The trade deadline is a week away, so there’s heightened focus on the Yankees’ farm system, but this is not a good week for there to be such a microscope on it.
Despite recent returns from the top two bats in the system, injuries are decimating the organizational pitching depth and potentially damaging the value of the organization on the trade market. And with the FCL season over, a chain of promotions is bubbling up as the new week begins tonight.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Record: 16-9 (53-46), 2 GB in the International League
East after a 3-3 week against the Syracuse Mets (Mets)
Run differential: +34 (+37)
Coming up: Away @ Iowa Cubs (Cubs)
It was an inconsistent week for the RailRiders, who are still in the thick of the second-half race in the International League. They won by eight on Tuesday and won via shutout on Thursday, but lost back-to-back uncompetitive games to start the weekend before gritting out a 3-2 win to secure a split on Sunday against Syracuse.
Spencer Jones spent half the week down there before being recalled due to a doubleheader on Wednesday and for good when Cody Bellinger went down on Saturday night, where he kept hitting, as did J.C. Escarra as he continues to stay ready. Marco Luciano has heated up, while Tyler Hardman is cooling down. It remains the George Lombard Jr. show, as he stayed consistent all week to extend his hitting streak to 18 games with an 8-for-18 week with two doubles and five walks. Garrett Martin has been ruled out for the season with an undisclosed injury, ending a breakout campaign.
The three veterans (Kloffenstein, Hamel, and Cornielle) all had choppy outings this week, so it’s no surprise that the two prospects who made their starts picked up all three winning decisions. Brendan Beck won International League Pitcher of the Week with 6.1 shutout innings and seven strikeouts on Thursday, while Elmer Rodríguez drew the Tuesday/Sunday double feature, allowing four runs in 10.1 innings. The Sunday game was encouraging, as he struck out seven without a walk, bucking a recent trend of shoddy command. Kyle Carr went on the 7-day injured list on Tuesday.
It was an inconsistent week for the bullpen, as it seems like every notable arm gave up hard contact and runs. Bradley Hanner, Yerry De los Santos, Eric Reyzelman, and Yovanny Cruz traded good and bad outings, while guys like Carson Coleman and Chris Kean had bad blowup outings.
Players of Note:
George Lombard Jr.: .264/.406/.429, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 20 XBH, 8 SB, 125 wRC+
Marco Luciano: .284/.379/.467, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 17 XBH, 122 wRC+
Tyler Hardman: .242/.341/.445, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 19 XBH, 105 wRC+
Brendan Beck: 8-2, 2.89 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 17.8 K-BB% (99.2 IP)
Elmer Rodríguez: 7-3, 2.93 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 12.2 K-BB% (76.2 IP)
Double-A Somerset Patriots
Record: 13-14 (50-46), 3 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 5-1 week against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)
Run differential: +11 (+47)
Coming up: Home vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)
It wasn’t a positive start to the week for Somerset, with a Tuesday postponement and a Wednesday loss, but they ran the table against New Hampshire, winning five games in four days for their best week in several months. They’re still in the playoff race, even with their miserable start to the second half.
What worked so well for Somerset this week was their slumping offense getting contributions up and down the lineup. Kevin Verde and Miguel Palma, for example, combined for three home runs and nine RBI on Sunday. Jace Avina has remained the constant in the lineup, but Coby Morales (9-for-25, HR, 4 RBI, 3 XBH) has started to heat up again in a big way, as did DJ Gladney (12-for-26, 3 HR, 10 RBI).
There was some good and some bad in the rotation. Ben Hess threw another five strong innings with seven strikeouts to finish a strong month, as did Jack Cebert and Xavier Rivas. Cade Smith also allowed just two runs in five innings. Chase Hampton had another choppy start as he has struggled to get back on track this season, and the bad news truly hit when Cebert, who has a 1.74 ERA in 20.2 innings this month, was placed on the injured list late in the week.
Not the best week for the bullpen, but it didn’t matter in the wins and losses. The notable point here is that 2024 UDFA Tony Rossi allowed his first career home run on Tuesday after not allowing an opponent to leave the yard through 77.2 career innings over the last two seasons.
