Two more Sun Devils hit the transfer portal

The Willie Bloomquist era has seen no year-to-year continuity with middle infield starters. The team had the potential to go with familiar options in rising junior Jax Ryan and rising sophomore Beckett Zavorek, but we know now at least one of those players will not be returning.

Infielder Jax Ryan has reportedly hit the portal alongside left-hander Bradyn Barnes, who announced that he would enter the portal on Monday on his X (formerly known as Twitter) page. Both players will be juniors in the 2026 season. Ryan did not formally announce his departure, but it was first reported by Andrew Riedell.

Ryan had a solid career at Arizona State, totaling a .270 average with a .734 OPS in his two years. The Oklahoma native saw his freshman campaign derailed by a shoulder injury. His offensive metrics took a big jump in his sophomore season, with his batting average leaping up by .050.  

The infielder played multiple spots around the diamond, with most of his work coming at shortstop and third base. Ryan would have likely been a favorite for a starting position in the infield for the 2026 season as the Sun Devils brought in four incoming freshmen who can play the infield.

Head coach Willie Bloomquist often called Ryan a starter for most programs, and Ryan will probably be a starter at the program he transfers to.

Arizona State will likely have the majority of its offensive starters be new to the team next season, as most of the current roster will likely be drafted, and some players have used up all of their eligibility.

Barnes did not have as clear of a path to significant playing time as a Sun Devil for the 2026 season as he fell to the fifth lefty in the bullpen. Barnes started the season in a high-leverage role for Arizona State against the Ohio State series but was never seen again. Freshmen Max Arlich and Easton Barrett assumed his role and performed well.

Barnes made nine appearances in his career at ASU, with an 11.37 ERA in six and a third innings. His freshman season had some promise with a 7.20 ERA in five innings, which put him ninth in ERA among Arizona State’s 19 pitchers that year ahead of guys like Jaden Alba, Cole Carlon and Wyatt Halvorson.

Barnes made only two appearances in his sophomore season. He had a scoreless outing on opening day against Ohio State but gave up four runs just two days later to the same team. Barnes is playing summer ball with the Walnut Creek Crawdads.

At the time of writing, Arizona State has yet to pick up anyone from the transfer portal, but Bloomquist tweeted a devil emoji on Monday night, possibly signaling something promising on the horizon for the Sun Devils.