View of the sparsely filled stadium with Camelback Mountain in the background as the San Francisco Giants played the Chicago White Sox in a spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants are back for their last week of Spring Training baseball. So here’s what’s on deck for this week.
Monday
The Giants will visit the San Diego Padres for today’s game, starting at 1:10 p.m. PDT. This game will have audio available on the MLB At Bat app.
Tuesday
No Game
Wednesday
The Giants head to Glendale, AZ on Wednesday to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at 1:05 p.m. PDT. This game will have a national broadcast on MLB Network, however it’s unclear if that will be available for in-market fans or not. There will be radio coverage on KNBR, at least.
Thursday
The Giants keep their road games going with a visit to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. PDT. Currently there is no broadcast information available for this game. But it is the Rockies, so that tracks.
Friday
Friday is another split squad day.
The road team will visit the Texas Rangers at 5:05 p.m. PDT. There is no San Francisco broadcast information available at this time.
The home team will take on the Kansas City Royals also at 5:05 p.m. PDT. This game will have audio available on the MLB At Bat app.
Saturday
Saturday will be the last Spring Training game of the year, as the Giants welcome the Cleveland Guardians for a game at 12:05 p.m. PDT. There will be radio coverage on KNBR.
Sunday
The Giants will head to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Sunday for an exhibition game against the Sacramento River Cats at 5:07 p.m. PDT. The game will have video coverage on MiLB.TV, with River Cats radio coverage available on KNBR.
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SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET)
NORTH PORT, FL - MARCH 16: Franyerber Montilla of the Detroit Tigers signs autographs prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on Sunday, March 16, 2025 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After an incredibly long drought of middle infielders since the days when Willy Adames and Eugenio Suarez were young Detroit Tigers shortstop prospects, a new golden era is upon us as the Tigers farm system is suddenly packed with middle infielders. This has been a clear focal point to the club’s revamped draft strategy in the last three years. The theory is sound. If you draft shortstops and center fielders, you’re improving the overall athleticsm of your club, even if those prospects don’t ultimately stick at those positions. 20-year-old Franyerber Montilla was signed in the Al Avila years, but his emergence over the past year adds yet another athletic middle infielder to the Tigers’ prospect hoard.
Montilla was signed in January of 2022 out of Caracas, Venezuela. The Tigers paid him a $500K signing bonus and sent him to the Dominican Summer League at age 17 and 18. The slick fielding, switch-hitting shortstop arrived in Lakeland at age 19 in 2024 and tore up the Complex League. He got a quick look at Single-A ball that summer, and then returned in 2025 mainly playing second base while Bryce Rainer handled shortstop. Once Rainer damaged his shoulder in early June, Montilla moved over to play more shortstop over the next six weeks, until he too suffered a major injury, blowing out his his right ACL in his knee on an infield collision in late July.
The injuries, both in pitcher attrition and just plain back luck for Rainer and Montilla, have really been a plague over the past two seasons system wide. Hopefully they come back with arm strength intact in Rainer’s case, and footspeed intact in Montilla’s case, as those two tools are big parts of their secondary skills beyond the most important factor, their hit tools.
Montilla is a really slick, efficient defender with good hands and range, and a strong throwing arm. He profiles well at shortstop, and it was only Rainer’s absolute cannon at the shortstop position that had the Tigers focusing on him as the regular Flying Tigers’ shortstop. That range is a function of good instincts, but also plus speed, which he put to good use on the bases as well. He stole 27 bases in 67 games last year.
At the plate, Montilla has an efficient, pretty level swing and sprays line drives around the field from both sides of the plate. His big strength is his plate discipline. He walked in 12.7 percent of his plate appearances last year and rarely chases much out of the strike zone. He did strike out 24.7 percent of the time, and at times his discipline can perhaps slip into passivity, allowing pitchers to get ahead with fastballs for strike one and forcing him to battle out long at-bats. The fine line between grinding out pitchers, and failing to jump on mistakes early in counts, is a zone he’s still working to master.
The biggest issue before Montilla is strength and batspeed. He consistently squares up pitches, and he handled all pitch types to an above average level, but it’s below average raw power and he can be a little overwhelmed by good velocity in the zone. Montilla has a pretty slender six-foot tall frame, and needs to keep adding muscle to build a little more batspeed and both get to average power, which is roughly his ceiling, and handle velocity more consistently. He’s closer to getting there as a left-handed hitter, but the samples for him hitting right-handed against lefties are still very small, so more info is required.
Assuming his foot speed isn’t impacted by the ACL, which is usually but not always a safe assumption, the Tigers have a speed player who switch hits, steals bases, and should be capable of playing plus defense either at shortstop or second base. He takes his walks and makes plenty of good contact, but the batspeed still has to improve quite a bit to be able to project him for 15-20 HR level production down the road at the big league level. There’s a very strong floor in place, because Montilla screams utility player, but if he can get past the injury with some strength gains in the rehab process and look like he’ll get close to average power, suddenly the Tigers will have a player that projects like Zach McKinstry with more speed and better defense. If Montilla really maxes out his hit tool, then we’re talking about an everyday infielder anywhere you want to put him.
Unfortunately, ACL tears are usually nine months to a full year to completely rehab, so he may not be back on the field until July, when he’ll be 21 years old. Still, there’s plenty of time to make those strength gains and build on what is a very strong set of secondary tools. Like so many of the Tigers talented youngsters, patience is still required. Hopefully he can get back into a groove this summer and play for West Michigan, then look to take the next step sometime in 2027.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 high fives Bryce Harper #24 of Team United States after the final out of the fifth inning was recorded against Team Dominican Republic at loanDepot park on March 15, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Saturday, Lugo — representing Puerto Rico — took the mound against Italy in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals at Daikin Park in Houston. He stood squarely across from Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone.
