Yankees prospects: Week 5 minor league recap

Run differential: +21

Coming up: Home vs. Buffalo Bison (Blue Jays)

After a rough week prior, the RailRiders bounced back to take four of six from Rochester. A strong start by Brendan Beck and a trio of homers powered a comfortable Tuesday win, and while they were shut out on Wednesday, they rebounded to win via walk-off each of the next two days. A rainout on Saturday prompted a Sunday doubleheader, which the two teams split.

The narrative up in Scranton this week was the rehab assignment of Anthony Volpe continuing as he gets closer and closer to making his season debut. In a small sample size, he seems to be on track both offensively and defensively, with nothing too concerning popping up. He had his best game in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, lining two separate RBI singles that both registered as hard-hit balls.

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The recently promoted Jasson Domínguez has continued to hit, going 9-for-24 with a home run and five RBIs this past week. The slug hasn’t quite been there for the Martian so far, but he’s done a good job at the plate nonetheless. As for improving his weaknesses, his swing from the right side has looked better in a small sample. The defense? Yeah, it’s a good thing he’s DHing in the bigs.

Spencer Jones had a mediocre week, as did guys like Oswaldo Cabrera and Max Schuemann. Multiple veterans continue to rake, including Jonathan Ornelas (5-for-12, HR, 2 RBI) and Paul DeJong, who sounds like he’ll be playing his final games as a RailRider early this week. It’s a bummer, but there’s no place in the majors for him.

On the pitching side, there was good and bad with Brandon Beck, who shoved on Tuesday and got smacked around on Sunday. Carlos Lagrange tossed five strong innings with eight strikeouts in his best start of the young season, Elmer Rodríguez continued to be the team’s strongest call-up candidate, and even veterans Dom Hamel and Adam Kloffenstein had solid starts. For Rodríguez, who struck out seven in 5.2 one-run innings, he could be the man to temporarily take the fifth rotation spot when needed on May 5 for his MLB debut.

The bullpen continues to be in flux with the ol’ Scranton Shuttle. MLB veterans Dylan Coleman and Rafael Montero (who’s finally gotten his visa issue resolved) have returned, but Yovanny Cruz remains the standout arm who could be the latest in a long line of Matt Blake success stories. After an abysmal 17.3 BB% in Double-A last year in the Red Sox organization, he’s walked just two in 9.2 innings this year, and the peripherals look gooood. He’s not far off from his own MLB debut.

Players of Note:

Jasson Domínguez: .326/.415/.478, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 8 SB, 141 wRC+
Spencer Jones: .221/.352/.465, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 11 XBH, 33.3 K%, 117 wRC+
Anthony Volpe (rehab): 4-for-15, HR, 3 RBI, 4 K
Elmer Rodríguez: 1-2, 1.27 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 0.89 WHIP, 16.7 K-BB% (15.2 IP)
Carlos Lagrange: 0-2, 3.66 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 17.2 K-BB% (14.2 IP)

Double**-A Somerset Patriots**

Record: 7-13, 4 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 1-5 week against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)

Run differential: -12

Coming up: Home vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox)

Woof. After a decent start, Somerset had another rough week and now holds the single worst record in the system through 3.5 weeks. Their lone win on Wednesday was a 9-8 slugfest, as they’re just not getting good pitching. The bats are what’s keeping them in most games.

George Lombard Jr. didn’t do anything truly impressive this week, but he continues to show a much more mature approach with better overall contact. We don’t have Statcast numbers in Double-A, but the 20-year-old has been driving the ball with conviction, even if it doesn’t result in a hit. Coby Morales continues to rake (more on him later), but guys like Garrett Martin and Marco Luciano are cooling off. Jackson Castillo returned from injury and is 5-for-11 with a homer and a double so far.

