Columbia Fireflies Roster Moves and Game Notes at Hickory 6.16
Published on June 16, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Kansas City Royals have made the following roster moves affecting the Columbia Fireflies active roster:
RHP Kendry Chourio has been promoted to Quad Cities active roster
RHP Denis Samudio has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays
RHP Ryan McDonagh has been added to the Fireflies active roster
RHP Coleman Picard has been added to the Fireflies active roster
McDonagh will wear jersey #25. Picard will wear jersey #19.
The Fireflies active roster now sits at 29.
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The Fireflies kick-off their series with the Hickory Crawdads tonight at L.P. Frans Stadium at 7 pm. RHP Jose Gutierrez (3-2, 3.66 ERA) takes the ball and Hickory counters with RHP Alejandro Chiquillo (0-1, 1.89 ERA).
The Fireflies return home for 12 games in 13 days from June 30-July 12. The team will celebrate America's 250th birthday with the biggest fireworks show of the year, Saturday, July 4 and will continue with fireworks and a patriotic theme all weekend thanks to SC 250. The next weekend, the club is throwing it back to the 90s for the return of the Capital City Bombers thanks to Cassell Brothers Home Services. Join the team for a bobble plane giveaway Friday, July 10 and a drone show Saturday, July 11. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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FIREFLIES RALLY LATE TO WIN 9-6: The Fireflies rallied late again, as they scored in their final four innings at the plate to beat Delmarva 9-6 Sunday night at Segra Park. Columbia took their first lead late in the game thanks to a three-run seventh. Henry Ramos cued a double down the left field line to start the frame. After that, Josh Hammond laid down a sacrifice bunt that catcher Juan Ortega errantly threw into left field. That scored Ramos and allowed Hammond to reach scoring position. Next, Yandel Ricardo laid down a sacrifice bunt that Ortega again threw wild to first. The play scored Hammond to give Columbia their first lead of the game, 6-5 and it allowed Ricardo to advance to third with no one out. Stone Russell drove him home with a sacrifice fly to right field to give Columbia some insurance before the end of the inning. In the eighth, Henry Ramos drilled a solo homer with two outs to right field to give the Fireflies an 8-5 advantage. The homer was Ramos' fourth of the season. Columbia's outfielder finished the game 2-3 with a double, homer and a walk.
STERLING STARTERS: The Fireflies starting rotation has the third-best ERA in Minor League Baseball this season. The group has recorded an 10-12 record combined with a 3.35 ERA over 265.2 innings through the first 63 games of the season. Fireflies starters have 278 strikeouts and have held opponents to a .237 AVG on the season. The Jupiter Hammerheads lead the way with a 3.14 ERA over 266.2 innings in their first 63 contests.
LUMINOUS LOMBARDI: Michael Lombardi has been a master of the strikeout this season. Friday, he etched six strikeouts across 4.2 innings of work. Lombardi has the most strikeouts (74) in Single-A over 46.1 innings of work. Palm Beach's Cade Crossland is the next closest with 71. Lombardi has the second-best K/9 rate in Minor League Baseball among pitchers with at least 45 innings this season (14.37). Seth Hernandez leads the way at 15.04. Lombardi also has the fourth-best strikeout percentage in Minor League Baseball among players with at least 45 innings pitched this season. Arkansas's Kade Anderson leads the way. He has struck out 43.2% of batters faced this season.
THE SKINNY: When the Charleston RiverDogs won Friday, the Columbia Fireflies were eliminated from first-half playoff contention. Columbia closes out the first half with three games against the Hickory Crawdads. After Thursday's game at Hickory, the 66-game second-half slate will begin. Columbia will play their fist nine games of the second half on the road, but after that, the club will play 18 of its next 21 games at Segra Park.
SLAMMING SOSA: Sunday night, Ivan Sosa's three-game homer streak for Columbia ended. He was the third Fireflies player to homer in three-straight. He joins Brett Squires (5/20-23/23) and Jean Ramirez (8/23-25/22). A Fireflies player has never homered in four-consecutive games. Michael Katz was the last one in franchise history to homer in four-straight games. He accomplished the feat for the Savannah Sand Gnats July 25-28, 2015.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING: When Hyungchan Um homered in the second inning Saturday, he drove in an RBI in five-straight games. It's the longest active RBI streak in the Carolina League and the Fireflies' longest RBI strak since Jose Cerice drove in a run in six straight games from August 20-27, 2025. If that weren't enough, both Stone Russell and Roni Cabrera have scored in six-straight contests. Cabrera began his streak June 6 and Russell started it June 7. Last season, Luke Pelzer reached in seven-straight games from August 20-29.
Carolina League Stories from June 16, 2026
- Early Offense Powers Jackets to Tuesday Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Huezo Homers Twice in Start of Long Homestand - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Columbia Rallies Late to Defeat Crawdads 7-3 - Hickory Crawdads
- Pelicans Capitalize on Delmarva Miscues to Take Series Opener - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Let Freedom Bark: RiverDogs Punch Their Ticket to the Postseason - Charleston RiverDogs
- Charleston Defeats Wilson; Clinches South Title - Wilson Warbirds
- Gutierrez Throws Gem in 7-3 Win at Hickory - Columbia Fireflies
- Portorreal Throws Four Perfect, FredNats Win Series Opener 7-2 Over Salem - Fredericksburg Nationals
- No Games on July 4 Week? No Problem: RiverDogs Unveil Star-Spangled America 250 Celebration - Charleston RiverDogs
- Columbia Fireflies Roster Moves and Game Notes at Hickory 6.16 - Columbia Fireflies
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