Tag: Tyler Hardman

Yankees MILB 9/13: Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz Ks 7

Notes:

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

Updated look at the trade deadline.

My thoughts on Core Jackson.

Arizona Fall League Players

Injury Log

Scranton (83-57; 45-23 in second half) (Defeated Lehigh Valley, 8-5)

As stated earlier this week, the Lehigh Valley team is solid and was a legitimate threat to overtake the Railriders. Scranton needed to win a few games, and they have accomplished that. They are 6.5 games up on them with seven games left. With that threat out of the way, attention turns to Syracuse. The Mets lost today, falling four games behind Scranton.

CF Spencer Jones:  1-for-3, 2 R, BB
Jones has a 9-game hitting streak (10-for-35; 2 doubles, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 8 R, 2 BB, 19 K).  This is the first time he hasn’t struck out in a game since August 24th (16 straight games with at least one strikeout; 40 strikeouts during that stretch.)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-3, RBI, R, BB
Rumfield is 7-for-20 in his last six games. He is hitting .285/.375/.448 in 562 plate appearances (31 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 85 RBI, 83 R, 4-for-6 SB, 11.6% BB, 17.97% K)
DH J.C. Escarra: 1-for-2, SF, 2 RBI, R, BB
2B Jose Rojas: 1-for-2, HR (31), 3 RBI, R, HBP, BB
He’s a 32-year-old non-prospect, so I don’t post his numbers often. However, they are quite impressive: .297/.387/.616 in 494 PA (35 doubles, 4 triples, 31 HR, 103 RBI, 76 R, 14-for-16 SB, 12.3% BB, 20.4% K). Additionally, he has provided utility to Scranton, as he has eight starts at first base, 14 at second base, 16 at third base, 19 in left field, and 17 in right field.
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, HR (14), 2 RBI, R
De La Cruz surprisingly didn’t homer despite a hot August (.320/.363/.427). He is more himself in September, as this is his 4th HR this month (9-for-31).
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-4, 2 K
LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-4, 2 K
Ellis was as hot as a hitter can be for a while, but is 3-for-19 in September. He is still hitting .333/.378/.478 in 214 plate appearances.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 4 K
Martinez is hitting .217/.313/.304 in 80 plate appearances since his promotion. 
SS Andrew Velazquez: 2-for-4, 2B (19), 2 R, SB (25)
Velázquez opted out of his deal on August 3rd, only to re-sign on August 15th. Since returning: 13-for-42 (.310; 4 doubles, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 2-for-3 SB). 

RHP Erick Leal: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, HR
To say Leal has put together a good season would be lying (5.75 ERA). However, he has given them 123.2 innings, which is also important. Every organization needs veterans who provide Triple-A innings.
RHP Joel Kuhnel: (W, 4-1)  1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Rodriguez reached 99.7 MPH with his 4-seamer and 96.3 MPH with his cutter. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Yankees re-signed him this winter. 
LHP Brent Headrick: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Hopefully, everyone can stay healthy, but Headrick is a nice depth piece down here. 
RHP Scott Effross (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
If the Yankees wish to continue to employ Effross beyond 2025, 2026 is another option year. Is he useful enough as a shuttle reliever to use a 40-man roster slot going forward?

Somerset (73-64; 38-30 in the second half) (Defeated Reading, 6-2)

Their playoff series against Binghamton starts on Tuesday. It is best-of-3 with the first game in Somerset and the last two games in Binghamton.

CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-5, K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B (24), R, 2 K
Lombard Jr. scores his 90th run and has six doubles in 11 September games (32 doubles between Somerset and Hudson Valley overall).
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, R, BB
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
Jasso takes over the Eastern League’s RBI lead with 76 (there’s no drama here – he will win the RBI crown.)
1B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-4, 3B (5), HR (20), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Hardman is the fourth Yankees’ farmhand to reach 20+ home runs (Spencer Jones, Jose Rojas, and Dillon Lewis as the others.)
LF Garrett Martin: 3-for-4, 2B (14), HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Martin has homered in back-to-back games (he is 13-for-34 with three home runs in September.)
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-4, K
DH Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RBI
3B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-4, K

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: (W, 5-3) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Rodriguez-Cruz wins the organization’s strikeout title with 173 (Carlos Lagrange struck out 168). Only Jonah Tong (NYM) has more in all of minor league baseball (179). Final regular season stats: 26 games (25 starts), 11-7, 2.42 ERA (145 IP, 96 H, 48 R, 39 ER, 3 HR, 57 BB, 173 K). For Somerset, he pitched to a 2.64 ERA over 61.1 innings. Add him to your MLB depth chart for 2026.  By the way, yes – this game was meaningless and there is a playoff game on Tuesday. In MLB, an ace-level pitcher isn’t making this start. In the minors, he is going to make this start.
RHP Kelly Austin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
2.95 ERA (42.2 IP, 35 H, 17 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 28 BB, 37 K).
RHP Danny Watson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Watson ends the regular season with a 4.74 ERA (57 IP, 61 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 6 HR, 8 BB, 57 K). He tossed six scoreless innings in September (3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K). Going back to May 24th, Watson walked only one batter the rest of the season (44.2 innings). That’s insane. He also allowed zero home runs over his last 22 appearances. He is going to be an interesting Rule 5 decision this winter.
RHP Carson Coleman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (79-50; 41-24 second half) 

Their season is over.

Tampa (63-63; 27-34 in the second half)

Their season is over.

FCL (28-30)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (24-32)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (31-25)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/7: George Lombard Jr.: 2 Doubles

Notes:

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

My thoughts on Core Jackson.

“What happens when the season ends?”

I will provide some content, but not every day.

I will update the popular “Where are they now?” post.  There will be a lot of new players to add to that. I will do a season recap. I don’t report on the Arizona Fall League every day (if you think people take minor league stats too seriously (include me on that list if you wish), the Arizona Fall League is ripe with overanalysis. However, I will provide updates from time to time.)

We are a while away from that, however. Hudson Valley and Tampa finished up today, but Scranton and Somerset still have games to play.

Injury Log

Scranton (81-54; 43-20 in second half) (Split a doubleheader against Worcester)

Syracuse lost to fall four games back.  Others: Toledo (6 back), Indianapolis (7 back), Lehigh Valley (7.5 back). The season ends on September 21st. Lehigh Valley can make Scranton nervous with a sweep this week.

Game 1 (Lost, 6-5)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-5, 2B (17), R
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, BB
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 0-for-2, CS (1), 2 BB, K
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, R, SB (13), K
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-3, HR (8), RBI, R, BB, 2 K
SS Braden Shewmake: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, R, BB
Since promotion: .231/.329/.323 in 76 PA. Overall, in 421 plate appearances, he is hitting .227/.323/.367 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI. It is important to follow Martinez due to the lack of catching in the system. There are only three catchers ahead of him on the current depth chart (Austin Wells, Ben Rice, J.C. Escarra).
LF Duke Ellis: 2-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
.349/.394/.500 in 168 Triple-A plate appearances. He also has 33 stolen bases in 40 attempts.

RHP Erick Leal: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
RHP Wilking Rodriguez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Brent Headrick: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Yerry De los Santos: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Kervin Castro (L, 4-1): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
It’s rare to see Castro not shut things down, as Worcester scored two in the bottom of the 7th to win it. He owns a 1.69 ERA in 42.2 IP (24 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 19 BB, 50 K)

Game 2 (Won, 5-0)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, 2B (18), R
“Vivas Doubles” (OK, that isn’t quite as catchy as Miggy Doubles) has swatted six two-baggers in his last ten games. He has five multi-hit efforts in his last eight games.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-4, 2B (31), RBI
Maybe Rumfield is getting past his struggles. This is his 10th 3+-hit game this season.
RF Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, BB, K
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2B (12), RBI, 3 K
Jones goes 2-for-8 with a double and five strikeouts in the doubleheader. He has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games but is only 10-for-44 with 28 strikeouts during this stretch.
DH Brennen Davis: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, HR (12), RBI, R
  LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-0
3B Jeimer Candelario: 0-for-2, R, BB
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-2, HR (5), 2 RBI, R, BB, K
C Edinson Duran: 2-for-3, R, K
Duran’s first multi-hit game since June 1, 2024. As stated, he doesn’t get to play often.

RHP Sean Boyle: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.79 ERA (124 IP, 118 H, 73 R, 66 ER, 15 HR, 43 BB, 115 K)
LHP Jayvien Sandridge: (W, 3-1)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
If you do the Sporcle quiz after the season, remember that Sandridge had a cup of coffee with the big club this year!
RHP Ian Hamilton: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Bailey Dees: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Somerset (70-62; 35-28 in the second half) (Defeated New Hampshire, 9-4. When you are given a not-so-good opponent, take advantage. The Patriots did just that, sweeping the 6-game series.)

Hartford lost and is now 3.5 games back. Portland lost and is 5.5 games out. A 3-3 finish prevents Hartford from overtaking them. Portland is on life support.

Somerset ends the season against Reading. Reading’s season hasn’t been much better than New Hampshire’s.

