Ronny Mauricio is one of the most tantalizing talents in the entire Mets organization, but don't expect to see him in Grapefruit League action for the remainder of this year's camp.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said on Sunday that Mauricio is continuing to "progress well," but the team is taking a conservative approach with the 23-year-old, who is recovering from multiple arthroscopic knee surgeries.
"No setbacks, nothing there. He continues to progress well, we just want to keep it that way," Mendoza explained.
"He’s getting close. When is that going to be? I’m not sure, I’ll have to talk to the trainers and get more details on it, but all I know is he continues to follow the program, continues to go through full activities, and he’s responding well."
The infielder initially tore his ACL playing Winter Ball after the 2023 season, and a second procedure was needed to remove scar tissue last August. Not long after that second surgery, Mauricio dealt with inflammation that stalled his recovery a bit, but it's been smooth sailing since, per Mendoza.
“It flared up in October or November, but after that he got to a point where everything is trending in the right direction," said the skipper. "There haven’t been more setbacks, knock on wood, so everything is good there."
The No. 8 prospect in the Mets' system according to Joe DeMayo, Mauricio got a taste of major league action at the end of the 2023 season, appearing in 26 games while slashing .248/.296/.347 with two home runs, nine RBI, and seven stolen bases.
Injuries have kept the switch-hitting infielder off the field for quite some time, but Mendoza knows what kind of talent the Mets have in Mauricio, as the team continues to take a big-picture approach to the power-hitting prospect.
"I know he can play. There’s a lot of talent there, a lot of tools," said Mendoza. "He can do a lot of different things on the baseball field. The way that he impacts a baseball is right there with some of the best in the game.
"This is an exciting player. He can do a lot of different things, and when he’s healthy he’s going to help this team win baseball games."
TOKYO — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is still struggling to recover from an illness, with manager Dave Roberts pessimistic that the eight-time All-Star will be ready for opening day against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in Japan.
Betts was able to go through a light workout on Sunday, but became tired quickly.
“Really showed some fatigue, understandably so,” Roberts said. “We’ll see how he comes in tomorrow. He should be here for the workout. We’ll try to do a little more tomorrow."
Roberts said Saturday that Betts started suffering from flu-like symptoms in Arizona, the day before the team left for Japan. He still made the long plane trip, but hasn't recovered as quickly as hoped.
Roberts said Betts will need to show substantial improvement on Monday to play against the Cubs.
“To be able to go through an entire workout and not feel that same fatigue would give us a chance,” Roberts said. “But anything outside of that, I just don't think our training staff would feel good about that.”
Betts hasn't taken live at-bats in nearly a week.
“We’re really trying to be mindful of not just opening day,” Roberts said. “Not putting him in harm’s way. ... We don’t want to put him in position where he could get hurt.”
The Mets continue their Grapefruit League action as they take on the Houston Astros at 1:10 p.m. on PIX11. Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...
Mets Notes
Tylor Megill made his most recent spring start against the Astros, pitching 4.0 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits on March 11
Brett Baty continues to make a strong push to be the starting second baseman now that Jeff McNeil is dealing with an oblique injury, posting an OPS of 1.100 with two homers and five RBI
Mark Vientos has also had a nice spring, hitting two homers with five RBI and an .800 OPS
Francisco Lindor has gotten off to a rough start at the plate, but he recorded his first extra base hit in his last start on March 14, hitting a double against St. Louis
ASTROS
METS
Jose Altuve, LF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Isaac Paredes, 3B
Starling Marte, DH
Yordan Alvarez, DH
Pete Alonso, 1B
Yainer Diaz, C
Mark Vientos, 3B
Cam Smith, RF
Brett Baty, 2B
Jeremy Pena, SS
Jose Siri, CF
Zach Dezenzo, 1B
Alexander Canario, LF
Chas McCormick, CF
Jose Azocar, RF
Mauricio Dubon, 2B
Hayden Senger, C
How can I watch Mets vs. Astros online?
To watch Mets games online via PIX11, you will need a subscription to a TV service provider and live in the New York City metro area. This will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone browser.
SCOTTSDALE — After the third inning at the Giants’ minor league facility on Friday, bullpen coach Garvin Alston approached right-hander Landen Roupp in the dugout.
“If you have another inning like that, we’re going to put some runners on for you,” he said, laughing.
Against Colorado Rockies minor leaguers, Roupp was so dominant that getting on base wasn’t even a reasonable goal. Simply making contact against Roupp was difficult enough.
The 26-year-old pitched in a High-A game to get his pitch count up while Jordan Hicks faced the Milwaukee Brewers a few miles away, and in five one-hit innings, Roupp struck out 13. He started the afternoon with nine straight strikeouts, but didn’t realize what was going on at first.
“People were going wild. All the minor leaguers have to stay and watch us so some of my friends that I got drafted with were screaming after I struck someone out and I was like, ‘What are they doing?’ I guess it was because I struck out nine in a row,” Roupp said. “I noticed that and realized what was happening but during the moment I didn’t know that I was doing what I was doing. I was just locked in.”
