The dog days of August are in full swing on the minor league calendar, and as some of the Yankees affiliates juggle an injury bug and a ton of moving parts due to midseason promotions, the playoff race is heating up. As of right now, just two teams will be playing for a title, with one of them down in rookie ball.
This week on the farm, we saw some odd social media behavior, a surprising spot-start in Double-A, some good and bad debuts, an offensive explosion in Tampa, and a playoff ticket punched
down in the Dominican Republic.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Record: 25-17 (62-54), 1.5 GB in the International League East after a 1-4 week against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)
Run differential: +25 (+28)
Coming up: Home vs. Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
It’s been a really ugly start to August for a RailRiders bunch that was rolling through the International League for the first few weeks of the second half. They’ve now lost eight of 10, losing a pair of one-run games this week against Lehigh Valley, with a pair of blowouts to boot. The offense struggled especially, scoring just 17 runs in five games.
Despite having a very stout offense on paper, it was anything but this week. Outside of an outstanding week from Max Schuemann (6-for-18, 4 XBH, 3 RBI, 2 BB), there were a lot of struggles. Jasson Domínguez looked shaky, as did guys like Tyler Hardman and Christian Bethancourt. Two of the bigger storylines of the week came with Mitch Garver making his org debut on Saturday and Anthony Volpe using two challenges in the first inning, something that should normally be treated as a regular goof, but was blown up by the Lehigh Valley social media page tweeting like a Boston Twitter troll. Volpe himself had a so-so week other than that.
The rotation welcomed a new prospect on Wednesday with the Triple-A debut of rising prospect Xavier Rivas, but he was rudely greeted with a disaster of a start, allowing six runs in 0.2 innings. Outside of him and the rotating veteran cast of Adam Kloffenstein and Alexander Cornielle, it was a good week for the other two on prospect lists. Brendan Beck tossed a quality start, allowing three runs in six innings, while Elmer Rodríguez had maybe his best start of 2026, striking out seven in seven shutout innings on Thursday.
The bullpen was where things really fell apart this week. Pretty much everyone got hit around, including another Double-A call-up, Hayden Merda, whose fastball velo jump after a 2024 Tommy John surgery has made him one of the better relievers in the system over the last two years. Injuries to Angel Chivilli and Kervin Castro in the last week have seriously thinned what’s left of the bullpen depth.
Players of Note:
Jasson Domínguez: .285/.364/.444, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 11 SB, 111 wRC+
Marco Luciano: .287/.378/.471, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 22 XBH, 122 wRC+
Oswaldo Cabrera: .291/.348/.441, 14 HR, 52 RBI, 28 XBH, 103 wRC+
Brendan Beck: 9-2, 2.75 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 19.9 K-BB% (121 IP)
Elmer Rodríguez: 8-3, 2.63 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 12.5 K-BB% (92.1 IP)
Double-A Somerset Patriots
Record: 23-22 (60-54), 2.5 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 5-1 week against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)
Run differential: +3 (+39)
Coming up: Away @ Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies)
Somerset needed a big week to revive their fleeting playoff hopes, and they got that with an emphatic five-game winning streak against New Hampshire, which saw the pitching staff hold the Fisher Cats to just 11 total runs before a Sunday outburst. The top moment of the week on the farm was this walk-off HR by Omar Alfonzo, recently acquired in the Camilo Doval trade.
It was a group effort offensively, with nobody truly standing out except for maybe the ever-consistent Coby Morales (4-for-12, HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB). Manuel Palencia stayed hot, having hit .372 with a 163 wRC+ since July 1. Connor McGinnis continued to shine, Luis Durango continued to be a complete enigma, and they got a brief reinforcement with 2025 fifth-rounder Core Jackson’s promotion. He went 5-for-17 with 5 RBI, four walks, and four stolen bases this week, but he just went on the injured list for the third time this season. Bummer.
There’s not too much to say about the rotation, aside from two names. Carlos Rodón had a nice rehab start; Dom Hamel was demoted and did fine, and Trent Sellers was used as an opener, but the two stars of the week are Rory Fox and Cade Smith, with the former getting double duty on Tuesday and Sunday, pitching 12.2 total innings, while the latter tossed a seven-inning gem in one of his best outings of the season. A potential developing story: Former first-round pick Ben Hess had his start skipped for an undisclosed reason.
It was a stellar week for the bullpen, as Geoff Gilbert, Matt Keating, Harrison Cohen, and Kelly Austin tossed three shutout innings apiece, but it was a one-time piggyback call-up who was the star of this unit this week. Tyler Boudreau, a 2025 UDFA out of Texas Tech, has had a strong season in Single-A Tampa, but was called up out of necessity to piggyback Rodón on Thursday. Even though he was going to be shipped back to Florida no matter what, he made the most of it, tossing 3.2 shutout innings with six strikeouts in a stellar Double-A debut that’ll certainly give him further consideration down the road.