CF Brendan Jones: 2-for-4, 2B (12), R, 2 SB (21), BB, K
Jones ties Marshall Toole for the organization’s stolen base lead (44). Given that Toole and Juan Matheus played their final 2025 games today, it seems likely that Jones will take the crown. He is hitting .243/.364/.420 in 308 PA since his promotion and .240/.358/.396 in 517 plate appearances overall. 
3B George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, 2 2B (22), RBI, 2 R, BB, K
Including his time with Hudson Valley, Lombard Jr. has 30 doubles and 33 stolen bases. He has hit safely in six of his last seven games (8-for-26; 4 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI). 
1B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-3, 2B (23), HR (19), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Hardman has a week to join this year’s 20 HR club (Spencer Jones, Jose Rojas, Dillon Lewis).
DH Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 3-for-5, RBI, 2 R
Castillo is looking to finish strongly. He is on a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-15; 1 double, 1 HR, 3 BB, 1 K) that has improved his Double-A triple slash from .130/.216/.217 to .230/.319/.361.
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-5, R
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, 2B (3), 3 RBI, R, BB, K
We all know the catching depth took a hit at the deadline. It opened up playing time for the 23-year-old Palencia, who hit for a high average in the rookie leagues (.306 in 123 DSL/FCL contests) and Low-A (.290 in 39 games). I wouldn’t label him a prospect, but he fills in well.
2B Duncan Pastore: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Jake Gatewood: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (W, 4-3): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Since promotion: 2.56 ERA (56.1 IP, 40 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 2 HR, 17 BB, 67 K). Overall: 10-7, 2.38 ERA (140 IP, 92 H, 46 R, 37 ER, 3 HR, 54 BB, 166 K). Rodriguez-Cruz pushes back ahead of Carlos Lagrange (163 strikeouts) for the organization’s strikeout crown. Each pitcher should get one start next week. I don’t want to read too much into the insanely low home run rate, but it’s better than giving them up in bushels!
RHP Hayden Merda: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 2.84 ERA (6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K). 
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
5.09 ERA (53 IP, 59 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 6 HR, 8 BB, 53 K).  Second half: 2.54 ERA (28.1 IP, 29 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 26 K)
RHP Kelly Austin: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K
LHP Will Brian (S, 2): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Things became a bit dicey in the 9th, but Brian shut it down.

Hudson Valley (79-50; 41-24 second half) (Lost to Greensboro, 4-1)

Hudson Valley entered this week needing to go 5-1 against Greensboro to win the second-half crown. They end up going 4-2.  Their .612 overall winning percentage is impressive. It’s the second-best winning percentage in the South Atlantic League (behind Greensboro), but you must win a half to get to the playoffs, and they couldn’t pull it off.

A great season for the Renegades comes up just short.  Their season was highlighted by many prospects who leaped to Somerset (George Lombard Jr., Brendan Jones, Jace Avina, Jackson Castillo, Ben Hess, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, Carlos Lagrange, Kyle Carr).

3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-4, BB
Matheus ends the season on an 8-game hitting streak (14-for-31; .452). After his promotion: .287/.381/.398 in 126 PA. Overall, between here and Tampa, he hit .275/.365/.376 in 520 PA (32 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 56 RBI, 61 R, 40-for-51 SB (78.4%), 12.3% BB, 18.5% K). Reps are important for prospects, and Matheus finishes 4th in the organization in plate appearances. While he played 2B (rarely)/SS/3B this season, he only played third base after his promotion.
CF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-2, R, SB (13), 2 BB
After his promotion: .228/.320/.426 in 332 PA. Overall, like Matheus, he received a lot of reps (527 PA), hitting .237/.321/.445 (21 doubles, 5 triples, 22 HR, 79 RBI, 72 R, 26-for-28 SB, 10.2% BB, 23.5% K).  One impressive part about his campaign was the reduction in strikeouts upon his promotion (from 28.2% to 20.8%). 
2B Core Jackson: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
As we know, drafting Jackson turned into a controversial decision. He didn’t do much hitting (.183/.287/.280 in 108 PA with seven doubles and a triple).
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 2 K
The team’s second-half lineup was different than the first half, as 2025 draftees started to filter into the lineup alongside Matheus and Lewis. Moylan, a 23-year-old in his second campaign at this level, had a big second half to help keep the Renegades in the playoff race.
SS Kaeden Kent: 2-for-4, RBI
Speaking of 2025 draftees, Jeff Kent‘s son hit .186/.217/.265 in 116 PA (2 doubles, 2 HR, 17 RBI). Included in that stat line was an impressive 5-for-5 day on August 27th.
RF Camden Troyer: 1-for-3, BB, K
Their 12th-round pick goes 19-for-75 (.253/.356/.320) with a pair of doubles and a home run. He walked 12 times while striking out 13 times.
DH Connor McGinnis: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
An 0-for-5 finish knocked the 10th-round pick’s average below .200 (.196/.297/.250). His (brief) season included a 6-game hitting streak.
  PH-DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-1
Seen as a power prospect entering the season, Urena struggled for Tampa/Hudson Valley, hitting .198/.318/.305 in 490 PA (17 doubles, 9 HR, 46 RBI, 62 R, 13.3% BB, 19.2% K). The strikeout rate is solid, and his .231 BABIP indicates some bad luck. 2026 will be a key season.
C John Cristino: 0-for-4, 3 K
The 25-year-old was signed to a minor league contract in March and predictably destroyed the FCL. Life wasn’t as easy here (.167/.233/.258 in 21 games).
LF Luis Durango: 0-for-4
Chosen in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft (Cleveland), Durango battled injuries (only played in 45 games). In 40 games here, he showed off on-base skills (.351 OBP) and speed (17 stolen bases), but little pop (.268 SLG). You can’t expect a full package from a minor league Rule 5 pick!

RHP Brandon Decker: (L, 2-2)  5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Decker wiggled his way through five today after tossing five shutout innings against Greensboro on Tuesday. At this level: 4.26 ERA (31.2 IP, 25 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 39 K). Overall, he finishes his first season with a 3.61 ERA in 84.2 innings (75 H, 43 R, 34 ER, 3 HR, 42 BB, 92 K).
RHP Chris Kean: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
The 23-year-old finishes with a 3.48 ERA in 41.1 innings (35 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 37 K). He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
RHP Jack Cebert: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
Cebert hadn’t allowed a run in his (very) brief career before today (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 11 K). He was their 15th-round pick this year.
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Warrecker’s impressive campaign (assuming he doesn’t go to Somerset) comes to an end with a 2.05 ERA in 57 innings (35 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 61 K). Used as a starter in all 19 of his 2024 appearances (5.79 ERA in 65.1 innings with a 46/30 K/BB), the Yankees put him in the bullpen this season, and he flourished. He will go to Somerset in 2026, where we will see just how viable he is as a relief prospect. This was step 1.

Tampa (63-63; 27-34 in the second half)

The drama of whether they will finish above or below .500 ends with the worst plot twist since the ending of How I Met Your Mother. Today’s game against Clearwater was canceled, so they finished at .500 on the nose!

Outfielder Marshall Toole finishes the season as the only qualified Florida State League player over .300, hitting .305/.406/.479 (148 wRC+; yes, this can change depending on what happens elsewhere today, but it wouldn’t change by much.) with 14 doubles, 13 triples, five home runs, 48 RBI, 66 runs, and 44 stolen bases in 50 attempts. Additionally, he walked 14% of the time while striking out at a 19.6% rate.  Last year’s 15th-round pick will find himself in Hudson Valley in 2026.

First-round pick Dax Kilby adjusted quickly to professional baseball, hitting .353/.457/.441 (159 wRC+) in 18 games. He walked more than he struck out (13 – 11) while stealing 16 bases in 17 attempts. He didn’t play any other position than shortstop, but don’t read into that. We have no idea what the Yankees think when it comes to future position, but they will keep him at shortstop for as long as possible. Other positions can be learned.  As for 2026, he will likely start the season here. George Lombard Jr. didn’t move up to Hudson Valley until halfway through his second campaign. No two prospects are alike, but why wouldn’t he follow a similar path?  Meanwhile, Jackson Lovich‘s stay was short-lived due to an injury, but he went 14-for-22 with four doubles and two triples.

On the flip side, Roderick Arias‘ prospect status is likely in the trash bin. After a decent 2024 campaign at this level (.233/.335/.393; 111 wRC+), Arias crashed and burned to the tune of .208/.325/.315 (89 wRC+). His walk rate climbed while his strikeout rate fell. That means little.  This was his second full season in Low-A, and he failed. His only trade market value is as a sweetener for a team that will buy low on a project.

On the pitching side, RHP Greysen Carter showed off his elite fastball and not-so-elite control before ending his season in the FCL. He will be a fun project for the player development team.

Relievers Chris Veach (2.53 ERA; 30.5% K) and Cade Austin (3.08 ERA; 25.1% K) spent the entire season here, as did Jack Sokol, who relies more on groundballs (54.1%) than strikeouts (19.7%).

They likely did enough to start 2026 in Hudson Valley. LHP Allen Facundo caught my attention with his velocity after his promotion here. He pitched to a 2.14 ERA (3.07 FIP) in 33.1 innings with a 26.5% K and 10.6% BB. LHP Henry Lalane was hurt most of the season, making six late starts (only 16.1 innings). Hopefully, he can be healthy for the full 2026 campaign. Potential won’t be realized from the injured list.

Most prospects don’t “stick” here for a full season. Outfielder Dillon Lewis lasted 46 games (after playing 14 games in 2024) before being bumped to Hudson Valley.

The “fun” story for 2025 was the repackaging of Antonio Gomez. Once considered one of the best all-around catching prospects in the system, the Yankees converted him into a pitcher. He was pumping 100 MPH+ fastballs upon making his debut, but didn’t last long before ending up on the Injured List. Hopefully, they shut him down due to a minor ailment rather than a serious issue.

FCL (28-30)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (24-32)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (31-25)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 6/22: Another Strong Effort for Griffin Herring

Notes:

I have concluded that we aren’t receiving accurate roster updates from Hudson Valley. Today, they announced that OF Jace Avina was activated off the injured list. The problem? From what I can find, it was never announced that he was ever on the list.

Keep that in mind while you wonder what the heck happened to RHP Ben Hess (last year’s first-round pick ), who hasn’t pitched since the end of May, and infielder Parks Harber. There is a good chance that both are currently on the injured list. We just haven’t been told about it.

By the way, I am not complaining. They don’t have to tell us anything. But I assume they have to submit the transactions, so perhaps it is milb.com that is missing in action.

What do we know? That RHP Brendan Beck has been promoted to Scranton. RHP Allan Winans, who was promoted to the Yankees to take LHP Ryan Yarbrough‘s spot in the rotation, was scheduled to pitch today. Beck took his place. Is this permanent? Unknown. I don’t think Jesus Rodriguez‘s promotion was supposed to be permanent, but he forced the issue.

Either way, Beck earned this chance by posting a 1.82 ERA (2.54 FIP) over 54.1 innings. He owns a 24.8% K, 5.7% BB, and 37.2% GB.

Injury Log

Scranton (38-34) (Defeated Louisville, 3-2)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, 2B (8), 2 RBI, SB (8)
.306/.420/.442 in 183 PA (8 doubles, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 28 R, 8-for-13 SB, 13.1% BB, 7.1% K). Vivas had a 20.8% K in his brief MLB tenure.
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-3, BB, K
.246/.340/.470 in 212 PA. What do I think of his MLB chances? He has the power to hit home runs at the big league level. I am confident there.  I am skeptical about his swing-and-miss, and there is a fine line between a player who develops into an everyday player vs. someone like Bryan De La Cruz.
DH-1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4
.278/.366/.474 in 268 PA. As I often say, the Yankees seemingly don’t have faith in his ability to play in the big leagues (and nobody else bit during the Rule 5 draft). However, I expect him to get a shot in MLB.
LF Brennen Davis: 0-for-1, K
Davis was taken out of the game after a play in left field to close out the third inning.
  PH-LF Ismael Munguia: 2-for-3, R
He wasn’t expecting to play, but ended up having a good day.
1B CJ Alexander: 1-for-4
Alexander is 6-for-25 since joining the organization.
  P Zach Messinger: 0-for-0
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, RBI, K
C Alex Jackson: 1-for-4, 2B (6), R, K
Off to a hot start, Jackson has since settled in to be…well, Alex Jackson. He is hitting .237/.310/.468 and is 4-for-43 in June.
2B Braden Shewmake: 1-for-4, 2B (8), R
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Brendan Beck: (W, 1-0)  6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Well, if this was only supposed to be an emergency start, he did his best to make it a difficult decision to move him back down! One thing today gives us is Savant data! Beck used mostly a 3-pitch mix (4-seamer, slider, curve) with a cutter mixed in. Savant also picked up on one change-up, which may be a misread. His fastball maxed at 93.7 and didn’t generate a whiff. His slider, however, generated five. I don’t think Beck was ever projected as a big strikeout guy, and he could be used as trade bait next month. For now, I am impressed that he has looked so good given how much time he has missed.
LHP Brent Headrick: 1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Zach Messinger: (S, 1) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Messinger earns his fourth career save.  As a reliever: 2.87 ERA (15.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 16 K). Today, he maxed out at 96.5 MPH as he featured mostly his fastball (50%)/slider (48%) combo.

Somerset (35-34) (Knocked off New Hampshire, 12-5, to get above .500)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, R, K
Riggio is 18-for-67 with four doubles and six home runs since his promotion. You did know the home run surge would end at some point, right? He has one in his last nine games.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-5, RBI, K
Lombard Jr. started June 3-for-21. He is 15-for-53 (.283) since. It seems he is reaching a comfort level, which is what we want to see.
DH Spencer Jones: 2-for-5, HR (15), RBI, 2 R, K
Perhaps he deserved the headline for the third day in a row, but I went for variety. Given that Jones missed so much time, being only four home runs behind the minor league leader is impressive. Last ten games: 17-for-36 (.472; 2 doubles, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R, 2-for-2 SB). He has three straight multi-hit games, and his OPS is an Eastern League-leading .994. His SLG, which also leads the Eastern League, is just a tad below .600 (.59876). Jones is Rule 5 eligible this winter, which only means he will be on the 40-man roster if he isn’t traded.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, 2 2B (18), RBI, 2 R, 3 K
Flores has 32 doubles and 27 home runs in 133 Double-A games. 
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, R, BB, K
Jasso is hitting .284 with a .844 OPS (10 doubles, 4 triples, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 38 R). He has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games. He has been one of the system’s most consistent bats since Opening Day.
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, SF, RBI
CF Brendan Jones: 3-for-5, 2 2B (3), HR (1), 3 RBI, 3 R, K
Jones is up to .241 with a .682 OPS since his promotion. This is due to an 11-for-32 (.344) surge over his last eight games. 
1B Tyler Hardman: 3-for-5, 2B (13), HR (11), 3 RBI, 2 R
Hardman had two shots at the cycle but couldn’t get that elusive triple. Given he only has five in 371 minor league games, that is hardly a surprise.
RF Cam Eden: 0-for-3, SB (2), 2 BB, 2 K

RHP Mason Vinyard: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The “trickle down” effect – they needed Winans in MLB and Beck in Scranton, so someone had to start for Somerset. This was Vinyard’s first start since who knows when, as he was nothing but a reliever in college as well.
RHP Bailey Dees: (W, 3-4)  2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Danny Watson: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Baron Stuart: (S, 1)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Stuart’s first professional save.

Hudson Valley (40-27) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 3-1)

LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4
CF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, K
Between here and Tampa: .233/.295/.462 in 275 PA (11 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HR, 41 RBI, 42 R, 15-for-16 SB, 7.6% BB, 26.9% K). He has cut down on the strikeouts in Hudson Valley (23.8%), and his lower batting average (.195) could be attributed to the .204 BABIP.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-1, R, SB (11), 3 BB, K
Morales’ stolen bases were a fun storyline last year, though I have dropped it this year. He has 45 stolen bases in 174 games over the past two seasons after going 1-for-3 in 104 collegiate contests.
2B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, 2 K
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, SB (5), BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Luis Durango: 0-for-2, BB
Durango is 12-for-42 (.286/.345/..286) since returning from his rehab stint.
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3, 3 K
DH Duncan Pastore: 0-for-3, K

LHP Griffin Herring: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Since his promotion: 0.76 ERA (23.2 IP, 16 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 20 K). Overall: 1.05 ERA (68.1 IP, 40 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 23 BB, 78 K). Herring has the lowest ERA among qualified minor league pitchers at every full-season level (including the FCL and DSL would be foolish).  Can he make it to Somerset this year? That likely wasn’t the plan, but plans often change. I think it was smart not to push him there today, though there was a need. But at some point in the second half?  Sure.
RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 4-5)  3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
3.55 ERA (63.1 IP, 44 H, 29 R, 25 ER, 3 HR, 27 BB, 73 K). His profile shows a lot of promise, including a solid strikeout rate. Additionally, he has cut down on the home run rate this year. The walks? Still needs some work there.

Tampa (37-31) (Lost to Bradenton, 5-3)

C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-3, R, BB
.194/.353/.223 in 266 PA (6 doubles, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 29 R, 4-for-5 SB, 18% BB, 21.4% K). I told myself at the beginning of the season not to worry much about his numbers, and I will stick to that…for now.
LF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
All of Sanchez’s homers have come in the last ten games. He has seven in 128 career games. Baseball!  He is hitting .273/.352/.443 in 210 plate appearances.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4
.182/.310/.261 in 210 PA (11 doubles, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 25 R, 18-for-23 SB, 15.2% BB, 27.6% K). In a sea of disappointing “stuff” on his profile, the one that strikes me the most is the power. He is showing nothing in that department.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-2, HBP, BB
.212/.344/.342 in 282 PA (9 doubles, 7 HR, 27 RBI, 41 R, 5-for-6 SB, 14.2% BB, 18.4% K). He has eight HBP – ouch. 
3B Juan Matheus: 0-for-3, R, SB (20), BB
Matheus is third (behind Brendan Jones (25) and George Lombard Jr. (24)) in the organization in stolen bases.
RF Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
CF Marshall Toole: 0-for-4, SB (20)
See the note on Juan Matheus. 
1B Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, HBP, K
2B Santiago Gomez: 0-for-4

RHP Andrew Landry: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
4.26 ERA (57 IP, 61 H, 34 R, 27 ER, 4 HR, 21 BB, 56 K). June: 4 starts, 2-0, 0.82 ERA, 22 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 19 K. His ERA was 6.43 entering this month.  Landry is trying to be the latest mid-to-late round pick (16th round is now considered “late”) who the Yankees turn into something valuable.
RHP Gus Hughes (L, 4-2): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cade Austin: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.96 ERA (27.1 IP, 26 H, 16 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 30 K). 
RHP Jack Sokol: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.00 ERA (24 IP, 23 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 18 K). He has six straight scoreless appearances.

FCL (17-19)

Day off.

DSL Yankees (5-9)

Day off.

DSL Bombers (6-8)

Day off.

Yankees MILB 6/5: Jesus Rodriguez Reaches Base 5 Times

Notes:

RHP Justin Lange (remember him?) started a rehab assignment today in the FCL. Acquired by the Yankees from the Padres for 1B Luke Voit (remember him?) back in 2022, Lange has dealt with wildness and injuries during his Yankees tenure. Today was his first appearance since August 29, 2023. He split time with Tampa and Hudson Valley that year, going 2-5 with a 4.75 ERA and 131/63 K/BB over 85.1 innings. While that walk rate is high (16%), don’t ignore the strikeout rate (33.2%).

Amazingly, Lange is only 23 years old. When I opened his player page, I was expecting to see that he was in his mid-20s.

