It was a fun night in the minor leagues for Mets fans to follow, with Mike Vasil flirting with a no-hitter, Luisangel Acuña stealing three bases, and Ronny Mauricio homering in his first game as a third baseman. Tim Locastro (Syracuse), Sam Coonrod (Syracuse), and Joey Lucchesi (Brooklyn) all made rehab appearances as well.

The Mets released two minor leaguers recently, pitcher Manny Rodriguez and infielder Branden Fryman.

Mike Vasil, Photo by Rick Nelson

Triple-A: Syracuse 3, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 0, Box Score

  • CF Tim Locastro 1-for-4
  • 3B Ronny Mauricio 1-for-5, HR (17th), .819 OPS
  • 2B-1B Luke Ritter 2-for-3, BB, .792 OPS
  • RF-CF Brandon McIlwain 1-for-2, 2 BB, 1.150 OPS (AAA)
  • 1B-RF Joe Suozzi 2-for-3, RBI, BB, R, 1.456 OPS (AAA)

Locastro returned to Triple-A Syracuse as he rehabs from surgery on his thumb. Mauricio played third base for the first time in the Mets organization, and the plan is for him to rotate between there, second base, and shortstop for the rest of the season. McIlwain and Suozzi have both played well in limited time for Syracuse since their promotion from Double-A Binghamton.

  • RHP Mike Vasil 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 94 pitches (61 strikes), 5.59 ERA
  • RHP Sam Coonrod 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.25 ERA

Vasil lost the no-hitter with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brandon Lockridge singled up the middle. The 23-year-old had his fastball up to 96 mph in the outing and his curve had up to 64 inches of vertical break. He also threw a cutter and changeup in the outing.

Coonrod has allowed only one run in eight rehab innings.

Double-A: Binghamton 9, Somerset 7, Box Score

  • SS Luisangel Acuña 1-for-3, 3 SB (46th), 2B, BB, 2 R, .603 OPS (w/Mets)
  • LF Rowdey Jordan 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB (24th), R, .782 OPS
  • CF Drew Gilbert 1-for-5, 3 RBI, R, .827 OPS (w/Mets)
  • 1B JT Schwartz 1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R, .808 OPS
  • 2B Jeremiah Jackson 1-for-4, RBI, .321 OPS (w/Mets)

Acuña told reporters before the game he made a bet with his older brother, Ronald, to see who would steal more bases this season. Luisangel is up to 46 and Ronald is at 53.

The overall line for Hamel isn’t good, but he was able to settle down and throw four scoreless innings to finish out his outing.

High-A: Brooklyn 3, Aberdeen 2, Box Score

Catcher Drake Osborn hit a solo homer in the fifth inning that ended up being the game-winner. Williams, only 19 years old, is up to 36 stolen bases on the season. He recently told MMO that his goal for 2023 is 70 steals.

  • LHP Joey Lucchesi 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
  • RHP Robert Colina 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 2.89 ERA

Lucchesi was making his first rehab start after being placed on the injured list by Syracuse on July 20.

Low-A: Palm Beach 15, St. Lucie 4, Box Score

The 20-year-old Morabito has a combined .875 OPS between the FCL and St. Lucie Mets this season.

  • RHP Luis A. Rodriguez 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 4.08 ERA

Christopher Vasquez had a rough night, allowing nine earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Nolan McLean, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Florida Complex League: Cardinals 5, Mets 0, Box Score

McLean, Mets third round pick this year, was making his pro debut. The two-way player will pitch and hit at least to start his career.

  • RHP Jonah Tong 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 7.45 ERA

The 20-year-old Tong has struck out 18 of the last 34 batters he’s faced.

Dominican Summer League: Mets Blue 5, Blue Jays 0, Box Score

Dominican Summer League: Marlins 3, Mets Orange 2, Box Score

The 17-year-old Rodriguez is 4-for-11 with two extra-base hits and two walks since coming over from the D-Backs for Tommy Pham.