The 13 strikeouts were a lifetime high at any level for Roupp, who twice struck out 12 in a game in college. He said he couldn’t remember ever getting more than six in a row.
The hitters were young and inexperienced, but often that’s a tougher test for big leaguers since hitters in the low minors view those matchups as opportunities to make a name for themselves and often are needlessly aggressive. Roupp didn’t give them a chance to chase base hits; the majority of his strikeouts came on three pitches and he needed just 66 — 51 of which were strikes — to get through his five innings.
A day later, Alston said Roupp’s outing would be impressive against any level of competition. The right-hander certainly chose a great time to be that sharp, as manager Bob Melvin skipped the big league game to get a closer look at Roupp, who is trying to beat out Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong for the final rotation spot. Melvin said he was impressed by how Roupp got his adrenaline and intensity going in front of only about 50 people.
“He didn’t let anybody play,” Melvin said, smiling. “All he needed was a catcher.”
Roupp has been nearly as dominant at times this spring in Cactus League games. He allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in his first three appearances before stumbling last weekend against the Chicago Cubs and allowing five runs. Roupp said he didn’t feel focused against the Cubs for some reason, and vowed to not let that happen again.
Birdsong and Harrison will try to keep pace in Sunday’s game against the Athletics, and the Giants insist the competition is still wide open. Melvin wouldn’t commit when asked Saturday if Roupp has at least locked up a bullpen job, but at this point it’s hard to see how the Giants could head to Cincinnati later this month without Roupp, who hopes to be in the rotation.
“I don’t think the competition is going to be over until the last day of camp,” he said. “I’ve still got to pitch well and continue to do what I’ve been doing.”
Roupp continues to work on a cutter that he hopes can become a weapon against left-handed hitters. He’s already comfortable with a changeup that is modeled after Logan Webb’s, and the curveball and sinker are as deadly as ever. In 17 innings this spring, Roupp has 27 strikeouts.
Nearly half of them came in a memorable hour at the minor league facility, and a day later, he offered perhaps the understatement of the spring.
Shohei Ohtani, center, gestures to teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, left, as Roki Sasaki looks on during a press conference. All three have joined the Dodgers since the 2023 season ended. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Andrew Friedman remembers the talent, the crowd and maybe most of all, the hats.
In February 2023, in the lead-up to the most anticipated World Baseball Classic to date, the Dodgers president of baseball operations accompanied team scouts and executives on a trip to Japan to get an in-person look at the nation’s Samurai Japan national team.
For years the Dodgers had been scouting the improving talent coming out of the country, recognizing that a pipeline of potential major league stars was being cultivated in its rich baseball culture.
While he sat at the Hinata Sun Marine Stadium in Miyazaki, observing nothing more than bullpens and batting practices, Friedman was struck by the scene.
On the field he watched pitchers take the mound in groups of four, each one seemingly pumping high-velocity fastballs and eye-popping breaking pitches with stunningly consistent ease.
In the stands, Friedman was struck by the roughly 20,000 spectators that flocked to the workout, getting a clear reminder of “just how passionate they are about baseball.”
As Friedman scanned the seats, he made another observation: Many fans wore hats of MLB clubs.
“You’d see a Padre hat, a Yankees hat, a Red Sox hat, a Cubs hat, a Rangers hat, a Dodgers hat,” he recalled this spring. “And it got us thinking about an incredible potential opportunity.”
What if, Friedman and fellow executives wondered, the Dodgers could corner the market on top Japanese talent? What if they made themselves Japan’s most popular MLB team?
The Dodgers already were contemplating how to approach Shohei Ohtani’s upcoming free agency. They had long been scouting Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, preparing to pursue each pitcher once they were posted for MLB teams to sign.
Now, they had visions of what Friedman termed a “dream scenario.”
Sign all three. And in the process, effectively “paint Japan blue.”
Fans stop for photos at the entrance plaza of the Tokyo Dome as they arrive to watch the Dodgers work out Friday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“It was something that I think we envisioned and dreamed of and hoped,” said Galen Carr, who as the Dodgers’ vice president of player personnel has been a central figure in their overseas scouting.
Two years later those grand plans have become a reality. Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki are Dodgers — adding the latter after the former pair helped the team win the World Series last year. And a Japanese fan base once divided has coalesced around its interest in the Dodgers, who arrived in Tokyo last week for their season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs as if they are the home team.
“In 2022, it wasn’t that easy to find a Dodger hat, but more because they weren’t in stock by the volume,” Friedman said.
But over the last year, he quipped: “They weren’t in stock that much — because they kept selling out.”
Long before the Dodgers got Ohtani or their other current stars, they began gaining popularity in Japan’s baseball culture.
