Dragons Announce Numerous Roster Changes, Congratulate Five Keys Players on Promotions to Double-A

June 30, 2025

The Dayton Dragons, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, announced the following roster changes today:

Catcher Alfredo Duno, shortstop Carlos Sanchez, outfielder Kien Vu, first baseman Carter Graham, and right-handed pitcher Jose Montero have been promoted from Dayton to Chattanooga (Double-A, Southern League).

Catcher Ryan McCrystal, shortstop Julio Carreras, and infielder Johnny Ascanio have been transferred to Dayton from Chattanooga.

Infielder Tyson Lewis and right-handed pitcher Luke Hayden have been promoted to Dayton from the Daytona Tortugas (Single-A, Florida State League).

Outfielder Marcus Smith has been assigned to the Dayton Dragons roster after being obtained by the Cincinnati Reds organization on Monday. Smith had played this season with the Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association.

Notes on New Players Joining the Dragons:

*Tyson Lewis is currently ranked as the Cincinnati Reds #4 prospect by MLB Pipeline and #5 prospect by Baseball America. Lewis was the Reds 2nd round draft pick (51st overall) in 2024 out of Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he led his team to the 2024 state championship and was selected as Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year. In 2025, Lewis played for the Reds ACL affiliate in Goodyear, Arizona and batted .340, 6 HR, 35 RBI to earn Full-Season ACL All-Star honors. Lewis has spent this season at Single-A Daytona, batting .243, 4 HR, 26 RBI.

*Ryan McCrystal began this season with the Dragons and was the team’s Co-Player of the Month for April before earning a promotion to Chattanooga. McCrystal was tied for third in the Midwest League in RBI at the time he was moved up. His primary position is catcher but he has also seen significant time at first base.

*Julio Carreras is a veteran shortstop who spent most of the 2024 and 2025 seasons at the Triple-A level in the Colorado Rockies organization. He was signed earlier this season by the Reds out of independent professional baseball, where he landed after spending eight years in the Rockies farm system. He last played at the High-A level in 2022 with Spokane, batting .289, 11 HR, 59 RBI in 110 games. His primary position is shortstop but he also has significant experience at third base and second base.

*Johnny Ascanio has spent a large amount of the 2024, ’25, and ’26 seasons with the Dragons as a utility man. This will be his third stint with the Dragons this season. He is a versatile, hard-nosed player who most recently received several starts in left field for Chattanooga in the final week of their First Half season in their efforts to win a division title for the half.

*Luke Hayden began this season with the Dragons as a starting pitcher, registering several pitches at 99 mph, before suffering a hamstring injury that led to a rehab assignment with the ACL Reds and then a brief stop with Daytona. He re-joins the Dragons and will pitch on this homestand.

*Marcus Smith is a center fielder with blazing speed who was originally a third round draft pick as a high school prospect by the Athletics in 2019. He has seven years of experience in affiliated professional baseball, most recently in 2025. He was playing this season with Kansas City in the independent American Association, where he batted .306, 7 HR in 33 games.

Notes on Players who are Moving from the Dragons to Chattanooga:

The five players moving up were highly-significant contributors to the Dragons First Half East Division title, which locked the Dragons into the Midwest League playoffs in September. The four position players have been the top four hitters in the Dragons batting order, and the team’s biggest stars. The promotions to Double-A of the five players were well-earned as they hope to someday join the list of Dragons in the Major Leagues (159 players to date).

Carter Graham batted .322, 17 HR, 60 RBI in three months with the Dragons and was on pace to finish the year with 30 home runs and 106 RBI. Graham broke the Dragons club record for highest batting average in a First Half season at .330 and also broke the club record for most grand slam home runs in a season with three. Graham has three 2-homer games, five 4-hit games, and five games with at least 5 RBI. He tied the club record on May 28 for most RBI in a game with 8 (a record that was also tied on June 18 (Game 2) by Jacob Friend. Graham ranked first in the MWL in RBI and second in home runs at the time of his promotion.

Carlos Sanchez batted .313, 9 HR, 36 RBI with the Dragons this season. He was leading the MWL in hits and ranked second in runs.

Alfredo Duno batted .260 with 16 HR and 47 RBI. He was third in the MWL in home runs, eighth in extra base hits, and 10^th in slugging percentage.

Kien Vu batted .266, 12 HR, and 45 RBI. He was third in the MWL in runs, tied for second in triples, tied for fifth in extra base hits, and fifth in stolen bases including a game-winning steal of home.

Jose Montero, the only pitcher on the list of players moving to Chattanooga, was 3-2 with a 3.40 ERA in eight starts with Dayton.

The Dragons, under manager Julio Morillo, will establish new roles and a new team identity in the Second Half before heading to the Midwest League playoffs in September. They will have the home field advantage in both rounds of the post-season as they hope to claim their first-ever Midwest League championship.

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