Patriots Notebook: Somerset's Staff Shining

Bridgewater, New Jersey – After dropping two of three games to Portland over the weekend, the Patriots (8-13) open the second leg of their nine-game road trip on Tuesday with the first of six matchups with New Hampshire (11-10) at Delta Dental Stadium.

Somerset has gone 5-7 against the Fisher Cats so far in 2026 with another 12 meetings on tap before the regular season comes to a close. Since joining the Eastern League back in 2021, the Patriots have beaten the Blue Jays affiliate more than any other club (66-38) and have dropped just three series against them (10-3-5).

Here is a look at the latest news, notes and storylines surrounding Somerset heading into action this week.

Coby Morales HAMMERS his 16th HR of the season in the ninth inning! 💪 pic.twitter.com/IMjI9vbz2v

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 19, 2026

Consistent Coby: During Sunday’s series finale in Portland, infielder Coby Morales blasted his 16th homer of the season, which is tied for seventh in the Yankees system. Prior to the start of the season, Morales had hit just 12 homers in 239 games. The 24-year-old is riding a nine-game on-base streak and is the Eastern League leader with 64 RBI entering play Tuesday. In his first full-season in the upper-levels, the 2023 18th round draft selection is slashing .274/.356/.494 – all career-highs.

Ben Hess (@Yankees No. 5 Prospect) punched out 7⃣ batters in a DOMINANT Sunday start 👀

5.0 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 1 BB | 7 K pic.twitter.com/F38M1nEDuL

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 19, 2026

Hess Truck Rolling: After landing on the IL in early April with a right arm injury, the Yankees have been cautious in their buildup of No. 5 prospect Ben Hess in his return to action. Against the Sea Dogs last Sunday, the 23-year-old former first rounder allowed just one earned run on two hits and struck out seven batters in a season-high tying five innings of work. Hess’ seven punchouts were the most he’d recorded since fanning nine on Opening Day.

Jack Cebert (@Yankees No. 25 Prospect) tossed a career-high 9⃣ punchouts! 🤩

4.2 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 2 BB | 9 K pic.twitter.com/WKRfCbOtq1

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 18, 2026

Cebert Shining: A little bit over a year ago, Somerset hurler Jack Cebert was pitching in college for Texas Tech as a reliever after transferring from South Florida. After the Yankees selected him in the 15th round last summer, Cebert has quietly put together a string of solid starts in Double-A in his first full pro season. The righty is coming off a dominant outing against Portland last Friday in which he struck out a career-high nine batters while allowing just one hit over 4.2 shutout innings. Over his last four starts dating back to June 25, Cebert has notched a 2.53 ERA and .200 BAA while striking out 23 batters in 21.1 IP.

Baseball America’s 2026 mid-season @Yankees top 30 prospects has been announced! pic.twitter.com/pM8eyO9FwU

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 20, 2026

Wake Up, Babe. New BA Rankings Are Out: Baseball America has released their mid-season update of every organization’s Top 30 prospects. The new Yankees list features 12 players that have suited up for the Patriots before, including seven current members of the team. The rundown of current players includes Ben Hess (No. 6), Jack Cebert (No. 11), Cade Smith (No. 18), Ben Grable (No. 19), Chase Hampton (No. 21), Xavier Rivas (No. 27) and Jace Avina (No. 30).

These @Yankees star pitching prospects were dealing this past weekend, rounding up 27 strikeouts😤 pic.twitter.com/pWD7x5QvHY

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) July 20, 2026

Power Pitching: Entering action on Tuesday, Somerset pitchers have struck out 949 batters – the most of anybody in the Eastern League, with the next closest being Portland’s 918 K. As a staff, the club is riding a seven-game streak in which it has recorded double-digit strikeouts. Somerset’s 87 strikeouts over that stretch are the third-most in MiLB.

Knowing the Opponent: The Patriots have played the Fisher Cats 12 times so far in 2026, splitting a slate at TD Bank Ballpark at the end of May before dropping four-of-six on the road in June. The two clubs will play two more series this season.

New Hampshire dropped two-of-three to Harrisburg out of the break and are 45-43 overall on the season.

New Hampshire is highlighted by Blue Jays No. 2 ranked prospect Arjun Nimmala, who missed Somerset in June’s series while he was on the IL. The 20-year-old shortstop, who was the 20th overall draft selection back in 2023, has slashed .282/.371/.412 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in 24 games since being promoted to Double-A back on May 3.

The Patriots will get their first look at Toronto’s No. 3 prospect Nolan Perry this week. The 22-year-old RHP, who was selected to the MLB All-Star Futures Game, has yet to allow an earned run in two Double-A appearances. The 2022 12th round draft selection has struck out 85 batters and recorded a 2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and .191 BAA in 56.0 IP across all levels this season.

Probable Pitchers

Tuesday 7/21: RHP Jackson Wentworth (4-5, 4.83 ERA) vs. RHP Cade Smith (5-6, 4.99 ERA)

Wednesday 7/22: RHP Chris McElvain (3-5, 6.82 ERA) vs. LHP Xavier Rivas (4-4, 4.20 ERA)

Thursday 7/23: RHP Gage Stanifer (3-6, 4.33 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Cebert (2-3, 5.31 ERA)

Friday 7/24: RHP Austin Cates (1-4, 5.56 ERA) vs. RHP Chase Hampton (0-3, 7.29 ERA)

Saturday 7/25: RHP Danny Thompson Jr. (0-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Hess (2-2, 4.46 ERA)

Sunday 7/26: TBD vs. RHP Cade Smith (5-6, 4.99 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.