Injury Log

Scranton (27-30) (Defeated St. Paul, 11-8. Call me crazy, but I think St. Paul’s ballpark leans a tad offensive)

3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 2B (9), RBI, 2 R, HBP, 2 BB
Rodriguez reaches base five times. In 40 Triple-A games, Rodriguez has 55 hits, 26 walks, and two HBP. He has scored 31 runs and is hitting .362 with a .921 OPS.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-6, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 R, K
Vivas’s first game since his demotion. His 22-game MLB audition wasn’t great (.156/.255/.267 with a key home run). He struck out 20.8% of the time and his BABIP was a ridiculous .182, which comes with the small sample size flag.
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, R, 2 K
Pereira is having a nice season, but is carrying a 33.1% K rate.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, RBI, R, 2 BB
C Alex Jackson: 0-for-4, R, BB, 3 K
DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-5, RBI, 3 K
LF Brennen Davis: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, R, HBP, BB, 2 K
Davis is 6-for-11 with a homer and three RBI since being placed here.
SS Braden Shewmake: 3-for-5, 2B (3), 2 R, SB (7)
Shewmake is enjoying his time in St. Paul (5-for-12; 1 double, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 3 SB)
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI, R

RHP Erick Leal: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 3 HR
RHP Scott Effross: (W, 1-1)  1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
You don’t want to see the run he allowed, but at least he missed bats tonight.
RHP Geoff Hartlieb: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Hartlieb maxed out at 97.1 MPH. He struck out the side in his second inning of work. Season: 2.22 ERA (24.1 IP, 23 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 9 BB, 27 K). Due to an extreme walk rate (55 in 79.1 innings with the Pirates, Mets, Marlins, and Rockies), Hartlieb hasn’t been able to hold down an MLB job. The arm has never been in question.
LHP Jayvien Sandridge (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Another impressive performance….

Somerset (24-29) (Lost to Binghamton, 7-4)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, 3B (2), RBI, R, BB, K
Position breakdown (including his time in Hudson Valley): 2B: 6; SS: 40; 3B: 4. They want him to get a feel for 2B/3B while keeping him primarily at his natural position.
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2B (14), RBI
.277/.339/.505 in 227 PA. Flores is up to 500 Double-A plate appearances (.275/.350/.512; 28 doubles, 26 HR, 71 RBI. For good measure, he is 11-for-11 in the stolen base department).
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, HR (9), RBI, R
.269/.330/.478 in 203 PA. A good season for a 22-year-old making his Double-A debut. 
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, HR (10), RBI, R, K
Hardman has six homers in his last six games.
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 3 K
SS Max Burt: 0-for-2, R, SB (6), BB, K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (L, 0-1) 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
Vrieling has a few good outings and a few less-than-ideal outings since coming back from his rehab stint. No concerns.
RHP Danny Watson: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
2.21 ERA (20.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 26 K). He hasn’t allowed a run in seven straight outings (9.2 IP).
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (33-20) (Mauled Aberdeen, 11-2)

CF Dillon Lewis: 2-for-5, 3B (1), HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 R, BB, K
Lewis is 4-for-16 since his promotion and has nine home runs in his last 27 games overall. He joins Rafael Flores, Spencer Jones, Tyler Hardman, and Everson Pereira in the organization’s 10+ HR club. He is an intriguing 21-year-old to keep an eye on. 
LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 R, BB
If Lewis and Castillo can get hot, they will cause a lot of havoc at the top of this lineup. 
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-5, RBI, BB, K
A hot streak has his numbers up to .270/.354/.453 in 181 PA at this level. For Somerset, he was 3-for-19.
1B Parks Harber: 2-for-4, BB, K
Since promotion: .325/.389/.491 in 126 PA. Including his time in Tampa, he has 15 multi-hit efforts in 48 games. Somerset may not be far away.
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, K
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-4, R, BB, K
3B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, R, K
I feel bad for Vargas, a late spring training “sensation” who is lost in the numbers game. Part of that is the lack of development, of course. There could be a better opportunity elsewhere.
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 2 R, SB (7), BB, K
C Tomas Frick: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R

RHP Josh Grosz: (W, 4-3)  5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Grosz had to grind out these five innings, as it required 95 pitches to record 15 outs. He owns a 3.83 ERA in 47 IP (37 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 56 K). He may get lost in the shuffle, but he has pitched very well.
RHP Tony Rossi: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
For Tampa and Hudson Valley: 19.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 25 K. Ridiculous.
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Speaking of ridiculous, Warrecker owns a 0.75 ERA in 24 IP (8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 31 K). I don’t know what the Yankees’ plans are, but there has to be a lot of temptation to leave the 6’8″ 23-year-old in a bullpen role. He is thriving.
RHP Hayden Merda: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Merda “merely” has an ERA below 3.00 (2.96; 24.1 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 34 K). The Renegades’ pitching staff is deadly.

Tampa (29-24) (Defeated Jupiter, 6-1. They keep rolling along. Tonight, they went 9-for-9 stealing bases)

SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2 R, SB (13), BB, K
DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-2, 2 R, SB (4), 3 BB
.215/.369/.239 in 206 PA (4 doubles, 16 RBI, 24 R, 4-for-5 SB, 18.4% BB, 21.8% K). Do I worry about the SLG? It doesn’t make me a  baseball savant to say that a .239 SLG is far from ideal. However, I am not concerned as he is a young developing catcher. The Yankees are doing the right thing by keeping him in the lineup every day.
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-5, RBI
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, 2B (12), RBI, K
.271/.340/.341 in 197 PA. 
RF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-3, RBI, 3 SB (14), 2 BB, K
LF Hans Montero: 1-for-5, 2 K
2B Owen Cobb: 0-for-3, R, 2 SB (10), CI, BB, 2 K
Cobb’s first game since May 29th. He is hitting .375/.420/.639 in 83 PA (6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 20 R, 10-for-12 SB, 7.2% BB, 20.5% K)
CF Marshall Toole: 2-for-3, 3B (5), RBI, R, SB (12), BB
.318/.422/.505 in 128 PA (7 doubles, 5 triples, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 26 R, 12-for-13 SB, 14.8% BB, 22.7% K). He is 5-for-8 with a double, triple, homer, eight RBI, and five walks in three June games. I don’t know what will become of him, but he is a fun prospect to follow. 
1B Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI

RHP Gage Ziehl: (W, 3-2)  6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
3.79 ERA (38 IP, 35 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 6 BB, 31 K, 3 HR). Last three starts: 16 IP, 15 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 17 K
RHP Sean Hermann: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
142 ERA (25.1 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 20 BB, 22 K). I know I have said it many times, but it is worth repeating that many of those walks were in the first month of the season (15 in 12.1 IP).
RHP Chris Veach: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The changeup specialist hit 93.6 MPH with his sinker (changeup averaged 75.3 MPH). Season: 1.29 ERA (21 IP, 15 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 34 K)
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

FCL (12-12) (Lost to the Blue Jays, 14-11, in ten wild innings. They ran out of pitchers in the 9th, trying to use position players to close out a 5-run lead. That didn’t work. Another position player allowed three runs in the 10th. That’s the FCL for ya)

CF Isael Arias: 1-for-6, 2B (6), RBI, R, SB (8), 3 K
1B Manuel Palencia: 3-for-4, RBI, BB
Last six games: 13-for-25 with four doubles, a triple, and a home run.
3B-2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, 3 R, SB (7), 2 BB
2B-P-LF Santiago Gomez: 1-for-4, 2 R, HBP, K
You know things were crazy when a position player went from second base to the mound to left field.
LF Gabriel Lara: 3-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 R
I am not sure why Lara was pulled from the game.  He is hitting .370/.433/.667 in 30 PA and is 8-for-12 in his last four games.
  LF-RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, R
The 20-year-old launches his first home run since 2023 (he has played in only 32 career games)
SS-3B Kevin Verde: 1-for-5, R, SB (4), 2 K
RF-C Luis Puello: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, R, K
DH Gabriel Terrero: 0-for-4, RBI, K
  SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-0, SF, RBI

RHP Justin Lange: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
We don’t get pitch counts in the FCL, but it doesn’t matter. Lange is back and is still young enough to be intriguing.
RHP Carson Coleman: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
One of the reasons why they ran out of pitchers is that they began the game with two pitchers on rehab stints.
RHP Chance Nolan: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Their third pitcher, the quarterback-turned-reliever, is also on a strict limit right now.
RHP Omar Gonzalez: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
At least Gonzalez tried to give them some length.
RHP Hansel Rosario: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

DSL Yankees (0-2) (Losing to DSL Miami, 7-4, in the bottom of the 5th. The game was suspended due to rain. They will try to finish it on June 17th)

SS Mani Cedeno: 0-for-1, HBP, K
DH Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-2, R, K
3B Richard Matic: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RBI, R, K
LF Isaias Castillo: 1-for-2, RBI, R, 3 SB (3)

DSL Bombers (1-1) (Lead DSL Colorado, 7-3, in the bottom of the 7th. This game was suspended due to rain. They will try to finish it on June 17th)

CF Ruben Castillo: 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 SB (2), BB, K
The DSL Castillos put on a running display today!
C Queni Pineda: 1-for-4, RBI
2B Juan Torres: 1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

LHP Junior Tavera: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Last year, as a 17-year-old, Tavera put up an 8.82 ERA in 16.1 IP with a 22/21 K/BB.

Yankees MILB 6/3: Spencer Jones Homers

Notes:

C Alex Jackson opted out of his minor league deal. However, he has re-signed and was back in the Scranton lineup tonight. This is the second time Jackson has opted out (he did it in March as well). He has some leverage on the Yankees, as he is the organization’s #3 catcher. He is using his opt-out clauses to secure more money. I would, too.