“No, to be honest with you,” Caglianone told reporters of any pregame banter. “I know Seth’s a very smart player. I spent a lot of time last year just talking game plan with him in the dugout. He definitely sees the game differently. But I think as long as we can keep doing what we’ve been doing, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
“I opened my phone after the game to like 60 DMs and it was in words … I didn’t know how to say,” the pitcher explained Sunday of his direct messages. “So definitely going to have to do some Google translate, for sure.”
“I’m just trying to take in as much as I can because I know that there’s a lot of people that are upset that we represent Italy, being Italian-American, but I take so much pride in it because it is my roots,” Pasquantino said. “My family came over for a better life to America and, I honestly don’t have any issue representing those members of my family and it’s just super cool to be given this opportunity from these guys.”
“It’s been a lot of fun watching our guys go out there and have big games, come through in clutch moments,” Michael Wacha said. “That’s building confidence for them coming into the regular season, finding their swings, finding their pitches, it will only help us out during the regular season.”
“That’s the buzz that has been going around here, seeing what those guys have been doing over the last two weeks,” Schreiber said. “We’re super proud of them.”
“We’re talking about that all the time,” Sweeney said. “It could happen at different points of the year: ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ We have those first games and then the off-day, and then we’re 12 in a row in early April. That’s where a lot of injuries happen. ‘Should we do it there?’ We have to be really smart with these starters because workload matters for a healthy guy and a guy that was injured last year. How do we keep these guys running through the finish line and through October?”
She has a Jonathan India update.
India is all good today and cleared for activity, manager Matt Quatraro said. Light day today for non-game players anyway, and India won't play tomorrow either before Monday's off day for extra rest. #Royalshttps://t.co/Q6U5QbNmgO
Most of the roster seems set for the Royals, except for the final spots. That includes the bench, and Loftin has established himself as a frontrunner to grab hold of it, not only because of his performance in Cactus League games, but also his defensive versatility. He’s played everywhere, including the corner outfield, his main positions in the infield and more first base than ever before. He’s also hitting the ball hard and making good swing decisions. Every one of those things has him inching closer to being on the roster come Opening Day.
Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11), right fielder Sal Frelick (10) and first baseman Jake Bauers (9) stand in the outfield during a pitching change against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game two of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
We continue our series previewing each position on the Brewers by looking at the outfield, and we’ll also discuss the designated hitter spot, as Christian Yelich’s transition into full-time designated hitting continues. As for the actual outfield, two of these three spots are firmly spoken for. But the third outfield spot is, if not necessarily in flux, a position where there’s likely to be a decent amount of rotation throughout the season. Let’s take a look.
Jackson Chourio
There is something worth remembering about Jackson Chourio: he only just turned 22 last Wednesday. Anyone hinting at the idea that Chourio’s first two seasons in the big leagues were disappointing would be, in a word, wrong. While some were perhaps hoping for a bigger leap in his second season, Chourio has still put together two productive seasons, back-to-back 20/20 seasons in which he’s averaged about three WAR per season. That makes him one of the most productive Brewers, and to bring it back to where we started, I want to re-stress that he has not yet played a regular-season game over the age of 21.
All of that said, it would be great to see Chourio level up in 2026. There have been times, including in the postseason, when Chourio looked pretty clearly like the best hitter on the team. The defense has been a bit up and down, but there have been encouraging signs. You’d like to see him lower his caught-stealing rate, but he’s very fast and clearly has some base-stealing ability. And, most encouragingly, after starting last season with an alarmingly bad walk rate, his plate discipline has looked rather good this spring.
Chourio can hit a baseball. He has extremely quick hands, and he can get to pitches that maybe he shouldn’t be able to get to. Simply improving his plate discipline — which improved quite a bit over the course of last season — and making modest gains in his consistency in the field and on the basepaths would make him a borderline All-Star.
But we can all kind of feel that he’s going to make gains, one of these days, in batting average (he’s hit .275 and .270 in his first two seasons) and homers (21 in both years). Who knows? Maybe we’ll get a 30/30 season.
Sal Frelick
Frelick almost feels like a solid, we-know-what-we’ll-get veteran at this point in his career, even though he’s not quite 26 yet and he’s only played two full seasons in the big leagues. It’s also worth remembering that Frelick improved quite a bit last season — his OPS went up by over 100 points, he hit six times as many homers as in 2024, and his wRC+ went from 87 to 114. Defensively, Frelick didn’t quite perform at the level he did when he won a Gold Glove in 2024, but he was still one of the better corner outfielders in the league.
What can we expect from Frelick in 2026? It seems unlikely that his power is going to creep up a whole lot more, and he did benefit from a solid .317 BABIP (though that was at .306 the year before, and Frelick, because he’s fast and hits a lot of weird little ground balls, might just be a guy who always has a pretty good BABIP). There seems to be a feeling that Frelick, with that 114 wRC+ in 2025, was pretty close to his ceiling.
I’m not completely sure. Frelick hit only 20 doubles last year, and he seems like a guy who could be a classic doubles hitter. Even if he plateaus near his .288 batting average and 12 homers from 2025, there’s a lot of room for improvement in the doubles category, and his 2021 college season and 2022 minor league season both make him look like a guy who could easily hit 30 doubles in the majors.
Beyond that, the Brewers just need Frelick to keep doing Frelick things — run hard, crash (safely) into walls, play good defense — and he should be one of the more reliable contributors on the 2026 squad.
Christian Yelich
We’re going to put Yelich here because he used to be an outfielder once. He isn’t anymore, really. Yelich played left field 19 times last season, and it’ll almost certainly be less than that in 2026.
But Yelich will be the Brewers’ most-used designated hitter, and even at age 34 with a balky back, he will probably be one of their best offensive contributors when he’s available. It was a rough end to the 2025 season, but Yelich still finished with an OPS near .800 (121 OPS+) and team-high 29 homers while playing in the most games he’s appeared in since 2022.
