DotF: Hicks begins rehab assignment in Scranton’s win

Earlier today the Orioles designated LHP Nestor Cortes for assignment, and if he clears waivers, he’ll be returned to the Yankees as a Rule 5 Draft pick. Could take as long as a week for the process to play out, however. Here are some other notes before we get to today’s game action:

• DJ Eberle has a great piece on Nick Swisher and his duties as a special advisor. “These are the guys that I want to work with. These are the guys that might need a little more love working their way up … I’m just trying to make everyone better,” said Swisher, who travels to the various minor league affiliates each month.
• Not surprisingly, the Yankees have told SS Gleyber Torres to slide feet first from now on, according to Conor Foley. Torres blew out his elbow on a headfirst slide last year. “We’ve made it perfectly clear to him and I don’t think he’ll ever slide headfirst again. I don’t,” said Tripe-A Scranton manager Bobby Mitchel to Foley.
• Baseball America complied their annual list of the youngest players in each minor league. Gleyber is the fifth youngest player in the Triple-A International League and OF Estevan Florial is the tenth youngest player in the High-A Florida State League. OF Pablo Olivares and SS Oswaldo Cabrera also make appearances.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres RailRiders (5-2 win over Lehigh Valley)

• 3B Gleyber Torres: 2-5, 1 R, 1 K — 8-for-19 (.421) since going 0-for-4 on Opening Day
• CF Aaron Hicks: 1-3 — played five innings as scheduled … here’s what Hicks told Eberle after the game: “It felt great. I felt like my swings today were good. Just feels really good to kind of get back into game form and be out in the atmosphere we’re going to be playing in when I get back with the team”
• DH Mike Ford: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K
• C Kyle Higashioka: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
• 1B Ryan McBroom: 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI — 8-for-16 in his last four games
• RHP Brody Koerner: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 WP, 8/3 GB/FB — 47 of 79 pitches were strikes (59%)
• RHP Brady Lail: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1/0 GB/FB — 17 of 32 pitches were strikes (53%)

Double-A Trenton Thunder (10-3 win over New Hampshire)

• 2B Gosuke Katoh: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K — 9-for-23 (.391) with at least one hit in all six games so far
• CF Trey Amburgey: 0-5, 1 K
• DH Jhalan Jackson: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K — 5-for-22 (.227) with four homers so far
• RHP Erik Swanson: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2/5 GB/FB — 49 of 78 pitches were strikes (63%)

High-A Tampa Tarpons (6-5 loss to St. Lucie, walk-off style)

• 2B Diego Castillo: 0-5, 1 BB, 1 K — in a 1-for-15 (.067) rut
• 1B Brandon Wagner: 1-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB — 8-for-18 (.444) with three doubles and two homers in four games since going 0-for-5 on Opening Day
• RF Isiah Gilliam: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• SS Hoy Jun Park: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP
• CF Pablo Olivares: 1-4, 1 R, 2 K
• RHP Adonis Rosa: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 5/4 GB/FB — 47 of 73 pitches were strikes (64%)
• LHP Trevor Lane: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 2 WP — 26 of 40 pitches were strikes (65%) … love seven strikeouts in two innings

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs (2-1 loss to Rome)

• LF Frederick Cuevas: 1-4, 1 R — 5-for-11 (.455) in his last three games after going 1-for-10 (.100) in his first three games
• SS Wilkerman Garcia: 0-4, 2 K
• RF Steven Sensley: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 CS — he’s reached base multiple times in five of six games so far
• 3B Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-3, 1 BB — three games at second, one at short, and one at third so far
• RHP Garrett Whitlock: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 8/1 GB/FB — 57 of 84 pitches were strikes (68%) … last year’s 18th round pick, who was an overslot guy, has a 37/4 K/BB in 24.1 pro innings