Giants Set Flying Squirrels' Initial 2026 Roster
EL Richmond Flying Squirrels

Giants Set Flying Squirrels' Initial 2026 Roster

Published on April 1, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond Flying Squirrels announced their initial roster for the 2026 season as set by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

The Flying Squirrels' season-opening roster features 19 returning players and nine newcomers.

The roster includes pitchers Dylan Carmouche, Jack Choate, RJ Dabovich, Greg Farone, Dylan Hecht, Logan Martin, Manuel Mercedes, Cesar Perdomo, Cameron Pferrer, Shane Rademacher, Darien Smith, Tyler Vogel, Trystan Vrieling, Mitch White and Joe Whitman, catchers Drew Cavanaugh, Zach Morgan and Adrian Sugastey, infielders Maui Ahuna, Aeverson Arteaga, Sabin Ceballos, Dayson Croes, Charlie Szykowny and Diego Velasquez and outfielders Scott Bandura, Jonah Cox, Bo Davidson and Turner Hill.

Ahuna, Cox, Szykowny, White, Smith, Farone, Martin, Perdomo and Carmouche are set to make their Richmond debuts.

Three players are ranked in Baseball America's Top-30 Giants prospects list, including Davidson (No. 3), Velasquez (No. 24) and Whitman (No. 25). MLB.com's Top-30 Giants prospects list includes three Richmond players, including Davidson (No. 7), Ahuna (No. 20) and Whitman (No. 26).

Maui Ahuna is slated to make his Double-A debut after splitting last season between three levels, topping out with 11 games at High-A with the Eugene Emeralds. Ahuna is slated to become the first player in Flying Squirrels franchise history born in Hawaii. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee, where he played for current San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello. Prior to his time in Knoxville, he was an All-Big 12 player at the University of Kansas, where he landed multiple appearances on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays.

Aeverson Arteaga returns for a second season in Richmond. Last year, he posted one of the best defensive seasons for a shortstop in franchise history and set multiple single-season records. He was also the only player on the team with multiple walk-off hits. A native of Chirgua, Venezuela, Arteaga was an Arizona Complex League Post-Season All-Star in 2021 and an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star in 2022.

Scott Bandura is back with Richmond after spending 45 games in the Eastern League to close out the 2025 season. He spent most of last year with High-A Eugene and totaled 41 stolen bases between the two stops, which ranked second in the Giants system. He ranked second in MiLB (minimum 40 attempts) with a 95.35 stolen base percentage. He also led all Giants minor leaguers with 91 runs scored. Bandura is a native of Philadelphia and was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Princeton University, where he was an All-Ivy League performer.

Dylan Carmouche joins the Flying Squirrels for the first time after spending most of his 2025 season with High-A Eugene, going 7-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 13 starts. He was born in Baton Rouge, La., before growing up in nearby Denham Springs. Carmouche was selected by the Giants in the 15 th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Tulane University, where he helped pitch the Green Wave to an AAC championship. He also spent one season at Mississippi State University.

Drew Cavanaugh rejoins the Flying Squirrels after playing 14 games with the team near the end of the 2025 season. For the year, he spent time with all four full-season Giants minor league affiliates and led the organization with a .396 on-base percentage. A native of Troy, Mich., Cavanaugh was selected by the Giants in the 17 th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Florida Southern College, where he was selected First-Team All-SSC.

Sabin Ceballos returns for a second season with the Flying Squirrels. Last year, he led the team with 20 doubles and was second with 47 RBIs. In his first 43 games, he hit .311 with five homers and 27 RBIs. Ceballos is from San Juan, P.R., and played at San Jacinto College in Texas before transferring to the University of Oregon in 2023, where he was named the recipient of the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at third base. He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft before being traded to the Giants in 2024.

Jack Choate is back for a third season with the Flying Squirrels. He joined the team late in 2024 before spending all of last year in Richmond, mostly working as a starter, and posted a 3.51 ERA in 29 outings. Choate finished the year ranked sixth in the Eastern League with 123 strikeouts and posted the circuit's fourth-highest swinging strike percentage. Choate was born in Miami and grew up in North Grafton, Mass. He was selected by the Giants in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Assumption University, where he was an NCAA DII All-American.

Jonah Cox is set to begin his Double-A career after spending all of 2025 with High-A Eugene, where he set the Emeralds' single-season record with 58 stolen bases. He also led the Northwest League with 135 hits, 10 triples and 89 runs. Cox is a native of Louisville, Colo., and was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Oral Roberts University. He was traded to the Giants in 2024 for right-hander Ross Stripling.

