Dayton Dragons 2026 Preview, Part 5--The Third Basemen
The Dayton Dragons annual home “Opening Night” game is set for Tuesday, April 7 against the Lake County Captains at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark. The Dragons will officially open their season on the road a few days earlier, on April 2 against the Lansing Lugnuts in Lansing, Michigan.
The Dayton Dragons annual home “Opening Night” game is set for Tuesday, April 7 against the Lake County Captains at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark. The Dragons will officially open their season on the road a few days earlier, on April 2 against the Lansing Lugnuts in Lansing, Michigan.
This is part five of an eight-part series previewing the 2026 Dragons. Players listed here are candidates for positions on the Dragons season-opening roster.
This preview is an unofficial projection of possible roster candidates. Minor League rosters are not established until March 31. Spring training variables including performance, injuries, trades, and additional player acquisitions will impact the roster accordingly.
For Dragons season ticket, group ticket, or single-game ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.
The Third Basemen
Click links on each name for career stats and player information.
Candidates: Ricky Cabrera, Carlos Sanchez, Carter Graham
The Dragons third base picture in 2026 seems to be somewhat dependent on a few other factors, specifically, the recovery from a major injury of a highly-regarded prospect as well as the decision-making process on the makeup of the roster at other positions.
Ricky Cabrera was the Dragons opening day third baseman in 2025, but the season turned out to be mostly a nightmare for Cabrera, who suffered a season-ending knee injury (left meniscus) on May 2. Cabrera, 21, was a blue-chip international signing by the Reds in 2022 when he was just 17 years old. He was rated by both Baseball America and MLB.com as the third best prospect among all international signings by any team in 2022. He enters his fifth season in the Reds organization in 2026. His readiness to return from a serious knee injury is uncertain. If he is ready to go on opening night, he will likely return to the Dragons with hopes of showing the kind of progression this season that would put him back on track for a big league career.
Cabrera’s 2025 season had multiple levels of disappointment. First, it should be noted that prior to 2025, Cabrera, a native of Venezuela, had never played in the cool spring weather often encountered in the Midwest. He had started his pro career in the Dominican Summer League, then moved on to the Arizona Complex League, and then to the Florida State League. So it was fair to expect that Cabrera, like many hitters, might start slowly in 2025 in the Midwest League, and then show improvement as the weather started to warm up. And Cabrera did struggle, hitting just .187 with no home runs in 21 games with the Dragons while committing seven errors. He had reached double figures in home runs the previous year at Daytona while hitting above the league average, batting .252 as a 19-year-old.
But Cabrera never got that chance to play in the warmer weather. His season came to an end with the knee injury on May 2, with four full months of the season still ahead of him. So Cabrera’s initial year at the High-A level did not allow him to show the skills that made him the Reds #10 prospect entering the season. Cabrera fell completely off the Baseball America Reds top-30 prospect list entering 2026 while he is listed at #26 on the MLB Pipeline list. Cabrera will know what to expect in 2026 and if he is healthy, he will have a chance to regain that prospect status that he previously carried.
Carlos Sanchez will be one of the Dragons top prospects in 2026 and could play third base, shortstop, or center field, depending on the rehab status of Ricky Cabrera, and whether Tyson Lewis (the top shortstop prospect in the entire Reds organization) opens the year with the Dragons. Sanchez and Lewis were both profiled in our shortstop preview here. Baseball America currently lists Sanchez as the Reds #27 prospect. He opened the 2025 season with Single-A Daytona and ranked second in the Florida State League in batting average when he was promoted to the Dragons on June 24. Sanchez started 21 games at third base, 25 at shortstop, and seven in center field in his time in Dayton last summer. He showed solid tools, and with the experience he gained last year, he could be one of the Midwest League’s best players in 2026.
Carter Graham started the most games at third base of any Dragons player last season, opening 32 games at the hot corner and another 13 at first base. Graham could return to the Dragons in 2026 and again see time at both positions. Graham, who has split each of the last two seasons between the Dragons and Single-A Daytona, was profiled at first base here.
Graham had some big games for the Dragons last season and earned the Midwest League Player of the Week award in August. He was an eighth round draft pick in 2023 out of Stanford University. In 2022 as a sophomore, he was named by Baseball America as a Second Team All-American and led the PAC 12 in home runs with 22, fourth most in a season in Stanford history. He also finished second in the conference in RBI while batting .331 in 64 games. He led Stanford to the College World Series. Graham, a hard-nosed player with great intangibles, showed improvement in Dayton in 2025 compared to his initial year with the Dragons in ’24.
Next up: Outfielders
Click below for previous positional previews: