The 2026 season was historic for the Richmond Flying Squirrels in several areas, from the grand opening of CarMax Park to a record-breaking year for the team’s offense.
It was also an unprecedented year for Flying Squirrels players moving on to the major leagues.
There were 17 Flying Squirrels players who reached the majors for the first time in 2026, passing the previous record of 14 from 2024.
Nine players who suited up for the Flying Squirrels in 2026 climbed to the majors by the end of the season, including Jonah Cox, Drew Cavanaugh, Turner Hill, Matt Wilkinson, Seth Lonsway, Yunior Marte, Cesar Perdomo, Scott Bandura and Bo Davidson. That total far surpassed the previous record of five from 2023.
Cox and Marte were both called up to the Giants directly from Richmond. The Giants had not made a promotion from Double-A straight to the big leagues since 2017.
Let’s take a look at each of the 17 Flying Squirrels who made their MLB debuts in 2026:
William Kempner
Kempner made a brief stop in Richmond at the end of the 2023 season. That September, he received a promotion from High-A Eugene and made his Double-A debut in September on the road in Erie. He was also on the Flying Squirrels’ postseason roster that year. After missing the entire 2024 season with an injury, Kempner was traded to the Miami Marlins on January 15, 2025. He had a strong season in the minors that year and was called up to the majors for his MLB debut on May 5, 2026, and threw a scoreless inning against the Orioles that day. He went on to post a 2.92 ERA in nine big league outings with the Marlins this year before a season-ending injury in July.
Victor Bericoto
The Flying Squirrels’ Player of the Year in 2025, Bericoto spent parts of three seasons in Richmond beginning in 2023. He finished his career with the second-most homers (34) and RBIs (140) in team history. This year, he had a breakout spring and was selected as the recipient of the Barney Nugent Award, which “is voted on by teammates, coaches, training and clubhouse staff and presented to a player in his first big league camp whose performance and dedication best exemplifies the San Francisco Giants spirit.” After spending a couple months with Triple-A Sacramento, he made his MLB debut with the Giants on May 22 against the White Sox as a pinch-hitter.
On June 24, he hit a walk-off homer to lift the Giants to a 2-1 win over the Athletics. For the year, Bericoto played 41 games with the Giants and hit .241 with five homers and 15 RBIs.
Bryan Torres
Torres made a stop in Richmond in 2021 as part of an 11-year journey through the minors. He originally signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 and spent five years in their organization, never reaching higher than the rookie levels. The Giants picked up Torres in the minor-league phase of the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. After the lost 2020 season, he skipped straight to Double-A and joined the Flying Squirrels for 2021, hitting .280 over 43 games while spending time at catcher, second base and third base. In just his second Double-A game on May 13, 2021, he caught the franchise’s first nine-inning no-hitter at Harrisburg. After reaching free agency, Torres spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the independent Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association. He signed with the Cardinals entering the 2024 season and hit .331 with Double-A Springfield that year. After posing a .328 batting average in Triple-A with Memphis in 2025, he got off to a hot start in 2026 to earn his first call to the big leagues.
After more than a decade in the minors, Torres homered in his MLB debut on May 23 in Cincinnati. He spent the rest of the season with the Cardinals and batted .229 with four homers and 19 RBIs in 74 games.
Tanner Andrews
Andrews joined the Flying Squirrels near the end of the 2022 season. Originally drafted by the Marlins out of Purdue in 2018, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the minor-league phase of the 2021 Rule 5 Draft and traded to the Giants. After missing most of the season with an injury, he pitched four games with Richmond to close out the season, throwing 5.1 scoreless innings. After two seasons with Triple-A Sacramento, he signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins for the 2025 season but was limited to 14 outings with injuries. He signed with the Toronto Blue Jays entering the 2026 season and posted a 1.35 ERA through mid-May, earning a promotion to the majors for the first time.
With Toronto, Andrews made two appearances against Miami on May 25 and May 26, throwing three scoreless innings. He was designated for assignment and sent back to Triple-A for the rest of the year, where he was named the Bisons’ Most Valuable Pitcher.
Jonah Cox
One of the best breakout stories in the Giants organization this year, Cox began the season with the Flying Squirrels.
He played 44 games before being called up straight to the majors on May 31. At the time, he led the minors in batting average (.400) and ranked second in OPS (1.097), fifth in SLG (.644) and tied for seventh in stolen bases (27). He had five triples with Richmond, which tied for the Eastern League lead for the entire season. Cox became the first player in nine years to be called up to the majors directly from Richmond.