Dayson Croes returns to Richmond after appearing in 20 games with the Flying Squirrels last year, splitting the season between four affiliates. It was his first season in affiliated professional baseball after playing two seasons with the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes. He played two junior college seasons before playing three years at NCAA DII Quincy University in Illinois. A native of Noord, Aruba, Croes spent this past winter playing in Mexico before suiting up for Team Netherlands in the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Miami.

RJ Dabovich is set to play his fourth season with the Flying Squirrels dating back to 2021. After returning from an injury that cost him most of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons, Dabovich pitched three games for Richmond late last season. For his Flying Squirrels career, he is 5-2 with a 2.94 ERA in 45 outings with 11 saves. A native of Pueblo, Colo., Dabovich was selected by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Arizona State University.

Bo Davidson returns to the Flying Squirrels after spending 42 games in the Eastern League to close the 2025 season. He enters 2025 rated by Baseball America as the No. 3 Giants prospect and the No. 10 center field prospect in baseball. After being named a Baseball America Low Class A All-Star with San Jose in 2024, Davidson was a Northwest League Post-Season All-Star and a Baseball America High Class A All-Star last season after hitting .309 with 10 homers and 56 RBIs for the Emeralds in 72 games. He totaled 18 home runs for the season between Eugene and Richmond. Davidson was signed by the Giants in 2023 as a non-drafted free agent out of Caldwell Tech in North Carolina.

Greg Farone will make his Double-A debut with the Flying Squirrels. In his first professional season last year, Farone made 23 starts between Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, going 6-3 with a 4.00 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 105.2 innings. Farone is a native of Schenectady, N.Y., and started his collegiate career at Herkimer College in New York, helping lead them to the program's first-ever NJCAA DIII national championship. After spending a season at the University of Louisville in 2023, Farone was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville.

Dylan Hecht is back with the Flying Squirrels after pitching 18 Double-A games last year in his first affiliated professional season. A native of Pleasanton, Calif., Hecht played three seasons at UC Santa Barbara, where he was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American after leading the Big West in saves in 2013. He played parts of two seasons at Sonoma State and played independent baseball in 2017, 2018 and 2021. After four years away from professional baseball, he signed with the San Francisco Giants last March.

Turner Hill returns for his third season with the Flying Squirrels. After missing the start of last season with an injury, he played 80 games with Richmond, closing the year hitting .288 over his final 50 games before a late promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. In 2024, he was named the Flying Squirrels' Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year and ranked third in the Giants organization with 30 steals. Hill was a walk-on at NCAA DII Malone University before winning the league's Freshman of the Year award in 2018. He transferred to NCAA DIII Marietta College beginning with the 2021 season and was named the OAC Player of the Year. He signed with the Giants as a free agent in May 2023.

Logan Martin is set to begin his first season with the San Francisco Giants organization after being traded from the Kansas City Royals for Mason Black in November. He spent last season with High-A Quad Cities, going 8-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 starts. He played three collegiate seasons at NCAA DIII Sewanee: The University of The South, where he was the SAA Pitcher of the Year in 2022, and transferred to the University of Kentucky for the 2023 season. He was selected by the Royals in the 12 round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Kentucky.

Manuel Mercedes will spend his second season with the Flying Squirrels after pitching most of last year at Double-A, along with five scoreless appearances for High-A Eugene. He closed the year posting a 0.71 ERA in his final eight games between the two levels, working as a reliever. Mercedes is a native of Santo Domingo, D.R., and signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2019.

Zach Morgan returns for his third season with the Flying Squirrels. He split last year between Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento. He played 24 games with Richmond in 2024. Morgan is a native of Stockton, Calif. He was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Fresno State, where he was a First-Team All-Mountain West player and a finalist for the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Award.

Cesar Perdomo is set to make his Double-A debut after spending all of last season with High-A Eugene, going 8-6 with a 3.96 ERA in 26 starts. In 2024, he was a California League All-Star, going 5-1 with a 1.26 ERA with Low-A San Jose. Perdomo is a native of San Juan de los Marros, Venezuela, and was signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2021.

Cameron Pferrer is back with the Flying Squirrels after making six appearances with Richmond last year. He pitched for all four full-season Giants affiliates throughout the year. Pferrer is a native of Carmel, Ind., and played four seasons at the University of Missouri before spending a year with St. Louis University, where he was named Second-Team All-Atlantic 10. He played three independent seasons before signing with the Giants in August 2024.

