Chiefs Announce 2026 Opening Day Roster
MWL Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Announce 2026 Opening Day Roster

Published on April 1, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


PEORIA, IL - The Peoria Chiefs, in conjunction with the St. Louis Cardinals, have announced their 2026 Opening Day roster ahead of Friday's Opening Day matchup at Cedar Rapids.

The roster is made up of 13 position players and 17 pitchers, totaling to the High-A limit of 30 active players. Of those 30, 19 players return to Dozer Park after suiting up for Peoria last season. Six countries are represented, as the roster includes players from the United States, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South Korea.

Five members of the Opening Day squad are among the Cardinals' top-30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline: Catcher Rainiel Rodriguez (No. 5), RHP Tanner Franklin (No. 11), RHP Yhoiker Fajardo (No. 13), OF Tai Peete (No. 18) and INF Jesus Baez (No. 20).

After receiving a brief taste of High-A with the Chiefs in the final week of the season in 2025, Rodriguez will begin his age-19 season in Peoria. After batting to a .870 OPS with 13 HRs in 60 games with Single-A Palm Beach last summer, Rodriguez went 5-17 in four games with the Chiefs. The Pimentel, Dominican Republic native is Pipeline's No. 35 prospect in all off baseball to open the season.

Franklin will headline the starting rotation in his first full season of pro baseball after being selected 72nd overall by St. Louis in last year's draft. Franklin allowed one earned run in six innings in his brief pro debut last year, including four innings with the Chiefs.

Fajardo's first start with Peoria will mark his Cardinals organizational debut after being acquired from the Red Sox in the Wilson Contreras trade in December, along with fellow right-hander Blake Aita. Fajardo dazzled for Single-A Salem last season, posting a 2.98 ERA in 51.1 innings of work.

Another off-season acquisition, Peete was the Mariners' first round draft pick in 2023 before being dealt to the Cardinals in January for former Chief Brendan Donovan. The Riverdale, Georgia native recorded a .217 batting average with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs last year with High-A Everett.

Baez was one of three pieces whom the Cardinals acquired for in the right-hander Ryan Helsley trade with the Mets in late July 2025. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native spent the last month or so of the season with Peoria. Baez produced a .243 BA with four home runs and 15 RBI's in 27 games. The 21-year old was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2022. Nate Dohm, another piece of the Helsley trade, also returns to Peoria after finishing the season with the Chiefs in 2025.

The entire Opening Day roster can be found below. The Chiefs start their 44th season on Friday at 6:05 P.M. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids. Fans can listen to the hometown call online for free on PeoriaChiefs.com or watch on MiLB.TV and the Bally Sports Live App.

The Chiefs welcome fans to Dozer Park for the home opener on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:35 P.M. versus the South Bend Cubs.

PITCHERS

RHP Blake Aita, RHP Sam Brodersen, RHP D.J. Carpenter, RHP Nate Dohm, RHP Yhoiker Fajardo, LHP Jack Findlay, RHP Tanner Franklin, RHP Dominic Freeberger, RHP Aaron Holiday, RHP Bobby Olsen, RHP Jawilme Ramirez, RHP Gerardo Salas, RHP Jason Savacool, RHP Leonel Sequera, RHP Zack Showalter, RHP Nolan Sparks, RHP Christian Worley

CATCHERS

Sammy Hernandez, Josh Kross, Rainiel Rodriguez

INFIELDERS

Jesus Baez, Anyelo Encarnacion, Jalin Flores, Cade McGee, Tre Richardson, Miguel Villarroel

OUTFIELDERS

Won-Bin Cho, Jose Cordoba, Tai Peete, Jose Suarez

Check out the Peoria Chiefs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from April 1, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central