Players of Note:
Jace Avina: .264/.356/.527, 17 HR, 49 RBI, 39 XBH, 27.5 K%, 135 wRC+
DJ Gladney: .269/.326/.503, 18 HR, 64 RBI, 16 SB, 119 wRC+
Coby Morales: .281/.361/.501, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 16 SB, 131 wRC+
Xavier Rivas: 5-4, 4.02 ERA, 4.58 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 23.2 K-BB% (69.1 IP)
Ben Hess: 3-2, 3.94 ERA, 4.96 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 15.2 K-BB% (45.2 IP)
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Record: 16-14 (46-48), 2 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 3-3 week against the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
Run differential: +31 (+40)
Coming up: Home vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)
Hudson Valley also did not play on Tuesday due to a rainout, but split the eventual doubleheader on Thursday. A heartbreaking loss on Sunday solidified a series split and squandered an opportunity to pull within one game of a playoff spot.
With Kaeden Kent still out, the offense has been carried by a rejuvenated Eric Genther and the consistent bats of Wilson Rodriguez and Roderick Arias, but reinforcements are needed. Core Jackson left Saturday’s game in the third inning for an undisclosed reason, and while he hasn’t been put on the injured list, we’ll monitor the situation. There are rumblings that the promotion carousel might get them reinforcements in the form of star Tampa bats Jackson Lovich and Willy Montero.
It was a mixed bag for the pitchers. Bryce Cunningham and Franyer Herrera struggled, Allen Facundo and Henry Lalane failed to finish five innings due to choppy command, and Luis Serna struck out eight in 5.2 innings but was undone by his defense. The best-performing starter was Rory Fox, who threw a six-inning complete game and picked up another quality start. The Notre Dame product has a 3.29 ERA in 41 innings since the start of June after a rough start to his debut season.
The bullpen took a step back. Hansel Rincon and Wilmy Sanchez had good weeks, but it was rough for Bryce Warrecker and several arms traded good and bad outings. There’s not much going on here after some of the earlier promotions, but maybe some Tampa call-ups could help them.
Players of Note:
Eric Genther: .268/.397/.419, 10 HR, 49 RBI, 23 XBH, 120 wRC+
Core Jackson: .252/.358/.464, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 29 SB, 113 wRC+
Roderick Arias: .268/.358/.442, 12 HR, 61 RBI, 29 SB, 109 wRC+
Luis Serna: 4-4, 3.90 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 19.1 K-BB% (87.2 IP)
Bryce Cunningham: 2-6, 4.63 ERA, 5.06 FIP, 1.42 WHIP, 8.0 K-BB% (56.1 IP)
Single-A Tampa Tarpons
Record: 21-9 (53-37), 4.5 GA in the Florida State League West after a 3-3 week against the Bradenton Marauders (Pirates)
Run differential: +42 (+65)
Coming up: Home vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers)
For the first time in a while, Tampa looked human this week, failing to win a series for the first time since mid-June. They still got a split and remain comfortably ahead of the pack in the FSL West, but there’s no time to take your foot off the gas pedal.
There’s going to be a lot of change with the offense next week. With Lovich and Willy Montero heading to Hudson Valley, the team will need some reinforcements (which they’ll be getting, more on that in a bit). It helps that Dax Kilby is back from rehab and raking. Luis Escudero returned from injury and has continued to hit after missing three weeks, while the catching platoon of David McCann and Luis Puello have been the best-performing catcher bats in the system. The other catcher, Engelth Urena, even hit a big home run late in the week.
The starting pitching is getting decimated by injuries. Thatcher Hurd made his first rough start in a while on Tuesday and was placed on the injured list for the second time this season shortly after. Neither Wyatt Parliament nor JT Etheridge provided any length either, so the success stories of the week are reduced to a six-inning, three-run quality start by Justin West and Tyler Boudreau (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) continuing a fantastic season.
It was a step forward for the bullpen, particularly the guys who’ve been throwing the high-leverage innings: Jose M. Rodriguez, Jose Martinez, and Pedro Rodriguez. Greysen Carter’s multi-month revival took a step back with a few bad outings, but at least he isn’t walking the population of a small country anymore. Edinzo Marquez will help this unit nicely in long relief after being promoted from rookie ball.
