Daytona Tortugas announce 2022 Opening Day roster

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Daytona Tortugas, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, have announced their Opening Day roster for the upcoming 2022 campaign, headlined by three first-round selections over the last two seasons — OF Jay Allen II (No. 30, 2021), RHP Chase Petty (No. 26, 2021), and OF Austin Hendrick (No. 12, 2020) The roster comprises of five of MLB.com’s top 30 Reds’ prospects and 30 total players, including 17 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders.

Allen (Reds’ No. 6), a Fort Pierce, Fla. native, makes his full-season debut with the Tortugas after posting a .997 OPS with three home runs and 14 stolen bases over 19 games in the Arizona Complex League last summer. Petty (No. 7) will also make his debut at the full-season level after being acquired by the Reds from the Minnesota Twins’ organization in the RHP Sonny Gray trade on March 13.

Hendrick (No. 11) headlines a group of returnees to Daytona Beach in 2022. The 20-year-old is one of 14 players on the Tortugas’ break camp roster to have appeared in at least one game for the club in 2021. Hendrick leads all offensive returnees in home runs (7), and RBI (29). OF Justice Thompson (No. 28) also returns to the outfield after clubbing a pair of long balls in paradise green over 21 games a year ago.

OF Yerlin Confidan (No. 26) rounds out the list of prospects on MLB.com’s top 30 after collecting Arizona Complex League MVP honors in 2021. The left-handed swinging, 19-year-old registered an eye-popping .315/.359/.573 slashline with 22 extra-base hits, 11 home runs, and 34 RBI in 50 games.

Joining Petty among the stable of arms to start the campaign are a bevy of fellow 2021 draftees. RHP Julian Aguiar (12th round), RHP Dennis Boatman (17), RHP Ryan Cardona (19), RHP Owen Holt (16), RHP Hunter Parks (8), and RHP Javi Rivera (20) round the list of six members of last year’s draft class to grace the roster. RHP Sam Benschoter and LHP Jayvien Sandridge — undrafted free-agent signees from last summer — will also grace the bump.

RHP José Franco — who fell one strikeout shy of matching the Minor League Baseball record for consecutive strikeouts (12) with Daytona on July 31 — returns to Jackie Robinson Ballpark mound along with RHP Tanner Cooper, RHP Brett Lockwood, RHP Luis Mey, Benschoter, and Cardona. Rounding out the pitching staff are RHP Reynardo Cruz, RHP Arij Fransen, RHP Alex Johnson, and RHP José Peralta.

19-year-old backstop Andruw Salcedo spearheads a duo of catchers making their maiden voyage in Daytona to start the year. C Hayden Jones — an undrafted free-agent signee out of Illinois State — accompanies him.

The infield and outfield feature six more familiar faces back on East Orange Avenue. OF Danny Lantigua — who finished last season tied for third in the Florida State League in doubles (22) — returns along with 1B Ruben Ibarra who finished his first professional season with the ‘Tugas after being selected in the fourth round. 3B Debby Santana, 1B Michel Triana, IF/OF Gus Steiger, and SS Reyny Reyes come ashore once more as well, alongside IF Sebastian Almonte, who will make his team debut.

Gookie Dawkins returns as Daytona’s manager for the second-consecutive season alongside hitting coach Darryl Brinkley. Bench coach Lenny Harris — who served in the role in 2019 — is back after spending the 2021 season with Double-A Chattanooga. Pitching coach Todd Naskedov, baserunning and outfield coach Jefry Sierra, and assistant coach Juan Ballara finish off the coaching staff. Kyle Laughlin is back for the second-straight year as strength and conditioning coach alongside athletic trainer Josh Hobson, who is in his first year with Daytona.

Daytona will open the 2022 campaign on Friday, April 8, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark against the St. Lucie Mets, Florida State League affiliate of the New York Mets, at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Tortugas will roll out the green carpet for Opening Night with live music on the third-base riverwalk, games, and entertainment provided by BMore Corny, and following the final out, a magnificent postgame fireworks show.

Season tickets, multi-game plans, group packages, and more are currently available and can be purchased online at www.daytonatortugas.com or by calling the Tortugas’ Ticket Office at (386) 257-3172.

FULL ROSTER (30)
PITCHERS (17): Julian Aguiar, Sam Benschoter, Dennis Boatman, Ryan Cardona, Tanner Cooper, Reynardo Cruz, José Franco, Arij Fransen, Owen Holt, Alex Johnson, Brett Lockwood, Luis Mey, Hunter Parks, José Peralta, Chase Petty, Javier Rivera, Jayvien Sandridge (L)

CATCHERS (2): Hayden Jones, Andruw Salcedo

INFIELDERS (6): Sebastian Almonte, Ruben Ibarra, Reyny Reyes, Debby Santana, Gus Steiger, Michel Triana

OUTFIELDERS (5): Jay Allen II, Yerlin Confidan, Austin Hendrick, Danny Lantigua, Justice Thompson

ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS
The Daytona Tortugas are the Single-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Florida State League. The Tortugas play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach, Fla. Jackie Robinson Ballpark also plays host to Bethune-Cookman University, the Jackie Robinson Ballpark Museum, and many community events and initiatives of all sizes throughout the year.