Shorebirds Announce Opening Day Roster

SALISBURY, MD: In conjunction with the Baltimore Orioles, the Delmarva Shorebirds are excited to announce the Opening Day Roster for 2026. The roster includes:

Right-Handed Pitchers (12): Luis Beltrán, Denton Biller, Adrián Delgado, Brandon Downer, Adrian Heredia, Todd Kniebbe, Kenny Leiner, Kiefer Lord, Esteban Mejia, Keeler Morfe, Brayan Orrantia, Christian Rodriguez.

Left-Handed Pitchers (2): Kailen Hamson, Braeden Sloan.

Catchers (2): Andrés Nolaya, Juan Ortega.

Infielders (8): Luis Almeyda, Edwin Amparo, Félix Amparo, Junior Aybar, Maikol Hernández, Cobb Hightower, DJ Layton, Joshua Liranzo.

Outfielders (4): Stiven Martinez, Raylin Ramos, Jordan Sanchez, Braylon Whitaker.

Injured List (11): RHP Isaac Silva, C Andrew Tess, C Miguel Rodriguez, RHP Alex Ramos, RHP Trey Nordmann, LHP Francisco Morao, C Adriander Mejia, RHP KK Clark, LHP Andy Fabian, RHP Miguel Mesa, RHP Jesus Palacios.

Out of the 28 players on the roster, 20 played in at least one game for the Shorebirds last season. 16 were signed as international free agents, and nine were drafted by the Orioles.

There are four Top-30 prospects for Baltimore on the Delmarva break-camp roster, led by RHP Esteban Mejia, ranked No. 6 by MLB.com. Mejia debuted for the Shorebirds on August 3 last season and made three starts for Delmarva during the final stretch. He enters 2026 as the third-best pitching prospect in the Orioles' organization and was a Postseason All-Star for the FCL Orioles in 2025.

Outfielder Jordan Sanchez is another Top-30 prospect on the Shorebirds, ranking as Baltimore's 16th-best prospect. Sanchez played only four games with Delmarva in 2025, but he made a quick impact by hitting two home runs in the final game of the regular season on September 6 against Lynchburg. He was the only Shorebird to hit two home runs in a game in 2025. Sanchez was named the Most Valuable Player in the Florida Complex League last season, posting a .293 batting average with 5 home runs, 45 RBIs, 24 extra-base hits, and an OPS of .950 across 54 games.

Outfielder Stiven Martinez rejoins the Delmarva roster after making his debut with the team in July 2025 at age 17. He starts the season as Baltimore's 26th-best prospect.

Infielder Cobb Hightower begins the year as the No. 30 prospect for the Orioles, as he starts his first full season in the organization after he was acquired by Baltimore at last season's trade deadline from the San Diego Padres.

The 2026 regular season begins tonight at 6:35 PM, with Delmarva starting a three-game series against the Salem RidgeYaks (Boston Red Sox) on the road. The Shorebirds will play their first regular-season game at Perdue Stadium on Tuesday, April 7, at 7:05 PM, against the Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves).

The PDF version of the roster can be viewed here.