Shane Rademacher returns to Richmond after pitching 10 games at Double-A last season. He spent most of his season last year with High-A Eugene, going 6-5 with a 2.60 ERA in 18 outings, including 16 starts. For the year, he posted the second-best ERA among qualified Giants full-season minor league pitchers. Rademacher is a native of Greenville, N.C., and played collegiately at Chowan University before signing with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2023.

Darrien Smith embarks on his second professional season and will make his Double-A debut. He split last year between Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, going 8-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 20 appearances. His ERA was the lowest in the Giants organization among pitchers who worked at least 70 innings. Smith is a native of Jacksonville, Fla., and started his college career at Jacksonville University before transferring to Eastern Florida State College for two years, spending a year at Florida Gulf Coast and playing two seasons at Southeastern University, where he was the NAIA Pitcher of the Year in 2024. He signed with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2024.

Adrian Sugastey returns to the Flying Squirrels for his third season in Richmond after a record-setting campaign in 2025. He set the franchise's single-season mark for runners caught stealing with 50, passing Jackson William's previous record of 35 from 2015. He also passed Williams' previous career caught stealing record of 59, entering this year with 63 over his two seasons. Sugastey is a native of Panama City, Panama and signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2019. He has been named the top defensive catcher in the Giants system by Baseball America each of the last three years.

Charlie Szykowny is set to make his Double-A debut after being named a Northwest League Post-Season All-Star with Eugene last year. For the year, he tied Eugene's single-season franchise record with 21 homers. He also led the league in with 85 RBIs and 234 total bases. Szykowny is a native of Oak Lawn, Ill., and began his collegiate career at NCAA DIII Wisconsin-Stout, where he set multiple program records. He transferred to the University of Illinois Chicago for the 2023 season and was selected by the Giants in the ninth round of that summer's MLB Draft.

Diego Velasquez is back for his third season with the Flying Squirrels. He spent all of the 2025 season in Richmond and ranked second in the Eastern League with 70 walks, second-most in a season in Flying Squirrels franchise history. On September 11, he had the final walk-off winning hit at The Diamond, lifting the Flying Squirrels to a 6-5 win over the Hartford Yard Goats with a ninth-inning double. In 2023, Velasquez was a California League Post-Season All-Star, a Baseball America Low Class A All-Star and an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star with San Jose. He was also named a Northwest League Post-Season All-Star in 2024. A native of Maracay, Venezuela, Velasquez signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2021.

Tyler Vogel returns to Richmond after pitching 13 games with the Flying Squirrels in 2025, going 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA and six saves. He played at three levels in the Giants organization last year and ranked tied for third in the system with nine saves. For the season, he went 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 40 outings. Vogel is a native of Dunedin Florida and started his college career at Eastern Florida State College for two seasons. He was selected by the Giants in the 12 th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Jacksonville University.

Trystan Vrieling is back for a second season with the Flying Squirrels and his third year in the Eastern League. A native of Lewiston, Idaho, Vrieling grew up in Kennewick, Wash. He was selected by the New York Yankees in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga. After missing the 2023 season, he made his professional debut against the Flying Squirrels in 2024 as a member of the Somerset Patriots. He began the 2025 season with Somerset before being swapped to the Giants ahead of the trade deadline on July 31 as part of the deal for right-hander Camilo Doval. He made seven starts for the Flying Squirrels to close the year.

Mitch White is slated to make his affiliated professional debut with the Flying Squirrels. He signed with the Giants as a free agent in January after spending the last two seasons played for the independent Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League, where he was selected as an all-star last year. A native of Southfield, Mich., White played at Lansing Community College to begin his college career before transferring to Abilene Christian in 2022. In 2023, he pitched for the University of Cincinnati.

Joe Whitman returns to Richmond after spending all of 2025 with the Flying Squirrels, making 26 starts. He finished the year tied for second in the Eastern League with 26 starts and fifth with 124 strikeouts. On May 3, he threw six perfect innings against Somerset with 10 strikeouts as the Flying Squirrels took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning, leading him to being named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. Whitman is a native of Akron, Ohio, and spent two seasons at Purdue University. He was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Kent State University, where he was the MAC Pitcher of the Year.

The Flying Squirrels celebrate the opening of CarMax Park with the stadium's inaugural series from April 7-12. Although the April 7 home opener is sold out, tickets are available for games from April 8-12 and the rest of the 2026 season at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets and at the CarMax Park ticket office.

Check out the Richmond Flying Squirrels Statistics

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



Eastern 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