Owen

Ayers

Ayers had a breakout season in 2026, hitting .289/.403/.526 with 25 home runs and 13 steals across 125 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He did hit just .247/.365/.356 in 49 games at Triple-A, but he posted an over 15 percent walk rate and continued to make consistent contact despite the low batting average. Amaya has battled injuries in his career and has never topped 363 plate appearances in a season, so Ayers would be a name to watch if he does indeed land the backup catcher job.

Ayers has enjoyed a breakout season in his second full professional year. He hit six home runs in 11 games at High-A and was immediately promoted to Double-A, where he hit .304/.417/.591 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI, and three steals in 65 games. That came with a 15.1 percent walk rate. Ayers was old for the level at Double-A, so we’ll need to see if he can keep it up in Triple-A, but the power in his bat looks very real.