The Vancouver Canadians have a fairly even split of returnees and newcomers to begin the 2026 Northwest League campaign.
A total of 31 players are on the Opening Day roster, with 16 making a return trip to Vancouver. Here is a breakdown of the newcomers and returnees.
Newcomers
Pitchers (10)
- 28. Gilberto Batista RHP R/S
- 27. Eminem Flores RHP R
- 31. Daniel Guerra RHP S/R
- 44. Johnny King LHP S
- 22. Landen Maroudis RHP S
- 20. Mason Olson LHP R/S
- 32. Kelena Sauer RHP R/S
- 34. Jay Schueler RHP R
- 38. Danny Thompson Jr. RHP R
- 30. Holden Wilkerson RHP S/R
Gilberto Batista was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Boston Red Sox in the Danny Jansen deal that also included 2024-2025 C’s infielder Cutter Coffey. The 21-year-old Dominican won a Florida State League Pitcher of the Week award in May thanks to nine strikeouts over five shutout innings to earn a win over Fort Myers. He spent most of the year in the Low-A Dunedin bullpen and racked up 83 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.
Eminen Flores is a 23-year-old Dominican who joined the Blue Jays as a free agent in January, 2022. A Dominican Summer League Mid-Season All-Star in 2023, Flores did all his free styling from the bullpen exclusively with Dunedin in 2025 after mostly starting in his first three years as a pro. He struck out 53 batters in 41.2 stanzas last season.
6-foot-6 Daniel Guerrra was a free agent signing out of Venezuela by the Jays in June, 2022. Of his 22 appearances, 13 came in a starting role with the D-Jays where he recorded a 3.40 ERA, 84 Ks in 82 innings and two saves. He limited Florida State League hitters to a .203 batting average.
Michigan-born lefty Johnny King is the youngest player on the roster for Monty’s Mounties. The 19-year-old will celebrate his 20th birthday on July 26. Rated the number four prospect in the Toronto organization by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, King crowned 105 batters over 61.2 innings between the Florida Complex League and the Florida State League in 2025. Baseball America grades King’s curve as the best in the Jays system.
Landen Maroudis missed a good chunk of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns due to a UCL (Ulnar Collaterial Ligament) injury in his right elbow. The 21-year-old fourth-round pick in 2023 from Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, Florida had an internal brace operation instead of undergoing Tommy John surgery. Ranked as the number seven prospect by Baseball America heading into 2025, the Clearwater native looks to regain his form after logging 45.1 innings at the FCL and Dunedin last year.
Lefthander Mason Olson was a free agent signing by Toronto out of Brigham Young on June 30 last year. The 24-year-old earned five victories and logged a 2.72 ERA between the FCL and Dunedin in 2025. The last pitcher from BYU to join the C’s was 2011-2021 hurler Taylor Cole who spent time with the Jays and the Los Angeles Angels.
Kelena Sauer missed all of 2025 save for a stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he pitched four innings and earned a victory during his time in the Grand Canyon State. The Miliani, Hawaii native was sidelined by a UCL tear in his right below. The 23-year-old Sauer was taken by Toronto in the 15th round in 2023 out of San Diego State, where 2017, 2018 and 2021 C’s pitcher Marcus Reyes attended.
Jay Schueler came to the Jays organization as a free agent in July, 2024 from Southeastern University, the same school where 2024-2025 C’s pitcher JJ Sánchez attended. All 39 of his pro appearances have come out of the bullpen since his pro debut with Dunedin in 2024. He notched six victories and had 32 strikeouts in 34.1 innings with the D-Jays in 2025.
Danny Thompson Jr. was the Jays’ eighth-round pick from UNC-Greensboro in last year’s draft. The 23-year-old put together a strong debut with a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings and converted all three of his save opportunities.
6-foot-4 righthander Holden Wikerson rounds out the newcomers on the staff for the Canadians. The 22 year-old was selected in the 18th round of the 2024 draft out of Virginia Military Institute. He shared time at the FCL and Dunedin during his first pro season last year where he struck out a combined 48 hitters in 51 innings.
Infielders (3)
- 7. Manny Beltre, SS
- 23. Kendry Chirinos, 1B/3B
- 6. Maddox Latta, 2B
Manny Beltre makes it to Vancouver after playing 316 games with the Dunedin Blue Jays over four seasons. The 21-year-old Dominican joined the Blue Jays as a free agent in January, 2021. The righthanded-hitting Beltre has a .341 career on-base percentage and 80 stolen bases.
Corner infielder Kendry Chirinos was acquired out of Cuba in January, 2022. The 21-year old righthanded hitter had a .729 OPS, 22 extra-base hits and 43 RBI in 95 games with Dunedin in 2025.
