The batting cage at Thursday’s Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders workout is popping.

With Left handed major league hitters like Jason Dominquez and Spencer Jones hitting long ball after long ball.

Add Max Schuemann from the A’s and Yankee Oswaldo Cabrera off injury and this opening day lineup is stacked.

Shelley Duncan, SWB RailRiders Manager says, “ We have a really, really good team this year on paper to start. But when I look around the league, this is, probably like in all my years in Triple-A baseball. It is the, the strongest with teams just across board.

And it’s going to be, it’s going to be a challenge. You know, it’s not going to be easy for anyone. They’re going to face good pitching. The pitchers are going to face good hitters, and it’s going to be really exciting baseball. This is the highest level of Triple-A baseball that that I’ve seen. “

Oswaldo Cabrera, SWB RailRider added, “ Amazing team that we have now. We have, beside the beautiful chemistry and beside all the good guys that we have in the team. We also have, legends like those guys that they are now here with me right now, we all are young. We got, Max Schuemann, Shoemake. All those guys. You know, those guys make a really nice young team.

And we got a huge team right now, so watch out. “

The 27-year Cabrera spent the 302 games in the majors but after an ankle injury derailed his 2025 season, New York sent him down after spring training.

Cabrera says, “ Ankle is getting better and better and better. And that makes me feel so happy. And my spring training didn’t started the way that I wanted.

And obviously we know it because it was like nine months without baseball. But it’s been doing amazing every single day, getting better every single day.

I mean, I got to keep working. If you don’t like the if you don’t like this spot that you are, you have to get better every time.

So that’s my mentality. I’m here. I just going to try to get the most ready possible one to when they need me. Be ready. “

On the hill for the RailRiders opener is Brendan Beck. The right hander is coming off an outing in the World Baseball Classic where he pitched for his mom’s home country, Great Britain. Even more special was that he got to play alongside his brother.

Brendan Beck, SWB RailRiders Pitcher says, “ Definitely not something that I dreamed of growing up. Even know that there was a Great Britain baseball team. But, once, you know, we kind of figured it out and knew that that opportunity was there in the last couple of years. Just super excited leading up to the tournament. And then, like you said, putting the uniform on was really cool. Really the first time that I got to represent my mom and her side of the family.

And so I think my grandparents aren’t with us anymore, but they would have thought it was really cool. Just to see Great Britain on the baseball field and to see me and my brother out there together was really cool. “

The rest of the pitching staff is loaded with Luis Gill, Yerry DeLos Santos, Angel Chivilli who came over from the Rockies and others who are happy to be in the Yankees organization.

The RailRiders will open on the road in sunny but chilly New York. They’ll head to Buffalo and then Rochester. They return home on April 7th.