Players of Note:
Jace Avina: .254/.357/.495, 19 HR, 55 RBI, 47 XBH, 24.9 K%, 128 wRC+
DJ Gladney: .265/.322/.508, 21 HR, 75 RBI, 17 SB, 118 wRC+
Coby Morales: .273/.362/.492, 19 HR, 74 RBI, 19 SB, 129 wRC+
Cade Smith: 6-4, 5.09 ERA, 5.87 FIP, 1.49 WHIP, 11.0 K-BB% (99 IP)
Ben Hess: 3-4, 4.45 ERA, 4,69 FIP, 1.45 WHIP, 13.7 K-BB% (56.2 IP)
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Record: 25-23 (55-57), 4.5 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 4-2 week against the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
Run differential: +34 (+43)
Coming up: Away @ Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)
The team with the longest odds of making the playoffs of any Yankee full-season affiliate, Hudson Valley, has been in the process of cycling through Single-A call-ups throughout their lineup, with a pitching staff that hasn’t been able to push for a promotion as of yet. They had a strong week, grinding out a bunch of close wins, including a pair of three-run victories over the weekend to secure their second straight series win.
A good chunk of Hudson Valley’s lineup was in Tampa for much of July, with the promotion of Hans Montero adding to it this past week. The stars of the week included Jackson Lovich (7-for-20, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 3B), who’s found his pop after relying on a heavily unsustainable BABIP in his first two weeks at the level, 2026 UDFA Maika Niu (5-for-18, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2B, 4 BB), and recent Tampa call-up David McCann (5-for-18, 2 HR, 4 RBI). Despite not drafting a lot of catchers prior to this year, the Yankees may have found something with a pair of undrafted backstops in McCann and Eric Genther, HV’s most reliable hitter all season long.
Two of the six starts made by Renegades pitchers this week were actually made by a rehabbing Luis Gil, who has quietly returned from a multi-month absence. Based on the proximity of the starts, I’d imagine he’ll be built up to be a two-inning reliever going forward. As for the regulars, Franyer Herrera tossed six scoreless in a piggyback role, Luis Serna and Sean Paul Liñan gritted through five innings, Allen Facundo ended a recent stretch of struggles with seven solid innings, and Bryce Cunningham had his best K/BB outing of the season with eight strikeouts to no walks, but allowed four runs on 10 hits.
Two relievers who had strong weeks were Wilmy Sanchez and Thomas Balboni Jr., two guys trying to make a name for themselves as recent throw-ins in lower-level trades. Sanchez, who was acquired for Braden Shewmake in April, has 56 strikeouts and a sub-3 ERA in 36.1 innings in High-A this season, while Balboni, acquired in the Enyel De Los Santos deal two years ago, has 49 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA across 34.1 innings this season after recovering from TJS. We’ll see if either gets to Double-A in the coming weeks.
Players of Note:
Eric Genther: .266/.402/.428, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 31 XBH, 123 wRC+
David McCann (FCL/A/A+): .301/.388/.608, 14 HR, 49 RBI, 24 XBH, 147 wRC+
Jackson Lovich (A/A+): .287/.356/.504, 20 HR, 77 RBI, 31 SB, 29.2 K%, 121 wRC+
Luis Serna: 5-5, 4.39 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 19.7 K-BB% (98.1 IP)
Bryce Cunningham: 2-8, 4.60 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 10.5 K-BB% (74.1 IP)
Single-A Tampa Tarpons
Record: 31-16 (63-44), 5.5 GA in the Florida State League West after a 4-2 week against the Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Run differential: +62 (+85)
Coming up: Home vs. Daytona Beach Tortugas (Reds)
Tampa just keeps on rolling. They’re 6-0-2 in their last eight series after another methodical beatdown of Dunedin. After being blown out on Tuesday and Wednesday, they scored 50 runs over the last four games and won by a combined 26 runs. It would be shocking if they found a way to miss the playoffs.
It was hard to find a Tarpon who had a bad week. Brando Mayea has gotten a hit in 18 consecutive starts (137 wRC+ since 7/5), Luis Escudero and Luis Puello both had multi-homer games, 2026 draftees Diego Castellanos, Anthony Potestio, and Tyce Armstrong all raked, Wilberson De Pena finally shook off some of his bad luck, and Dax Kilby had a positive week, walking over a fifth of the time and reaching 16 times in 32 plate appearances. Residential Statcast darling Yostin Pena returned from an eight-day absence and, naturally, hit a ball 114 mph, the second-hardest ever by an 18-year-old.
