‘It’s enjoyable, it’s distinctive.’ Boston farm crew rebrands, drops ‘Red Sox’ from title

There’s one much less crew named the Red Sox in Boston’s farm system.

Over the weekend, the Salem Red Sox introduced that they are going to be doing a full rebrand and altering their crew title to the Salem RidgeYaks.

The new brand incorporates a yak driving in a kayak, with the Blue Ridge Mountains subtly depicted on the high of its head. Along with the brand new nickname, Salem is getting a brand new macsot: Mac the Yak.

“The RidgeYaks are a creative and symbolic reflection of our community,” General supervisor Allen Lawrence stated within the crew’s announcement. “That’s what Minor League Baseball is all about — it’s fun, it’s unique, and it brings people together.”

The Single-A affiliate in Salem, Virginia has been the Red Sox since 2009. Before that, the minor-league franchise has performed because the Avalance, Buccaneers, Redbirds, Pirates and Rebels.

Why the RidgeYaks? Lawrence told MLB.com that the imagery and distinctive nature of the mascot appealed to the crew.

“In southwestern Virginia there are a lot of outdoor activities, and we wanted to incorporate that,” Lawrence said to MLB.com. “And then yaks. A yak is a home run in baseball, and it’s short for kayak, which are very popular around here. There are no other yaks in baseball and we really like that, the uniqueness of it.”

The RidgeYaks will formally debut on April 2, 2026 once they maintain their Opening Day.