Notre Dame Alumni Report: MLB Week of Sept. 13–19
Notre Dame has never been known as a baseball factory, but three Fighting Irish alumni made their presence felt across MLB and its affiliates this week — headlined by Matt Vierling riding a wave in Detroit, Joe Boyle grinding through development in Durham, and Ben Ross chipping in at the plate for Minnesota.
Vierling and the Surging Tigers
Matt Vierling is part of a Detroit team that has quietly turned into one of baseball's hottest clubs. The Tigers rattled off six consecutive wins this week, including a series against the Toronto Blue Jays, playing the role of spoiler against teams still fighting for playoff positioning. In the middle of that run, the Tigers also announced personal news involving Vierling — a sign that the organization continues to keep the Notre Dame product in the conversation as the season winds down.
Detroit's winning streak is doing unintentional favors for divisional rivals like the White Sox and Guardians, complicating the AL Central playoff picture. For Vierling, it's a chance to finish 2026 with momentum heading into the offseason.
Boyle Building Command in Durham
Joe Boyle's path through pro ball has been anything but a straight line. The hard-throwing righty — acquired by Tampa Bay from Oakland in the deal that sent Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez to the A's — has pitched just over 70 innings in the Rays organization, with the bulk of that work coming at Triple-A Durham.
The encouraging sign: Boyle's command has taken a meaningful step forward in 2026 without any erosion of the raw stuff that made him a prospect worth acquiring in the first place. For a pitcher whose calling card has always been overpowering velocity, learning to harness it within a Rays system renowned for developing pitchers is a significant developmental marker. He's not yet a household name in Tampa, but the building blocks are there.
Ross Finding His Footing in Minnesota
Ben Ross had a productive stretch for the Twins against the Angels and Yankees, going 2-for-his-last-several with a run scored in Friday's 4–5 loss to Los Angeles. He also logged a hit in Wednesday's 5–4 Minnesota win over New York. His batting average sits at .200 on the season — though the stats show it has fluctuated across this stretch — and Ross is proving he belongs on an MLB roster and is contributing in a Twins lineup that has bigger names around him.
For a Notre Dame shortstop working his way into regular MLB at-bats, consistent contact against American League pitching is exactly the kind of evidence that keeps a roster spot warm.
Three Irish alumni. Three different stages of the major league journey. Vierling is winning, Boyle is developing, and Ross is establishing. South Bend should be paying attention.
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