Bridgewater, New Jersey – On the heels of splitting a six-game series with Richmond last week, the Patriots (16-17) packed their bags and headed west on Monday for their first meeting of the season with the Akron RubberDucks (12-21) as they get set to open a six-game slate with the Cleveland affiliate with a Tuesday afternoon matinee. Who would remain on the roster has largely been in question for the last 72 hours as the Yankees proved to be aggressive in pursuing upgrades in the trade market as Monday evening's MLB deadline came and went. With time up and pencils down, here is a look at some of the latest bits of news, notes and the storylines surrounding Somerset heading into action this week.
So Long, Farewell: The Yankees proved to be active buyers as Monday’s deadline approached. The club executed a trade with the Washington Nationals on Sunday evening shortly after the Patriots had gotten underway in their series finale against Richmond. Slugging infielder Luis Garcia Jr. was heading to the Bronx in exchange for a quartet of right-handed minor league pitchers that were sent to the Nats, including Somerset hurlers Jack Cebert and Ben Grable.
Cebert, who was the Yankees No. 15 prospect, was placed on the 7-day IL on July 25 in the midst of running a 10.1 inning scoreless streak. Over his final five starts in the organization, the 24-year-old Texas Tech product posted a cumulative 2.05 ERA and held opposing batters to a .186 batting average while striking out 30 over 26.1 innings. Over 13 appearances for the Patriots this season, Cebert finished with a 4.90 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 79 strikeouts in 64.1 IP in his first taste of the upper levels.
Grable had one of the biggest 2026 jumps of anybody in the Yankees system heading into the deadline. Fresh off a nod at the MLB All-Star Futures Game last month, the high-leverage right-hander held Eastern League opposition to a .171 batting average and shoved to the tune of a 2.79 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 29.0 innings at Double-A after being drafted in the 11th round out of Indiana just last summer.
Both Cebert and Grable were able to embrace teammates and say their goodbyes in the home dugout during Sunday’s game before heading to the clubhouse to pack their belongings as they begin to pen a new chapter in both of their careers.
New Kid on the Block: While the Yankees were active buyers at the deadline, acquiring both Garcia and Heliot Ramos from San Francisco, the club did also ship out right-handed reliever Camilo Doval to the Pirates in exchange for catching prospect Omar Alfonzo and outfield prospect Luis Cruz.
Alfonzo was assigned to the Patriots roster on Sunday after the 23-year-old backstop spent much of this season with Altoona. In 60 games of action with the Curve this season, Alfonzo slashed .239/.338/.420 with 9 HR and 35 RBI on the season. In 421 career minor league games, Alfonzo has hit 44 homers and driven in 198 runs.
Hess Truck Rolling: Right-hander Ben Hess recorded his first quality start of the season on Sunday after tossing a season-high 85 pitches over 6.1 innings – the Yankees No. 5 prospect allowed just two earned runs while striking out four during the team's 5-1 defeat to Richmond. Over his last four starts, the 2024 first round draft selection has posted a 2.49 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 22 punchouts and four walks in 21.1 IP.
Digging the Long Ball: On Friday night, infielder Kevin Verde blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning, which marked Somerset's 1000th overall since the Patriots joined the affiliated ranks in 2021. Somerset has hit 147 homers so far this season, which leads Double-A and ranks seventh in MiLB heading into action on Tuesday.
Knowing the Opponent: The Patriots will lock horns with Akron this week for the first time this season as they look for their first ever series victory against the Guardians affiliate. The two clubs have met only six times previously and the Patriots are 0-3-3 in those series and overall are just 15-21 in those matchups.
Akron’s roster is headlined by Cleveland's No. 4 prospect Braylon Doughty, who was the 36th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. After posting a 3.02 ERA in 14 starts at High-A, the Guardians bumped Doughty up to Double-A for the first time on June 30. The California-native is figuring out how to navigate in the upper levels for the first time. After five starts for Akron, Doughty has struck out 26 batters in 22.2 IP but has posted a 5.16 ERA while the EL is hitting .295 against him.
Cleveland’s No. 5 prospect Jaison Chourio, the younger brother of Brewers All-Star Jackson Chourio, has been very strong for Akron in his first taste at Double-A. The 21-year-old opened the season at High-A and was promoted just a week into May. In 83 total games this season, the Venezuela-native is slashing .277/.375/.428 with a career-high eight homers alongside 25 stolen bases.
Akron is also home to Cleveland’s No. 7 prospect Dean Curley and No. 8 ranked prospect Aaron Walton.
Probable Pitchers
Tuesday 8/4: RHP Cade Smith (5-6, 4.99 ERA) vs. LHP Rafe Schlesinger (1-4, 5.82 ERA)
Wednesday 8/5: LHP Xavier Rivas (6-4, 3.70 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Degges (Double-A Debut)
Thursday 8/6: RHP Rory Fox (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Cam Walty (0-0, 2.57 ERA)
Friday 8/7: RHP Chase Hampton (0-4, 9.35 ERA) vs. LHP Caden Favors (4-6, 5.44 ERA)
Saturday 8/8: RHP Ben Hess (3-3, 3.81 ERA) vs. RHP Sean Matson (1-5, 5.27 ERA)
Sunday 8/9: RHP Cade Smith (5-6, 4.99 ERA) vs. TBD
Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer
Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 14th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.