There’s some real concern about the back, though. Yelich missed a week at the beginning of September to rest that back, and upon returning, he hit .233/.291/.370, and then he went 6-for-33 (.182) with five singles and a double in the postseason. The optimist would say that Yelich was just tired and needs more rest — reasonable, given that he turned 34 in December.
It seems reasonable to limit Yelich to about 135 games next year, even if he’s more-or-less healthy the whole year. They could certainly find ways to put him in an at least occasional platoon situation; Yelich last season was a legitimate stud against right-handed pitching (.274/.356/504, 25 homers in 438 plate appearances) and struggled against lefties (.242/.316/.344, four homers in 206 plate appearances, an OPS 200 points lower than against RHP).
Either way, I’m not out on Yelich, no matter how rough it looked at the end of last season. While I’m hoping that Chourio is ready to become the team’s best hitter, there is absolutely no denying that when he was feeling good, that title still firmly belongs with the former MVP.
Blake Perkinsand Brandon Lockridge
I’m going to group Perkins and Lockridge because there’s a lot of overlap in skillset, here, and whichever of them is in the big leagues at any given time, they’re going to fill a similar role.
That role is to play great defense and run fast.
Neither will hit a whole lot (though Lockridge, surprisingly, has three homers this spring), but both should be able to play Gold-Glove-level defense when they’re on the field. Brewers fans are probably hoping that they won’t be on the field all that much, but right now it looks like one of them — probably Perkins, who has a lot more big league experience — will be in the lineup on Opening Day.
Perkins seems to be a favorite of manager Pat Murphy, and it’s not difficult to see why. Murphy loves a guy who doesn’t make mistakes in the field, and Perkins is one of the smoothest fielders in the league. Offensively, though, Perkins has never had an OPS+ above 85, and his offensive shortcomings were laid especially bare in the postseason, when the Brewers probably asked too much of him.
Lockridge doesn’t have a lot in his profile to suggest that he can be much better than Perkins at the plate, but what if the power he’s showcased this spring is somewhat real? Perkins has just 13 homers in almost 800 career plate appearances. And while Lockridge has only one in his major league career (79 plate appearances), he did hit 13 and 14 homers in less than 110 games in each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons in the minors.
There’s probably not room on Milwaukee’s roster for both of these guys, and Perkins should have the inside track on the big-league roster spot. But I’m sure we’ll see Lockridge in Milwaukee at some point this season, and if he’s swinging for the fences, it might be an interesting wrinkle as the Brewers look for just a little bit of offense out of this defensive duo.
Garrett Mitchell
The assumption is that Garrett Mitchell will start the season on the Brewers’ roster. His pedigree and previous flashes have probably earned him that.
More than anything, Mitchell needs to prove that he can stay healthy. I don’t need to elaborate much here. As much promise as he has shown, it doesn’t matter — this is a good place to drop in the painful cliché that the greatest ability is availability.
But… Mitchell also needs to prove that he’s a good baseball player after all the injuries he’s been through. It was only 25 games, but Mitchell struggled in 2025 with a .206/.286/.294 batting line in 78 plate appearances before his season-ending injury last year. This spring, Mitchell has hit the ball hard when he has hit it, and he’s been patient, but he’s also struck out an alarming 10 times in 22 plate appearances (an unsustainable 45.5% strikeout rate, 12 points higher than his career regular season rate).
Mitchell is probably still pretty good, but he’s 27 now, and he’s really got something to prove. If this season doesn’t go well, either because of injury or because of a lack of production, he may not have a place with the team by the end of the summer.
Who else?
It looks like Jake Bauers: left fielder is going to be a thing. (See more about Bauers in our first base preview.) He appeared in left field 21 times last season (compared to 40 at first base), and it seems extremely likely that he’ll appear in the outfield more than Yelich will this season. Is he a good left fielder? No, I don’t think so. But if they limit his exposure and don’t need to rely too much on him, he’ll probably be okay.
I’ve already talked about him extensively a couple of times in this series, but if I were a betting man, I’d say that the most likely place that Jett Williams gets playing time with the Brewers this season is in the outfield. That might mean center field, but we’ll have to see how the Brewers choose to align from the outset; if Bauers is playing a lot of left field this season, that likely means Chourio plays a lot of center, and if Milwaukee thinks Chourio is a better center fielder than Williams, then Williams — who has played mostly shortstop and center in the minors — could conceivably move to a corner.
In a somewhat similar boat to Williams is Tyler Black, who seems not to have a real position. The general consensus is that if he’s going to play in the field for the Brewers, it will be in an outfield corner — he’s only played four games with the Brewers this spring because he’s been away with Team Canada, and he played three games at first base and one in left field. Black could conceivably slide into the Bauers’ role (a left-handed hitter who plays mostly first base and a little left field) if Bauers gets hurt, but the most likely route to playing time for Black might be at designated hitter in the event that Yelich misses time. Black still has time, but he’s quickly moving to the outside of the Brewers’ prospect situation, and it’s going to take one or more injuries to get him time in Milwaukee this summer.
The Brewers signed Akil Baddoo to a small major league contract this season, but it’s difficult for me to see how he gets into the mix here. Baddoo also injured his quad late last week and won’t be ready for the beginning of the season. He should be back in April, but being behind schedule doesn’t exactly help a guy who didn’t have an obvious route to playing time anyway.
Steward Berroa is also still on the Brewers’ 40-man roster, but he hasn’t played in the Cactus League and is reportedly nursing a shoulder injury.
Beyond that, there aren’t many options near the top of the minors, and the outfield is one of the few places where the Brewers lack prospect depth. (This is why I think Williams most likely ends up in the outfield.) If Lockridge and/or Perkins weren’t with the team, Luis Lara could conceivably be a late-season defense-only option, but he’d be worse — possibly much worse — than either of those guys at the plate. There are no other real outfield prospects close to the big leagues in the system.
