Lowell will play host to Futures League team starting in 2026

The Futures Collegiate Baseball League is looking to expand to eight teams from the current six, and one additional host city has been secured for the 2026 season.

Lowell will play host to a Futures League team, with home games at LeLacheur Park, the former residence of the Lowell Spinners. The former Single-A affiliate of the Red Sox was axed by Major League Baseball in 2020, when the league cut a swarm of minor league clubs at the start of the pandemic. LeLacheur Park has been somewhat of an underutilized baseball venue ever since, with UMass Lowell serving as the primary — and almost exclusive — tenant.

The Futures League consists of college baseball players who are looking to extend the season beyond the school year calendar. They are not professional athletes, although college players can earn NIL money these days. The Futures League is one of three major summer collegiate leagues in New England, along with the Cape League and NECBL.

The Futures League is not held in the same regard as the Cape League in terms of pro-ready talent, although there is debate as to how it measures up against the NECBL. One thing that makes the Futures League unique compared to the other two New England summer collegiate leagues is that it allows teams to roster incoming freshmen, so many of the region’s top high school graduates get their first look at college competition. The NECBL’s biggest draw is it has more Cape-ish host cities like Martha’s Vineyard and Newport, R.I.