RHP Cam Schlittler was promoted to Scranton. Schlittler was among the best pitchers in the Eastern League, pitching to a 2.38 ERA and league-leading 2.18 FIP over 53 innings. Including 2024, Schlittler tossed 85.1 Double-A innings before earning his promotion.

Can he get to MLB in 2025? Yes. When it comes to debuts, you want to look at two things: Can we make room on the 40-man roster, and what is his Rule 5 status?  If Schlittler wasn’t Rule 5 eligible until after 2026, that lessens his chances of getting called up. However, in this case, he is Rule 5 eligible this winter. He is instantly high on the depth chart. Other than Allan Winans, nobody in Triple-A has pitched well enough to “block” Schlittler.

There was a chain reaction of promotions, as RHP Carlos Lagrange was moved to Somerset to replace Schlittler. Additionally, position players Roc Riggio (2B) and Brendan Jones (OF) were reassigned to Somerset, while OF Dillon Lewis was transferred from Tampa to Hudson Valley. All four of these kids are legitimate prospects. I am excited to see how Lagrange handles the upper minors.

RHP Jake Cousins has started a rehab stint in Hudson Valley.

Injury Log

Scranton (26-29) (Defeated St. Paul, 8-5)

3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, BB, K
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, K
The Yankees may dodge a bullet with Jasson Dominguez. If they don’t, Pereira would be a logical call-up. He joins Rafael Flores and Spencer Jones in the organization’s 10+ HR club.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (12), RBI, 2 R, BB
C Alex Jackson: 0-for-5, 3 K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 2-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 K
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, BB
LF Brennen Davis: 2-for-4, HR (1), RBI, R, K
Davis goes yard in his first Scranton AB, and he hit two balls 110+ MPH. If this kid can stay healthy, he has 4th outfielder potential (though he hasn’t played CF in years). Including his rehab time in the FCL, he has six homers in 15 games.
SS Braden Shewmake: 1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R, K
Davis and Shewmake go back-to-back.
2B Andrew Velazquez: 2-for-4, 2 R, SB (15)

RHP JT Brubaker: 3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
Brubaker’s rehab was moved here today.
RHP Zach Messinger: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
As a reliever: 10 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K. Two of those walks are intentional.
LHP Jayvien Sandridge: (W, 1-0)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Sandridge hit 96.5 MPH with his fastball and generated four whiffs on nine pitches (six swings). His history suggests that he will never consistently find control. But if the Yankees can cut down on the walks, can he be useful? Weird things happen.
LHP Brandon Leibrandt: (S, 1) 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The 32-year-old earns his third professional save. 

Somerset (24-27) (Lost to Binghamton, 7-3)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4
Lombard Jr. is 3-for-27 in his last seven games (4 BB)
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, HR (10), RBI, R, 2 K
Jones has ten homers in 30 games.  Despite missing weeks of action, he ranks second in the Eastern League in homers.
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, K
Riggio earns his first Double-A hit. If not for his injury, he would have been here sooner.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Jones is second to Flores in the home run race.
LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, K
Jones earns his first Double-A hit.  He brings his stolen base prowess (23-for-27 this year; 41-for-45 in his career) with him.
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, 3B (2), R, K
With all the promotions, Jasso has been moved down the lineup. He doesn’t have the prospect pedigree of the five hitters placed ahead of him, but that doesn’t invalidate the solid season he is having.
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, 3 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-3, HR (9), 2 RBI, R, K
Hardman has five home runs in his last four games.  Flores leads the league in homers, Jones is second, and Hardman is tied for third (as of this writing).
DH Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, K

RHP Trent Sellers: (L, 1-2)  3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
3.57 ERA (40.1 IP, 25 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 17 BB, 50 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Will Brian: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
Since promotion: 2.70 ERA (16.2 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 20 K)
RHP Jordany Ventura: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (31-20) (Lost to Aberdeen, 3-2)

CF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-5, K
Lewis earns his first High-A hit. The 21-year-old earned this promotion by hitting .309/.381/.660 with eight home runs, 26 RBI, 29 runs, and seven stolen bases in May.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-5, 4 K
In April, it looked like Castillo was making a case for a promotion. He has slumped since. 
DH Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B Parks Harber: 2-for-3, R, BB
I am not surprised that he stayed here during the mass promotion day, as this is only his 26th High-A game. There is a good chance he will get to Double-A later this season.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
2B Jose Colmenares: 3-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
Vargas was the odd man out with the promotions to Somerset.
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-2, SB (3), 2 BB
RF Luis Durango: 1-for-4, K

LHP Kyle Carr: (L, 0-4)  6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
3.77 ERA (43 IP, 33 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 32 K). He fell one shy of his personal best for strikeouts in a game.
RHP Jake Cousins: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Health is more important than results.
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.12 ERA (17.1 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 23 K). 
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
That works. Season: 3.14 ERA (14.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 15 K).  While he is a reliever, the Yankees have spaced out his appearances. This is his first appearance since May 27th, and it isn’t uncommon for him to have this many days off.

Tampa (27-24) (Mauled Jupiter, 14-2. Let’s break this down: 14 runs, 13 hits, 17 walks (that’s not a typo), and a HBP)

SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-6, RBI, R, BB, 2 K
You know the team is having a good night when the leadoff batter gets to the plate seven times. 
CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-2, SF, 2 RBI, R, CS (4), 3 BB
Sanchez continues to hit. He is 17-for-39 (.436) with two doubles, two triples, and 14 RBI in his last ten games. 
DH Edgleen Perez: 2-for-5, RBI, BB, 3 K
.212/.362/.237 in 196 PA. He has a 17.9% BB and 22.96% K.
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-5, RBI, BB, K
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, 2B (11), 2 R, SB (15), BB, 3 K
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-2, 2B (6), RBI, 4 R, SB (11), 4 BB
Wilson sets personal bests for walks and runs in a game. Last year’s 8th-round pick had a strong May after a tough April.
2B Austin Green: 2-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, 4 R, HBP, BB
It’s been a struggle for last year’s 14th-round selection. However, he has three home runs in his last six games.
1B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, K
RF Marshall Toole: 2-for-3, 2B (7), SF, 5 RBI, 2 BB
Toole sets a new personal best for RBI in a game.

RHP Andrew Landry: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
It’s been an up-and-down campaign for Landry, including allowing ten runs in 1.1 innings and one run in six innings. It adds up to a 6.00 ERA in 39 IP (52 H, 32 R, 26 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 41 K).  His BABIP is a ridiculous .400.
RHP Gus Hughes: (W, 4-1)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Sokol: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (12-11) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 5-0, in a 7-inning game. Everyone contributed to this win, so a rare full lineup!)

DH Willy Montero: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
CF Isael Arias: 1-for-2, 2 R, CS (1), 2 BB
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
SS Dexters Peralta: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, K
Peralta is off to a rough start (4-for-38). His .167 BABIP should correct itself.
LF Wilson Rodriguez: 0-for-3, RBI
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-2, R, SB (6), CS (1), BB
3B-RF Santiago Gomez: 1-for-3, R, SB (12), K
Gomez was only 9-for-16 stealing bases in 2024. This season, he is 12-for-13.
RF Gabriel Lara: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (4), BB
Lara is hitting well in limited time (7-for-24, 2 HR, 3 BB, 2 K). However, known for his speed, he is 0-for-4 in the stolen base department.
1B Johan Contreras: 1-for-3, 2B (3), 2 K

RHP Jose M Rodriguez: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
1.46 ERA (12.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 10 BB, 12 K)
LHP Franyer Herrera (W, 1-0): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Stanly Alcantara: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

DSL Yankees (0-2) (Lost to the DSL Giants Black, 7-3)

DH Mani Cedeno: 1-for-4, K
CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-3, 2B (1), R, BB
2B Carlos Bello: 0-for-4, RBI, R, 2 K
RF Estivenzon Montero: 2-for-4, RBI, CS (1), K
The 17-year-old hit .242/.361/.364 in 119 PA in 2024. He drove in 22 runs.
LF Alfiery Matos: 1-for-4, SB (1), K
This is the 17-year-old’s professional debut.
SS Emmanuel Orozco: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
The switch-hitting 16-year-old makes his professional debut. I don’t have any information on his signing bonus.
1B Eliezer Adames: 0-for-2, BB, K
The 17-year-old’s professional debut.  They signed him for $250,000.

RHP Enixon Sanchez (L, 0-1): 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
As a 16-year-old last season, Sanchez was impressive here (2.79 ERA in 29 IP with a 29/16 K/BB). Someone to watch carefully.

DSL Bombers (1-1) (Lost to the Mets Orange, 6-5, in eight innings)

CF Ruben Castillo: 1-for-5, 3B (1)
The $875,000 signing earns his first professional hit.
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-2, R, SB (2), 2 BB
Marinez is coming out swinging (4-for-6, 3 BB, 0 K, 2-for-2 SB). Nothing wrong with making a strong early impression.
DH Queni Pineda: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R, BB, 2 K
I don’t think there are many DSL -> FCL promotions during the season, but Pineda could get a taste of the next level. Remember that the two leagues are no longer on the same schedule.
1B Remy Veldhuisen: 3-for-4, R, K
Out of the Dominican Republic, this is his first career 3-hit effort. Unlike many at this level, his age is advanced (20).
2B Adrian Feliz: 1-for-4, RBI, R, K
Listed as a shortstop, this is the 16-year-old’s professional debut. I don’t see any information on a signing bonus, so he was likely cheap.
RF Eddinson Charles: 1-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
Charles earns his first professional hit.
C Carlos Rondon: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
The 19-year-old went 8-for-61 in his debut 2024 season.

RHP Alexander Almonte: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
The 18-year-old pitched to a 3.51 ERA and 26/12 K/BB over 25.2 innings last year.