We’re coming off a terrific World Baseball Classic semi-final between the US and Dominican Republic with a controversial end. We’ll have more on that game later this morning. Here are some takeaways from the Team USA win.
Tarik Skubal is defending himself against criticism (The Athletic sub. req.) that he betrayed Team USA by leaving the team early. On the one hand, Skubal has to do what’s right for him and he shouldn’t be criticized for not making a second WBC start. On the other hand, I love that American fans are getting this passionate enough about the WBC that they’re willing to be jerks about the whole thing. OK, I’m not thrilled about the jerks part. Just the passion part.
SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET)
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 7: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians walks into the dugout prior to a Spring Training game against the San Diego Padres at Goodyear Ballpark on March 7, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jose Ramirez left the game early yesterday after sliding into third base on a successful steal attempt and jamming his shoulder and if it affects him this season, I will lose my sanity.
Yes, USA beat the Dominican Republic in a close game that was unfortunately affected by Cory Blaser’s ump show in the bottom of the 9th where he decided Mason Miller needed help so he called sliders three inches below the zone strikes. I was rooting for USA so it has to be pretty bad for me to complain here. But, now USA will face the winner of tonight’s game between Italy and Venezuela on Tuesday.
The Guardians beat the Athletics yesterday 12-6. Tanner Bibee seems to be just throwing strikes and letting in fly in Arizona as he gave up six runs and 13 hits but he didn’t walk anyone. I’m sure that’ll be fine… right?
The big news was hoping José is ok. Stephen Vogt said after the game that Jose would be day-to-day. David Fry, Stuart Fairchild, and CJ Kayfus had homers, Travis Bazzana had a couple singles, Steven Kwan tripled, Jose doubled, and Gabriel Arias and Chase DeLauter also had a couple hits. Colin Holderman, Cade Smith and Erik Sabrowski put up scoreless innings from the bullpen.
Jim Rosenhaus spoke to Jose, Smith and Tim Herrin on the latest Guardians Weekly podcast.
It’s a Monday in March, and you know what that means: it’s time for another edition of Pinstripe Alley’s Making the Team Meter! The third week of March is typically a major milestone, as we are now officially closer to Opening Day than we are to the first spring training game. As such, this is typically the week that teams take an axe to their spring training roster, and the Opening Day squad begins to slowly take shape. Thanks to the World Baseball Classic, however, the Yankees have taken their time trimming down the roster, as they have worked to make sure that they have kept enough players in the big league camp to get through the spring schedule.
Despite this relative lack of cuts, we can look at usage, individual performance, and comments by Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman to get a sense as to how these few roster battles are shaping up, and begin to more firmly project the anticipated Opening Day roster — although, as will be clear shortly, comments from the organization might actually increase the uncertainty, rather than help us gain an insight into what the team is thinking.
As always, in case you need it, I’ve included the key below as a refresher. I’d also like to remind you that, like last week, players who were cut or removed from the injured list prior to last Monday will not appear on these lists, while those cut in the last seven days will.
As always, let’s start with the pitchers:
In a spring where injury news has been fortunately few and far between, the majority of the pitching staff looks, in theory, rather set. Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren, and Luis Gil represent the team’s five starters. David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, and Tim Hill will be the team’s quartet of high-leverage relievers, while Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn will at least open the year as multi-inning relievers capable of starting if needed. Even if Weathers and Gil have looked inconsistent on the mound so far this spring, nothing that we have seen has truly changed this projection, which leaves just two bullpen spots up for grabs.
And yet, early during yesterday afternoon’s broadcast on the YES Network, Michael Kay, David Cone, and Meredith Marakovitz threw a wrench into these projections by highlighting the number of off-days the Yankees have during the first month of the season. From the start of the season on March 25th through the end of April, New York has a whopping five days off, including three in the first eight days of the season. Because of this, the team can open the season with just four starters for at least the first two trips through the order.
Judging from Aaron Boone’s comments during his fourth inning interview on YES, I think the Yankees are inclined to use a four-man rotation to start the season; after all, Boone did say he wants to avoid giving his starters seven or more days of rest between starts, something that can easily happen with a five-man rotation early in the season. But exactly how this changes their plan for the roster remains to be seen. The simplest way, which the Yankees have done in recent years, is to have the No. 5 starter begin the season in Triple-A, allowing them to carry an extra reliever for the season’s first week; this is especially useful, as most starters are only built up to 80-90 pitches for their first start anyway. But Boone stressed the fact that the team has seven to eight players who will be built up as starters, and suggested that possibility of lining up those not in the rotation to piggy back behind the starter, allowing them to remain stretched out, at least early in the season.
How the Yankees opt to approach this — something which Boone suggested they will do this week — will have ramifications throughout the roster. If they take the first way and bring an extra reliever, one of Warren and Gil will open the season in Scranton (hence why both are now listed as yellow, although I think the team is more likely to carry Warren than Gil, even before Gil’s stinker yesterday), and they will carry three relievers. If they opt to employ Yarbrough, Blackburn, and Warren/Gil as swingmen, as David Cone called the role yesterday, then they may be able to carry one fewer reliever than normal, allowing them to carry 14 position players (and thus solving the roster jam there, discussed below).
Regardless of the number of relievers the Yankees will take, there’s still very little clarity. The team cut another round of pitchers this week — Michael Arias, Brendan Beck, Kyle Carr, Dylan Coleman, Dom Hamel, and Ben Hess — but none of them were exactly in line to crack the roster anyway. Angel Chivili and Jake Bird have struggled, Cade Winquest and Osvaldo Bido need to make the roster (the former because he was a Rule 5 Draft pick, the latter because he’s out of minor league options), and Yerry De los Santos, Kervin Castro, and Brent Headrick have looked good this spring, but lack long track records. How will the Yankees weigh these considerations? Bryan Hoch has Bird and Headrick make the team, with a shoutout to Castro, but as we’ll see later, his projected roster has some flaws. The FanGraphs Depth Chart has not wavered from its Winquest/Bird pairing. For now, it truly is anybody’s game.
