Nine Recent Mighty Mussels to Appear in The Arizona Fall League

FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 15, 2026) - Earlier today Major League Baseball announced the 2026 Arizona Fall League Rosters, with nine recent Mighty Mussels named to the initial rosters.

Players listed below appeared in a game for Fort Myers between 2024 and 2026.

Left-hander Jake Murray is the lone current Mighty Mussel on an AFL roster. He will join seven other Minnesota Twins’ prospects on the Salt River Rafters. Rafters pitching coach Carter Kessinger is also part of the Twins’ organization.

Joining Murray on the Rafters are fellow southpaws Ross Dunn, Cesar Lares, and Cleiber Maldonado, right-hander Brian Zeldin, infielder Kyle DeBarge, and outfielders Yasser Mercedes (Twins’ No. 17 prospect), and Jacob McCombs.

Murray appeared in 25 games for the Mussels, compiling a 6.23 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work. He recorded the final out of the team's no-hitter on May 26, striking out Dunedin Blue Jays first baseman David Beckles. The Campbell product signed as an undrafted free agent last summer and ended the 2026 campaign on the 7-day injured list.

Dunn was the Twins 10th round pick in the 2023 draft and appeared in 19 games for the Mussels in 2024. He had a 6.46 ERA across 61.1 innings. Dunn was back in a Fort Myers’ uniform this summer on a rehab assignment from High-A Cedar Rapids.

Lares showed flashes of brilliance with the Mussels in 2024, including an 11-strikeout game against the Dunedin Blue Jays. He finished that season with a 4.56 ERA in 19 starts before missing all of 2025 and half of 2026 with an injury. Lares is currently with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Maldonado appeared in 10 games with the Mussels in 2024, authoring a 2.70 ERA out of the bullpen. Like Lares, he missed all of 2025 and half of 2026 with an injury and is currently in High-A.

Zeldin began 2026 with Fort Myers and had a 4.76 ERA in 11 games before being promoted to High-A.

DeBarge is the most seasoned Twins’ prospect on the list. The No. 33 overall pick in the 2024 draft made his way up to Double-A Wichita this season. DeBarge appeared in 26 games with the Mussels in 2024 following the draft and has a career .690 OPS in 267 games.

Mercedes mashed his way back onto the Twins’ top-30 list after batting .321 with a 1.081 OPS in 21 games with the Mussels this spring, before a promotion to High-A. In parts of three years (125 total games) with Fort Myers, Mercedes went 48-for-51 in stolen bases.

McCombs was the Twins 7th round pick in 2025 and appeared in eight games with the Mussels later that summer. He missed time in 2026, only appearing in 67 games with Cedar Rapids.

The Rafters roster is composed of prospects from the Twins, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals.

Former Twins’ top-30 prospect and Mighty Mussels’ infielder Bruin Agbayani will suit up for the Surprise Saguaros. Agbayani set the Fort Myers’ all-time record for runs scored in a game with five on May 30. The 19-year-old appeared in 15 games with Fort Myers following a 6th round selection in the 2025 draft. He was traded to the New York Mets as part of the A.J. Minter deal on July 31.

Full rosters can be found here. The AFL season begins on Saturday, Oct. 3, with the league’s opening game showcasing the Salt River Rafters at Glendale Desert Dogs at 12:30 p.m. MST. The full schedule can be found here.

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