It started in 1995, when Hideo Nomo became the first Japanese star to permanently move to Major League Baseball. That career began in controversy, with the pitcher having to exploit a contract loophole with his Japanese team in order to sign with the Dodgers. But it opened the door for others to follow in his footsteps. And more players, particularly pitchers — such as Hiroki Kuroda, Kenta Maeda and Yu Darvish — made a home at Chavez Ravine.
“For this particular organization, there is a historical and inherent appeal in Asia,” Carr said, also noting the Dodgers’ connections in South Korea with pitchers Chan Ho Park and Hyun-Jin Ryu. “I think a lot of us felt strongly about trying to revitalize that; that brand, that excitement for the Dodgers.”
So, over the last several years, the team began dedicating more and more resources to its scouting in the Pacific Rim. And by that point, Yamamoto (a three-time most valuable player in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league) and Sasaki (a longtime scouting darling who’d been throwing 100 mph since high school) already were emerging as two of their top targets — coinciding with Ohtani’s upcoming free agency in MLB.
“For us,” Friedman said, “a major win would have been to get two.”
But in their pursuit of painting Japan blue, they held out hope of landing all three.
Like with most Japanese players, scouting Yamamoto and Sasaki was a nuanced process. MLB officials got virtually no direct access to either since they were still under contract with their Japanese clubs. So when Dodgers officials such as Carr, Asian Pacific scouting director Jon Deeble and others in the international scouting department embarked on trips to see them — Carr estimates he went to Japan roughly 20 times over the last two years — they focused on accomplishing two main purposes.
One: to gather information with both their eyes (by watching games, practices and team workouts) and ears (by collecting more personal nuggets from sources connected to either the player or team).
“That is very similar to what we’d go through here [with domestic draft prospects],” Carr noted.
Two: to simply be seen and “make it known you’re making the effort” to be present.
“As it happens, you kind of stand out when you go over there,” Carr said. “These players, rightfully so, they’re not accessible to us. And for good reason. They’re on someone else’s team. But when you are in the stadium watching, as someone who has made the trip over from the States, that typically garners some attention with the media over there.”
“It’s a little bit embarrassing,” Carr added with a laugh. “Even when I’m over there, there’s all these pictures. But you know that’s making some kind of impression.”
An electronic billboard spanning nearly a city block features advertising starring Shohei Ohtani near the Tokyo Dome — a sign of how much Ohtani and the Dodgers have become something of a de facto home team in Japan. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
As last offseason approached and the Dodgers began crafting their free-agent pitches for Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki (who some around the sport thought might be posted to MLB after the 2023 season), there was still one dynamic they couldn’t be certain of.
There was an industry belief that Japanese stars preferred to not play on the same MLB teams. And while the Dodgers had their doubts about that theory — to Friedman, it didn’t square with the camaraderie he witnessed from Japan’s victorious 2023 WBC team — they remained wary of the unknown deep into their discussions with Ohtani and Yamamoto.
“Going through the process with Yoshinobu and Shohei, and asking the question of, ‘How comfortable would you be to play with the other,’ the answers were positive,” Friedman recalled. “But we still weren’t sure what that meant.”
After Ohtani signed his unprecedented $700-million deal in December 2023, he immediately went to work on recruiting Yamamoto. And when those efforts resulted in another record-breaking $325-million agreement — giving Yamamoto the largest contract in MLB history for a pitcher outside of Ohtani — the Dodgers turned their sights toward Sasaki the following offseason.
Their dreams of painting Japan blue were coming true.
He’s become the agent of many Japanese players in recent years, representing Darvish, Kodai Senga, Seiya Suzuki and Yamamoto too.
But even Joel Wolfe, the executive vice president and managing executive of baseball at Wasserman Media Group, couldn’t help but notice the way things changed in Japan once Ohtani and Yamamoto joined the Dodgers.
Every single game, he noted, was broadcast live on television in the morning — a 7 p.m. start in Los Angeles, for example, is on at 11 a.m. in Japan — and rerun in the evening. At almost every Japanese stadium there would be pop-up shops selling gear for three teams: the home team, the road team and the Dodgers.
It led Wolfe to make a resounding observation this offseason, when he said “the Dodgers do have a home-field advantage in Japan.”
“They’re everywhere,” he said. “All the players and fans see the Dodgers every day, so it’s always in their mind, because of Ohtani and Yamamoto.”
And when it came to Sasaki — Wolfe’s latest star Japanese client — that influence seemingly applied once again.
Dodgers teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrate winning the World Series at Yankee Stadium last October. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers were considered front-runners throughout his free agency. And while two other finalists, the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, made late pushes, his decision to sign in Los Angeles surprised almost no one in the industry.
“Getting Shohei and Yoshinobu,” Carr said, “I think really helped set the table for Roki.”
The Dodgers cite other reasons for their ability to land Sasaki — who will make his MLB debut Wednesday in Tokyo, following Yamamoto as the team’s second starter during their season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs.
Friedman noted the “don’t assume anything” ethos to the club’s recruiting pitches — a style forged through past, often unsuccessful bids for such players, including Ohtani when he first came over from Japan in 2017.
