Sea Dogs Unveil 2026 Opening Day Roster
Published on April 1, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs, in conjunction with the Boston Red Sox, have announced the roster for the upcoming 2026 season. The group features the top ranked position player and seven of the top-30 ranked prospects in the Red Sox system according to MLB.com.
At just 20 years old, standout shortstop Franklin Arias enters 2026 as Portland's highest ranked prospect, number two overall in the Red Sox system. Originally scouted as a glove-first player, Arias was named the Best Hitter in the Red Sox System in 2026 by Baseball America after an outburst of consistent and dynamic offense in his first two seasons. He checks in as MLB's No. 31 overall prospect, his second year featured on the Top 100 list, after leading all Red Sox minor leaguers in hits (133), and finishing in the top three in doubles (2nd, 27) and RBI (3rd, 66) in 2025.
Portland's pitching staff is anchored by four top-30 prospects, including no. 14 John Holobetz, no. 16 Hayden Mullins, no. 21 Gage Ziehl, and no. 26 Eduardo Rivera.
Mullins, the Sea Dogs' 2025 Pitcher of the Year, returns to Portland after leading the team in ERA (2.44, 50.0+ IP), innings pitched (84.2), games started (18), and tied for the lead in wins (7) last season. He tossed an immaculate inning in the bottom of the third on July 1st, 2025 at New Hampshire, recording three of his 96 strikeouts for Portland last season. Batters hit just .175 against Mullins during his time as a Sea Dog, with his diverse arsenal of pitches causing a high rate of swing-and-miss offerings.
Acquired in May 2025 from the Milwaukee Brewers, Holobetz recorded 120 strikeouts in 124.2 innings across three levels in 2025. He recorded a 2.39 ERA in six games as a Sea Dog, pitching at least 6.0 innings in each outing (five starts).
Ziehl, a recent acquisition from the Chicago White Sox in February 2026, posted a 4.12 ERA (49 ER/107.0 IP) with 90 strikeouts and 19 walks across three levels in 2025, his first professional season. The former first-team all-ACC selection at the University of Miami was originally drafted by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.
Rounding out the Sea Dogs' top pitching prospects is Rivera, a lefty out of Puerto Rico. Rivera played in both Greenville (10 games, 6 starts) and Portland (10 games, 9 starts) in 2025, posting a 2.39 combined ERA between the two levels. Rivera ranked 2nd among Red Sox minor league pitchers in opponent AVG (.177, min. 50.0 IP), and showed premium bat-missing ability, striking out 108 batters in 87.0 innings of work.
Outfielders Miguel Bleis and Nelly Taylor join Arias as the only Portland position players featured on MLB.com's top-30 Prospects list, coming in at no. 17 and no. 22 respectively. Both bring impressive speed, agility, and overall defensive abilities to the outfield. Bleis, Baseball America's Fastest Baserunner in the Red Sox' system, returns to the Sea Dogs after 30 games in Portland last season, while Taylor, Baseball America's Best Athlete and Best Defensive Outfielder in the Red Sox' system will be making his AA debut.
Portland returns 17 players from past seasons: Pitchers Cooper Adams, Isaac Coffey, John Holobetz, Jorge Juan, Hayden Mullins, Eduardo Rivera, Dalton Rogers, Michael Sansone and Blake Wehunt, along with catchers Drew Ehrhard and Ronald Rosario. Returning infielders include Baseball America's Best Defensive Infielder Marvin Alcantara, Franklin Arias, Max Ferguson, Baseball America's Best Infield Arm Ahbram Lindo and Tyler McDonough while the outfield returns Miguel Bleis.
Max Carlson, Cade Feeney, Patrick Halligan, Erik Rivera, and Gage Ziehl round out the pitching staff, Nate Baez and Raudelis Martinez join as catchers, while outfielders Caden Rose, Nelly Taylor and Will Turner complete the Opening Day roster.
This roster includes...
18 American players from 15 different states.
9 international players from four countries or territories, with four players hailing from Venezuela (Rosario, Alcantara, Arias and Liendo), two from the Dominican Republic (Juan and Bleis), two from Puerto Rico (Eduardo and Erik Rivera, not related), and one from Cuba (Martinez).
10 players drafted by the Red Sox.
8 free agents.
4 international free agents.
4 players acquired through trades.
1 Rule 5 Draft acquisition.
At 20 years old, Franklin Arias is the youngest player on the roster, while 27-year-old Drew Ehrhard is the oldest.
The average age of the team is 24 years old.
Below is the full roster:
Pitchers (14): Cooper Adams, Max Carlson, Isaac Coffey, Cade Feeney, John Holobetz, Jorge Juan, Hayden Mullins, Eduardo Rivera, Erik Rivera, Dalton Rogers, Michael Sansone, Blake Wehunt, and Gage Ziehl.
Catchers (4): Nate Baez, Drew Ehrhard, Raudelis Martinez and Ronald Rosario.
Infielders (5): Marvin Alcantara, Franklin Arias, Max Ferguson, Ahbram Liendo and Tyler McDonough.
Outfielders (4): Miguel Bleis, Caden Rose, Nelly Taylor and Will Turner
Injured List (6): P Caleb Bolden, P Chih-Jung Liu, P Yordanny Monegro, P Danny Kirwin, P Jeremy Wu-Yelland, C Brooks Brannon
Chad Epperson, the winningest manager in franchise history, returns for his fifth season as at the helm of the Sea Dogs, entering 2026 with an overall record of 290-257. In August 2025, he surpassed previous record-holder Arnie Beyeler's franchise mark of 282 wins. He is joined on the coaching staff by pitching coach Juan Rivera (2nd season), assistant pitching coach Isaiah Paige (2nd season), defensive coach Kyle Sasala (3rd season), hitting coach Trevor Burmeister (1st season), assistant hitting coach Elijah Boyer (1st season), strength and conditioning coach Jonah Mondloch (2nd season), athletic trainer Kelsey Branstetter (1st season), and assistant athletic trainer Shelby Perry (2nd season).
The Sea Dogs open the 2026 season on Friday, April 3rd against the Somerset Patriots at TD Bank Ballpark.
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