Maddox Latta spent 2025 with the Dunedin Blue Jays after signing with Toronto as a free agent last July. The 23-year-old righthanded hitting second baseman batted .267 and stole nine bases in 11 tries in 24 games. Latta attended Cal State Fullerton, the same school as former Toronto Blue Jay pitcher and 2019 C’s broadcaster Ricky Romero.
Outfielders (2)
- 4. Jake Casey
- 2. Mathieu Vallée
Jake Casey is expected to provide a potent left-handed bat in the C’s lineup. The 22-year-old was drafted by the Blue Jays in round 15 of last year’s draft out of Kent State and put up a .970 OPS in 23 games with Dunedin. The last Golden Flashes to suit up for the C’s were pitchers Andy Ravel (2016) and Joey Murray (2018). Jake is the son of former major leaguer and MLB Network analyst Sean Casey.
The Canadian content on the 2026 Canadians is Saint-Eustache, Quebec native Mathieu Vallée. The 25 year-old attended Southern Illinois-Carbondale, the same school as Blue Jays pitching legend Dave Stieb. He starred with the Trois Rivières Aigles of the Frontier League by setting the league’s stolen base record with 83 last season. The righthanded hitting Vallée was signed as a free agent back on February 19.
Returnees
Pitchers (7)
- 10. Austin Cates, RHP
- 21. Colby Holcombe, RHP
- 26. Austin Marozas, RHP
- 5. Aaron Munson, RHP
- 35. Carson Pierce, RHP
- 33. Jonathan Todd, RHP
- 1. Juanmi Vasquez, LHP
One could make a compelling argument that Austin Cates was the C’s best pitcher when he joined the team from Dunedin near the midway mark of August. He went 3-0 with 1.95 ERA and won Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honours at the end of August. Cates was a seventh-round selection by Toronto out of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 2024.
Also from the 2024 draft class is ninth-round pick Colby Holcombe. The 6-foot-6 hurler made 15 starts with Dunedin but was exclusively a reliever when he was assigned to YVR in late July. The former Mississippi State product earned a win and struck out 14 batters over 10 innings with Vancouver.
Chicago native Austin Marozas pitched for his hometown Chicago Dogs of the American Association before the Jays signed him as a free agent last July. The 6-foot-8 righty made his debut with the FCL before making a trio of appearances with the C’s. The 27-year-old missed the remainder of the season with a hip injury but is ready for go for 2026.
Aaron Munson is back for a third time with Vancouver to lend a veteran presence to the bullpen. He put up a 2.81 ERA and earned three saves while ringing up 40 batters over 48 innings. Munson was a 19th-round pick from Angelo State in 2023.
Carson Pierce will be back on the mound at some point in 2026 after missing the end of 2024 and the entirety of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old joined the Jays as a free agent signing from Oklahoma and split time in the starting rotation and bullpen with the C’s in 2024. He racked up 51 Ks over 46.1 IP with a 2.72 ERA.
6-foot-6 righty Jonathan Todd looks to build on last year’s effort which saw him win five games and fan 59 batters in 45.1 innings with the C’s. The 24-year-old was a 15th-round pick from Western Carolina by the Blue Jays in 2024.
New York-born lefthander Juanmi Vasquez had two saves in five appearances with the Canadians after being promoted from Dunedin in August. He was a free agent signing in 2022 and made his debut with the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays that same year.
Catchers (3)
- 12. Edward Duran
- 25. Hayden Gilliland
- 3. Jacob Sharp
Edward Duran ended 2025 with a 10-game hitting streak for the C’s after being promoted from Dunedin around mid-July. His body of work was good enough to place 19th among Blue Jays prospects according to MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old was acquired from the Miami Marlins in a trade that sent infielder Jordan Groshans to the Sunshine State. The righthanded-hitting Duran finished the season in the Arizona Fall League.
Hayden Gilliand and his left-handed bat return after his 2025 pro debut that saw him play for Vancouver, New Hampshire and Dunedin. The 24-year-old signed as a free agent in July 2024 out of Tennessee Tech. Two of his three homers came with Vancouver.
Jacob Sharp is back with the C’s after spending last year with Double-A New Hampshire. The former UNLV Runnin’ Rebel was traded by the Seattle Mariners to the Blue Jays on July 26, 2024. The righthanded hitter made his Jays organizational debut with the C’s and batted .308 in the Northwest League Final.
Infielders (4)
- 16. Carter Cunningham, 1B/OF
- 9. JR Freethy, 2B/OF
- 18. Arjun Nimmala, SS
- 8. Tucker Toman, 3B
Carter Cunningham will look to supply the thump and a good batting eye again with Vancouver after compiling 16 home runs among his 33 extra-base hits and a .346 OBP. The 25-year-old lefthanded hitter was taken in the 10th round out of East Carolina in 2024, nine rounds after his teammate Trey Yesavage was selected.