Yankees MILB 5/30: Tyler Hardman Homers Twice (Again)

Notes:

There’s nothing I can offer you.

Injury Log

Scranton (24-28) (Defeated Worcester, 3-1)

C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, 2 K
Rodriguez is 4-for-22 in his last five games (one of those games was a 3-hit effort). 
LF Dominic Smith: 2-for-3, R, BB
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-4, R, 2 K
.274/.377/.521 in 138 PA (2 doubles, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 32 R, 5-for-5 SB, 13.0% BB, 32.6% K). Pereira isn’t perfect, but we need him to stay healthy in case someone is needed in MLB. They have outfield “depth” to some extent, but a healthy Pereira would be their best bet.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
DH Alex Jackson: 1-for-4, 2B (3), 3 RBI
Jackson’s 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th gave Scranton the lead.
3B Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, K
  3B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-0
SS Braden Shewmake: 1-for-4
2B Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-4, K
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-3

RHP Anthony DeSclafani: 4 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Jake Woodford: (W, 2-2)  5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
The two MLB veterans combine to allow one run while scattering ten hits. Woodford has a 4.54 ERA in 39.2 IP (45 H, 23 R, 20 ER, 6 HR, 17 BB, 39 K). So far, the Yankees haven’t needed to dig too deeply into their starting pitching depth, which is surprising when you lose Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil before the season and Marcus Stroman (don’t laugh) during the season. If they ever need to, DeSclafani and Woodford are somewhere on the depth chart.

Somerset (23-25) (Lost to Akron, 8-7. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th and didn’t score. My high school coach would make us run the bleachers for two hours after such an effort)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, R, SB (7), 2 BB, K
Lombard Jr. continues to show off his plate discipline. It’s impressive for a 19-year-old (we won’t be able to call him a teenager much longer – he turns 20 on Monday)
DH Spencer Jones: 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Jones is hitting .237 with a .940 OPS (4 doubles, 9 HR, 17 RBI, 21 R, 7-for-9 SB, 18.3% BB, 35.8% K)
   PH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-0, BB
Yes, the Yankees are strict about players coming back from injury. Even down a run in the 9th, they weren’t going to allow Jones to bat.
   PR Max Burt: 0-for-0
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, BB
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, R, HBP, K
RF Brennen Davis: 1-for-5, 3 K
CF Garrett Martin: 1-for-5, 2B (8), 2 RBI, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-5, 2 HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 K
Hardman hits two home runs for the second day in a row.  He is giving us a glimpse of the masher he was a few years ago (before injury).
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, 3B (1), R, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Vrieling’s first two appearances since coming back from his rehab stint were scoreless (7.1 innings). I am not going to worry about a random rough evening when he is essentially in “late spring training” mode.
RHP Jordany Ventura: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: (L, 1-2)  0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Will Brian: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Ryan Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Cole Ayers:  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (30-18) (Lost to Wilmington, 4-0)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4
“Is Roc Riggio a legitimate prospect?” Yes, but with limitations. He won’t be versatile, remaining anchored at second base. His ability to hit for average at advanced levels will be tested. However, although he stands 5’9″, he has legitimate pull power, which would be enticing in Yankee Stadium. His ability to take walks further helps his profile, as he should be able to maintain a decent OBP.  Is there room for, let’s say, a .220/.310/.420 MLB second baseman with 10-15 stolen bases? This is where you can run into an issue with his defensive profile, as his bat may scream “solid utility guy!’ while his fielding screams “You can’t play him anywhere but second base!” Yes, tweener potential exists. We’ll learn more when he gets to Double-A, likely later this season.
LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, BB
Surprising to see Jones reach base twice and not steal a base! 
DH Jace Avina: 0-for-4, K
1B Coby Morales: 2-for-4, K
3B Parks Harber: 1-for-3, BB
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3, K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K

RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 3-3)  7 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Grosz needed only 86 pitches to record 21 outs. This is his second straight start in which he tossed seven innings without exceeding 90 pitches.  Season: 3.86 ERA (42 IP, 32 H, 22 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 51 K).  Going strictly by Pipeline rankings, Grosz is the least heralded of the *seven* starting pitchers at this level. If Grosz is the lowest-rated prospect on your staff, you must have something good.
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.24 ERA (16.2 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 22 K)
RHP Sebastian Keane: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
1.50 ERA (12 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 12 K)

Tampa (26-22) (Defeated Fort Myers, 9-3)

SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K
.161/.325/.280 in 117 PA (8 doubles, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R, 11-for-14 SB, 18.8% BB, 29.9% K). Even though his 2024 was uneven, he did show some power (42 extra-base hits, including 13 home runs). This is beyond being concerning.
CF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 SB (10), BB, 2 K
Sanchez is 5-for-14 with a pair of stolen bases since coming back from his 2-week injury.
C Edgleen Perez: 2-for-5, R, K
.217/.374/.245 in 182 PA. After an extended hot streak, he hit a little 0-for-13 slide entering tonight. His march through the system won’t be fast, as he is a 19-year-old catcher growing into his game. The Yankees have to keep throwing him out there.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
RF Cam Eden: 3-for-5, 3B (1), RBI, 2 R, SB (1)
Eden is a good speed/defense depth piece. He is 164-for-185 (88.6%) stealing bases in his 456-game minor league career. He had a cup of coffee with the 2023 Blue Jays, but didn’t attempt a stolen base.
LF Dillon Lewis: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, R, SB (13)
.238/.316/.458 in 187 PA (9 doubles, 2 triples, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 31 R, 13-for-14 SB, 9.6% BB, 27.8% K). The 21-year-old has tools to work with.
3B Juan Matheus: 0-for-2, R, 2 SB (14), 2 BB, K
.286/.358/.354 in 173 PA. Power will not likely be a part of his game, which is why he has to refine his basestealing (14-for-19 this year; 52-for-74 in his career) to add to his potential value. 
1B Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4, K
2B Austin Green: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, SB (6), HBP

RHP Gage Ziehl: (W, 2-2)  5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
4.22 ERA (32 IP, 31 H, 17 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 25 K). Ziehl has pitched well since coming back from Somerset, where he made one emergency start.
RHP Jack Sokol: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Zaffiro: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Chris Veach: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.42 ERA (19 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 32 K). Veach touched 95 MPH with his sinker tonight. That is important, as his bread-and-butter is his changeup. If he can dial up that fastball into the 94-95 range consistently, he could become a Tommy Kahnle-like prospect. Never take my comparisons as absolutes.

FCL (9-11) (Defeated the Tigers, 8-5)

DH Willy Montero: 0-for-3
Montero is here on a rehab stint from Tampa. Last year for Tampa, he hit .244/.311/.355 in 486 PA (23 doubles, 2 triples, 7 HR, 58 RBI, 64 R, 15-for-16 SB).
CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-1
There was a dreaded “injury delay” on a force play at second base. Mayea was pulled from the game.
    LF Kevin Verde: 1-for-4, R, SB (3), K
C Manuel Palencia: 3-for-5, 2 2B (4), R
3B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
RF Santiago Gomez: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, SB (9)
The 21-year-old is hitting .309/.375/.327 in 64 PA (9-for-10 SB)
1B Luis Puello: 1-for-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, R, BB, 2 K
Listed as a catcher, the 19-year-old has yet to play the position in 2025.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 3-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, SB (4)
Terrero has 3-hit and 4-hit games this season (11 games played).

RHP Edinzo Marquez: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
4.34 ERA (18.2 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 4 HR, 9 BB, 16 K)

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/29: Spencer Jones Returns

Notes:

OF Spencer Jones, out since May 3rd due to an “intercostal injury,” returned to the Somerset lineup tonight. He joined Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is in Somerset on a rehab stint.

Unfortunately, when someone comes off the injured list, someone has to go. The Yankees have released OF Grant Richardson. Drafted in the 17th round in 2021 out of Indiana, Richardson struggled between Somerset/Scranton this year, hitting .198/.288/.363 with three homers and a stolen base in 32 games. In 2022 and 2023, he accomplished a double-double in home runs and stolen bases. Last season, he just missed, hitting 9 homers while stealing 16 bases. Hopefully, he finds work elsewhere.

Injury Log

Scranton (23-28) (Lost to Worcester, 3-2)

C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 2 RBI
He was looking at a 0-for until his 2-run single in the 9th.  He is hitting .366/.445/.458 at this level.
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-5, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, K
DH Alex Jackson: 1-for-4, 2 K
2B Jose Rojas: 2-for-4, R, K
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 2-for-4, R
CF Ismael Munguia: 2-for-4, 2 SB (13)
Munguia is well within a career best for stolen bases (18, set in 2023 and 2024).
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-3, SB (12)
3B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Erick Leal:(L, 1-6)  4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR
LHP Jayvien Sandridge: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
If the Yankees unlock him, he could be a bullpen threat in the big leagues. It’s all about those walks.
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
Reyzelman cannot find a groove….
RHP Zach Messinger: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Messinger as a reliever can be interesting. In his first three games in the role: 8 IP, 6 R, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. It is possible they placed him in the bullpen temporarily to reset him as a starter, where he has struggled this year.

