Railroaders current roster outlook
By Armando Lutz, Cleburne Times Review
New additions to the 2025 Cleburne Railroaders roster were made on Wednesday as the team signed outfielder Steven Rivas, infielder Kyle Martin and outfielder Dustin Peterson. Along with the trio of fresh bodies, relief pitcher Brady Puckett also re-signed with the organization on Thursday to beef up an already stacked bullpen.
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Martin makes his return to the American Association after four years of mainly playing in Mexico. From 2019-2021, the Keller native wreaked havoc in Winnipeg with the Godleyes as one of the best players in the league. In three seasons, Martin batted .284 with 251 hits, 61 home runs and 224 runs batted in (RBI).
The power hitter reached as high as triple-A with the El Paso Chihuahuas in 2022 before spending the last three seasons with Los Guerreros de Oaxaca and Canelos De Los Mochis. After a college career at the University of South Carolina, Martin was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, where he spent four seasons with the organization.
At 25 years old, Rivas could be a sleeper in a strong Railroader offense. The lefty from Loma Linda, California comes off the best season of his early career in 2024 with the Rocky Mountain Vibes of the Pioneer League. In 93 games, Rivas earned 138 hits, 31 home runs, 124 RBI and batted .342.
He spent three seasons under the Los Angeles Angels organization from 2021-23 after two seasons with the University of Houston.
Peterson brings a great amount of experience to Cleburne as the former big leaguer enters his 12th season of professional baseball. Originally a second-round pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2013 MLB draft, the right-hander from Phoenix, Arizona has played for six different major league teams and reached the show with the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers.
Peterson played 19 games in the majors while having over 1,000 games in the minors. Throughout his career, the journeyman has 1,156 hits, 116 homers, 656 RBI and an average of .259. He recently played in Mexico with Los Yaquis De Obregon.
Here’s the updated 2025 roster for Cleburne as of Jan. 31.
Pitchers – Dan Beebe; Cristian Lopez; Luke Boyd; Kristian Scott; Theo McDowell; Johnathon Tripp; Chase Chatman; Mark Simon; Brady Puckett.
Position – Blaze Brothers; Keenan Taylor; Jesus Lujano; Graham Brown; Bobby Peirce; Shed Long; Brian O’Grady; Jaxx Groshans; Dustin Peterson; Steven Rivas; Kyle Martin.