Catcher, on the other hand, looks very, very different:
Austin Wells will be the starter. J.C. Escarra will be the backup. With the Yankees opting to have Ben Rice focus on first base this spring, this will be the Yankees’ catching tandem. Michael Kay’s offhand comment yesterday that Ryan McMahon’s struggles at shortstop may put Escarra’s roster spot in danger should be ignored, because it would be malpractice to have Rice start the season as the backup catcher without any game action behind the plate to start the season.
Miguel Palma was reassigned to the minor league camp after yesterday’s game.
Last but not least, the position players:
Out of the players on this list, 11 can make the Opening Day roster. After the Yankees took an axe to the roster this week — George Lombard Jr., Marco Luciano, Braden Shewmake, Duke Ellis, Yanquiel Fernández, Ernesto Martínez Jr., Jonathan Ornelas, and Zack Short were reassigned to minor league camp, 23 remain with the big league club — a testament to the team’s need for bodies with so many players representing their country in the World Baseball Classic.
With a pair of veterans in Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario under contract, the Yankees entered the spring with just one bench spot up for grabs. That fact has not changed, although the nature of that last spot has. Heading into the spring, Jasson Domínguez and Oswaldo Cabrera were penciled in by fans and journalists alike. The Martian, however, is now ticketed to Scranton despite a strong spring, barring an injury to one of the team’s three outfielders or Giancarlo Stanton, and while Cabrera has returned to the diamond, it seems likely that the team will have him start the year in the minors, possibly on a rehab assignment, as they continue to bring him along slowly as he recovers from last May’s gruesome ankle injury.
As it stands, the Yankees have two options for the final spot, either a right-handed hitting outfielder to serve as a platoon bat in Randal Grichuk, or a backup shortstop in Paul DeJong or Max Schuemann (Jorbit Vivas is not a realistic option due to his inability to play shortstop, while Zack Short is clearly behind the other two in the pecking order). In an ideal world, the Yankees clearly want to bring Grichuk north with them, letting Ryan McMahon open the season as the backup shortstop — both Hoch and FanGraphs, in fact, hand Grichuk the final spot on the bench. At the moment, though, this is unrealistic. McMahon has looked uncomfortable moving laterally at shortstop, and while he certainly can play the position in an emergency, the Yankees simply cannot go into the season without a backup to José Caballero. Unless the third baseman shows major improvement with more reps at the position, they almost certainly will be taking DeJong or Schuemann.
There may be a solution to this conundrum: piggybacking the starting pitchers. If the Yankees open the season with a four-man rotation, and use Gil, Yarbrough, and Blackburn for 60-70 pitches behind three of Fried, Schlittler, Weathers, and Warren, they may be able to operate with only 12 pitchers on the active roster, at least for the first two weeks of the season. Carrying one fewer arm than normal would allow the Yankees to carry 14 position players, enabling them to carry both a shortstop and Grichuk. It wouldn’t be a permanent fix — once the five-man rotation begins in earnest, they will need to bring the bullpen back to full strength — but as we’ve seen in recent years, by the time a decision will need to be made, the baseball gods tend to make the decision rather obvious.
And that’s where we stand today. We’ll be back again next week, this time on Monday, for one last projection before the Yankees open the season next Thursday. In the meantime, let us know in the comments section below what you think about our read on the Yankees roster bubble.
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 15: Gunnar Henderson #11 of Team USA rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic WBC game presented by Capital One between Team USA and Team Dominican Republic at loanDepot park on Sunday, March 15, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters! Another Monday is upon us as we inch closer and closer to Opening Day 2026. We are now just 10 days from the first real Orioles game of the season. We’re so close! This is the final week of Grapefruit League games. The Orioles play the Red Sox at home this evening, at 6:05 EDT. After that, it’s just five more days of games before they head north for a pair of exhibitions against the Washington Nationals.
The Orioles attempted to play the New York Yankees last night, but the weather had other ideas. The game started on time and Tyler O’Neill made some noise with a two-run single to score Pete Alonso and Samuel Basallo, but the rain came in the third inning and washed away the game. Zach Eflin started and threw 32 pitches in 2+ innings.
We still don’t know if Eflin will be ready to join the roster on Opening Day, although Craig Albernaz says that Eflin is progressing faster than he expected. So we’ll see.
One spring mystery has emerged: Where is Coby Mayo? Mayo is the presumptive starting third baseman for the Orioles and he has been swinging a red-hot bat in spring training. On March 10th, he had four hits, including a home run. He hasn’t played since then! It’s been four games without Coby. There are, of course, other ways to practice and get ready that aren’t playing in games. And no one has reported any injury concerns for Mayo. But still, where is he? If we see him in the lineup tonight, I will retract my concern.
Meanwhile, the real baseball excitement continues with the World Baseball Classic. The United States eliminated Canada on Friday, which is why O’Neill was back in the Orioles’ camp. That same night, the Dominican Republic knocked out Korea. That set up a semifinal between USA and DR, which took place last night.
It was an exciting game that ended with USA on top. DR took an early lead on Junior Caminero’s home run, but Gunnar Henderson tied the game with a homer of his own in the 4th inning. Roman Anthony also homered and Team USA took a 2-1 lead that they did not relinquish.
DR got the tying run to third in the bottom of the ninth, and Mason Miller struck out Geraldo Perdomo looking on a pitch that was very clearly below the strike zone. What an awful way for them to go home. There is no ABS in the WBC.
