The 2026 home campaign for the Salt Lake Bees (24-44/63-79) came to a close this week as they welcomed the Round Rock Express (Triple-A, Texas Rangers). Known as the “E-Train,” the Lone Star side steamrolled their way to a dominant series victory, winning five of six. Outside of a 11-1 thrashing on Thursday, the Bees never held a lead in the other five contests. The Express (38-31/69-75) collected their first road series win in Salt Lake since 2021, when they swept the Bees in a six-game set.
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Series recap
Despite a quality start from Bees starter Ryan Costeiu, Round Rock earned a 5-1 series opening victory on Tuesday. The visitors scored in four different frames, while Niko Kavadas helped Salt Lake avoid a shutout with a fifth-inning solo blast. Wednesday was more of the same, as the Express tallied a 6-1 victory. MLB rehabber Josh Jung punctuated the win with a solo blast in the eighth, as the Bees were held to just a trio of hits for the second straight game.
As mentioned above, the Salt Lake bats came alive on Thursday with an 11-1 rout. The team tied their season-high with four homers, spotlighted by Kavadas’ second multi-homer night of the campaign. The infielder’s surge was part of a four-hit night, his first at any level since 2022. On the mound, Joel Hurtado turned in 6.2 innings of one-run ball, finally collecting his first Triple-A win in his eighth try. After falling behind 5-0 on Friday, the Bees nearly completed a comeback, coming up just short in a 5-4 defeat. Salt Lake got the winning run on base in the ninth, but ultimately fell short.
The final Saturday and Sunday at home in 2026 were near carbon copies of each other. Big first innings for Round Rock put them in the driver’s seat, leading 6-0 and 4-0, respectively. Saturday’s output was more than enough for the visitors as they added seven more runs over the course of the game to shutout the Bees 13-0. On Sunday’s home finale, Salt Lake battled and answered every time the Express scored. They closed the gap to 6-4 before Round Rock gained some length with Aaron Zavala’s two-run blast in the sixth, the only longball of the evening. The Bees did not go down without a fight, bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth. A flyball was tracked down for the 27th and final out of the finale, completing the Express’ 9-6 victory.
The 74th and final home game saw 7,853 fans come through the turnstiles of The Ballpark at America First Square — the largest crowd in ballpark history. Salt Lake finished 35-39 at home this season, winning or splitting nine of their 13 total home series. The Bees were victorious in at least one game against every opponent who came to South Jordan, avoiding a sweep for the second straight season as the hosts.
Prospect watch
Nelson Rada bounced back from his long skid in the box in a big way, excelling in the Bees’ final home series. The outfielder snapped an 0-for-24 skid in Friday’s loss with a three-hit performance while driving in two. Rada finished the set 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles, four RBIs, two walks and four stolen bases.
The speedster continues to pace the PCL in stolen bases with 40 on the season. Rada broke Salt Lake’s single-season team record with his 38th stolen base of the year in the first inning of Friday’s game. The Venezuelan, who is ranked as the Angels’ No. 6 prospect, swiped the bag with two outs, setting the new team record at 181 stolen bases as the number continues to grow heading into the final series of the season. Rada, who will be fighting for a spot to open the Angels’ regular season in 2027, made a strong case for himself in the series as he pushed his season slash line to .272/.369/.354 heading into Albuquerque.
Another Bees youngster who bounced back from a 12-game road trip was the Angels’ No. 17 prospect, Raudi Rodriguez. The outfielder finished the series against Round Rock 5-for-19 (.263), with three of his five hits coming in Thursday’s blowout 11-1 victory. Rodriguez crushed his fourth home run with Salt Lake in the lopsided win and now sits at exactly 30 hits in 32 games as a Bee.
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The stellar outfielder was outstanding once again defensively, continuing to track down balls, preventing runners from taking extra bases and providing consistency on the field. Rodriguez has yet to commit an error since joining the Bees, continuing his impressive defensive run as the season winds down.
Bees starting pitcher Joel Hurtado, the Angels’ No. 27 prospect, delivered his first quality start with Salt Lake, marking his first such performance since July 10 during his time with Rocket City. Hurtado bounced back in a big way after allowing six runs in his last outing against Sacramento, turning in a brilliant performance with five strikeouts over 6.2 innings while allowing just one run on four hits and one walk on 98 pitches. He became the first Salt Lake starting pitcher to work 6.2 innings since George Klassen accomplished the feat against Omaha on July 25.
Hurtado’s pitch arsenal was excellent throughout the outing, highlighted by a nasty slider and a piercing fastball that kept hitters off balance. His five strikeouts were just one shy of his career high with the Bees, as the right-hander continued to show flashes of the potential that has made him one of the Angels’ top prospects.
Former top-30 prospect Niko Kavadas was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week after a 10-for-24 (.417) week with three home runs, three doubles, seven RBIs and six runs scored while posting a 1.379 OPS. Six of the first baseman’s 10 hits went for extra base hits and he doubled in the final three games of the series.
Around the bases
The crowds showed out for the final homestand of the year, with all six games drawing a crowd of at least 6,500. A total of 43,496 fans came through the gates, including a ballpark record of 7,853 on Sunday. The last Bark in the Park night coincided with the final sighting of the Utah Dirty Sodas on Wednesday, while a Utah-sized fiesta took place on Thursday with Abejas Night. Fireworks lit up the sky on Saturday night, before Bluey and Fan Appreciation Day closed out the home slate on Sunday.
What’s on deck
The Bees head south to Albuquerque for their final series of the 2026 season. A six-game set is on tap against the Isotopes, as Salt Lake looks to win the season series versus the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The series begins Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. MDT from RGCU Field at Isotopes Park and will conclude with the season finale on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1:35 p.m. MDT from the Land of Enchantment.
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