SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Bryant baseball alum James Karinchak was called up by the Atlanta Braves on June 10, giving the Bulldogs three active players on MLB rosters for the first time ever. 

Karinchak joins Mickey Gasper (Boston Red Sox) and Ryan Ward (Los Angeles Dodgers) in The Show. All three were teammates at Bryant in 2017.

Tuesday's call up comes following a strong start to the season for Karinchak in AAA. The righty is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, 38 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 25.2 innings. Karinchak made his MLB debut in 2019 with Cleveland and has struck out 253 batters across 165.2 innings of relief.

Gasper made his MLB debut with the Red Sox late in 2024 before spending a majority of 2025 in the MLB with Minnesota. He was resigned by the Red Sox in the offseason and was called up to Boston in early May and has become an everyday player. Gasper is hitting .284 with a .676 OPS in 23 games for the Red Sox.

Ward was called up to the Dodgers on April 18 and made his MLB debut and collected his first-career hit on April 19 at Colorado. He was sent back down to AAA two days later but was recalled May 31 and has been a regular in the Dodger lineup since. Ward hit his first MLB home run on May 31 at Dodger Stadium and is 7-for-27 with two doubles, two home runs and a .842 OPS in eight games.

Bryant has long been a breeding ground for professional talent as the Bulldogs have produced 25 pro players since 2009 and 27 total in program history. In addition to its three in MLB, Tyler Mattison and Brett Wichrowski are currently pitching in AAA, while Tyler Schoff is currently on a rehab assignment with Washington's rookie affiliate.