The Long Island Ducks announced that infielder Austin Dennis will return to the team for the upcoming season. Dennis will begin his second season with the Ducks, his third in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and his eighth year in professional baseball.
“We liked a lot of things we saw from Austin last season,” Ducks manager Lew Ford said in a team statement. “He’s got a terrific bat combined with excellent speed, and he’s a versatile defender, having played three infield positions and all three outfield positions. We’re excited to welcome him back to Long Island.”
Dennis joined the Ducks late in the 2025 season, appearing in nine games during the stretch run. In that time, he batted .263 with two RBIs, six runs scored, 10 hits, two walks and five stolen bases while playing errorless defense at shortstop and in center field.
The 28-year-old began the 2025 campaign with the New York Boulders, where he earned All-Star honors in the Frontier League. Dennis led the league in hits (139) and runs scored (97) while ranking second in games played (95), fifth in stolen bases (43) and sixth in both batting average (.342) and triples (four).
A native of Florida, Dennis began his professional career in the Houston Astros organization, playing two seasons there from 2018 to 2019. He later joined the Kansas City Royals system in 2021, reaching as high as Triple-A. Across 190 games in affiliated baseball, he batted .242 with six home runs, 69 RBIs, 102 runs scored, 28 doubles, five triples and 43 stolen bases while posting a .320 on-base percentage.
The Middle Tennessee State University product later spent five seasons with the Boulders, finishing among the Frontier League’s all-time top five in several categories, including games played, batting average, hits, runs scored and stolen bases.
“I’m very excited to be back on Long Island,” Dennis said. “The atmosphere there was fantastic every game. My goal this year is to stay healthy and help bring a championship to the Ducks.”