A new season and a new name – the Salem RidgeYaks – formerly the Salem Red Sox – open up the 2026 Carolina League season tonight at home. Hope springs eternal at the start of every baseball season. The then-Salem Red Sox finished out of the money in 2026, not making the Carolina League playoffs; the RidgeYaks remain the Boston Red Sox low-single A affiliate despite the name change, as minor league teams moving away from using their major league affiliate for branding. WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