It’s continued to be real tough sledding for the rotation. Their best pitcher might be Chase Chaney, who’s sitting at a 2.42 ERA in 22.1 innings. Trent Sellers struggled again on Wednesday, as did Cade Smith on Thursday. Xavier Rivas got back on the right track with four scoreless innings on Friday, but Kyle Carr had the worst start of his professional career on Saturday. With Ben Hess sidelined, this rotation needed some reinforcements, which they’ll be getting with Jack Cebert next week. It also helps that Carlos Rodón is scheduled to continue his rehab assignment on Thursday.

The status of the bullpen is similar to last week, with a few notes. Long relievers Bailey Dees and Baron Stuart, who have both spent time in Somerset in the early going, were released on Monday, and Wilmy Sanchez, the pitcher acquired for Braden Shewmake, got two games in before being demoted to Hudson Valley. Will Brian and Eric Reyzelman continue to pitch well, but Chris Kean had a rough outing this week. Reyzelman, in particular, looks ready to head back to Scranton.

Players of Note:

George Lombard Jr: .324/.414/.595, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 12 XBH, 163 wRC+
Tyler Hardman: .213/.304/.443, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 8 XBH, 97 wRC+
Marco Luciano: .269/.351/.537, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 10 XBH, 130 wRC+
Will Brian: 11.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 18 K
Eric Reyzelman: 8.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 15 K

High**-A Hudson Valley Renegades**

Record: 12-8, 0.5 GA in the South Atlantic League North after a 5-1 week against the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)

Run differential: +19

Coming up: Away @ Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)

Make that 10 wins in the last two weeks for the red-hot Renegades, who benefitted from a pair of MLB All-Stars making starts in the middle of the week. They won close, low-scoring games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, while winning 10-2 on Thursday. A rainout on Saturday led to a split in the Sunday twin bill. It was an especially dramatic week, as both Kaeden Kent and Kyle West blasted walk-off home runs to start the week.

The best hitter at this level this week was Kaeden Kent, who went 11-for-26 with two homers, a double, and 11 RBI. He entered this week without an RBI in 13 games, but was responsible for almost a third of his offense’s runs this week. Outside of him and Eric Genther, nobody has been hitting well with guys like Core Jackson and Kyle West slightly below the Mendoza Line and Roderick Arias in a deep slump.

It was another solid week for the regular pitching contingent. Brandon Decker tossed five solid innings on Tuesday, Luis Serna was two outs shy of a quality start on Wednesday, and Franyer Herrera was similarly solid on Sunday. Rory Fox and Sean Paul Liñan scuffled in shortened outings, which leaves us with Cebert, who followed Gerrit Cole on Thursday and threw four no-hit innings of relief with three strikeouts to drop his ERA to 0.98 in 18.1 innings.

The former 15th-round pick has been promoted to Somerset to help their beleaguered rotation, but Hudson Valley won’t miss a beat with highly touted second-rounder Bryce Cunningham being activated off the injured list to take his place. He got off to a fantastic start last season before injuries knocked him down a peg, so you know he’ll be motivated to get back on track.

Now for the main attractions. Cole looked pretty similar to how he did in his first rehab start with Somerset last week, but slowly built up to 52 pitches with 4.1 one-run innings with four strikeouts and no walks. We got to see Rodón on Friday for the first time since October, and he got up to 65 pitches with 4.1 shutout innings. Conventional wisdom suggests he might only need two more rehab starts before being activated in mid-May.

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The older, less touted contingent of A-ball Yankee relievers continues to do good work, as guys like Tony Rossi, Chris Veach, Brady Kirtner, and Jack Sokol make up a dangerous quartet that had actually been the side story to 2025 11th-rounder Ben Grable. The Indiana product has been otherworldly to start his pro career, allowing just one run in 7.2 innings with 17 strikeouts to just two walks. Just a week shy of his 24th birthday, he’s following Cebert to Double-A tonight and could be on the fast track if he keeps producing.

