Future Stars Ready to Take the Field as RiverDogs Reveal 2026 Opening Day Roster 

Charleston, S.C. – In conjunction with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Charleston RiverDogs have announced their 2026 Opening Day roster ahead of Thursday’s season opener against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

First-year manager Danny Mendick begins his inaugural season at the helm of a professional club, leading a youthful group of emerging Rays talent. The club enters 2026 seeking its seventh-consecutive winning season and fifth playoff appearance in the past six years.

“I’m extremely excited, we have a really good group of young men,” said Mendick. “We’re excited to go out there and compete every single night and play winning baseball.”

The active 30-man roster features 16 pitchers and 14 position players, sporting an average age of 21.4 years old. Among the entire group, 19 return from last year’s squad, while 21 are slated to embark on their first full-professional seasons after being selected in the 2025 draft.

The roster is headlined by elite young talent, including three first-round picks from the 2025 draft and eight players ranked among the Rays top 30 prospect list by MLB Pipeline.**

Leading the way is shortstop Daniel Pierce, the Rays first-round pick (14th overall) from the 2025 draft out of Mill Creek High School (Hoschton, Georgia), located just under five hours west of Charleston. Widely praised for his defensive acumen and strong baseball instincts, Pierce enters the year as the No. 5 prospect in Tampa Bay’s system, according to MLB Pipeline.

In a draft class rich with shortstop talent, Pierce distinguished himself after a dominant high school season on both sides of the ball. After the draft, he described Tampa Bay as his ‘dream landing spot’, and now arrives in Charleston as one of the most exciting young players in the organization.

Regarded as one of the top catchers in last year’s draft class, Caden Bodine was acquired by Tampa Bay last December as part of a trade with the Orioles, that also included three additional prospects for Shane Baz. The backstop was originally selected 30th overall by Baltimore following a standout career with Coastal Carolina University.

In 60 games for the Chanticleers in 2025, the switch hitter slashed .318/.454/.461 with five home runs, anchoring one of the nation’s most dominant teams. He guided the club’s pitching staff to the second-best ERA in the country, while helping lead the program to a record setting 56 wins, highlighted by a 26-game winning streak and a College World Series Finals appearance. For his efforts, he became the first player in school history to win the Buster Posey Award, presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate catcher.

Bodine made his professional debut late last season in the Orioles system, batting .326 over 11 games for fellow Carolina League foe Delmarva. He enters 2026 ranked the No. 13 prospect in the Rays via MLB Pipeline.

Other ranked prospects on the roster include OF Slater de Brun (IL) (No. 10), OF Brendan Summerhill (No. 21), OF Brailer Guerrero (No. 24), INF Cooper Flemming (No. 28), INF Dean Moss (No. 29) and INF Taitn Gray (No. 30).

Guerrero highlights a stout group of position player returners. Still only 19 years old, he consistently generates some of the best batted-ball quality in the Rays system. When healthy last year, he produced a .744 OPS with six homers over 50 games with Charleston.

Summerhill also returns after a cup of coffee with the RiverDogs last year. Selected by the Rays 42nd overall last summer, the University of Arizona product went 12-for-36 to start his professional career.

On the pitching side, Charleston native and Hanahan High School product Trey Pooser is back, after tossing 28 quality innings for the club last season. The right hander also played four seasons at the College of Charleston before transferring to the University of Kentucky.

A talented slate of arms will make their professional debuts with the RiverDogs this season as well, including Dom Fritton (fourth round), Aidan Haugh (sixth round) and Aidan Cremarosa (eighth round), among others.

The RiverDogs open the 2026 campaign on Thursday, April 2 versus the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Joesph P. Riley, Jr. Park at 7:05 p.m. As the RiverDogs celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Opening Night festivities include a patriotic-themed player parade before the game, one-dollar alcoholic beverages, and more. For tickets and more information, visit RiverDogs.com.

ABOUT THE RIVERDOGS

The Charleston RiverDogs are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and three-time Carolina League Champions. The RiverDogs play their home games at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, a Charleston staple since 1997. 2026 single game tickets are on sale now at RiverDogs.com.

Beyond baseball, the RiverDogs host year-round events in the climate-controlled Segra Club. Active members of the Lowcountry community, the RiverDogs were named the winner of the 2025 'MiLB Together Award,' which recognizes a team for outstanding commitment to charitable service in their community.

Team merchandise is always available at the RiverDogs Team Store. Store hours are Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Contact the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS) for more information.