Players of Note:
Jackson Lovich: .275/.350/.509, 18 HR, 61 RBI, 37 XBH, 21 SB, 122 wRC+
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: .268/.378/.416, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 33 SB, 114 wRC+
Hans Montero: .239/.367/.413, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 30 XBH, 30 SB, 111 wRC+
Tyler Boudreau: 5-2, 2.94 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 19.7 K-BB% (79.2 IP)
Justin West: 7-3, 5.06 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.40 WHIP, 17.2 K-BB% (80 IP)
FCL Yankees
Record: 29-29, 7.5 GB in the FCL North after an 0-3 week.
Run differential: +2
The first of the seven affiliates has concluded its season, as the FCL Yankees sleepily lost their final three games and will go into the semi-instructional league that they have at the complex, integrating some of the 2026 draftees over the coming weeks. It’s a real shame; they broke the FCL home run record and finished first in OPS and fifth in runs, yet missed the playoffs with a 6.19 team ERA.
Wilberson De Pena is reportedly heading to Tampa, and he deserves it. He had arguably the greatest rookie ball season ever, winning the first true FCL Triple Crown in history after breaking the GCL/FCL home run, RBI, and total base records. I cannot wait to see Statcast readings for this guy.
Leni Done and Jose Castro should also merit some consideration, but it’s not all sunshine and roses. Seven-figure international signing Francisco Vilorio struggled badly in his first season stateside after being underwhelming in the DSL. Danny Rowland’s seven-figure deal history continues to look worse and worse.
Most of these pitchers are probably done for the season, and for good reason, but injuries in Tampa require some promotions, namely Marquez and Danny Flatt.
Players of Note:
Wilberson De Pena: .358/.411/.677, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 37 XBH, 22 SB, 152 wRC+
Jose Castro: .328/.488/.552, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 29 SB, 158 wRC+
Richard Matic: .283/.394/.439, 22 XBH, 28 RBI, 14 SB, 108 wRC+
Dexters Peralta: .229/.352/.505, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 20 XBH, 100 wRC+
Edinzo Marquez: 28.2 IP, 2.20 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, 16.1 K-BB%
DSL Yankees & Bombers
DSL Yankees:
Record: 23-16, 0.5 GB in DSL East after a 1-4 week
Run differential: +84
DSL Bombers:
Record: 18-22, 7.5 GB in DSL Southeast after a 3-2 week
Run differential: +1
It was a rare bad week for the DSL Yankees, who nearly went winless until walking it off on Monday. Their offense has cooled down a bit after being unbelievable in the first six weeks, but Isaias Castillo has heated back up, seemingly irked by an All-Star snub. He leads the entire DSL with 11 home runs and is in rarified air. Juan Torres is also excelling as a more well-rounded hitter.
The storyline of the week is Yostin Pena, an 18-year-old outfielder who signed for $350,000 last year and is slashing .375/.457/.646 with 57 RBI and 27 stolen bases in just 37 games. Beyond the fact that he was on pace to shatter RBI records, he was the recipient of an extremely rare in-season stateside promotion on Monday, but here’s the catch. He’s not just going to the complex; he’s skipping the FCL and going directly to Tampa. It’s a super bold move for a guy this young, but he’s been unbelievable in the little we’ve seen from him.
Players of Note:
Isaias Castillo: .304/.408/.628, 11 HR, 32 RBI, 24 XBH, 17 SB, 132 wRC+
Juan Torres: .372/.448/.622, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 25 XBH, 20 SB, 147 wRC+
Stiven Marinez: .301/.435/.503, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 28 SB, 125 wRC+
Fredy Penuelas: 34.2 IP, 1.56 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, 19.0 K-BB%
Yunior Jerez: 33 IP, 3.27 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 15.5 K-BB%
Prospect of the Week: DJ Gladney
Weekly Stats: 12-for-26, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 5 XBH, 2 SB
Season Stats (Double-A): .269/.326/.503, 18 HR, 64 RBI, 16 SB, 119 wRC+
