The Salem RidgeYaks, Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, opened their Carolina League season by taking two out of three games from the Delmarva Shorebirds last week at Sale Memorial Ballpark. The Shorebirds are a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles.
Salem lefthander Dylan Brown was tabbed as the opening day starter for the Yaks and he picked up the win on opening night. Brown pitched five scoreless innings and struck out six to pick up the win.
Salem lost on Friday night, 11-10, but bounced back for a 5-3 win on Saturday. Salem took a 5-0 lead into the ninth and escaped with the win despite three unearned runs by the Birds in the top of the ninth inning.
The Yaks were off Sunday and Monday but are home for six more games this week, beginning Tuesday. They’ll take on the Wilson Warbirds for 6:35 pm starts through Saturday with a 2:05 pm Sunday matinee.
This season’s roster features a blend of talent, including 17 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders. The list is headlined by Enddy Azocar, the No. 12 prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization, who returns to Salem. The 19-year old outfielder from Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela appeared in 71 games with Single-A Salem after his May promotion last season.
Azocar is one of 13 returners from last year’s roster, joined by 18 newcomers. Of the players on the Opening Day roster, 12 are set to make their professional baseball debuts.
Other returners from 2025 include Adam Bates and Devin Futrell on the pitching side, along with lineup regulars like Starlyn Nunez, Frederik Jimenez, and Kleyver Salazar. Futrell made 12 starts with Salem last season, posting a 2.37 ERA with 28 strikeouts before a brief five-start stint in High-A Greenville to end the year.
Nunez, Jimenez, and Salazar all return to Salem’s Opening Day lineup for the second consecutive season. Nunez tied for the team lead with 110 games played last season, while Salazar and Jimenez followed closely with 99 and 98 games, respectively. Salem brings back its starting shortstop, first baseman, and catcher from last season, providing early-season stability and depth.
D’Angelo Ortiz, the son of Boston Red Sox legend, and Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, will begin the season in Salem after appearing in the final 28 games of last season following his late-July call-up from the Florida Complex League.
Top NCAA college baseball talent will also be featured, as the RidgeYaks welcome 18 players who competed at the collegiate level in the United States. Ten of those players saw action in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) across eight programs: Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.
Nine of Boston’s 2025 draft selections will also begin the year in Salem: RHP Christian Foutch (5th round, Arkansas), RHP Leighton Finley (6th, Georgia), LHP Myles Patton (7th, Texas A&M), LHP Dylan Brown (8th, Old Dominion), RHP Jacob Mayers (9th, LSU), RHP Barrett Morgan (11th, Cowley County CC), LHP Ethan Walker (12th, Kentucky), OF Skylar King (15th, West Virginia), and RHP Patrick Galle (17th, Ole Miss).
Luke Heyman, a former 14th-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners, is also slated to make his professional debut after being traded to Boston in November as part of the Alex Hoppe deal. A semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award (given to the nation’s top collegiate catcher), Heyman hit 41 home runs during his three-year career with the Florida Gators, ranking ninth all-time in program history and second among catchers. He also finished tied for second all-time in career fielding percentage at Florida, committing just five errors in 1,278 chances behind the plate.
Two players are also set to make highly anticipated returns from injury. RHP Brandon Neely is expected to make his professional debut after missing all of 2025 due to forearm stiffness. The former Florida Gator and 2024 third-round pick by Boston finally returned to action in the Arizona Fall League last September. Featuring a powerful fastball and sharp breaking pitches, Neely will be one to watch this spring.
On the offensive side, outfielder Stanley Tucker is working his way back from multiple injuries. The former Texas A&M Aggie played in eight games with Salem in 2023 and 69 games in 2024 before his season ended in mid-August due to a torn labrum suffered while dislocating his shoulder, requiring surgery. After rehabbing during the offseason, Tucker returned to action in spring training but suffered another setback, dislocating a bone in his left wrist after colliding with an outfield wall. The injury sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. Tucker has not appeared in a minor league game since August 13, 2024, but is set to return this season.
The full 30-man Opening Day roster for Salem consists of: Pitchers (17): Adam Bates, Harry Blum, Dylan Brown, Nicolas De La Cruz, Leighton Finley, Christian Foutch, Madinson Frias, Devin Futrell, Patrick Galle, Gilbel Galvan, Griffin Kilander, Jacob Mayers, Barrett Morgan, Brandon Neely, Myles Patton, Wuilliams Rodriguez and Ethan Walker.