JR Freethy was a sparkplug at the top of the C’s order when he was promoted from Dunedin in early August. The 14th-round pick in 2024 out of Nevada had a .383 OBP in 25 games and won Northwest League Player of the Week award in mid-August. After begining the year at the Florida Complex League, the 23-year-old switch-hitter ended his season at New Hampshire and clubbed his first Double-A home run.
20-year-old Arjun Nimmala returns to Vancouver after 13 homers, 45 extra-base hits and 17 stolen bases in 120 games. Among the league leaders in home runs in the early going, the right-handed hitting Nimmala hopes to regain his first-half forum and advance to New Hampshire. Baseball America’s number two prospect in the Jays system and considers him the best defensive infield and best infield arm in the organization.
Tucker Toman enjoyed best year to date in 2025 by batting a combined .265 with a .354 OBP with Dunedin and Vancouver. In a dozen games after his call-up from Dunedin in mid-August, Toman hit .302 with a .415 OBP in a dozen games. The 22-year-old switch-hitter was named the 2025 Dunedin Blue Jays R. Howard Webster Award winner as best teammate as voted on by players and coaches. He was a second-round pick in 2022 out of Hammond High School in South Carolina.
Outfielders (2)
- 24. Alexis Hernández
- 19. Brennan Orf
Alexis Hernández is a 23 year-old Venezuelan who was a free agent signing by Boston in July 2019 and was picked up by the Blue Jays in 2024 Rule 5 minor league draft. Promoted from Dunedin at the end of July, he had nine extra-base hits, 14 RBI and four stolen bases in 26 games with the C’s. The righthanded hitter also played winter ball in Venezuela with Navegantes del Magallanes.
24 year-old Brennan Orf is looking to have a happy and healthy 2026 after injury-marred campaigns with Vancouver in 2024 and 2025. The 2023 13th-round pick from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville has shown a good eye in the left-handed batter’s box with a 381. OBP in his minor league career.
There may be another addition to the roster as 2022 Vancouver Canadians infielder Leo Jiménez was traded by the Blue Jays to the Miami Marlins for infielder Dub Gleed and $250,000 in international bonus pool money. Jiménez is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Canadians infielders Jon Berti and Otto López and outfielder Griffin Conine to find a better baseball life with the Marlins. All the best to Leo in his future endeavours.
The 23-year-old Gleed is a ninth-round pick from UC Irvine by the Marlins in the 2024 draft. The transactions column says Gleed has been assigned to Vancouver. In 2025, Gleed spent time at the Complex, Low-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels with most of his time split between Low-A Jupiter and Double-A Pensacola. He put together a combined .391 OBP in 71 games.
Managers/Coaches
- 17. Jose Mayorga, manager
- 15. Matt von Roemer, bench coach
- 29. Eric Yardley, pitching coach
- 13. Tommy Caulfield, assistant pitching coach
- 11. Jonathan Davis, hitting coach
- 14. Petr Stříbrcký, position player coach
It is almost the same coaching staff that led Vancouver to a 75-win season in 2025, save for assistant pitiching coach Tommy Caulfield, who replaces Robelin Bautista who takes over as APA in New Hampshire.
Elsewhere in the Jays System
Double-A New Hampshire also released its 2026 roster featuring a cornucopia of former Canadians.
Pitchers (12)
- Alex Amalfi
- Irv Carter
- Javen Coleman
- Pat Gallagher
- Nate Garkow
- Conor Larkin
- Chris McElvain
- Fernando Perez
- Kai Peterson
- Gage Stanifer
- Geison Urbaez
- Jackson Wentworth
Catchers (2)
- Aaron Parker
- Alex Stone
Infielders (5)
- Cade Doughty
- Cutter Coffey
- Jackson Hornung
- Sean Keys
- Nick Goodwin
Outfielders (3)
- Jace Bohrofen
- Eddie Micheletti
- Je’Von Ward
2016 C’s manager John Tamargo Jr. will skipper the FC’s in 2026.
Dunedin also announced its 2026 roster which features C’s outfielder Matt Scannell. The 24-year-old lefthanded hitter from Wake Forest was a free agent signing by the Jays last July returns to Dunedin, where he launched his pro career before a mid-August promotion to Vancouver. Slugger Peyton Williams is also begining the year with the D-Jays after spending 2023 and 2024 at YVR.
The Buffalo Bisons season is underway and they have a number of former C’s on the roster.
Pitchers (11)
- Chad Dallas
- Lazaro Estrada
- Devereaux Harrison
- Ryan Jennings
- Hayden Juenger
- Adam Macko
- Grant Rogers
- Ricky Tiedemann
- CJ Van Eyk
- Trenton Wallace
- Josh Winckowski
Infielders (4)
- Josh Kasevich
- Rafael Lantigua
- Ryan McCarty
- Riley Tirotta
2019 C’s manager Casey Candaele is back again at the helm for the Herd.
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