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George Lombard Jr. of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders reacts during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Hard to believe, but the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have reached the midpoint of their season.
The New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate wrapped up first-half play in the International League with a record of 37-37. That was good for 12th in the 20-team standings, 9.5 games behind the first-half champion Memphis Redbirds (47-28). The RailRiders began second-half play Tuesday with a six-game series in Indianapolis.
There were plenty of highlights during the first half. the biggest came June 5th at NBT Bank Stadium in New York when Brendan Beck and Carson Coleman combined to no-hit the Syracuse Mets, 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise history and the third done in nine innings; the other four were seven-inning games.
Beck certainly is making a case as a contender for International League Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander, who is the Yankees’ No. 21 prospect, is tied for the league lead in wins with seven with Trenton Denholm of the Columbus Clippers and Memphis Redbirds reliever Luis Gastelum. He tops the league in ERA at 3.22; innings pitched with 81.0; and strikeouts with 86. He is second in WHIP at 1.04 and opponents’ batting average at .197. Twice during the first half, Beck was named the IL’s Pitcher of the Week: May 11-17 and June 1-8.
Another highlight came May 16th when Gerrit Cole made his final rehab start in his return from reconstructive elbow surgery in March 2025. Facing the Syracuse Mets, he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed one run on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches, 56 for strikes, and topped out with a four-seam fastball at 99.6 mph.
On April 29th, George Lombard Jr., the No. 1 prospect in the Yankees organization, was promoted to the RailRiders from Double-A Somerset. In his first month, Lombard struggled some batting just .192 (20-for-104) in 27 games in the month of May with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
June has been a different story, however. He has hit safely in 11 of 14 games so far during the month, including his last nine, and is batting .306 (15 for 49) with seven doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. Unfortunately, he was placed on the injured list June 18 when sprained two fingers on his left hand during a game in Columbus when he had to reach into a sliding runner to field a throw on a stolen base attempt.
Several RailRiders were ranked among the league leaders at the midway point.
Right-hander Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect, ranks second in strikeouts (80), third in opponents’ batting average (.210), fourth in WHIP (1.29) and fifth in ERA (3.96). Lagrange is being converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever.
Relief pitcher Yovanny Cruz is tied for fourth in the league in wins with five out of the bullpen. He also has two saves.
Yanquiel Fernández is tied for seventh in home runs with 16 and tied for 13th in RBIs with 46. He is batting .253 (59-for-233) in 59 games and was the International League Player of the Week for May 18-24. With Fernández leading the way, the RailRiders hit 101 home runs in the first half to rank fifth in the league.
Despite currently being in the major leagues with the Yankees, Spencer Jones is eighth in the league with 48 RBIs. Oswaldo Cabrera leads the RailRiders with 68 hits, which is 16th in the league. In June, he has hit safely in 15 of 17 games and is batting .388 (26 for 67) and three doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs. Overall, he is hitting .266 (68 for 256) in 67 games with 10 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 33 RBIs.
Jonathan Ornelas ranks ninth in the league in batting average at .311 (60 for 193) with 11 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs in 59 games.
Duke Ellis is second in stolen bases with 30, trailing only Braiden Ward of the Worcester Red Sox, who has 32.
Last season, the RailRiders won 17 of the first 20 games in the second half on their way to the second-half title and a berth in the International League Championship Series. They’re hoping that can happen again this season.
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