Futures League Alumni Set for MLB Opening Day

ROCKLAND, Mass. 一 The largest crop of former Futures League talent on Opening Day rosters is set to take the field as the new Major League Baseball (MLB) season begins with a full slate of Thursday games.

Highlighting the dawn of the campaign, Cade Cavalli (Pittsfield '17) is slated to make his first career Opening Day start for the Washington Nationals, who made him just the second of now-seven first-round draft picks in Futures League history out of the University of Oklahoma back in 2020. Cavalli's story is one of perseverance, as injuries and spending the majority of a season at Triple-A had kept him off a MLB mound since August of 2022 before going 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA in 10 starts for Washington at the end of last season.

Entering the 2026 season, a total of 31 Futures League alumni have appeared in at least one MLB game. A record seven joined the list in 2025 alone, with Chicago Cubs infielder Matt Shaw (Worcester '20-'21), St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Svanson (Brockton '19), New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (Nashua '19) and Minnesota Twins pitcher Cody Laweryson (Worcester '17-'18) all expected to be back on their respective teams' rosters for Opening Day.

Shaw debuted for the Cubs in the MLB Toyko Series last March and finished 2025 among National League rookie leaders in stolen bases (17), home runs (13) and runs scored (57).

Another Northeastern product, Schlittler was recalled to the Bronx in July and posted a 2.96 ERA in 14 regular-season starts before shining in the postseason, dealing eight shutout innings against the hometown Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Series. The Futures League's 2020 Most Valuable Player out of Dartmouth College, Ben Rice (Worcester '19-'20) is coming off his own breakout season for the Bronx Bombers, hitting 26 homers and driving in 65.

The 2017 Futures League Relief Pitcher of the Year, Laweryson was the latest of that group to debut in September and has now earned his first career Opening Day roster spot in the Twins bullpen. The former University of Maine star logged a solid 1.17 ERA in five relief appearances last season.

The Futures League's longest-tenured MLB alum is Aaron Civale (Worcester '14), who enters his eighth season and first in an Athletics uniform after making appearances for three different clubs in 2025. The Northeastern University grad joined the Athletics on a one-year deal entering the spring and figures to return to a starting role after making his first career relief appearances for the Chicago Cubs last season. 

Other MLB veterans with Futures League ties include two former Gold Glove winners who are coming off career-best seasons at the plate in Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña (Torrington '15) and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (North Shore '18, '20). Peña posted a .304 average with 17 homers and 62 RBI as a first-time All-Star last season. Frelick hit .288 with 63 RBI while maintaining his elite defensive status as a repeat Gold Glove finalist after winning the award in 2024.

Los Angeles Dodgers righty Emmet Sheehan (Bristol '18 & New Britain '20) is slated to join Cavalli, Schlittler and Civale in a season-opening starting rotation. After returning from a 2024 season-long injury, Frelick's fellow Boston College product was 6-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 15 appearances (12 starts) on the way to the club's second straight World Series. 

University of Connecticut product and 2020 Futures League Co-Top Pro Prospect Ben Casparius (New Britain '20) was also a contributor to both of those Dodgers title-winning teams, joining late in the 2024 run before making 46 appearances out of the bullpen last season. Also in the bullpen, left-hander Matt Gage (Pittsfield '12) returns to the San Francisco Giants after finishing 2025 in that organization.

For the latest news and information on the Futures League all year long, visit thefuturesleague.com and follow the league's Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages.