Rice Professional Athletes

Rice's Dane Myers had the kind of week that ends up in a season highlight reel — and in the Reds' outfield, he may have already delivered the defensive play of the year.

The Catch

On Saturday against Milwaukee, Myers tracked a deep fly ball off the bat of Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick and timed a leaping grab at the center field wall that turned a would-be home run into an out. It was the sort of play that makes scouts nod slowly — elite range, elite instincts, elite timing. For a Rice alumnus who has steadily built his MLB footing in Cincinnati, it was a moment that belongs in a much larger conversation about his value to this club.

The Bat

The catch would have been enough to headline the week. But Myers quietly put together one of his best offensive stretches of the season alongside it.

It started Sunday, August 30, when Myers went deep against the Cubs — a solo shot that pushed his average to .253 and served as the launching pad for what came next. He followed with a hit Monday against San Diego, then erupted for three hits and a run scored Wednesday in the second game of that Padres series, bumping his average to .262. By Friday against Milwaukee, he added two more hits and scored twice, and he enters the weekend sitting at .265 on the season.

Over the six-game stretch — Aug. 30 through Sept. 5 — Myers posted a home run, multiple multi-hit games, four runs scored, and an RBI, all while playing center field at a level that would make any Owl fan proud.

The Bigger Picture

Myers is the only Rice alumnus making consistent news on the field this week. JT Chargois (Rangers), Tyler Duffey (Royals), Hayden Durke (Diamondbacks), and Evan Kravetz (Reds, Myers's own teammate) are all active in the league as pitchers, while Tristan Gray splits time between the Twins and Rays organizations at third base. Anthony Rendon remains on the Angels roster. None generated the kind of combined offensive and defensive spotlight that Myers commanded this week.

For a program that has produced a steady stream of MLB talent out of Houston, Myers's September surge is a reminder that Rice's pipeline runs deeper than the box score. The Reds are in the thick of a competitive stretch run, and their center fielder from Owl country is giving them every reason to keep penciling his name in the lineup — bat, glove, and all.

Rice Alumni in MLB | Aug. 23–29, 2026

Dane Myers had a week that required both a thick skin and a hot bat — and he delivered on both fronts.

The Pham Beef

The drama started Thursday when Myers dropped a fly ball in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, a miscue that proved decisive. That alone would have been a rough news cycle. Then Tommy Pham — a veteran outfielder now with the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system — piled on publicly, drawing a pointed response from Myers. The two traded jabs in what quickly became one of the more colorful back-and-forths of the MLB week, with Myers refusing to absorb the criticism quietly.

It's worth noting the source of the critique: Pham is currently grinding through the minors, not exactly a perch from which unsolicited outfield advice tends to land well. Myers, for his part, didn't let the moment fester.

The Bounce-Back

Two days after the Cardinals dropped ball and the Pham noise, Myers went out and authored the kind of line that does the talking for you: 3 hits, 2 runs scored, and a walk against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, Aug. 26. His average climbed to .260 on the night, recovering from a dip to .251 earlier in the week.

The broader arc of Myers' week was quietly solid. On Sunday, Aug. 23, he went 2-for-whatever against the Arizona Diamondbacks — 2 hits, 1 run, and a walk — and followed that up by holding steady through a tougher Tuesday outing before exploding against the Giants. By Friday's game against the Cubs, he drew another walk and sat at .254 on the season, a number that reflects a player who has earned his roster spot in Cincinnati.

The Bigger Picture

For Rice fans tracking their guy in the bigs, the storyline here isn't really the error or the Pham spat — it's what came after. Myers is a centerfielder on a rebuilding Reds squad, and the pressure of a high-profile mistake in a tight game is exactly the kind of moment that separates players who stick from those who don't. The 3-hit Wednesday performance was a direct, on-field answer.

No other Rice alumni had notable statistical activity in the brief this week — Evan Kravetz remains on the Cincinnati roster alongside Myers, while JT Chargois (Rangers), Tyler Duffey (Royals), Hayden Durke (Diamondbacks), and Tristan Gray (Twins/Rays) didn't generate significant lines in the period. Anthony Rendon continues to occupy a roster spot in Anaheim.

The week belonged to Myers. He earned it the hard way.