Carr, meanwhile, also pointed to the years of scouting information the club collected on Sasaki, knowledge that proved crucial when the pitcher presented interested teams with a “homework assignment” that solicited ideas on how he could reverse a dip in fastball velocity that plagued him last year.
“There’s a ton of value in being able to source that information, and look back to [what was working] two years before when his velocity was up,” Carr said. “We had people to do that. You can’t just ask anyone.”
Still, when asked this week how the Dodgers’ popularity in Japan changed last year in the wake of Ohtani and Yamamoto signing in L.A., Sasaki noted how often he saw them on TV and how much attention their run to the World Series generated.
“That made their presence even greater,” he said in Japanese.
The Dodgers’ hope is for that same dynamic to apply to future waves of prospects coming out of Japan — with Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki, in the view of team evaluators, serving as the forebearers of a potential golden generation of Japanese baseball.
“If you ask me about the next five years in Japan, I could name at least three really interesting names that we’re going to be looking at moving forward and have our eyes on,” Carr said.
“In our ideal world,” Friedman added, “kids are growing up in Japan, watching Dodger games, being a fan of the team. And when they have a decision to make, that gives us some advantage in the process.”
Time will tell exactly how impactful the Dodgers’ popularity surge proves to be. As even Wolfe noted, “every player is an individual and sees the world through his lens and his background and upbringing.”
“Yoshinobu and Roki,” he added, “chose the Dodgers for very different reasons.”
Still, early in this week’s trip to Tokyo, the team has seen one sign of its popularity after another — including at yet another well-attended workout Friday at the Tokyo Dome.
Just like Friedman’s trip to see Team Japan two years earlier, the Dodgers’ practice attracted fans by the thousands (10,507 to be exact, a capacity ticket allotment that sold out in an hour). They cheered for batting practice, baserunning drills and sessions of catch in the outfield.
This time, however, there was no question about which team was best represented. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but Dodgers swag and waves of blue.
“There’s gonna be a lot of representation for the Dodgers,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think our mission was accomplished, painting the country of Japan blue.”
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani strikes out during a 3-0 exhibition loss to the Hanshin Tigers at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
One day after the Japanese team, which plays in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, shut out the Chicago Cubs in an exhibition contest at the Tokyo Dome, they did the same Sunday with a 3-0 win over the defending World Series champion Dodgers — and their nearly $400-million roster — in what was the Dodgers’ final tuneup before their season-opening series here against the Cubs.
The Tigers were led by a superb start from right-hander Hiroto Saiki, a six-year NPB veteran with a career 2.41 ERA in the Japanese league. Over five scoreless innings, he struck out seven batters, starting with the first at-bat of the game against Shohei Ohtani. He didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning, when Max Muncy led off with a single.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Hanshin Tigers at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
By that point, the Tigers had also surged out a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a fourth-inning blast from Teruaki Sato off of Dodgers starter Blake Snell — setting off a raucous celebration from the heavy contingent of Tigers fans that made the 2½-hour train ride from Osaka.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was complimentary of both Saiki and Sato, saying they both looked like MLB-caliber players.
“They've clearly showed they can play at the top level,” he said.
Snell, who was making his final spring outing before a likely start in the Dodgers’ domestic home-opener back at Dodger Stadium on March 27, started his day with three flawless innings, retiring his first nine batters while striking out five.
But in the fifth, he issued a leadoff walk, surrendered a single, then threw an elevated two-strike fastball that Sato deposited into the right-field seats.
Tyler Glasnow finished the game with three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit while striking out six.
For the Dodgers, however, the real focus came before the game, when shortstop Mookie Betts, who is questionable for the team’s season-opening contests Tuesday and Wednesday because of an illness, went through pregame hitting and fielding drills.
On several occasions, Betts looked fatigued taking ground balls. After the game, Roberts acknowledged Betts “really showed some fatigue, understandably so” as he continues to recover from an illness that has kept him out of spring action since March 9.
Asked the likelihood that Betts is in the opening day lineup, Roberts didn’t sound optimistic.
“We're really trying to be mindful of not just Opening Day but not putting him in harm's way,” Roberts said. “Not to put him in a position where he potentially could get hurt."
Betts is expected to participate in the Dodgers’ off-day workout Monday. But, Roberts noted, if he continues showing signs of fatigue, “I just don't think the training staff would feel good about that.”
Even with franchise royalty such as David Wright and Howard Johnson owning third base for the Mets during the team’s history, the position has been a club trouble spot at times, too.
Once, the Mets traded a future baseball immortal named Nolan Ryan to try to fix their hot corner, but Jim Fregosi didn’t work out. Neither did Joe Foy, who cost the Mets a burgeoning star outfielder named Amos Otis in a swap with the Royals.
Even in recent seasons, the Mets have sought stability at third. It’s been somewhat elusive – since Wright’s last start on Opening Day in 2016, they have had six different players start the opener at the position.