Henderson goes into the final with an OPS of 1.358. His two homers so far are tied for the most on the team with three other players. He’s played in half as many games as those other guys, by the way. Has he done enough to get the start in the final?
On Saturday, Venezuela knocked out the defending champion Japan, while the underdog Italy beat Puerto Rico to make it to their first semifinal in WBC history. Italy and Venezuela face off tonight to see who will move on to play USA in the final on Tuesday.
Camden Chat’s 2026 Pre-Season Contest Are you looking for a fun activity? Participate in our pre-season contest! There are no physical prizes, but you can feel really good about yourself for being so smart.
Birthday and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies, both of the old-timey variety. Catcher Hobie Landrith (b. 1930, d. 2023) appeared in 62 games with the Orioles in 1962 and 1963. He had a 14-season career, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds. Clint Courtney (b. 1927, d. 1975), also a catcher, played for the Orioles in 1954 and 1961.
There isn’t much happening on this day in Orioles history. In 2021, they signed Maikel Franco, who went on to play poorly in 104 games that season. In 2010, the San Francisco Giants returned Steve Johnson, who they had drafted in the rule 5 draft just a few months earlier.
Build Your Winning Bracket!
SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET)
CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 05: Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) delivers a pitch to the plate during the spring training game between the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies on March 05, 2026 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This starts the final full week of spring training games, meaning we are a bit closer to real baseball action. For those that aren’t fans of the WBC, this is a positive thing as seeing these few games of still minor leaguers starting in regular positions is getting tiresome. We all reach this point each year during spring where we just want it to end, but for the Phillies, they just want their guys healthy through this week.
U.S. players celebrate after defeating the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic semifinals on Sunday night in Miami. (Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
U.S. batters struck out 15 times, walked once, and went hitless with runners in scoring position. None of their final 13 batters got a hit.
Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony each hit solo home runs in the fourth inning, and five relievers shut out the Dominican over the final 4⅔ innings.
That guaranteed the U.S. a spot in Tuesday’s championship game, against the winner of Monday’s game between Italy and Venezuela.
Can the Venezuelans beat the U.S.? They eliminated Japan, their leadoff batter is Ronald Acuna Jr., and they are outslugging the U.S.
Can the Italians beat the U.S.? They already did, in pool play. They have hit more home runs than the U.S., in fewer games. They would have Aaron Nola lined up to start.
Tuesday’s starter for Team USA: New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean. He was the losing pitcher in the Italy defeat, giving up three runs — including two home runs — in three innings.
You never know: The difference in Sunday’s game was billed as Paul Skenes.
“You can make the argument he is the best pitcher in the game,” DeRosa said. The other candidate, according to DeRosa: Tarik Skubal, who could have been in line to start the championship game but opted out of the WBC after one appearance.
U.S. pitcher Paul Skenes delivers against the Dominican Republic in the first inning Sunday during the World Baseball Classic semifinals in Miami. (Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
Skenes breezed through the first inning in nine pitches and the first three in 38, dented only by a Junior Caminero home run.
Before the game, Dominican manager Albert Pujols said facing an All-Star lineup is one thing in the All-Star Game, quite another in a game that counts and a pitcher faces batters more than once. Skenes has started two All-Star games and pitched one inning each time.
Sure enough, Skenes required 33 pitches to get his final four outs, saved throughout his outing by repeated defensive brilliance: from right fielder Aaron Judge, from shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., from second baseman Brice Turang and from third baseman Henderson.
“Toughest lineup I’ve ever faced, for sure,” Skenes said. “I’m sure they would probably say the same thing about facing us.”
Credit to the Dominican, of course, for a lineup that started with Fernando Tatis Jr., with a heart of Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado, and with shortstop Gerardo Perdomo batting ninth. Perdomo led National League position players in WAR last season, according to Baseball Reference.
The tough U.S. lineup? On paper, sure. In the past four WBC games — after routs of Brazil and Britain — the U.S. has scored more than five runs once and has a two-run win, a two-run loss, a two-run win and a one-run win.
“I’m still waiting for our offense to explode,” DeRosa said.
Said Henderson: “We haven’t played our complete game yet.”
The most valuable player for the U.S. might be closer Mason Miller, who earned the save Sunday. Miller has faced 14 batters in the WBC, allowing no hits and striking out 10.
Because this is the WBC, DeRosa has to consult with Miller’s employers, the San Diego Padres, to determine whether Miller can pitch for a third time in five days in the world championship, should the U.S. need him.
DeRosa called Sunday’s game “a game we’ll remember forever” and, given the hype, why not?
The Americans are the favorites Tuesday, no matter who they play. However, if the U.S. bats do not rouse from their slumber, the championship game will be a game the Americans curse forever.
Mar 15, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; United States pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Dominican Republic during a semifinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Team USA is heading to their third straight World Classic Baseball championship game appearance coming off a victory over the Dominican Republic in a 2-1 nail biter. The Pirates’ ace Paul Skenes was on the mound for the Americans and earned his second win in the WBC.
In this semi-final matchup, the Dominican Republic brought one of the most stacked lineups with a power hitter at every position. The USA brought out the best pitcher they had to offer who did the impossible by limiting DR to just one run scored.
In 4.1 innings pitched the 23-year-old former Air Force cadet struck out two batters while allowing just one run off of a Junior Caminero homer in the second inning. From there though Skenes was able to limit the damage with the help of a stellar USA defense that had several highlight plays to keep the Dominican hitters under wraps. Bobby Witt Jr. had several stellar plays (again) from shortstop, and Aaron Judge had a huge throw to catch Fernando Tatis Jr. at third base.
Overall, Skenes finished the contest calm and composed, but had clearly had given his team everything he had when he was relieved in the fourth. Physically, he was throwing high heat and the most pitches so far this tournament, finishing with 71 pitches on the night. The mental fortitude showed up as well, as Skenes proved he could be rattled but recenter himself after facing some adversity against this stacked lineup. Skenes showed up in a pivotal moment for the U.S and finishes his WBC run with a 1.08 ERA, nine strikeouts, and just one run allowed across two contests.
