Now that the dust has settled from the 2025 Major League Baseball draft, LSU head coach Jay Johnson has hit the transfer portal hard to make up for multiple losses. That includes designated hitter Ethan Frey and several signees who are expected to play pro ball instead of showing up on campus.
The Tigers needed to find some power bats, and on Tuesday, Johnson landed commitments from two players who can hit the ball over the fence. Here's a look at who the Tigers have added in the transfer portal.
1B Zach Yorke
Yorke is a big dude! The Campbell, California, commitment hits from the left side and weighs 295 pounds, and he stands at 6-2. He’s hit 32 home runs in his three-year career at Grand Canyon, and he’s walked 122 times and struck out only 91 times in 606 at-bats.
3B Trent Caraway
Caraway played two seasons at Oregon State, and in 2025 for the Beavers, he hit .267 with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs. Half of his home runs came during OSU’s run to the College World Series. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Corvallis Regional as he hit five home runs during the regional.
P Dax Dathe
Dathe put up big numbers at Division II Angelo State with a 2.99 ERA for the Rams and went 9-1 with 98 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched. Dathe has pitched well in the MLB Draft League as his fastball is up to 95 miles per hour. Dathe is 24 years old, and two years ago, he appeared in five games for Texas Tech.
P Cooper Moore
On Wednesday morning, LSU picked up a commitment from Cooper Moore, who could be a potential weekend starter in 2026. At Kansas this past year, Moore was 7-3 in 14 starts and walked just 19 in 88.2 innings. He struck out 85.
Related
In case you missed it, Zac Cowan, Tanner Reaves and Chris Stanfield have all announced they are returning.
Reaves will have a chance to start at second base, Stanfield could move to left field with Derek Curiel moving to center field. A similar switch was made with Michael Braswell, who went from shortstop to third base after he was not drafted following his junior season.
Cowan will likely fill a similar role as he did this past season, a key piece out of the bullpen that can give you three strong innings.