2026 News and Stats – Jewish Baseball News

LHP Max Fried (Yankees), who teamed up with RHP Jake Bird to shut out the Giants on Opening Day, recorded another shutout in his second start of the season, a 5-0 win over the Mariners 5-0 on March 31. The ace held Seattle to 3 hits and a walk over 7 innings while striking out six. Fried and Bird didn’t have quite the same magic in the next start. Fried gave up 3 earned runs over 6.2 innings and New York up 4-3 over the Marlins. But Bird, who entered the game with one out and a man on first in the 8th inning, was pulled after giving up a walk, hitting a batter, and yielding a 2-run double. He was hit with both the loss and a blown save in Florida’s 7-6 win. Despite the defeat, Fried’s 1.35 ERA ranks #6 in the A.L. through 4/6/2026, and his WHIP comes in at #7 (4/8/2026)
Garrett Stubbs lost his bid for the final catcher spot on Philadelphia’s roster last month, but so far the Team Israel alum has had the more interesting season, even though each has appeared in only two games. Marchan is 1-for-8 with a 2-run HR and no walks. By comparison, Stubbs—one of four catchers on Philadelphia’s Triple-A roster—is 5-for-7 through 4/6/2026, with 2 HRs and 2 doubles, 5 RBIs, 2 walks, and a stolen base. That amounts to a .714 batting average, .778 OBP, and 2.635 OPS. Moreover, Stubbs played one of his two games at 3B, in line with Phillies manager Rob Thomson’s goal of turning the 32-year-old into a “super-utility guy that can play anywhere in the outfield, anywhere in the infield, maybe not first base, but also catch.” Added Thomson, “he’s got a lot of value (4/8/2026)
LHP Jared Shuster (Cardinals), who was released by the White Sox in December and hit hard in his lone Triple-A outing this season, got a surprise call-up from the Cardinals on 4/5/2026. The middle reliever benefited from the poor performance of St. Louis RHP Chris Roycroft, who gave up 5 earned runs on 8 hits and 5 walks over a combined 3.2 MLB innings this season before being optioned to Triple-A. If he gets into a game, Shuster will be the seventh Jewish player in the Majors this season (4/8/2026)
Atlanta signed free agent Rowdy Tellez to a minor-league contract on 5/23/2026 and assigned him to the club’s Triple-A team. Tellez, who has played for five franchises over his 8-year MLB career, was released midyear by the Mariners in 2025, got picked up the Rangers, and then declared free agency in November. He hit .228 (66-for-289) last season, with 17 HRs, 49 RBIs, and a .276 OBP and .719 OPS. Tellez hitting .214 (6-for-28) for the Gwinnett Braves through 4/6/2026, with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs (4/8/2026)
The Nationals, who signed 1B Matt Mervis to a minor-league contract during the offseason, released him on 3/31/2026 after the well-traveled veteran failed to make the Opening Day roster and played just one game with Washington’s Triple-A team. Last month, Mervis played 1B and DH for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, hitting .273 (3-for-11) with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs (4/8/2026)
Jewish batters in the MLB—all four of them—are off to a slow start. The quartet is averaging hitting a combined .153 (19-for-124) through 4/6/2026, with just 12 RBIs, a .239 OBP, and anemic .514 OPS. 1B Spencer Horwitz (Pirates) leads the group with a .231 average, LF Joc Pederson (Rangers) takes the bottom rung at .100, and CF Harrison Bader (Giants) has struck out 13 times in 38 ABs (4/8/2026)
It’s been a yo-yo Spring for RHP Robert Stock. Released by the Red Sox in August, he signed a minor-league deal with New York in November and later got an invite to join the Mets for Spring Training. The 36-year-old veteran wowed the brass in his debut, a 5-0 win over the Astros on February 26, striking out 6 batters over 3 innings of relief, yielding only one baserunner, tossing strikes on 26 of 39 pitches, and earning a hold. A week later, Stock had similar success in a 1-0 exhibition victory over the Marlins, this time wearing an “Israel” jersey. Unfortunately, the March 3 outing proved costly; Stock reported shoulder discomfort after the game and ultimately chose to get thoracic outlet surgery, leading him to his current spot on the injured list. But two days after the Marlin defeat, Stock got good news: The Athletic, a website owned by the New York Times, featured Stock and Stockyard Baseball, the pitch-modeling app he created (4/8/2026)
C Max Kaufer, a senior transfer at Wichita State (AAC #7), ranks among the best D-1 players through 4/6/2026, with a .440 average (22-for-50) through 4/7/2026, an incredible 11 HRs in just 50 ABs, and 27 RBIs. He also leads all Jews with a .567 OBP and 1.747 OPS. Kaufer previously played at Texas A&M and the University of South Carolina, both of which are in the #1-ranked SEC (4/8/2026)
