Dugan, Rees return to Stormers

Slugging first baseman Kelly Dugan and powerful right-handed reliever Jackson Rees have been signed to contracts by the Lancaster Stormers for the 2025 season, it was announced today by manager Ross Peeples.

They are the tenth and 11th players added to the Lancaster roster for the upcoming season which begins at Long Island on April 25.

Dugan, 34, previously played for the Stormers from 2021-23. He batted .326 in each of his first two campaigns and was en route to an historic season in 2022 when he sustained a season-ending foot injury while playing right field. At the time, he was on pace for franchise records in home runs and RBI with 23 and 69, respectively, in only 62 games.

The California native returned to the Stormers in 2023 and hit only .191 with eight homers before again leaving with the foot injury.

Fully healthy in 2024, Dugan joined Grand Junction of the Pioneer League and belted 22 homers to accompany a .369 batting average. He compiled an OPS of 1.180 over 63 games.

That earned Dugan a spring training invite with the Philadelphia Phillies and appeared in one Major League game, going 0-for-2 against the Yankees.

The potent lefty previously spent seven seasons in the Philadelphia system, peaking at Class AAA Lehigh Valley. He also played in the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations before heading to the American Association and, eventually, the Stormers.

“Dugan will help us out in the middle of our order,” said Peeples. “He has had a lot of success here and is always a great asset in the locker room.”

Rees, 30, will join the Stormers for a second season. The former Toronto farmhand spent the entire 2024 campaign with Lancaster, posting a 7-1 record and 4.25 ERA in 42 appearances. Rees walked 44 and struck out 61 in 42.1 innings of work.

After a sluggish start, which included four weeks on the injured list, the California native posted a 2.27 ERA over his final 30 outings, averaging 13.5 strikeouts per every nine innings pitched. He added a scoreless inning in Lancaster’s lone playoff win.

The former University of Hawaii right-hander signed with Toronto in 2017. In 2019, at the Class A level, he recorded 88 strikeouts and only 15 walks while posting a composite 0.73 ERA over 61.2 relief innings.

He spent parts of three seasons (2021-23) with Class AAA Buffalo.

“Rees continued to get better last year,” said Peeples. “He has really good stuff and showed it at times. He is a guy who will take the ball every time he is asked and can fill many roles in our pen. He goes about his business in the right way, and I am looking forward to watch him grow from last year.”