Yankees by Spencer Jones me: telling tales and smiling in the bright lights of the CBS AL Only Analyst League. Aaron Judge is out for a few months. Jason Dominguez just started a renovation project. This one seems pretty simple from the outside: if Jones hits, he stays. If not, maybe New York turns to The Martian to fill that Judgian void.
Brewers RHP Craig Yoho (26) has been on the Royals’ radar for some time and should be up for grabs this time around if he can find the strike zone. In his 8.2 innings last season, he walked nine batters and struck out one, resulting in a 7.27 ERA and 1.96 WHIP. A hard road to miss. His Triple-A results this year reflected the dominance that carried him through the minors: a 1.00 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 18 innings. Milwaukee remains a phone call away from a close trade, so even if Yoho will have to wait a little longer, the ninth inning opportunities should cement his not-too-distant future.
Twins 3B Royce Lewis returned with the big club after a 15-game minor league stint (10 HR; 19.5% K). He also turned 27 on June 5, so this was a nice little birthday present (though not really a present considering he slugged .900). It’s hard to say what’s wrong with Royce without an injury, but there’s no doubt in my mind that this move back to the minors will be good for him. It seems silly as I write this line on the blackboard inside my mind, but I feel like athletes can forget to rule. They can forget how naturally gifted they are, caught up in the daily grind of self-improvement or survival. Put Lewis up against a bunch of pitchers who are as close as it gets to big players, and they don’t play the same game as him. He may struggle again in the majors, but I’m willing to believe he’s turned the corner.
Reds SS Edwin Arroyo (22) has started at shortstop just once in four games since being recalled to replace the injured Elly De La Cruz. Not sure how to read that, other than this club really likes Matt McLain. Maybe it’s too early for them to care how they use Arroyo. The point is he’s a big leaguer now after hitting .323/.383/.562 with 11 home runs and nine stolen bases in 53 Triple-A games while hitting just 16.8 percent of the time. If he hits well enough, Cincy may slide McLain aside to keep the hard-hitting Arroyo in the everyday lineup.
Diamondbacks 3B James Groover he was recalled to replace the sacked Jose Fernandez and started on his first day with the club. In 56 Triple-A games this year, Groover slashed .322/.421/.452 with three home runs, two stolen bases and a 16.8% slugging rate. That last bit may have been the one that got him the chance as Fernandez ran away and became an easy target for the opposition strikers. Groover won’t outshine Fernandez’s physical gifts but has a better chance of providing productive at bats for now.
San Diego remembered At Samad Taylor’s and released BY Nick Castellanos. Taylor, 27, was slashing .319/.406/.500 with seven home runs and nine stolen bases in Triple-A. He figures to join left field to share with Jase Bowen and Bryce Johnson and may even meet at second base. At 5’8″ 160 pounds, Taylor has had to make the most of every opportunity he’s seen in the lineup. Here’s hoping his fourth stint in the majors is longer than his four games and three games over the past two seasons.
Giants LHP Joe Whitman (24, AAA) is the only vowel left to have a full-time NPC in the word, but we shouldn’t hold that against him. At 6’4″ 215 pounds, he repeats his well-matched delivery with precision, increasing his command of an extra changeup and a solid fastball slider combination. A first-round mix of weapons against hitters on both sides of the plate. Whitman has been in rhythm all season but especially last month, holding 4 opponents to 4 hits in the past 3 hits without six on the 5th.
Red Sox BY Endy Azocar (19, A+) was overrated in full-season ball last year (69 wRC+) after proving to be very good in the complex (171 wRC+) but came back a little stronger in 2026 and tore up that league, hitting .295/.344/.530 with six home runs and seven stolen bases to check him out in 39 games for Boston High. All good so far on that score. He’s .286/.342/.514 with a homer and a steal in his first eight games there. Defensively, he plays center even at the freshman level and could stay there for a decade depending on how his 6’2” frame fills out.
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