Without Boudreau, the rotation was ineffective but benefited from their historic offense. JT Etheridge and Edinzo Marquez struggled in choppy outings; Wyatt Parliament was limited to just three innings, and two of the starts were used for the rehab of Triple-A depth arm Yerry Rodriguez. Justin West was the most impressive this week, continuing a solid stretch with a quality start, allowing two runs in 6.1 innings. The bullpen was not good at all, but they got another incredible inning out of converted reliever Antonio Gomez.
Players of Note:
Luis Puello: .278/.346/.535, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 32 XBH, 124 wRC+
Yostin Pena (DSL/A): .360/.432/.608, 9 HR, 65 RBI, 30 SB, 142 wRC+
Dax Kilby: .286/.432/.443, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 6 SB, 139 wRC+ (88 PA)
Tyler Boudreau: 6-3, 3.46 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 17.8 K-BB% (91 IP)
Justin West: 9-3, 4.52 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.32 WHIP, 17.4 K-BB% (97.2 IP)
FCL Yankees
Record: 29-29, 7.5 GB in the FCL North
Run differential: +2
Season over.
DSL Yankees & Bombers
DSL Yankees:
Record: 33-20, 2 GB in DSL East after a 4-1 week
Run differential: +143
DSL Bombers:
Record: 24-29, 11 GB in DSL Southeast after a 3-2 week
Run differential: +4
The first playoff spot has been secured in the Yankees’ system, as the DSL Yankees’ terrific season will culminate in them being in the 16-team DSL Cup starting on Thursday. They’ve done it on the backs of a truly historic offense that they hope will carry them to a title.
Isaias Castillo will likely come up short on his quest to be the DSL’s all-time home run leader, but the team has three other guys with an OPS over 1.000 in Stiven Marinez, Poly Ojeda, and a truly special season from Juan Torres, who we’ll talk about in a bit. Just imagine if Yostin Pena was still here.
The DSL Bombers will play their final game today, but they did their brothers a service on the way out with a win over DSL Rangers Blue to clinch the Yankees a playoff spot. They’ve had a rough deal as a feeder team, but I’ll give them a quick shoutout for the dominance of David Carrera this year (.333/.502/.594, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 23 XBH, 8 SB in 225 PA).
Players of Note:
Isaias Castillo: .298/.415/.634, 14 HR, 49 RBI, 35 XBH, 28 SB, 135 wRC+
Juan Torres: .387/.470/.648, 8 HR, 64 RBI, 35 XBH, 26 SB, 160 wRC+
Poly Ojeda: .315/.469/.546, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 13 XBH, 143 wRC+ (143 PA)
Fredy Penuelas: 47 IP, 1.72 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 19.0 K-BB%
Cesar Acosta: 51.2 IP, 3.31 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 24.1 K-BB%
Prospect of the Week: Juan Torres
Weekly Stats: 7-for-17, 3 RBI, 3 2B, 5 BB, 1 K, 3 SB (1 CS)
Season Stats: .387/.470/.648, 8 HR, 64 RBI, 35 XBH, 26 SB, 160 wRC+
With the lack of a true standout performer this week, I’ll use this space to talk about an under-the-radar guy who’s been showing out. This week, we’ll honor the last week of DSL regular season baseball by appreciating the spectacular season that Juan Torres has had.
Torres, a 5-foot-10, 162-pound infielder from Jimani on the Haiti-D.R. border, signed for just $50,000 with the Yankees on January 24, 2025 as one of the smaller signings that populate every IFA class. In his age-17 season in 2025, he hit to a .922 OPS in 47 games with the pseudo-JV team (DSL Bombers), which earned him a minor promotion to the DSL Yankees midseason. While returning a guy like that who will be 18 was always likely to yield a good season, this has been quite incredible.
In 52 games this year, Torres is hitting a blistering .387 with an OPS over 1.100. He’s been automatic for the Yanks, recording a hit in 40/52 games and increasing his production on the basepaths from 12-for-20 to 26-for-32. If you’ve been following the daily minor league recaps on the site, he’s perhaps the most consistent contributor in the entire system.
On a team that’s had a guy chasing the single-season home run record and had another on pace to break the RBI record before a rare midseason promotion, he’s been their best player. Here’s some numbers to contextualize what he’s doing:
- His .387 BA with two games to go would be the best in DSL Yankees’ affiliated history.
- His 25 doubles are currently second most in DSL history (which dates back to 2006, as there are no reliable numbers before that).
- His 64 RBIs are third-most in DSL history.
- His minuscule 6.8 K% is the lowest of any player with an OPS over 1.000 in DSL history. The second-lowest is 8 percent.
- No other player with an OPS over 1.100 in DSL history has ever had a strikeout rate under 10 percent.
It’s hard to say if this guy is a real prospect because of how volatile DSL prospects can be, but expect him to be in the FCL next summer with a chance to end his age-19 season in Tampa if things go well in 2027.