Now, however, the Mets could have a long-term solution in Mark Vientos, the 25-year-old slugger who enjoyed a huge 2024 season that featured, among other eye-popping items, 27 home runs and 14 playoff RBI, a Mets record for a single postseason.
“I knew they traded Nolan Ryan, but I didn’t know it was for third base,” Vientos said. The idea that he could be a third-base fixture for the Mets is “super-flattering,” Vientos said.
“I take it seriously,” he added. “And I work my tail off every day because I do want to make that happen.”
This has been a vastly different spring camp for Vientos, who spent last March hoping to earn a spot on the team at the same time he was sifting through chatter that the Mets were looking to bring in a name-brand free agent that would doom his roster chances. At one point, he said he felt like he had to “prove himself two times,” but pledged to keep grinding.
Ultimately, the Mets signed J.D. Martinez, meaning Vientos started the season in the minors instead of as the Mets’ designated hitter. But Vientos was up for good by mid-May and a breakout was in bloom at third.
“Last year, he was battling as a player,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza of the differences between Vientos’ last two springs. “You know, it’s a better feeling when you know you’re on the team and now you can work on, whether it’s your offense, your defense, your base-running. And that’s what he’s doing.
“Now you see a guy who is comfortable, that had success during the regular season and the playoffs and that means a lot…I’ve seen a guy that knows he belongs in the big leagues and he knows he’s a big part of this team.”
Oct 17, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third base Mark Vientos (27) reacts after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game four of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
Mets fans have been enamored with Vientos since last season when he hit .266 with a .322 on-base percentage and a .516 slugging. His slugging percentage ranked fifth in the National League among players with at least 300 at-bats. He hit five playoff home runs, including a grand slam against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS.
So far this spring, Vientos is 8-for-30 (.267) with two homers and five RBI.
“I was fortunate to have the year I had last year, and they give recognition for that,” Vientos said. “And that's what makes these fans so great and I appreciate it.”
But there’s more. “The team is, for sure, giving me a different type of respect” after last season,” Vientos said. “I mean, I feel like that’s just like any job you do – you kind of have to prove yourself. And I think I proved myself somewhat last year and I want to keep proving myself and keep proving myself and gain respect from my team, in the league and from fans.”
Mixing that kind of appreciation with Vientos’ own innate confidence could make for a strong concoction for the Mets. Vientos said his confidence was instilled by his parents when he was young.
“I’ve gotta give my parents credit,” he said. “I’ve always believed in myself. I always believed that I was destined for great things. And confidence is like a skill you work on for years and years.”
Hence, that nickname – “Swaggy V.” In part, anyway. “Swaggy V was kind of a name that came up just for the way I dressed,” Vientos said. “And, I mean, you could say the way I dress is because I’m confident. I do wear some flamboyant stuff, but I think it’s just fun, just me trying to show my personality.”
More of that might be coming out this spring. In camp, Vientos smiles easily and greets teammates gleefully in the clubhouse. He really does look, as Mendoza says, like “a comfortable player.”
Maybe even like the Mets’ next long-term third baseman. That would put him in some nice company.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was not a great night for Mets pitchers with pristine spring ERAs Saturday night, as they suffered a 4-1 loss to the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
The Mets fell to 8-11-3 this spring, while Washington upped its record to 11-9-1.
Here are the main takeaways:
- Clay Holmes, the converted reliever who will start the Mets' season opener in 12 days, came into his start having thrown 9.2 scoreless innings this spring. But he gave up his first run of camp with two outs in the fourth inning when Paul DeJong hit an RBI double. Holmes gave up two hits in the frame; he had given up two hits all spring before that.
Holmes left the game after giving up a one-out single in the fifth inning. Reliever Max Kranick surrendered a triple to Daylen Lile, the first batter he faced, meaning Holmes was charged with a second run. Holmes allowed three hits and two runs in 4.1 innings, striking out two and walking one.
The right-hander now has a 1.29 ERA this spring and opposing batters are 5-for-49 against him, a paltry .106 average. Holmes, who threw 77 pitches, will get six “ups” in his last tune-up before the opener, Carlos Mendoza said.
- Kranick had come into the game with a spotless ledger, too, having not allowed a run over eight innings -- but the Nats got him, too. Kranick allowed two runs and three hits over 1.1 innings of work, including a two-run double to José Tena in the sixth that ended Kranick’s evening and pushed Washington’s lead to 4-1. His ERA went from 0.00 to 1.93 during his outing.
- The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a fielder’s choice grounder by Pete Alonso with the bases loaded. Alonso hit a hard shot to third that DeJong snagged. DeJong ran and touched third and tried to nab Alonso at first for what would’ve been an inning-ending double play, but Alonso beat the relay and got a spring RBI for his hustle.
