Revs add slick-fielding infielder and hard-throwing lefty to preseason roster
(February 17, 2026 – York, PA.): The five-time Atlantic League champion York Revolution have added two more exciting pieces to the 2026 preseason roster, inking surehanded infielder Ben Blackwell and hard-throwing lefty Kevin Dowdell to contracts for the upcoming season. The additions were announced by Revs manager Rick Forney live on Monday night’s airing of Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on WOYK.
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Blackwell provides the Revs with a top-notch defensive option in the infield. He returns to the Atlantic League for his fourth pro season after spending 2025 with Charleston where he hit .278 in 107 games and finished tied for third in the league with seven triples and placed tied for sixth with 42 steals. He sported a .967 fielding percentage while manning third base, shortstop, and second base for the Dirty Birds.
“We’re really excited about Ben,” Forney commented. “We got to see him a little bit last year. He was brought to my attention late in the signing process last year by one of my former players and we didn’t have a roster spot at the time. He’s versatile, fast and athletic which we like. In my opinion he’s one of the better infielders in the league.”
Originally from Fort Bragg, NC, Blackwell starred in the DC Metro area during his prep days before landing at University of Dayton where he was First Team All-Atlantic 10 for the Flyers. After graduating in just three years with a degree in finance, Blackwell enrolled at Clemson as a grad transfer and started every game at shortstop over the course of two seasons with the Tigers. He boasted a top-five fielding percentage for a season in Clemson history, led the ACC with 27 steals in 2023, and led his team to a conference title.
Blackwell signed with the Texas Rangers in 2023 to begin his pro career and batted .290 at High-A Hickory while also earning a promotion to Double-A Frisco. The righty hitter spent his first two seasons in the Rangers farm system with the vast majority of that time as a member of the Hickory Crawdads. He will turn 27 on April 6.
Dowdell comes to York for his fourth pro season having previously pitched in the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals organizations. A native of Montevallo, AL, the 26-year-old starred as a two-way player at West Virginia University before focusing solely on his craft on the mound upon turning pro. Dowdell signed with the Angels out of WVU in 2023 and debuted with L.A.’s Arizona Complex League affiliate. The southpaw landed at the same level after signing with the Nationals in 2024 and spent his first full-schedule minor league season with Class-A Fredericksburg last summer, appearing in 37 games and boasting a 3.00 ERA into July.
“He has a power arm, 94-96 with some late life on it,” Forney detailed. “He’s still somewhat new to pitching but is really in a good place right now and has a better idea of how to go about it than he did when he first made the transition. He’s super athletic and strong and has potential to be a sleeper. I think he could get signed from here, there’s a lot of arm speed which is what everybody wants and there’s movement on it.”
The Revs have officially announced four players who are under contract for the 2026 season and will unveil additional player signings on the next episode of Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy set to air live next Monday, February 23 at 6pm on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, and the York Revolution app. The show is also available in video form on the York Revolution YouTube channel.