He made his MLB debut against the Rockies in Denver, 20 minutes from his hometown, on May 31 and hit a double in his first plate appearance. He went on to hit .252 with four homers and 16 RBIs with 16 stolen bases over 62 games with the Giants.
Drew Cavanaugh
After joining the Flying Squirrels near the end of the 2025 season, Cavanaugh returned to Richmond to begin 2026. He played 22 games this year in Double-A.
On April 24, he hit the first walk-off homer in CarMax Park history, driving a pinch-hit, two-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 win over Somerset.
He was bumped up to Triple-A on May 12 and called up to the majors on June 26 with the Giants. That night, he went 1-for-3 with a walk in his MLB debut against the Braves. He went on to play 59 games in the majors, the most of any catcher on the Giants roster this year, and hit .229 with a homer and 12 RBIs.
Matt Seelinger
After stops in the minors with six different organizations plus a stint in independent baseball, Seelinger’s nine-year journey to the big leagues culminated in his MLB debut with the New York Mets on July 8 at Citi Field, 20 miles from his hometown on Long Island. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 and then traded to the Giants the following year. He pitched for Richmond in 2021, going 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA over 36 appearances, including an appearance in the franchise’s first-ever nine-inning no-hitter on May 13, 2021, at Harrisburg. Following the season, Seelinger was selected by the Phillies in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and pitched with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley before being released near the end of the 2023 season. He began the 2024 campaign in independent baseball with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League and signed with the Detroit Tigers that June. After parts of three seasons in the minors with Detroit, he was traded to the Mets this July and sent straight to the big leagues.
In his debut, Seelinger entered in the seventh and allowed runs before recovering for a scoreless eighth inning. After his debut, he spent the rest of the year with Triple-A Syracuse.
Nate Furman
Furman was with the Flying Squirrels near the end of the 2025 season. He was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in 2022 and traded to the Giants in 2024 as the player to be named later in a deal for pitcher Alex Cobb. After missing most of the 2025 season, he joined Richmond in September and played nine games. This year, he spent the first four months of the season in Triple-A before being promoted to the Giants for his MLB debut on August 1 in San Diego, where he entered as a late defensive replacement. He saw action in five games in his first big-league stint through August 8 before being sent back to Sacramento. Furman returned to the majors later that month for the rest of the season.
On August 25 against the Reds, he picked up his first MLB hit. For the year, he saw action in 22 big league games.
Trent Harris
Harris signed with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2023 and first joined the Flying Squirrels near the end of the 2024 season. He returned in 2025 and posted a 1.69 ERA with two saves over 13 outings before a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento in June. This year, he began the season in Triple-A and was promoted to the Giants in August. Harris made his MLB debut on August 8 and allowed three runs while recording one out and surrendered one run over 1.1 innings in his second appearance. Over his next 20 outings to close the year, Harris posted a 0.83 ERA (2 ER/21.2 IP) and recorded two saves.
Over his final 20 appearances, he threw 17 scoreless outings. He finished the season with a 2.31 ERA in 22 games.
Turner Hill
After finishing his collegiate career at NCAA Division III Marietta College in his hometown, Hill originally signed to play independent baseball before receiving a minor league deal with the Giants in May 2023. He reached Double-A in 2024 and spent parts of three seasons in Richmond, batting .265 over 146 games. This year, he began the season with the Flying Squirrels and posted a .344 batting average over nine games before a promotion to Triple-A on April 16, where he batted .353 over 88 games through mid-August. Hill was called up to the Giants and made his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies on August 15.
He picked up his first MLB hit the next day. He went on to hit .219 with a homer and 16 RBIs over 34 MLB games.
Matt Wilkinson
“Tugboat” began this year with the Guardians organization after he was their 10th-round draft pick in 2023. He was with Double-A Akron and pitched against Richmond on May 7 at CarMax Park before being traded to the Giants for Patrick Bailey two days later. He made three starts for the Flying Squirrels, capping his time with Richmond with seven scoreless, one-hit innings against his old team in Akron on May 27. He was promoted to Triple-A in June and called up to the Giants in August. Wilkinson made his MLB debut in Cleveland on August 19 and threw two scoreless innings.
He went on to make eight appearances, including six starts, with the Giants and posted a 1-3 record with a 3.58 ERA. In his final four outings, he went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA (1 ER/13.0 IP).
