Four AquaSox promoted to Double-A
Published 11:22 am Tuesday, July 21, 2026
The Everett AquaSox roster experienced significant change on Monday, as the organization announced four players have been promoted to Double-A Arkansas. Four more players will take their place following promotions — three from Single-A Inland Empire, and one returning to the AquaSox from the Arizona Complex League.
Outfielder Jonny Farmelo, infielder Felnin Celesten, catcher Josh Caron and relief pitcher Lucas Kelly are the four headed to Double-A. The mass exodus represents a serious blow to Everett’s offense, as Celesten, Farmelo and Caron each ranked in the top six in OPS among qualified players, not just on the AquaSox but the entire Northwest League.
Celesten leads the Northwest League in batting average (.314) and OPS (.943), with a 25-game hitting streak from April 21-May 21 and hitting for the cycle on June 26 among his season highlights. The 20-year-old took a significant step forward at the plate after slashing just .158/.313/.289 in 11 games following his promotion to Everett last season on Aug. 18, 2025. He went 4-for-15 (.267) with two walks, no strikeouts and three RBI in four games during the Northwest League Championship series in September, when the AquaSox defeated the Eugene Emeralds to win their first title since 2010.
“(I) pretty much committed to my ‘hot zone’ and take away the chases and bad pitches,” Celesten said amid his hitting streak on May 6, translated by outfield coach Edgardo Rivera. “Just concentrate and commit to my pitch and my plan.”
Celesten moved up to No. 70 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect ranking from No. 97, and the Guaymate, Dominican Republic native ranks sixth among Mariners prospects. Farmelo, a fellow top 100 prospect (No. 60), joins Celesten after stringing together a strong first half in his first healthy season since 2023. The 21-year-old played in 83 games for the AquaSox this year after he was limited to just 79 in the previous two seasons combined (including postseason). Farmelo’s .863 OPS ranks sixth in the league, and his 62 walks and 26 stolen bases each rank second.
After spending most of the past two seasons sidelined with different injuries, Farmelo had to focus on staying sharp mentally. With the opportunity to play as the everyday center fielder this season, he could finally work on building his physical skill set while leaving the newfound mental tools in his back pocket.
“I have a good routine now,” Farmelo said on June 4. “I think I don’t have to do as much mental stuff now because I’m getting four at-bats every night, so it’s a little easier playing every night than it is playing one day, off the next day, but yeah, it’s been good.”
Of the three position players heading to Arkansas, it was Caron who arguably experienced the biggest progression. He spent the entire 2025 season in Everett, hitting just .197 with a .600 OPS and nine homers in 79 games. Through 66 games in 2026, Caron hit .267 with a .934 OPS. The 22-year-old leads the Northwest League with 19 home runs and a .579 slugging percentage. His 20 stolen bases left him one homer shy of a 20-20 season in High-A, and his .943 OPS and 62 RBI each rank top three in the league.
Caron, who does not even fall in the Mariners’ Top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline, went into this season with a refreshed mindset, which played a big part in taking his game to the next level. Now the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native gets rewarded by reaching the literal next level.
“I think I was just like pretty hard on myself when things weren’t going well (last season),” Caron said earlier this month. “My expectations might have been a little high, and I think you just got to give yourself that grace and accept that this is a really hard game we play, and there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs, but it’s a long season and it’ll all even out.”
Rounding out the promotions is Kelly, who recorded the final out in Everett’s championship-clinching win against Eugene on Sept. 13, 2025. The Mariners selected the 22-year-old righty in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arizona State, and he immediately stepped into a high-leverage relief role upon his assignment to the AquaSox on Aug. 18, 2025.
This season, Kelly has a 4.88 ERA, with 17 earned runs in 31 1/3 innings pitched. He tossed 57 strikeouts, which is tied for fourth on the team, and walked 21 batters. Kelly posted a 40.4% strikeout rate (K%) with Everett this season, which leads the Northwest League among pitchers who faced at least 60 batters, according to The Herald’s calculations. The next-highest belongs to Hillsboro’s Sandro Santana (37.4%). Playing for an organization that wants its pitchers to prioritize attacking the zone and getting ahead in counts, Kelly has proven he can shut down batters at an elite rate in High-A.
Following those four departures, outfielders Korbyn Dickerson and Aiden Taurek as well as infielder Ricardo Cova were promoted from Single-A Inland Empire. Pitcher Pedro Da Costa Lemos returns from the Arizona Complex League.
Dickerson is Seattle’s No. 11 prospect on MLB Pipeline and is now the second-highest ranked prospect on the AquaSox behind catcher Luke Stevenson (SEA No. 7). The Mariners selected the 22-year-old in the fifth round of the 2025 MLB Draft, and he slashed .276/.387/.425 with nine home runs and 36 RBI in 77 games with the 66ers this season.
Taurek, Seattle’s No. 28 prospect, was similarly productive with a .280 average and team-leading .842 OPS across 79 games. The 22-year-old was a 13th-round pick for Seattle in the 2025 MLB Draft. Meanwhile, Cova spent parts of the past three seasons in Single-A, increasing his offensive production every year. The 22-year-old Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela native posted a .290 average to lead Inland Empire so far this season.
Da Costa Lemos pitched 18 innings across 10 games in Everett last season, allowing 16 hits and six earned runs with 18 strikeouts and six walks. The 23-year-old righty made two appearances for the ACL Mariners this year, allowing one hit and no earned runs in four innings.
As the AquaSox enter a six-game series against Eugene on Tuesday, they will need instant production from the newcomers to help make up for the substantial departures. Everett is tied atop the Northwest League second-half standings with the Spokane Indians at 15-9. Each team is fighting for a berth in September’s Championship Series, which will be against the first-half champion Emeralds.