Georgia Tech (ACC #2) 3B Ryan Zuckerman, a junior, is hitting .327 (36-for-110) through 4/7/2026, with 11 HRs (tied for #1 on team), 39 RBIs (#1/tied), OBP of .460, and 1.178 OPS. Zuckerman previously played at the University of Pittsburgh, a fellow ACC school (4/8/2026)
St. John’s University (Big East #16) C Adam Agresti, a junior, is enjoying his best season yet. Agresti is hitting .315 (35-for-111) through 4/7/2026, with 12 HRs (#1 on team and among all Jewish players), 32 RBIs (#2 on team), OBP of .457 OBP (#1), and 1.142 OPS (#1). His brother, C/LF Jason Agresti, plays for the New York Boulders of the independent Frontier League (4/8/2026)
University of Nebraska (Big 10 #4) RHP Cooper Katskee, a redshirt junior who previously played for Indiana University (Big 10 #4) and Miami of Ohio (MAC #20), is a wicked 5-0 with a 2.79 ERA through 4/7/2026, 0.83 WHIP (tied for #10 among all D-1 pitchers), and 45 strikeouts against 8 walks. Katskee was the 2025 MAC Pitcher of the Year (4/8/2026)
Tulane University (AAC #7) LHP Jake Toporek, a graduate student who spent his first three season in a much lower-ranked conference (NEC #25), has risen to the challenge. The 23-year-old reliever is 1-2 with a 2.67 ERA (#1 on team) through 4/7/2026, 3.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio (#1), 1.15 WHIP (#2), and is averaging 10 strikeouts per 9 innings (4/8/2026)
University of Maryland (Big Ten #4) LHP Austin Weiss, a freshman, made his college debut on March 22, and it was a doozy. had pitched only one inning, but it was a doozy. The first batter he faced was SS Roch Cholowsky — the projected #1 pick in the 2026 draft, playing for the nation’s #1-ranked college team. What did Weiss do? Struck him out on a 2-2 count. Weiss ended up tossing a scoreless inning, yielding no hits and two walks while striking out two. Alas, UCLA trounced Maryland 14-4 (4/8/2026)
Perhaps the best performance at the plate so far was in Alex Bregman’s second game as a Cub. The third baseman launched two solo HRs—the first Jewish round-trippers of 2026, in fact—in a 6-3 loss to the Nationals at Wrigley Field on 3/29/2026. The balls landed in the center field and right-center bleachers, a surprising outcome for a pull hitter. Two days later, the Gold Gloversnared an 111.6-mph liner rocketed by Mike Trout (4/8/2026)
LHP Max Fried (Yankees) overcame a shaky first inning to lead New York to a 7-0 win over the Giants. The ace held San Francisco to just 2 hits and a walk over 6.1 shutout innings and struck out four. His victims included CF Harrison Bader, who struck out on three pitches to start the day and ended it 0-for-3 with 2 whiffs. RHP Jake Bird faced two Giants batters in the seventh inning and retired both, beginning with a swinging strikeout that ended on a 95.2-mph sinker (3/26/2026)
Bader made a stellar play with 2 men on base in the fourth inning, sprinting from center field toward the diamond to make a sliding catch (3/26/2026)
Only six Jewish players made it onto Opening Day rosters, the fewest in memory. Three of the six were shoo-ins: LHP Max Fried (Yankees), CF Harrison Bader (Giants), and 3B Alex Bregman (Cubs). Bregman, the newly-minted Chicagoan, hit .524 (11-for-21) this Spring (#2 in the Majors), with eight extra-base hits (4 HRs and 4 doubles), 5 RBIs, a .583 OBP (#4) and an MLB-best 1.869 OPS (3/26/2026)
The three remaining players were slightly less obvious. RHP Jake Bird (Yankees), who was traded to New York in late July, appeared in only 3 games as a Yankee in 2025 before being sent to the minors, going 0-1 with a 27.00 ERA over 2 combined innings. DH Joc Pederson (Rangers) hit just .181 (48-for-265) with 9 HRs and a .613 OPS in 2025 and only .175 (7-for-40) with 15 strikeouts during 2026 Spring Training. 1B Spencer Horwitz (Pirates) hit just .139 (5-for-36) with one HR and 3 RBIs in 2026 Spring Training, but then again, his career Spring Training batting average is just .178, so he’s historically a slow starter (3/26/2026)
The absence of RHP Dean Kremer (Orioles) from Baltimore’s Opening Day rostercame as a surprise. The veteran starter led Baltimore with 11 wins in 2025, tossed 4.1 scoreless innings for Israel in the 2026 WBC, and finished Spring Training with a strong start against the Yankees in which he outdueled New York ace Max Fried, yielding one earned run over 4.1 innings and striking out eight batters. Had the Orioles’ front office stayed with its plan to go with a six-man starting rotation rather than pivoting to five, Kremer would have made the roster (3/26/2026)
