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MLB

Patriots Notebook: Fighting With the First-Place Fisher Cats

By Somerset Patriots
10:53 AM EDT

Bridgewater, New Jersey – With just 24 games remaining in the first half of the Eastern League schedule, the Patriots have pulled to within 1.5 games of first place New Hampshire (23-19). The Fisher Cats come to town this week to open a six-game slate beginning Tuesday night at TD

Bridgewater, New Jersey – With just 24 games remaining in the first half of the Eastern League schedule, the Patriots have pulled to within 1.5 games of first place New Hampshire (23-19). The Fisher Cats come to town this week to open a six-game slate beginning Tuesday night at TD Bank Ballpark in a series that carries heavy postseason implications.

Somerset, who locks horns with the Fisher Cats 12 times over the next four weeks, returns home riding a season-high four-game winning streak after securing their first road series of the season against Chesapeake (4-2) last week. The club has now won seven of its last nine ball games to pull over the .500 mark (23-22) for the first time since April 3.

Here are some news, notes and tidbits surrounding the Patriots heading into this week’s action.

Riding the Rails: Tyler Hardman was promoted to Triple-A for the first time on Saturday after logging 312 games in Somerset since debuting for the Patriots back in the 2022 championship campaign. The versatile infielder slugged his 13th homer of the season on Friday night in Bowie and was in the midst of a career year in which he slashed .300/.371/.613 with an Eastern League-best 40 RBI. Hardman departs as the franchise leader in hits (254), HR (67) and RBI (195).

Right-handed reliever Eric Reyzelman was also promoted to Triple-A last Tuesday after a stellar return to Somerset in the early going this season. Before his promotion, the right-hander had fanned 32 batters and walked just four in 17.1 innings of work. His 48.5% strikeout rate through 13 Double-A appearances led all MiLB relievers that had logged over 15 innings this season.

My Favorite Martin: Outfielder Garrett Martin continues to mash in the heart of the Somerset order after crushing his Eastern League leading 15th home run of the season on Sunday against Chesapeake. Martin, who hit 14 homers in 102 games with Somerset last season, is the first Patriots player to ever hit 15 homers over the team’s first 45 games of the year. Martin’s 15 HR are the most in the Yankees system and rank third in all of MiLB.

Rivas Flashing: Yankees No. 23 prospect Xavier Rivas continues to flash after early struggles at Double-A. The southpaw comes into action this week after allowing just one earned run on one hit while fanning seven batters over 3.2 innings against the Baysox last week.

The 2024 16th round draft selection, who had a 7.07 ERA at the end of April, has posted a 2.03 ERA in May while allowing just four hits and a 24:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13.1 innings. Eastern League opposition is hitting a mere .091 against him over that stretch.

Merda He Wrote: Right-hander Hayden Merda has quietly emerged this season as a standout reliever in the backend of the Patriots bullpen. The 26-year-old hurler, who posted a 4.38 ERA in 22 games with Somerset last season, is working off of five consecutive scoreless outings and has surrendered just one earned run (0.61 ERA) in his last 11 outings.

The 2022 17th round draft selection out of Azusa Pacific has fanned 33 batters and walked just seven in 19.2 innings so far in 2026. In three innings against Chesapeake last week, Merda allowed just one hit and struck out five over two scoreless outings.

Knowing the Opponent: The Fisher Cats got off to a hot start to build a strong cushion in the Northeast Division, but the club has since dropped eight of its last 10 games. The Patriots have been able to gain five games in the standings over that stretch to close the gap to just 1.5 games heading into action this week for their first meeting of the season.

Historically, the Patriots have beaten New Hampshire more than any other team in the Eastern League since joining the affiliated ranks in 2021. They are 63-31 all-time against Toronto’s Double-A affiliate and have lost just two series against them over that period (10-2-4).

New Hampshire’s core is highlight by Blue Jays No. 3 ranked prospect Arjun Nimmala. The 20-year-old shortstop was the 20th overall pick in 2023 out of Strawberry Crest High School and the exciting young infielder is off to an impressive start in his first taste of Double-A action. Nimmala, who was promoted to the Fisher Cats on May 3, has slashed .317/.359/.383 in 16 games.

Right-hander Gage Stanifer was a 19th round draft selection out of high school by the Blue Jays back in 2022, but the organization has done a strong job of developing the 22-year-old into becoming its No. 6 prospect. After posting a 7.71 ERA in April, the Indiana-native has allowed just two earned runs (1.23 ERA) in three starts this month while striking out 16 batters over 14.2 innings in May.

Infielder Sean Keys, who is the organization’s No. 16 prospect, has been a vital cog in the New Hampshire offense this season. The 2024 4th round pick has blasted 10 homers and is slashing .285/.417/.555 with a team-high 27 RBI this season.

Probable Pitchers

Tuesday 5/26: RHP Chris McElavain (3-0, 3.25 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Hess (1-0, 4.22 ERA)

Wednesday 5/27: TBD vs. RHP Cade Smith (2-2, 5.87 ERA)

Thursday 5/28: RHP Gage Stanifer (1-3, 4.86 ERA) vs. LHP Xavier Rivas (2-2, 4.61 ERA)

Friday 5/29: RHP Austin Cates (0-2, 7.30 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Cebert (2-0, 4.12 ERA)

Saturday 5/30: RHP Jackson Wentworth (1-4, 4.83 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Carr (4-4, 4.93 ERA)

Sunday 5/31: RHP Chris McElavain (3-0, 3.25 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Hess (1-0, 4.22 ERA)

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.

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