The 2026 MLB season kicked off on Wednesday night when the San Francisco Giants hosted the New York Yankees. Today the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians play their first of 162 games of the season, as the Reds host the Boston Red Sox, and the Guardians travel to Seattle to battle the Mariners.
The goal for teams around baseball will be to make the playoffs, although somehow the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates have been eliminated from playoff contention despite not having yet played
a game.
Unlike the National Football League, Major League Baseball isn’t loaded with former Ohio State Buckeyes. While Ohio State has produced some notable major leaguers like Nick Swisher and Dave Burba, it’s not often a former Buckeye makes it to the big leagues.
That’s not to say there aren’t any Ohio State players currently on major league rosters. As the season opens up, there are three former Buckeyes on MLB rosters, with another opening up the season on the injured list.
If you’re looking for more to root for besides the two Ohio teams, or whoever your favorite team might be, it could be fun to track how the Ohio State alums are performing throughout the season. We’ll help out by letting you know which former Buckeyes should see some time this season in the bigs.
Dominic Canzone – Seattle Mariners
The most exciting player to come from Ohio State currently in the majors is Dominic Canzone of the Seattle Mariners. After playing a big part in helping Seattle make the playoffs for second time in the last four seasons, Canzone will likely play a bigger role for the Mariners this season.
The former Buckeye enters this season coming off an appearance for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, where he hit a home run against Brazil.
Last season Seattle won their first AL West crown since 2001. The Mariners would go on to beat the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS before pushing the Toronto Blue Jays to the limit in the ALCS. Canzone appeared in 82 games in 2025, hitting .300 with 11 home runs, driving in 32 runs during the regular season.
Unfortunately, Canzone couldn’t find his swing in the playoffs, only registering three hits over 28 at-bats.
Canzone is likely to see most of his playing time at DH this season after starting 63 games in right field in 2025. Seattle has a pretty stacked outfield with Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez, and Luke Raley. While there isn’t a spot in the field for Canzone to see consistent playing time, it’s hard to keep his bat on the bench. Even though Seattle isn’t a hitters paradise, the former Buckeyes has shown he can make some noise at home.
Dillon Dingler – Detroit Tigers
Dillon Dingler started to make a name for himself in 2025. Following a 2024 campaign where he appeared in 27 games, Dingler became a starter behind the plate for Detroit. The Ohio State alum handled a pitching staff headlined by Tarik Skubal, who has now won the AL Cy Young Award in back-to-back seasons.
The Tigers earned one of the two wild card spots in the American League, defeating the Cleveland Guardians in three games in the AL Wild Card Series before falling to the Seattle Mariners in five games in the ALDS.
After hitting just .167 in 27 games in 2024, Dingler looked a lot more comfortable at the plate last season. The former Buckeye hit .278 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. The production by Dingler made him one of the better hitting catchers in baseball.
The combination of his development at the plate, along with his ability to handle a pitching staff makes him one of the rising stars at the position.
Expectations are high for the Tigers and Dingler this year. Not only does Detroit return Skubal, they bolstered the rest of their rotation. The Tigers added Houston’s Framber Valdez, as well as brought back veteran Justin Verlander.
Dingler should earn even more notoriety this season since he will be catching some of the most respected pitchers in the game. Along with possibly catching a Cy Young winner in his first two full seasons as a big leaguer, Dingler should approach 20 home runs for the Tigers.
Ryan Feltner – Colorado Rockies
While the Mariners and Tigers will likely be interesting watches after making the playoffs last season, the same can’t be said for the Colorado Rockies, who have lost at least 100 games in each of the last three seasons, and haven’t made the playoffs since 2018.
In a division with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants, it’s hard to envision the Rockies not reaching triple digits in losses for a fourth straight season.
Ryan Feltner’s big league career so far has been a rough ride so far. After making his MLB debut in 2022, Feltner was hit in the head by a line drive in May 2023, resulting in skull fracture and concussion. The 2024 season saw Feltner get lots of work on the mound, tossing 162.1 innings.
Even though the former Ohio State pitcher finished with a 3-10 record, there was reason for optimism since he had a 4.49 ERA, which isn’t bad for a pitcher that plays for a team that plays half their games at the baseball launching pad that is Coors Field.
2025 was filled with more bad injury luck for Feltner. After starting six games for Colorado, Feltner was placed on the injured list in early May with back spasms. Feltner was activated from the IL two months later and optioned to Triple-A, where he made six starts before a shoulder injury ended his season. In his brief time with the Rockies early in the year, Feltner was 0-2 with a 4.75 ERA.
Entering the season, Feltner is projected to be the fifth starter for Colorado. Hopefully being at the back-end of the rotation where he could see some extra rest, Feltner can stay healthy and show some of the potential that made him a fourth round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Since he plays for such a bad team, it’s hard to see Feltner having a winning record this season, but what will be most telling about his pitching is his ERA and WHIP. If he is able to keep both in check, the Rockies might be tempted to move him to a contender closer to the trade deadline.
Zach Dezenzo – Houston Astros
Technically Zach Dezenzo isn’t on a major league roster after he was placed on the IL on Wednesday. Had Dezenzo not suffered an elbow injury in the World Baseball Classic, he likely would have made the Opening Day roster of the Houston Astros.
Dezenzo suffered a right elbow sprain while playing for Team Italy in the WBC. In 19 at-bats in the WBC, Dezenzo hit .263.
The Canton native made last year’s roster for the Astros to start the season, appearing in 34 games before suffering a hand injury which resulted in him being placed on the IL on June 1st, then a month later he was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
When healthy, Dezenzo hit .245 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Before he was injured, Dezenzo played in the field at first base, right field, and left field, as well as starting three games at DH.
When Dezenzo is healthy enough to return, he should be on Houston’s active roster. While he has had limited opportunities since making his MLB debut in 2024, Dezenzo’s ability to play multiple positions makes him attractive.
Dezenzo might not be quite ready to be an everyday starter in the big leagues yet, but he could be a factor off the bench for the Astros as they look to return to the playoffs after missing out on the postseason in 2025.