RHP Max Lazar (Phillies) and RHP Robert Stock (Mets) suffered injuries during Spring Training that cost them a chance to appear on MLB rosters on Opening Day. Three other players who logged MLB time in 2025 were sent to Triple-A during Spring Training. LHP Colton Gordon (Astros) and 2B Zack Gelof (Athletics) were optioned, while C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) was designated for assignment, thus exposing him to a trade or waivers. Philadelphia had tried but failed to trade Stubbs by Opening Day (3/26/2026)
On the bright side, MLB.com projects that three Jewish minor-leaguers—RHP Harrison Cohen (Yankees/AAA), RHP Eric Reyzelman (Yankees/AAA), and OF RJ Schreck (Blue Jays/AAA) will make their MLB debuts in 2026. Fingers crossed (3/26/2026)
Backed by an error-free performance, Israel defeated the Netherlands 6-2 in World Baseball Classic action on March 10. Though the win was sweet—featuring a dramatic five-run 6th inning that erased a 2-0 deficit—both teams had already been mathematically eliminated from advancing to the next round. Israel finished the 2026 tournament with a 2-2 record, good for third place among five teams in Pool D. See our article for details!
After losing 11-3 to Venezuela in Game 1 of the 2026 WBC on March 7, Israel rebounded with a 5-0 win over Nicaragua on March 9. RHP Dean Kremer held Venezuela to two hits and a walk over 4.1 innings while striking out four batters, and the four pitchers who relieved him tossed a combined 4.2 innings of no-hit ball. Israel was led at the plate by 2B/LF Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/AA), who went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI; SS Cole Carrigg (Rockies/AA), who went 2-for-4 with 2 stolen bases and an RBI; LF Zach Levenson (Cardinals/AA), who went 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI; and CF Harrison Bader (Giants), who stroked an RBI single (3/9/2026)
Team Israel, led by starter RHP Robert Stock, held the Marlins to 4 hits in a 1-0 exhibition win on March 3. Stock gave up 2 hits and a walk over 3 innings while striking out 3, and he was followed by six relievers—including minor-league free agent Daniel Federman, who earned a save by striking out the side in the 9th inning. Israel managed only three hits, but one was an RBI triple by C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) (3/5/2026)
Baseball America currently ranks Venezuela the #4 best team in the WBC, and Israel #13. The publication offered this evaluation of Israel’s chances in the tournament: “Pool D is brutally tough, and it’s hard to see Israel matching up with the D.R. or Venezuela. The Netherlands should be a tough game, as well, but a win against Nicaragua would likely ensure an automatic bid for 2029’s WBC. The combination of Harrison Bader, infielders Spencer Horwitz and Matt Mervis and catchers Garrett and CJ Stubbs gives this team some thump and veteran experience” (3/5/2026)
Since Israel unveiled its 2026 WBC roster on February 7, three players have departed the team. OF Troy Johnston (Rockies/AAA) decided to stay at Spring Training. RHP Eli Morgan (Royals/AAA) is sidelined by a chronic injury. RHP Josh Blum suffered an elbow injury during his Spring debut on February 24. Replacing them on the roster are 2B Colby Halter (Athletics/AAA), LHP Jake Fishman (Toros de Tijuana/Mexico), and RHP Zack Leban (Sultanes de Monterrey/Mexico) (3/5/2026)
In a recent interview with former New York Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz, 1B Spencer Horwitz (Pirates) said he wanted to play for Israel in the 2026 WBC because of his “amazing” experience at the 2023 tournament. Meanwhile, CF Harrison Bader (Giants) recently said he is “extremely excited” to play for Israel after two prior opportunities fell through (3/5/2026)
2B/3B Michael Wielansky, a former Astros and Giants prospect who was released in 2024 and played indy ball later that year, is thriving in Mexico. As a Mexican summer league rookie in 2025, the 6’2″ St. Louis native—who stood just 4’9″ at his bar mitzvah—hit .365 (#15 in the league) for Charros de Jalisco, with 3 HRs, 47 RBIs, 27 stolen bases (#6), and a .921 OPS. A similarly strong performance in the Mexican winter league launched Jalisco into the 2026 Caribbean Series, where the team represented Mexico against champions from the Dominican, Venezuelan, Panamanian, and Puerto Rican winter leagues. Wielansky was named Series MVP after delivering one of the greatest individual performances in Series history. The 28-year-old hit a Series-best .538, tied an all-time record with 14 hits, tallied 6 RBIs (#2/tie), and scored the extra-inning run that gave Jalisco its first Caribbean Series championship (3/5/2026)
