Welcome to Week 25 of the Yankees minor league recap! The 2025 season reached its conclusion in Somerset after a playoff loss, while the postseason is just beginning for the surging RailRiders. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz
was promoted following Somerset’s defeat, and he could suddenly play a big role with his new club in Triple-A. Here’s how the Yankees’ minor-leaguers performed last week:
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 87-60; Second in International League (East), 0.5 GB (49-26 in Second Half)
Past Week: 4-2 @ Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays)
Coming up: Playoffs @ Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
The RailRiders ended the regular season with momentum on their side, taking four out of six games in Buffalo to clinch a playoff spot. They finished just half a game back in the division with an 87-60 record on the season, but led the International League with a 49-26 record in the second half. They’ll travel to Jacksonville for a three-game series against the Jumbo Shrimp, which will determine which team reaches the Triple-A Championship.
The series in Buffalo began with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday, behind an excellent start from Allan Winans who pitched six innings of one-run ball and lowered his ERA to 1.63 in what’s been an incredible season for the right-hander. Winans struck out six batters and improved his record to 12-1, and T.J. Rumfield hit his 16th home run of the season in the win. Scranton won again on Wednesday 6-1, as Spencer Jones stole the show with two home runs to bring his season total to 35 (19 at Triple-A). Brendan Beck got the win on the mound, allowing one run over 5.1 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. They dropped Thursday’s game in a 2-0 shutout as Alek Manoah tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in the midst of an eternal rehab assignment.
Scranton’s offense got back on track with a 10-2 victory on Friday. Jose Rojas hit his 32nd home run of the season, and Bryan De La Cruz hit his 15th. Jones went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, and J.C. Escarra went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. They lost 4-2 on Saturday in Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz’s Triple-A debut. Rodriguez-Cruz was promoted following the conclusion of Somerset’s season (he was slated to pitch in a potential Game 3 against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies), and allowed four runs in five innings with eight hits and three strikeouts. Escarra picked up three more hits and drove in both runs in the loss. The RailRiders’ regular season ended with a 2-1 victory behind five scoreless innings from Kenta Maeda. The two runs came on an RBI groundout from Brennen Davis and an RBI single from Jorbit Vivas. Jake Bird struck out the side in order in the eighth as he attempts to make his way back to the Bronx. Scranton will play for a Championship berth in a three-game road series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Beck will take the mound against Top 100 prospect Robby Snelling in the first game of the series on Tuesday night.
Players of Note:
Spencer Jones: 298 PA; .274/.342/.555, 19 HR, 48 RBI, 19 SB, 8.7 BB%, 36.6 K%, 131 wRC+
Brennen Davis: 142 PA; .248/.324/.576, 12 HR, 30 RBI, 1 SB, 7.1 BB%, 31.0 K%, 129 wRC+
Jose Rojas: 517 PA; .287/.379/.599, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 15 SB, 12.6 BB%, 20.9 K%, 153 wRC+
Allan Winans: 99.1 IP; 1.63 ERA, 26.4 K%, 6.8 BB%, .205 BAA, 1.03 WHIP
Double-A Somerset Patriots
Final Record: 73-65; Second place in Eastern League (Northeast), 18 GB (38-31 in Second Half)
Past Week: 0-2 vs Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
The Patriots saw their season reach its conclusion this week, as they were eliminated in the Eastern League Division Series by the Mets’ Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Both games were competitive until the very end, but Somerset was unable to pull out either victory and the series ended before what would’ve been a pivotal Game 3 with Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz on the mound.
They earned a playoff spot by going 38-31 in the second half and being the only other team in the division with a positive record, second only to the 45-24 Rumble Ponies, who had already punched their ticket in the first half. Somerset went into the series as underdogs. The Patriots hosted Game 1 with 2024 first-round pick Ben Hess taking the mound against Jonathan Santucci. Hess was effective, pitching five innings and allowing just two runs with two walks and four strikeouts, but after an early RBI single by Dylan Jasso the offense was unable to get anything else going and Hess was tagged with the loss. Chris Suero hit a clutch home run in the eight inning to seal the game for Binghamton.
The Patriots needed to win two straight games in Binghamton to advance to the finals, and Carlos Lagrange took the ball in Game 2 against Jack Wenninger. Lagrange didn’t have one of his better outings after a breakout season and allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings of work. Wenninger was nearly unhittable and tossed six shutout innings with nine strikeouts and just one hit allowed. The Patriots were almost able to climb out of a 5-0 hole with a four-run seventh led by RBI singles from Jackson Castillo and Max Burt, but Brendan Jones and George Lombard Jr. struck out with runners on second and third to end the rally. Ryan Lambert worked a scoreless ninth for the Rumble Ponies, ending the Patriots’ 2025 season. The Double-A Championship Series between Binghamton and the Erie SeaWolves will kick off Tuesday night.
Players of Note:
George Lombard Jr: 469 PA; .215/.337/.358, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 22 SB, 13.6 BB%, 26.4 K%, 111 wRC+
Brendan Jones: 340 PA; .250/.365/.415, 7 HR, 45 RBI, 21 SB, 15.3 BB%, 20.9 K%, 131 wRC+
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: 61.1 IP; 2.64 ERA, 30.3 K%, 8.2 BB%, .196 BAA, 1.04 WHIP
Carlos Lagrange: 78.1 IP; 3.22 ERA, 31.0 K%, 14.9 BB%, .183 BAA, 1.29 WHIP
