FRISCO, Texas (July 13, 2026) - Former Frisco RoughRiders infielder/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, July 12th in their game against the New York Yankees. He is the seventh player in 2026 who will go on the Road to the Show wall, driven by Avondale Dealerships.
Ortiz, 24, started as the designated hitter, hitting third in the lineup, and went 1-for-2 with a double.
Before being traded to the Nationals in the 2025-2026 offseason as part of the MacKenzie Gore trade, Ortiz was a Texas League Postseason All-Star at first base for the RoughRiders in 2025. Across two seasons and 204 games with Frisco in 2024 and 2025, Ortiz hit .245/.334/.437/.771 with 40 doubles, 34 home runs and 120 RBIs.
A former non-drafted signee out of Florida Southwest State Junior College, the Bayamon, Puerto Rico native was the Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year in 2023, hitting 33 home runs between Low-A Down East and High-A Hickory.
With Ortiz’s debut Sunday, there have now been 232 players in RoughRiders franchise history to make the major leagues. Ortiz joins Gavin Collyer, Peyton Gray, Robbie Ahlstrom, Mitch Bratt, Cam Cauley and Winston Santos in 2026.
For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 225 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Jack Leiter, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact zbigley@ridersbaseball.com.