Somerset (23-24) (Destroyed Akron, 12-0)

3B Jazz Chisholm Jr.: 2-for-3, 2 R, BB
It’s hilarious that this franchise, adamant about moving Chisholm Jr. back to his natural position, may move him to third to accommodate the remnants of DJ LeMahieu. We would be laughing if the Colorado Rockies did something like this.
   3B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-1
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5, 3B (1), RBI
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, R, SB (7), CS (2)
Good to see Jones running in his first game back (plus, they played him in center field, a good sign they think he is fully healed). 
   CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, K
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, R, BB, K
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, HR (6), RBI, 2 R
.221/.329/.393 in 171 PA. 
LF Brennen Davis: 2-for-2, HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 R, HBP, BB
4-for-15 with two home runs and six runs scored. Davis has 167 games of Triple-A experience, and I assume he will get back there. It might be a roster space game more than anything else.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
DH Tyler Hardman: 3-for-3, 2 HR (6), 6 RBI, 2 R, BB
Hardman’s first multi-HR game since 2023 (he had five such games that season, including a 3-HR effort). He has 15 RBI in 19 May games.
2B Max Burt: 1-for-4, K

RHP JT Brubaker: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Solid start for Brubaker, who has a ticking clock that the Yankees will eventually need to decide on.
RHP Brendan Beck (W, 4-1): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
2.33 ERA (38.2 IP, 25 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 40 K). Beck has been impressive and healthy. Let’s hope he keeps it going.

Hudson Valley (30-16) (Lost to Wilmington, 7-6, in ten innings)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, HR (6), RBI, 2 R, K
Riggio has six home runs in 17 games (7 HR in 19 games if you want to include his FCL rehab stint)
LF Brendan Jones: 0-for-5, 2 K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2B (12), 2 R, 2 BB
Avina 12 doubles and four homers in 38 games. He has 20 RBI and 28 runs scored (15.3% BB).
DH Parks Harber: 1-for-5, 2B (8), RBI, R, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 3B (1), 3 RBI, R
Castillo is hitting .230/.331/.355 with 11 doubles, a triple, and a pair of home runs. He has 29 RBI in 39 games (he is 17-for-52 (.327) with RISP)
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
  PR Luis Durango: 0-for-0
   C Tomas Frick: 0-for-0, BB
3B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-5, K
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, HBP, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Ben Hess: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
4.05 ERA (40 IP, 27 H, 22 R, 18 ER, 1 HR, 24 BB, 59 K). Not giving up home runs and striking out 59 in 40 innings is good. The walks are the biggest issue he will need to work on.
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Warrecker has been outstanding all year, but it’s fair to point out that he allowed two of Hess’ runs to score tonight (he entered the game with the bases loaded and one out).  Season: 0.83 ERA (21.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 29 K).
RHP Hayden Merda: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
3.22 ERA (22.1 IP, 16 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 32 K). Merda has a 1.38 ERA in May (5.79 in April)
RHP Huey Morrill: (L, 2-1): 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (25-22) (Split two games with Lakeland)

Game 1 (Won, 2-0, in the completion of yesterday’s game)

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

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: (W, 2-3)  3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
6.43 ERA (35 IP, 49 H, 30 R, 25 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 37 K). 
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
5.11 ERA (24.2 IP, 27 H, 18 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 20 K)
RHP Brady Kirtner (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.08 ERA (26 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 30 K). A call to Hudson Valley may not be far off.

Game 2 (Lost, 3-1)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, 2 K
The struggle is real.
CF Brian Sanchez: 0-for-2, K
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-2, BB
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-3
RF Cam Eden: 0-for-2, BB
LF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-3, K
3B Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, R
.290/.355/.359 in 169 PA (10 doubles, 23 RBI, 20 R, 12-for-17 SB, 10.7% BB, 22.5% K). Matheus is doing a solid job adjusting to full-season ball, but is a cautionary tale about taking K/BB rates seriously in the rookie leagues (he compiled 84 walks and 76 strikeouts in 104 rookie league games)
1B Tyler Wilson: 1-for-2, 2B (5), BB
2B Owen Cobb: 2-for-2
.391/.429/.667 in 78 PA (6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 19 R, 8-for-10 SB, 6.4% BB, 19.2% K). 
  PH Austin Green: 0-for-1, K
Unless the idea was that Green would get an AB in Game 2 (weird) or Cobb was injured, I don’t get the idea of pinch-hitting for a kid hitting .391 with two outs and nobody on.

RHP Brandon Decker: (L, 1-1)  2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
2.14 ERA (21 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 21 K). This is his second straight start. I am not sure if they are starting to stretch him out but it would make sense.
LHP Tanner Bauman: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Sean Hermann: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
1.54 ERA (23.1 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 19 BB, 22 K). His BB rate has come down considerably in May.

FCL (8-11) (Lost to the Tigers, 3-0)

LF Brando Mayea: 0-for-3, HBP
.288/.366/.493 in 83 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 19 R, 4-for-7 SB)
C Ediel Rivera: 2-for-4, CS (2), K
.283/.400/.413 in 55 PA (3 doubles, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 R, 4-for-6 SB)
2B Gabriel Terrero: 1-for-2, 3B (1), BB, K
Terrero has a double, triple, and homer in ten games this season.
RF Santiago Gomez: 0-for-2, 2 SB (8), HBP

RHP Omar Gonzalez (L, 0-2): 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
RHP Mariano Salomon: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
0.68 ERA (13.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 15 K). Salomon has impressed in his career, throwing to a 2.67 ERA in 104.1 innings with a 131/24 K/BB.
RHP Chance Nolan: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
The former collegiate quarterback has yet to allow an earned run (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K)

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/20: Roderick Arias Doubles Twice

Notes:

Some injury notes:

LHP Brock Selvidge has started a rehab assignment in the FCL. He pitched 2.2 innings on Monday, allowing 2 runs (0 earned) on 3 hits with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Last year, he made 16 starts for Somerset, going 7-6 with a 4.25 ERA over 84.2 innings with an 80/43 K/BB. He is ranked 8th in the organization by Pipeline.

RHP Carson Coleman‘s long injury journey is hopefully over, as he is also on a rehab assignment in the FCL. The 27-year-old Coleman last pitched in 2022, when he was considered one of the Yankees’ top relief prospects. That year, he compiled a 2.13 ERA over 63.1 innings with a 95/19 K/BB. Despite missing all of 2023 to injury, the Texas Rangers chose him in the Rule 5 draft and placed him on the 60-day injured list. This past winter, they had the choice of adding him to the 40-man or returning him to the Yankees, and they opted to send him back.

SS Roderick Arias was activated off the injured list for Tampa.

Injury Log

Scranton (21-22)

Their game against Nashville (unique opponent!) was postponed. They will attempt to play two tomorrow.

Nashville is in the West division. Teams in the East don’t play every team in the West.

Somerset (18-21) (Shut down New Hampshire, 5-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, SB (4), K
Since promotion: .189/.360/.189 in 50 PA with ten walks and ten strikeouts. He is 4-for-5 stealing bases. You should be rewarded for your patience with Lombard Jr.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, R, SB (4), BB
.296/.349/.539 in 166 PA. Like many C/1B, he won’t overwhelm you with speed and will likely lose any speed he has as he gets older. That said, he is 15-for-17 stealing bases in his career so at least he is efficient at it.
CF Garrett Martin: 1-for-5, R, SB (7), 2 K
2B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-3, RBI, BB, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, R, K
.188/.235/.357 in 119 PA. 
3B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, R, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (2)
Gomez breaks a 0-for-13 slide. I once labeled him as their most promising pure catching prospect, but the offense has rarely shown up.

RHP Jon Olsen: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Jordany Ventura:(W, 2-0)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.14 ERA (14.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 20 K). It can be hard to differentiate between so many right-handed relief prospects. All they can do is perform as we speculate.
LHP Will Brian: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 1.50 ERA (12 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 15 K). Overall, he owns a 27/4 K/BB over 19 innings. Sneaky kid to watch.
RHP Kelly Austin: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.42 ERA (12.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 13 K). See Cohen, Harrison.

Hudson Valley (26-12) (Lost to Winston-Salem, 6-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (3), BB
Since his rehab stint ended: .237/.370/.553 in 46 PA (3 doubles, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 8 BB, 11 K). He has reached base safely in all ten games.
RF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, K
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-4, CS (3)
Morales was moved back here from Somerset.
DH Parks Harber: 0-for-3, BB
Since promotion: .323/.380/.538 in 71 PA. 
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
.256/.366/.434 in 153 PA (5 doubles, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 22 R, 14.4% BB, 28.8% K). He has cooled off since his insane hot streak (0-for-14 in his last five games, though he has drawn five walks)
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, 2 K
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, K

LHP Kyle Carr: (L, 0-2)  5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
3.86 ERA (30.1 IP, 25 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 15 BB, 22 K). Carr does a nice job keeping the ball on the ground, but “swing and miss” hasn’t shown up in his profile (117/70 K/BB in 134.1 career innings).
RHP Tony Rossi: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Between here and Tampa: 14.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 18 K. If you want to find a blemish, his K rate has fallen since his promotion (12/0 K/BB in 7.2 Tampa innings; 6/3 K/BB in 7 IP for Hudson Valley).
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.68 ERA (14.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 20 K)
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Tampa (20-20) (Defeated Dunedin, 7-4. They are 11-4 since a 2-10 stretch. Baseball!)

SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 2 2B (6), RBI, R, CS (1), BB, 2 K
Arias doubled and scored in his first AB since April 26th. He was off to a bad start before his injury (.155/.302/.254). Maybe this gets him going.
   3B Hans Montero: 0-for-0
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-4, RBI, R, BB, K
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-5, R, K
LF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (9), BB, 2 K
Lewis had a rough April, but his May has been encouraging (16-for-59 (.271); 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 16 R, 8 BB, 18 K, 3-for-3 SB). 
2B-SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, 2B (9), 2 RBI, 3 K
Matheus has an 8-game hitting streak (16-for-30 (.533); 3 doubles, 7 RBI, 6 R)
RF Austin Green: 1-for-3, 2 BB, K
3B-2B Owen Cobb: 1-for-4, R, 2 SB (7), CI, K
Cobb has a 7-game hitting streak (11-for-26 (.423); 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R). He is 7-for-8 stealing bases this year and 16-for-17 in his career. His batting average during the hitting streak (.423) is lower than his season average (.431). Would it shock me if he becomes the next obsession amongst the unheralded prospects? No.
CF Marshall Toole: 0-for-3, R, SB (8), HBP, K
1B Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, K

RHP Andrew Landry: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Landry generated 14 whiffs with his 4-pitch assortment (at least two whiffs per pitch). His 7.03 ERA includes a start where he allowed nine earned runs in 1.1 innings. Beyond that, there are things to be encouraged about, including 33 strikeouts in 32 innings.
RHP Jack Sokol: (W, 2-1)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Brady Kirtner: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
2.42 ERA (23 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 25 K)
RHP Chris Veach: (S, 2)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.65 ERA (16.1 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 28 K). One thing I notice from Baseball Savant: Veach loves his changeup.