RHP Robert Stock, the indefatigable journeyman who signed with the Mets this season after playing for the Red Sox in 2025, delivered the Spring’s best pitching performance so far in a February 26 shutout over the Astros. Stock turned in 3 innings of one-hit relief and fanned 6 batters to earn a hold. Making the win even sweeter was teammate Ben Simon’s one-inning appearance later in the game. The Double-A righty gave up no hits while striking out two and walking two (3/5/2026)
LHP Max Fried (Yankees) made his Spring debut in an 11-1 exhibition win over Panama on March 3. The ace southpaw threw three scoreless innings on one hit, three walks, and a strikeout. Fried previously declined an invitation to pitch for Team USA in the 2026 WBC (3/5/2026)
Two other Jewish players in the Yankees’ system have taken the mound this spring. RHP Jake Bird (AAA) performed admirably in three shutout innings acro (3/5/2026)ss three appearances, striking out five batters while allowing 2 hits and no walks and earning a hold. RHP Harrison Cohen (Yankees/AAA) threw 2 shutout innings across 2 games
CF Harrison Bader is also making a strong first impression. The newly minted Giant—who will play for Israel in the WBC—is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a home run, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, a walk, and a strikeout (3/5/2026)
3B Jake Gelof (Dodgers/High-A) is making the most of his limited on-field time. In five plate appearances through March 1, the younger brother of 2B Zack Gelof (Athletics) drew a pinch-hit, bases-load walk on February 25 and stroked a 431-foot solo HR on February 28. Zack may play later this spring if his surgically repaired shoulder holds up (3/5/2026)
1B Matt Mervis (Nationals/AAA) is 2-for-7 with a double, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base across three appearances (3/5/2026)
C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) is hitting .273 (3-for-11) with a double, triple, walk, and 2 RBIs. Younger brother and fellow catcher CJ Stubbs (Blue Jays/AAA) is 2-for-6 across three appearances (3/5/2026)
Free agent Rowdy Tellez has not signed a new contract since leaving the Rangers after the 2025 season, but he will compete for Team Mexico in the 2026 WBC. In a 6-3 exhibition win over the Diamondbacks on March 3, Tellez went 2-for-4 with a solo HR and RBI single (3/5/2026)
RHP Brian Zeldin signed a free-agent contract with the Twins on February 21. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2025, Zeldin pitched for the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League, an MLB Professional Partner League. He went 0-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 15 relief appearances while striking out 25 batters over 20.2 innings (3/5/2026)
OF Sam Biller, who played for three Division 1 colleges before signing a free-agent deal with the Mets in August 2025, was released on February 3. The California native played in six games for New York’s Single-A team in 2025, hitting .235 (4-for-17) with one RBI, a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases, and a .381 OBP (3/5/2026)
OF Caden Shapiro, a Princeton University alum who signed a free-agent deal with the Pirates in August 2025, retired in late 2025. Shapiro was assigned to Pittsburgh’s rookie-league team but never played. His father, Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro, played football at Princeton (3/5/2026)
Also retiring in late 2025 was C Bennett Markison, a Northwestern University alum who signed a free-agent deal with the Phillies in July 2025 but never got on the field (3/5/2026)
LF Sam Grunberg (Jacksonville University), younger brother of former Loyola Marymount outfielder Ben Grunberg, has joined JBN’s D-1 college roster. After graduating from high school in 2022 as the 11th-ranked first baseman in California, Grunberg played two years of junior-college ball before transferring to Lindenwood University (D-1) in 2025. He is now a senior at Jacksonville (3/5/2026)
OF Dylan Drumke (Eastern Illinois University) missed the 2025 season with a severe back injury that required titanium screws. Now a graduate student, he is back for one last season. In 2024, Drumke hit .292 (57-for-195) with 15 HRs and 51 RBIs in just 195 ABs (3/5/2026)
If a Jewish ballplayer plays at a D-1 college, Jewish Baseball News lists him in its college roster regardless of performance. Not so for our high-school list, which includes only top prospects. OF Ira Rootman, the newest player to join that list, fits the bill. A junior at Harvard-Westlake—a North Hollywood high school that has produced Jewish major leaguers Max Fried and Josh Satin, as well as current minor-leaguer RJ Schreck—Rootman is ranked the #1 outfielder and #6 player overall in California’s High School Class of 2027, according to Prep Baseball Report. He also is ranked nationally: #6 among all outfielders and the #44 player overall (3/5/2026)