Players of Note:

Eric Genther: .296/.472/.352, 5 RBI, 3 XBH, 146 wRC+
Core Jackson: .186/.318/.343, 6 XBH, 6 RBI, 9 SB, 86 wRC+
Kaeden Kent: .338/.414/.481, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 7 XBH, 6 SB, 144 wRC+
Jack Cebert: 18.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 17 K
Ben Grable: 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 17 K

Single**-A Tampa Tarpons**

Record: 8-13, 6 GB in the Florida State League West after a 3-3 week against the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers)

Run differential: -26

Coming up: Home vs. St. Lucie Mets (Mets)

Tampa had a solid week after a really brutal stretch, rebounding after scoring just two runs in the first two games combined to win a pair of games by scoring double digits. For a team whose pitching has outdone its offense, it’s a good sign.

Jackson Lovich got off to a blisteringly hot start but has now entered the first slump of his pro career. He’s been backed up by the likes of Hans Montero (4-for-16, 3 XBH, 4 BB) and Enmanuel Tejada (7-for-19, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 2 2B), having strong weeks. JoJo Jackson continues to be one of their better hitters, while the rest of the lineup seemed to take steps forward this week. A note on Tejada: he’s slashing .385/.490/.615 over the last two weeks after a 1-for-24 start to the season.

Allen Facundo has been the star of this Tampa rotation, and he showed it with another gem, tossing five shutout innings with eight strikeouts. The Yankees have finally seen enough with the 23-year-old, who’s allowed just two runs in 15 innings with 25 strikeouts, and are promoting him to Hudson Valley.

Henry Lalane has returned after a brief IL stint and tossed two innings on Sunday at the expense of Blake Gillespie, who was sent back to Extended Spring Training. Tyler Boudreau and Danny Flatt had rough starts on Thursday and Saturday, while Justin West was solid before a rain delay knocked him out on Friday.

Pedro Rodriguez continues to be the team’s best reliever with seven scoreless innings. Jose M. Rodriguez has continued his steady work, while Matthew Tippie leads the pen with 15 strikeouts. Brian Arias and Jordarlin Mendoza continue to struggle, but we saw an encouraging outing from Greysen Carter on Friday. The former fifth-round pick has major command issues, but flashed his stuff with two shutout innings with five strikeouts for his first pro save.

Players of Note:

Jackson Lovich: .237/.318/.441, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 8 XBH, 112 wRC+
JoJo Jackson: .246/.354/.406, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 7 XBH, 117 wRC+
Enmanuel Tejada: .242/.420/.394, 7 XBH, 8 RBI, 7 SB, 139 wRC+
Allen Facundo: 15 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 7 BB, 25 K
Pedro Rodriguez: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

Prospect of the Week: Coby Morales

Weekly Stats: 7-for-18, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2B, 3 BB, 2 SB
Season Stats: .324/.405/.632, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 11 XBH, 4 SB, 167 wRC+

Every year, there seems to be a hitter in the organization that comes out of nowhere and breaks out. In 2021, it was Oswaldo Cabrera. Ben Rice had a staggered breakout in 2022 and 2023. Rafael Flores Jr. emerged as a prospect in 2024 before being the centerpiece in the David Bednar trade. The Yankees did the same with the emergence of Brendan Jones, Dillon Lewis, and Marshall Toole and flipped them at the trade deadline.

I’m not saying the same fate awaits Morales, but he’s turning himself into a nice prospect. The 2023 18th-rounder had startlingly little power in his first full professional season in 2024, posting a pitiful .067 ISO across Single-A and High-A, but started to tap into his power more last season while slightly reducing a very high strikeout rate.

After a rough cup of coffee in Somerset late in 2025, this has been a dream start for the 24-year-old first baseman. He’s still running a high strikeout rate (30.4 percent), but has fully tapped into his raw power with five home runs in 79 plate appearances after just seven last season. He mashed three home runs this past week and has been Somerset’s second-best hitter after Lombard. His exploits this week saw him be named Eastern League Player of the Week.