FCL (6-7) (Lost to the Tigers, 10-9)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, RBI, K
.298/.389/.553 in 55 PA. He has hit safely in 11 of his 13 games this season. There is a balance between allowing a player to build confidence and recognizing that the level is no longer challenging. For now, I have no issue with him being here.
LF Isael Arias: 1-for-5, 2 RBI
C Ediel Rivera: 3-for-5, 2B (3), K
The 19-year-old is hitting .226/.351/.323 in his debut season.
DH Luis Puello: 2-for-4, 2 2B (3), 2 RBI, 2 R
Puello (19) has struggled to begin 2025. This was a much-needed performance (now 5-for-24).
2B Luis Escudero: 3-for-5, 2B (1), 2 RBI, R, K
Also off to a slow start, Escudero has two 3-hit efforts in his last three games. He is hitting .212/.297/.303. Before this stretch, he was hitting .045/.160/.045
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, R
RF Gabriel Lara: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 2 R
The speedy Lara is hitting .273/.333/.591 in only 24 plate appearances. He is 0-for-3 stealing bases.

RHP Carson Coleman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
This had to be an emotional game for Coleman. His journey has been long, and I am rooting for him to get back on track.
RHP J.T. Etheridge: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
2.31 ERA (11.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 22 K)

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 4/29: Dylan Jasso: Double, 2 HR

Notes:

SS Roderick Arias, hitting .155/.302/.254 (72 wRC+) in 86 plate appearances, was placed on Tampa’s 7-day injured list.

1B/3B Parks Harber, who has a 170 wRC+ this season, was rightfully promoted from Tampa to Hudson Valley.

IF Owen Cobb was activated off the injured list and assigned to Tampa.

After missing a few games for unknown reasons, teenage catcher Edgleen Perez was back in the lineup tonight for Tampa.

DJ LeMahieu‘s rehab stint is temporarily (?) halted due to needing a cortisone shot in his hip.

Injury Log

Scranton (12-13)

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

Somerset (10-12) (Defeated Richmond, 7-3)

3B Dylan Jasso: 3-for-5, 2B (5), 2 HR (5), 2 RBI, 3 R
Jasso’s third career 2-HR game. He had zero extra-base hits in his first five games and 11 in his last 13 games.  His OPS is up to .938, which leads the team and is 7th in the Eastern League.
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, HR (8), RBI, R, BB, K
Jones swats his Eastern League-leading 8th HR. He has 33 doubles, 6 triples, and 28 home runs in 160 Double-A games (715 PA).
C Rafael Flores: 3-for-5, HR (5), RBI, R, 2 K
Flores has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games (15-for-44 (.341); 5 doubles, 3 HR, 11 RBI). 
1B Tyler Hardman: 4-for-5, 2 2B (7), HR (2), 2 RBI, R
Hardman’s first 4-hit game since July 28, 2023 (third career 4-hit effort). 
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, 3 K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-5, K
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
DH Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Max Burt: 1-for-4, 2 K

RHP Brendan Beck: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Beck, who tossed 72 pitches tonight, allowed his first runs of the season.  Stats: 0.93 ERA (19.1 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 19 K)
RHP Indigo Diaz: (W, 2-1): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Danny Watson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (16-6) (Mauled Jersey Shore, 14-2. The Renedages have scored 125 runs while allowing 68.)

RF Brendan Jones: 2-for-4, RBI, R, CS (3), BB
.250/.363/.447 in 91 PA. Last 11 games: 15-for-44 (.341; 3 doubles, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 16 R)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, 2 R, HBP, BB, K
You know your season is going well when reaching base two times and scoring twice is an “off night”.  His .489 OBP is second in the South Atlantic League. The leader (Noah Myers, .540) is 25 years old.
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI, R, K
.277/.377/.431 in 77 PA (sevens are wild!). 
LF Jace Avina: 3-for-5, 2 R, K
Avina, who has three straight 3-hit efforts, increases his hitting streak to 7. It’s not a run-of-the-mill hitting streak; he is 15-for-27 (.556). His triple slash has risen from .190/.364/.214 to .333/.466/.420. Nuts.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-2, SF, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
3B Parks Harber: 3-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 R
Harber’s High-A debut is a successful one. He crushed Low-A (.304/.422/.551; 170 wRC+), and hopes to do the same here.
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-3, HR (grand slam), SF, 5 RBI
Morales falls one short of his personal best for RBI (5/5/24).
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
DH Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI, R, K

RHP Carlos Lagrange: (W, 2-1)  5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
He threw 96 pitches tonight. While I won’t search through all his game logs, I feel safe saying that is a personal best. Season: 4.58 ERA (19.2 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 32 K). He has surged after a rough first start. Lagrange has the talent to be a top-of-the-rotation starter.
RHP Tyrone Yulie: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Tony Rossi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Rossi hasn’t allowed a run in seven games between here and Tampa (9.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 15 K)

Tampa (8-14) (Lost to Bradenton, 5-2)

DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, R, BB
Perez’s first game since April 23.  He is hitting .189/.371/.208 (at his lowest point (4/16), he was hitting .114/.244/.114). Remember, he is an 18-year-old catcher receiving his first taste of full-season ball.
CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, 2B (7), 2 RBI, K
Sanchez is on a 5-game hitting streak (6-for-23). He is hitting .250/.292/.412 in 72 PA (5.6% BB, 30.6% K). 
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, K
RF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4
2B Austin Green: 0-for-3
LF Tyler Wilson: 0-for-3
SS Juan Matheus: 2-for-3
.235/.333/.333 in 63 PA (14.3% BB; 15.9% K). Matheus has never had a K/BB over 1.00 in his career.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-2, R, BB, K

RHP Andrew Landry: (L, 0-2)  5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Landry has a wide assortment of pitches, including a 4-seamer that topped out at 96.4 tonight (his sinker reached 95.8). He threw 88 pitches and owns a 7.94 ERA in 17 IP (27 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 18 K). His numbers are skewed by a 1.1 IP, 8 H, 10 R, 9 ER game.
RHP Jack Sokol: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Cole Zaffiro: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 9/24: The Finale

News:

Thanks to everyone for reading.

I say it every year: By the time we get to this point, I am ready for a break. Yes, there are fall and winter leagues to follow but I don’t pay as much attention. I certainly do not write full reports.

I have a “Where are they now?” (a look at past Yankees prospects) post ready for tomorrow. That will be my final entry for a while. I might write a full recap after the Yankees’ season ends.

Scranton (89-60)

Their season is over.

Somerset (75-62 (regular season); 2-2 (playoffs)) (Lost to Erie, 3-2. Erie takes the championship series, 2-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 3 K
The kind of MLB player Jones becomes depends heavily on the strikeout rate. A 36.8% rate in Double-A is scary. He knows that. The Yankees know that. We’ll see if he can adjust his game to cut that down.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, 2 K
He was named the Organizational Player of the Year by Baseball America. Once Agustin Ramirez was traded, the competition opened up, and the “big-name prospects” (Jones, Roderick Arias, etc.) didn’t establish themselves enough. Flores hit .279/.379/.495 in 506 PA with a 13% BB and 25.3% K. He hit 31 doubles, 21 home runs, and drove home 68. As for his future, he isn’t Rule 5 eligible until 2025, so the Yankees get one more evaluation year. He may make his MLB debut in 2025.
  C Juan Crisp: 0-for-1, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, RS
Seigler had a decent season in his first year as a second baseman (he didn’t catch once all year). Once again: He is beyond the point of being a “prospect,” but it was nice to see him healthy and contributing.
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
Hardman had 26 HR in 77 games for Somerset in 2023 before an injury ended his season (he had a legitimate chance at 35+ HR). His comeback in 2024 didn’t go well (10 HR in 96 regular season games), and I wonder if his injury played a role. 
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3
DH Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, 2 K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cam Schlittler: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
To his credit, Schlittler needed 61 pitches to get through a rough first two innings. He bounced back to put up a pair of zeroes before leaving the game. He is in the running for Organizational Pitcher of the Year (he won the Sally League (High-A) Pitcher of the Year Award) and should make his way to Scranton sometime in 2025.
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
While the 6’6″ Anderson has missed bats in the minors (28.3% K heading into tonight), his calling card is the ground ball (63.4%). Anderson survived the 2023 Rule 5 draft without being picked but he is the type who is at risk.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Velasquez always puts up solid strikeout numbers but control has been an issue during his development.
RHP Cole Ayers: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Ayers earned a promotion to Double-A down the stretch, which is significant. After the promotion, he pitched to a 5.00 ERA in 9 IP (4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 11 K). Four of those runs were allowed in one outing.
RHP Matt Sauer: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Sauer initially struggled after the Royals sent him back. He pitched well out of the Somerset bullpen down the stretch. 

Hudson Valley (73-58 (regular season); 3-3 (playoffs))

Their season is over.

Tampa (54-74)

Their season is over.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.