Woodpeckers Announce 2026 Opening Day Roster

Fayetteville, NC –The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, in conjunction with the Houston Astros, have unveiled the 2026 Opening Day Roster ahead of their Carolina League opener against the Wilson Warbirds on April 3rd at Segra Stadium. The 30-man roster breaks down to 15 position players and 15 pitchers, along with 18 returners from the 2024 and 2025 squads, plus 12 newcomers who will make their Single-A debut with Fayetteville.

For the first time in franchise history, the Woodpeckers roster will also feature the top two prospects in the Astros farm system in outfielder Kevin Alvarez and infielder Xavier Neyens.

Alvarez enters the season as the number one overall prospect on MLB.com rankings after emerging as one of the best all-around talents in the 2025 international class and signing with Houston out of the Dominican Republic. The 18-year-old, who is a Cuban native, impressed in his first professional season in the rookie-revel Dominican Summer League, slashing .301/.419/.455 with 12 doubles, two HR, 33 RBI, 23 BB and just 19 K's in 192 plate appearances.

Neyens, the number two prospect in the system, was the Astros first round pick in the 2025 draft out of Mount Vernon High School in Washington state. The 19-year-old shortstop stood out in the 2025 high school class with a physical 6-foot-4 frame and plus power in his left-handed swing. He did not play following the draft and will make his pro debut in Fayetteville on Opening Weekend.

Returning outfielder Anthony Huezo (#19 overall) and pitchers Nick Potter (#29 overall) and Gabel Pentecost (#30 overall) round out the five Top-30 prospects on the Opening Day Roster.

A full listing of the 2026 Woodpeckers roster is below:

Position Players: Kevin Alvarez, Camilo Diaz, Brandon Forrester, Kenni Gomez, Anthony Huezo, Nick Monistere, Xavier Neyens, Nehomar Ochoa Jr., German Ramirez, Hector Salas, Juan Sierra, Josh Wakefield

Catchers*:* Arturo Flores, Keduar Trujillo, Yosweld Vasquez

Pitchers: Luis Aguilar, Jhoster Baez, Jagger Beck, Jesus Carrera, Curtis Hebert, Kellan Oakes, Gabel Pentecost, Javier Perez, Nick Potter, Leomar Rosario, Jose Serrano, Aubrey Smith, Ryan Verdugo, Charlie Weber, Jackson Wells

The Woodpeckers will be led by second-year manager Carlos Lugo, who led the club to its second winning season in franchise history last year, along with returning pitching coach James Wiseman, hitting coach Steve Serratore and development coach Tanner Montgomery.

The Woodpeckers kick off their 2026 campaign at Segra Stadium on Friday, April 3rd against the Wilson Warbirds. Fans can get an early look at the new team when Segra Stadium hosts the ‘Battle of the Villes’ exhibition on Tuesday, March 31st, which will feature the Fayetteville Woodpeckers matching up against the Asheville Tourists (High-A, Houston Astros) in a preseason tune-up before each team starts their respective seasons. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. with gates to open at 5:30 p.m.