Transactions Ticker

Catching Up with the B’s Roster Moves

by Nick Clementi

Just 18 games into the season, Ballers executive VP of baseball ops Don Wakamatsu, Assistant General Manager Tyler Petersen and company have been busy adding and subtracting the Oakland Ballers roster. The B’s entered spring training with 35 players and trimmed the roster to just 25 for opening day. Aaron Calhoun, Solomon Washington, and Anthony Alvarez are the pitchers that were released prior to the start of the season, and Jacob Connery, Parker Stroh, Zack Blaszak, Jason Leon, Johan Benitez, Chenar Brown, and Zion Bannister round out the position players that didn’t make the B’s roster. Oakland’s front office also placed LHP Ryan Rissas on the 60-day IL, signed OF Noah Blythe and RHP Jake Tirk, and traded for LHP Campbell Spradling from Florence in the Frontier League.

Since the start of the season there has been plenty more transactional activity. The Ballers signed RHP Matthew Maloney, RHP Derek Murphy, LHP Joel Tornero, RHP Matt Lozovoy.

Assistant GM Tyler Petersen explained to Dispatches that the team needed to play catch-up after injuries to pitching in Spring Training, resulting in a particularly busy early season to staff the mound.

Notably, Oakland recently reacquired a couple fan favorites from last season’s championship team. The B’s sent a player to be named later (PTBNL) to Sioux City for DH/1B Cam Bufford and signed OF Davis Drewek after his release from the Cleburne Railroaders. Dispatches recently caught up with Bufford and Drewek for their thoughts on their returns.

The Ballers have also acquired RHP Michael Riley in a trade with Tri City from the Frontier League, along with sending RHP Nick Bautista to the Long Beach Coast and 3B Justin Trimble to the Idaho Falls Chukars for respective PTBNLs. The list of recent releases from the roster includes OF Jacoby Long, 1B Jaden Sheppard, RHP David Clarke, and LHP Blake Barker.

RHP Charlie Hurley was placed on the IL last week, and LHP Joel Tornero was added to the IL a few days ago.

And lastly and most bittersweetly for B’s fans, during the middle of last night’s game in Great Falls, big news was broken by B’s broadcaster Gareth Kwok: Opening Day starter Gabe Tanner was signed by the White Sox organization. Tanner is the 5th Baller from the 2025 PBL champs to be signed by an MLB organization.

Tanner’s departure brings Oakland’s roster down to 24 players, leaving room for a new signing.

Oakland’s active roster as of Sunday, June 7th:

Position Players:

C Jaden Collura, C Nick Poss, 1B Jeter Ybarra, 1B/DH Cam Bufford, 2B/OF Esai Santos, 2B Nick Leehey, SS Tremayne Cobb, 3B Jake Allgeyer, OF T.J. McKenzie, OF Damian Stone, OF Davis Drewek, OF Noah Blythe.

Pitchers:

SP CJ Blowers, SP Aidan Risse, SP/RP Derek Murphy, RP Langston Burkett, RP Valek Cisneros, RP Matt Lozovoy, RP Matthew Maloney, RP Brayden Nelson, RP Michael Riley, RP Liam Rocha, RP Campbell Spradling, RP Jake Tirk.

Photos from the Oakland Ballers and Darrell Lavin Photography.

Nick Clementi is an Oakland native and lifelong Oakland baseball fan. He enjoys long walks on the beach and summer nights at Raimondi Park. He’s a Scrappy enthusiast who doesn't believe in sacrifice bunts. Sports content moderator by day, Ballers beat writer by night. Find him on Instagram and Twitter.

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