- Luisangel Acuña, vying for playing time as a utility man or perhaps as the second baseman in Jeff McNeil’s absence, made a snazzy play at second in the first inning, diving to his left for a grounder and throwing out Nathaniel Lowe at first. The crowd gasped. Acuña later stole his third base of the spring.
- It remains to be seen how many at-bats Jesse Winker, a left-handed hitter, will get against lefties during the regular season. But on Saturday night he offered a tantalizing case for at least a few. In the second inning, he led off with a loud double to left field against southpaw starter Mitchell Parker.
One inning later, he drew a walk against Parker. Last season, Winker had 104 plate appearances against lefties, batting .236 with a .674 OPS. In 404 plate appearances against righties, Winker hit .258 with a .788 OPS.
-Former Nationals star Juan Soto got a nice hand from Nats (and Mets) fans before his first at-bat. There was a noisy contingent of Met rooters at the game.
-Mets lefty reliever A.J. Minter threw a scoreless seventh inning in his second outing of the spring. He picked a runner off at first base, according to the box score.
Game MVP
Not the Mets’ clutch hitting department. The club went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Highlights
Pete Alonso with an RBI to bring Donovan Walton in for the first run of the game pic.twitter.com/S7aAWARLzP
The Yankees were defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in their Spring Breakout Game on Saturday night.
Here are some takeaways...
- Carlos Lagrange took the mound for the Baby Bombers. The 21-year-old was terrific as he showed off his 70-grade fastball, touching 100 mph consistently from the get-go. After allowing a leadoff single, he retired the next 11 hitters in a row before Vance Honeycutt beat him to left-center for an inside-the-park homer.
Lagrange finished with a final line of two runs (one earned) on two hits, one walk, and two strikeouts across 4.0 innings.
- Spencer Jones almost made a nice running grab ranging over to left-center on the inside-the-parker, but he wasn't able reel it in. The slugger reached base three times but his only serious damage came in the top of the seventh as he was gifted a double after the left fielder lost it in the lights.
- George Lombard Jr. was quiet at the plate over his first three at-bats, but then he reached in his next two with a walk and a single. The 19-year-old first-round pick was really impressive this spring -- demolishing a pair of homers, including a 414-foot blast that left the bat at a whopping 108.4 mph.
- Jesus Rodriguez drove in two of New York's four runs with a run scoring groundout and an RBI single.
- Ben Hess, the Yankees' first-round pick from last year, made his unofficial pro debut. He cruised through a perfect first inning of work but then allowed a run to score on Dylan Beavers' RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. The 22-year-old struck out 106 batters in 68 innings last year at Alabama.
- Alexander Vargas made a terrific over-the-shoulder running grab on a pop up in shallow right in the ninth.
Whats next
The Yankees split up to play a pair of 1:05 p.m. games on Sunday, staying in Port Charlotte to face the Rays and in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez is expected to miss four weeks after straining his left oblique.
The 27-year-old Sánchez was injured Thursday in a spring training game against Houston. He hit .252 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs last season for the Marlins.
“It’s a big piece for us,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters on Saturday, including one from MLB.com. “We were counting on him, but this is kind of next man up, and it’ll be an opportunity for others to get a chance to get out there.”
Sánchez made his major league debut for the Marlins in 2020. He is a .240 career hitter with 59 homers and 190 RBIs.
The Marlins host Pittsburgh in their opener on March 27. The Pirates announced Saturday that ace Paul Skenes will start the game.
When Carlos Carrasco signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal this offseason, his path to a roster spot looked virtually nonexistent -- but as we’ve seen so often in this sport, things can change in a hurry.
Injuries to ace Gerrit Cole and reigning Rookie of the Year award winner Luis Gil have suddenly created a pair of huge openings in New York’s starting rotation.
Carrasco is coming off back-to-back rough campaigns to end his time with the Mets and in his return to Cleveland. But after making some changes to his mechanics over the offseason, he’s looked like a completely different pitcher this spring.
Suddenly, the 38-year-old finds himself square in the mix for a rotation spot.
“It’s been a really good camp for him,” manager Aaron Boone said on YES Network. “I think he came in in a good place both mentally and physically -- the buildup has gone really smooth and he’s put himself right in the middle of the conversation.”
Carrasco has pitched to a 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over his four spring appearances.
His latest one came on Friday night, when he allowed just one run on two hits while walking one and striking out a spring-high six batters in 3.1 innings of work against a lineup full of Phillies regulars, including slugger Kyle Schwarber.
The veteran reached into his full arsenal of pitches and generated seven swing-and-misses.
“That tells me I’m ready for the season,” Carrasco said on YES Network. “The fastball, the changeup, the slider, curveball, even the two-seamer. I got a strikeout with all of those pitches, that’s what you do in spring training. That’s what I’ve been working for and that’s what I did today.”
He did face some trouble in the first, as Schwarber led off the game with a walk and Max Kepler doubled to put two in scoring position with one out. But Aaron Judge gunned Schwarber down at the plate to help him dance out of danger.
Otherwise, Carrasco was terrific, giving up his lone run on a sacrifice fly.
“Another good night for him,” Boone added. “You see the swing and miss that he’s getting, it was the same way his last time out. It’s been a good build for him, I feel like there’s more power there than last year -- it’s just been a really good camp.”
As things stand, Carrasco is likely competing with Marcus Stroman and Will Warren for one of the openings. But if he continues pitching like this, he’ll find himself back on the big-league mound in no time.
Whether you’re a Mets fan or a Yankees fan, we can all agree it’s easy to root for Carrasco.
SCOTTSDALE — There were some wide eyes on Saturday when the best prospects for the Giants and Texas Rangers filed into Scottsdale Stadium, but for Bryce Eldridge, it was nothing new. The Giants’ top prospect started his spring in big league camp, but he didn’t take the field in his return to the big league facility.
Eldridge is dealing with a left wrist injury that has sidelined him the past two weeks. He said he was feeling pain when swinging, but every test the Giants did came back clean and he started swinging off a tee on Saturday.
The Giants will be extremely careful with a player who could hit in the heart of their lineup for years to come. Eldridge said he hasn’t been told yet if he’s headed for Double-A or Triple-A to start the year, as the focus right now is simply on getting the inflammation out of his wrist and getting back up to speed. He said he wasn’t sure yet if he will be fully cleared by the start of the minor league season in early April.
“I think if everything goes perfectly, hopefully I’m playing towards the end of next week,” Eldridge said.
The first baseman watched the Spring Breakout game, which ended in a tie, from the dugout. He was disappointed that he had to skip the showcase, but he said he was excited to watch his young teammates, many of whom he feels are underrated.
“We kind of get bashed for our players and our farm system. We see that they’re ranking us down low and I think a lot of us are going to catch some people off-guard this year,” Eldridge said. “The guys I’ve played with, we stack up with any minor league team we ever went against. I don’t know why we don’t get more credit than we get but we’re going to surprise some people, for sure.”
A Deal That Might Work Out
The Jorge Soler trade was meant to get the Giants out from under that contract, but they also might end up getting a big leaguer out of the swap. Third baseman Sabin Ceballos was the prospect acquired and he hit .295 with seven homers in 32 High-A games after joining the Giants organization.
Ceballos has appeared in 10 Cactus League games this spring as a backup and is 4-for-8 with a homer and four walks. He tied the Spring Breakout game with a two-run double to dead center in the bottom of the eighth.
“He’s unbelievable, he’s such a great player and he’s just got that swag and that confidence. You can tell he knows he belongs,” said Eldridge. “He’s had some good hits up at the big league level when he gets the chance there. Just watching him play, I have no doubt he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”
On The Rise
After three years at High Point, two at UNC Pembroke and a delay because of the pandemic, pitcher Trent Harris was preparing for a sixth year of college baseball when the Giants called and offered a deal as an undrafted free agent.
“I would have signed for a bus ticket,” Harris said Saturday, smiling.
He got a bit more than that, but either way, it’s looking like a steal for the organization. Harris has a 2.06 ERA in 51 minor league appearances and last season he was named the organization’s Pitching Prospect of the Year after posting a 1.81 ERA and striking out 105 batters in 79 2/3 innings.
The 26-year-old is the name most often mentioned if you ask Giants officials for a prospect who might all of a sudden get on the fast track. He likely will return to Double-A at the start of the year, but he could be an option for the big league bullpen later this season in what would be a hell of a development story.
Harris said he added a splitter to his repertoire over the offseason, in addition to his four-seamer, curve and slider. He didn’t pitch Saturday, but has four scoreless Cactus League appearances this spring.
Less Is More
Along with Eldridge, the Giants had to scratch outfielder Dakota Jordan from their original Spring Breakout roster. Jordan was facing Logan Webb in a minor league game earlier this month when he felt some wrist discomfort after swinging at a sinker. He has been sidelined by a contusion, but it’s not considered serious.
Jordan is a tremendous athlete who was taken in the fourth round out of Mississippi State last year and signed a deal well above slot. After losing out on their second- and third-round picks because of free agent additions, the Giants went for upside with Jordan, who some scouts felt had the best bat speed in last year’s draft class.
This spring, Jordan is trying to slow it down. The 21-year-old said he is standing more upright at the plate and is focused on dialing it back. He described it as a “50 percent” approach.
“I’ve got the quick bat, the quick twitch — I don’t need to be all jumpy and everything,” he said of his swing. “For me, whenever I’m hitting, I kind of sit back and relax. It’s something I’ve learned even in my cage routines.”
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers pitcher Jon Gray fractured his right wrist when he was hit by a line drive in a spring training game against Colorado, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.
Gray left in the fourth inning on Friday after being struck by a 106.4 mph comebacker off the bat of Rockies slugger Michael Toglia.
“It’s not good news,” Bochy said in a story posted by the Dallas Morning News. “It’s just a terrible break for him. I feel awful to be this close to the season and have this. It’s just not good news.
