (S, 2): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
6.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K

Tampa (7-8) (Lost to St. Lucie, 8-2. St. Lucie (Mets) starter Raimon Gomez averaged 100.1 MPH with his 4-seamer, topping out at 102.3. Like Greysen Carter, controlling that nastiness is the project.)

C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-1, 4 BB, K
His second career 4 BB game helps the OBP (.159/.351/.182 in 57 PA). Last 3 games: 3-for-9 with 7 walks.
RF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-5, RBI, SB (3), 3 K
.255/.305/.418 in 59 PA (5 doubles, 2 triples, 5 RBI, 3 R, 3-for-4 sB, 6.8% BB, 30.5% K)
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
.174/.361/.413 in 61 PA (2 doubles, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R, 2-for-3 SB, 19.7% BB, 24.6% K). Urena has hit safely in six of his last seven games and has reached base safely in all 13 games.
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-4, K
LF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-4, SB (4), K
2B Austin Green: 0-for-4, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 4 K
SS Juan Matheus: 2-for-4, 2 2B (4), R, K
Matheus, hitting .087 on April 16th, is 5-for-10 in his last three games and is now hitting .212/.349/.333.
CF Marshall Toole: 1-for-4, RBI, R, K

RHP Gage Ziehl: (L, 0-1)  2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
The Yankees loaded up on talented arms in last year’s draft. There will be growing pains at times. Ziehl likes to throw his cutter but is dialing up the 4-seamer as high as 95.2 MPH.
RHP Chris Veach: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Clayton Beeter: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Beeter averaged 97 MPH with his 4-seam fastball (topped out at 97.9).
RHP Sean Hermann: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
RHP Cade Austin: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.