Former Pirate David Bednar has been a workhorse in the bullpen for the U.S and he had another scoreless frame against D.R, and also ended his night with two strikeouts in a high leverage spot.
Team USA will face off against the winner of Italy and Venezuela in Miami at LoanDepot Park on Tuesday night.
MIAMI — There were no majestic bat flip into the night.
There was no dancing on the basepaths or selfies in the dugout.
There was no blaring music in the clubhouse, just a simple speech by Team USA captain Aaron Judge who reminded his teammates that they haven’t accomplished anything yet.
But you know what?
The Americans managed to have the time of their lives Sunday night, relying on their pitching to shut down perhaps the most powerful lineup ever assembled, in the most unique environment that Judge has ever experienced.
“Just a game we’ll remember forever, right," USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “We understood this was going to be a talked-about game, probably one of the most watched games of all time. … Whether we won or didn't win, baseball won.’"
The crowd of 36,337 at loanDepot Park hung on every pitch, stood on their feet, passionately cheering throughout the night. When it was over, Team USA went back to the clubhouse re-living the scenes.
“It was bigger and better than the World Series," Judge said. “The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there’s nothing like it.
“It gives me chills right now thinking about how special that was."
USA now moves onto the championship game Tuesday night where it will play the winner of Monday's Venezuela-Italy semifinal game on Monday night at loanDepot Park.
If USA wins that title game, you just may see a party that will make South Beach clubs look like a senior citizen bingo night.
The team that has been ridiculed for treating games like a business meeting, can’t wait to unload all of its emotions with a WBC title, letting everyone know there are plenty of different ways to celebrate.
So, please, Team USA pleads: stop with the narrative.
They may not have espresso machines in the dugout and they’re not donning customized jackets after hitting home runs.
But, don’t kid yourselves, they’re having a blast.
“I think we’ve carried ourselves this tournament the way we’ve wanted," USA center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “And that is feeling like we’re the best team in this tournament, the best team in the world."
Team USA just finds the talk about its demeanor to be pretty silly.
“I’m having a blast out there, I think it’s hilarious," Crow-Armstrong said. “I just think we pick our spots. Like, I think you guys would think it’s silly if we all shuffled like [Juan] Soto, or did Vladdy’s [Guerrero] little wiggle, but that’s them. And if I had enough swag to do that, I’d probably do that too."
“We have fun in our own way, but we are definitely having fun out there."
So, why not try to do a 40-foot bat flip like Fernando Tatis Jr., prance around the bases, and come up with some gimmicks of their own?
“Maybe we should," Crow-Armstrong said, “I don’t think that would be as authentic as it for them to be who they are. … Everybody expresses their passion in different ways, and that’s the best part about this tournament."
USA first baseman Bryce Harper remembers when he first reached the big leagues as a 19-year-old wearing eye black, using different-colored bats, and wearing brightly-colored spikes. That quickly got shut down.
“I think every country has the way they play, right?" Harper said. “Obviously, Latin American countries, a lot of flair, lot of energy, and I love watching it because that’s how I played when I was younger.
“I got in trouble for it. When I came up, I used gray bats. I used different cleats. Got my cleats cut. MLB told me I couldn’t use gray bats. Couldn’t use my eye-black, and all of that kind of stuff. I kind of got pounded for it. ...
“But we have the utmost respect for people in all walks of life with baseball. That’s why our game is so cool and so much fun to watch … Baseball is the greatest game in the world because you bring so many different styles together, especially in this tournament."
The Dominican Republic came into the semifinal averaging 10 runs a game, with a record 14 homers. They managed to score just one run, on a second-inning home run by Junior Caminero, and were shut down the rest of the way by Paul Skenes and five different relievers.
And, oh, that USA defense. There was shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. all night long. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson, who homered to tie the game in the third, made some fabulous plays. And no play changed the game more than Aaron Judge’s throw in the third inning.
The Dominican Republic threatened and when Ketel Marte hit a sharp two-out single to right field with Tatis on first base, and Soto coming to the plate, they had the sellout crowd of 36,337 roaring. Yet, instead of staying on second base, Tatis took off for third, and was easily thrown out by Judge on his hardest throw in three years.
Rally over. Inning over.
The Dominican Republic suddenly became passive on the bases, not scoring from second base in the seventh inning on a single to center, with Judge’s throw still on their minds.
“I think that throw definitely changed it," Crow-Armstrong said. “I don’t know if it was the base coaches or maybe it was the players, but it made a shift somewhere."
Said Judge: “You know, you love hitting the homers, but a moment like that was pretty cool."
When the night ended, Team USA sat around in the clubhouse, trying to comprehend how it was possible that it hit two home runs in a span of three at-bats in the fourth inning, produced only one hit the rest of the game and still won.
“I mean, for our bullpen to come in and do the job they did," DeRosa said. "Dominican Republic never stopped. It was like constant traffic, never relaxed. … I'm blessed to be able to manage these guys. I've had an absolute blast."
Skenes pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, but the Dominican Republic had runners on base in all but two innings afterwards. Four times they had at least two runners on base. They had the bases loaded. But they went only 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and one of the hits didn't leave the infield.
The game ended with closer Mason Miller, who had already thrown 21 pitches, striking out Geraldo Perdomo with Julio Rodriguez on third base. The pitch appeared low, and Perdomo screamed in frustration, but with no ABS challenge system in the WBC, the call stood, and the game was over.
“This is just an incredible experience,’’ Judge said. “Man, that’s baseball right here. You know, they have passion. They love the game. They respect the game. I think that’s the coolest part about this thing is that we can go out there and fight all of the way to the end, and just seeing the respect and love and passion they have for this game, that’s what you dream about as a kid.