“We’ll get in there and talk about our situation, but we’re going to have to make an adjustment here.”
Gray is coming off an injury-marred 2024 season in which he was 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA. He spent time on the injured list last year because of a strained groin before his season was cut short by a bothersome right foot issue.
The 33-year-old Gray is in the final season of a four-year, $56 million deal he signed in 2021. He is 21-21 with the Rangers over three seasons. Gray spent his first seven seasons with Colorado after the Rockies selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft.
Jasson Dominguez tripled and drove in two runs as the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays played to a 7-7 tie in spring training action in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Here are the takeaways...
- Will Warren, looking to lock down the fifth spot in the Yanks’ rotation, was greeted with a rocket up the middle for a hit on the first pitch he threw in the bottom of the first. The righty escaped with no damage, grabbing a strikeout looking in the process.
After grabbing another strikeout looking in a 1-2-3 inning, a single, fielder’s choice, and two-out single gave the Rays a run off him in the third. He bounced back, adding another strikeout as he retired the side in order in the fourth but back-to-back singles to start the fifth ended his afternoon.
His final line: 4.0 innings, five hits, three runs, and four strikeouts.
- Dominguez fell behind 0-2 and got caught looking at a two-seam fastball on the inside corner his first time up. The left fielder laced a stand-up triple to the gap in right-center on the first pitch he saw his second at-bat to score the Yanks’ second run. He knocked in another run with a single to left in the fifth, scoring Ismael Munguia, who singled and stole second to start the inning.
The promising youngster finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with two RBI and is now slashing .256/.293/.462 on the spring.
- Austin Wells went down swinging on a high breaking pitch from Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen to lead off the game and went down swinging again in the fifth. But between those chances he grabbed the Yanks’ fourth bloop single of the afternoon to start the third inning. He finished 1-for-3.
- Pablo Reyes punched a one-out single into shallow center, just getting the looper over the outstretched arm of Brandon Lowe up the middle, before coming around to score on Ronaldo Hernández’s sacrifice fly to center. He singled again in the sixth, past a diving shortstop.
After going 2-for-4 he is now slashing .400/.515/.440 for the spring.
- Jorbit Vivas clubbed a single to shallow right for a single to cover the corners in the second. He cracked his second hit with a run-scoring single smashed past the first baseman in the sixth. The third baseman jumped all over a breaking pitch and lined a ball that hit off the right fielder’s glove on the warning track for a double.
Vivas finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout.
- After entering for Wells late in the game, Ben Rice got an infield hit off the pitcher and then stole second base after getting a big jump in the seventh. He walked and came all the way around to score from first on a ninth-inning double by Parks Harber.
- Dom Smith flew out to right his first at-bat and did the same in the third inning, but this time netted an RBI on a sac fly. He tapped into a 4-6-3 double play and struck out looking to finish the day 0-for-3 with an RBI.
- Oswaldo Cabrera went down swinging on three pitches to start the second and chased a pitch up and out of the zone in the third to go down on strikes. He walked to start the sixth and was lifted for a pinch-runner.
- Geoff Hartlieb, a 31-year-old righty with MLB experience, came in with two runners on in the fifth and walked the first guy he faced. Signed this offseason on a minor league deal, Hartlieb got a 6-4-3 double play, but a walk, single, and double down the first baseline saw the score tied. A four-pitch walk to re-load the bases chased Hartlieb. Minor leaguer Huey Morrill played fireman to nail down a strikeout for the final out.
- Carlos Rodon, the day after he was named the Opening Day starter, was set to make the start Saturday, but manager Aaron Boone opted for the left-hander to work in a more controlled environment of a live batting practice in Tampa.
The Yankees split up to play a pair of 1:05 p.m. games on Sunday, staying in Port Charlotte to face these same Rays and in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
TOKYO — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time MVP belted a two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.
“He always seems to rise to certain occasions, expectation to put on a performance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Once again, he delivered.”
Ohtani led off the game with a walk and came to bat for a second time in the third inning. He didn't get his best swing on the ball, but the 6-foot-4, 210-pound slugger was still able to launch a slider from Yomiuri's Shosei Togo 391 feet, which was plenty of distance to get it over the fence.
The 30-year-old is just 4 1/2 months removed from surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder but has recovered remarkably fast. His big swing at the Tokyo Dome is another sign that he's feeling good heading into his eighth big league season, his second with the Dodgers.
“I was a bit out front on it, but it went out at a good angle and I thought it was going to be a home run," Ohtani said, through a translation.
The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage. Conforto said it was great to go deep in his first at-bat, but the conversation quickly switched to Ohtani.
“It's really amazing,” Conforto said. “In every big moment, he seems to just do what the fans want him to do.”
Los Angeles beat Yomiuri 5-1.
The Dodgers are playing in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibition games against Japanese teams before starting the regular season with two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In 2024, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season. He played several seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan before coming to the U.S. in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.