Braxton Roxby
Roxby signed with the Reds as a non-drafted free agent in 2020 out of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. After four seasons, he was traded to the Giants before the 2025 season and spent the first half of that year in Richmond, going 3-3 with a 1.20 ERA in 22 outings with three saves. He was called up to Triple-A that July and pitched with Sacramento through his first call up to the majors this August. Roxby made his MLB debut for the Giants on August 28 against the Arizona Diamondbacks and threw a scoreless inning. Three days later, he pitched in Pittsburgh, about 90 minutes from his hometown, before returning to Sacramento. He was called back up to the majors and threw two scoreless appearances against the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers to finish the year. Roxby pitched four outings for the Giants, including three scoreless appearances, and posted a 3.38 ERA.
Seth Lonsway
Lonsway was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and joined the Flying Squirrels in June 2024. That year, he went 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA in six appearances (five starts) before a ruptured appendix ended his season in August. He returned to the Flying Squirrels in 2025 and posted a 3.52 ERA in 19 starts before a promotion to Triple-A in July. In 2026, he briefly returned to Richmond for one appearance on June 7, but spent most of the year in Triple-A. Lonsway was called up to the Giants and made his MLB debut on August 29 against the Diamondbacks, working two relief innings. He returned to Sacramento before throwing a scoreless appearance in the Giants’ season finale on September 27 against the Dodgers.
Yunior Marte
Marte signed with the Royals as an international free agent in 2022 before being traded to the Giants at the 2025 trade deadline for Mike Yastrzemski. He began 2026 with High-A Eugene and joined the Flying Squirrels on June 2, going 2-4 with a 3.92 ERA in 13 starts.
In August, he became the second Flying Squirrels player in 2026 to be called up to the majors directly from Double-A. Marte made his MLB debut against the Diamondbacks on August 29 and allowed one run over 4.2 innings. He made five MLB appearances, including five scoreless innings in a start against the Padres on September 11. Marte went 0-2 with a 4.44 ERA over 24.1 MLB innings.
Cesar Perdomo
Perdomo signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2021. He made his Double-A debut as the starting pitcher in the inaugural game at CarMax Park on April 7 against Altoona, allowing one unearned run over 3.2 innings. On June 9, he tied the single-game franchise record with 13 strikeouts against Harrisburg.
He made 15 appearances, including 13 starts, for the Flying Squirrels in 2026, going 2-4 with a 3.98 ERA before promoted to Triple-A on July 7. After nine Triple-A starts, Perdomo made his MLB debut for the Giants on September 1 and allowed one run over four innings in Pittsburgh out of the bullpen. In his first big league start on September 6 at Citi Field against the Mets, Perdomo threw six scoreless innings and allowed three hits. He finished the year 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA in five MLB appearances (four starts).
Scott Bandura
Bandura was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Princeton. He joined the Flying Squirrels at the All-Star Break in 2025 and played 45 Double-A games to finish the season.
He returned to Richmond to open the 2026 season and hit .324 over 37 games, earning a promotion to Triple-A in late-May. He spent most of the remainder of the season in Sacramento before being promoted to the big leagues in September.
Bandura made his MLB debut on September 13 against the Padres and went 1-for-3 with a walk. He saw action in 13 games for the Giants to close the season.
Bo Davidson
Davidson signed with the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2023 after playing at two North Carolina community colleges. He joined Richmond mid-way through the 2025 season and hit eight homers over 42 games to close the year. In 2026, Davidson returned to the Flying Squirrels and hit .277 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs over 73 games. His 19 homers in 2026 were the fourth-most in a season in franchise history and his 27 career homers are tied for fifth-most in team history.
In June, he became the first player in franchise history to homer in four consecutive games. He was promoted to Triple-A at the All-Star Break and added 10 homers in 52 games, giving him an organization-leading 29 home runs for the year.
Davidson was called up to the Giants and made his MLB debut on September 21 against the Twins, going 1-for-4. He picked up at least one hit in all six big league games he played, batting .350 (7-for-20) with a walk and a stolen base for the Giants. Following the season, he was the first Flying Squirrels player to be named an Eastern League Post-Season All-Star since 2014.
In addition to the 17 Flying Squirrels alumni who made their MLB debuts in 2026, former Richmond catcher Zach Morgan was called up to the Giants roster twice but never appeared in a game. For now, he joins a list of “phantom ballplayers.”
To explore the full list of all 133 Flying Squirrels alumni who have reached the majors since 2010, click here.