Brent Headrick is making a case fpr a role in the Yankees bullpen.
TAMPA — With a week left in camp before the Yankees head west, Brent Headrick took his latest swing to claim one of the final two bullpen spots.
The big lefty tossed a scoreless inning of relief and struck out a pair on Sunday in the 12-1 loss to the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field, his fourth scoreless outing in five appearances this spring.
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“I like where he’s at,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think he can really help us. I think he can be a factor. I think he can be impactful. It’s just about consistently repeating the stuff, time in and time out. That’s what we saw last year — really good one day, little bit of a falloff the next time out. So getting that consistent stuff, because when he’s at his best, it really plays.”
Headrick, who was still adjusting to being a full-time reliever last season, averaged 93.9 mph with his fastball Sunday, down a tick from his 94 mph average in 2025, though he maxed out at 95.1.
The Yankees believe he has the ability to handle both lefty and righty bats — which could help his case to make the roster, given that he would be the third lefty in the bullpen, alongside soft-tossers Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough — and both of his strikeouts Sunday came against righties. The final two spots are expected to come down to Headrick and righties Jake Bird, Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest and Kervin Castro.
Brent Headrick is making a case for a role in the Yankees bullpen. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I think [Headrick] is taking to becoming a reliever,” Boone said. “I think he trained this winter with that in mind, that he is a reliever. So it’s learning how to bounce back sometimes the next day or pitch four outs and be in play two days later. I feel like he’s training for that now and hopefully that serves him well from a consistency standpoint but also allowing him to be more durable too.”
Oswaldo Cabrera was a proud countryman Saturday night, watching his native Venezuela knock off Japan in the WBC quarterfinals.
“I was almost crying for my guys over there,” Cabrera said in Sarasota after the split-squad doubleheader nightcap against the Orioles was washed out in the third inning. “You know how much that [means] for all Venezuelan people. Especially on this side, playing baseball, I know almost everybody who is there [on the team]. They are making a full country so proud. So they are doing a really nice job.”
Anthony Volpe stood in on Gerrit Cole’s bullpen session Sunday morning just to track pitches as he continues his hitting progression.
Volpe has not yet faced live pitching, but is scheduled to do so in the coming weeks.
Cody Bellinger was replaced in right field after four innings, but Boone said he was fine and it was just a matter of the veteran playing a third straight day.
The Yankees made another batch of cuts Sunday, reassigning INF/OF Marco Luciano, INF Braden Shewmake, OF Duke Ellis, OF Yanquiel Fernández, INF/OF Ernesto Martínez Jr., INF Jonathan Ornelas, C Miguel Palma and INF Zack Short to minor league camp.
Observations from Yankees spring training on Sunday.
Good start
Veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk, brought in to mash lefties, delivered a single in his first at-bat Sunday against Tigers southpaw Framber Valdez.
De-Boot
Paul DeJong could not handle a ground ball behind second base in the fourth inning, resulting in the veteran shortstop’s first error of the spring, though he got picked up when Ryan Yarbrough got the next batter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.
Max Schuemann has enjoyed a strong spring. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Caught my eye
Max Schuemann, who has an outside shot to make the roster as a backup shortstop (in addition to being a defensively gifted utility player), continued his strong spring at the plate.
He recorded a pair of singles off Valdez and is hitting .409 with a 1.112 OPS through 11 games.
Monday’s schedule
The Yankees have their final off-day of camp, though Cam Schlittler will throw a simulated game to keep him on track the opening weekend of the season.
The United States defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 at loanDepot park on Sunday night to advance to the World Baseball Classic championship game, but the final called strike had the DR fuming, and rightfully so.
Dominican Republic Geraldo Perdomo reacts after striking out at the end of the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the United States, Sunday, March 15, 2026. AP
American pitcher Mason Miller fired the ball and his 3-2 pitch was clearly out of the strike zone, but home plate umpire Cory Blaser surprisingly called it the third strike to end the game.
Dominican Republic batter Geraldo Perdomo was fuming when he heard the strike call and threw his hands up into the air in shock as his team had the tying run on third base.
MLB’s ABS system that allows a batter to challenge balls and strike calls is not part of the World Baseball Classic.
The Fox Sports broadcast noted the ball was outside the strike zone and even the MLB’s own Statcast showed the pitch well below the strike zone.
Geraldo Perdomo #2 of Team Dominican Republic strikes out looking to end the game against Team United States at loanDepot park on March 15, 2026. Getty Images
“That slider right there that was below the zone. And, one team reacting. The other just stunned,” former major league pitcher John Schmultz said on the broadcast after viewing the replay.
“Thinking, ‘You sure we don’t have ABS yet? You sure we can’t challenge that?’” play-by-play man Joe Davis added. “Perdomo and the Dominican Republic are wondering, and they’ll have to wonder what would have happened with Fernando Tatis Jr. left standing on deck.”
It wasn’t the only time in the game that Blaser had made a seemingly bad call.
In the eighth inning with Juan Soto on at the plate, a third strike was called on a pitch that had been outside the strike zone, and was backed up by the statcaster.
“You just hate to end a game this big with these types of consequences on a pitch that’s not a strike,” Alex Rodriguez said during the Fox postgame show.
In a similar vein to Davis’ comments, Derek Jeter predicted that there could be a change coming to the WBC regarding ABS.
“Well, you can pretty much guarantee they’re going to have the (ABS) challenge system in place for the next WBC, right?” he said.
Getty Images
The United States will face the winner of Italy and Venezuela, which will be played on Monday, in Tuesday’s title game.
Team USA had to battle back from an early 1-0 deficit and managed to gain the lead in a two-run fourth inning.
Gunnar Henderson had hit a solo home run to kick off the inning and tied the game at one.
Roman Anthony gave the United States the lead with his own solo shot two batters later.
