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The Mets are naming infielder Luisangel Acuña to the 26-man roster for Opening Day, according to multiple reports.

The 23-year-old infielder has reportedly been told that he will be named the final player to the club's roster ahead of New York's first game of the 2025 MLB season against the Houston Astros on Thursday.

This likely means that outfielder Alexander Canario is the odd man out and, since he is out of options, will be placed on waivers by noon tomorrow when the Mets' Opening Day roster is due.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns announced that Brett Baty, Hayden Senger, Max Kranick, and Huascar Brazoban had been informed that they made the Opening Day roster.

However, Stearns did not announce the decision on Acuña, saying the team was "ensuring we stay open to what might be out there."

"This is a highly active time of year as players are on waivers, players have assignment clauses, players have upward mobility clauses, players take their [opt-]outs and become free agents," he said from Houston. "Players become available at the last minute before rosters are submitted and the last thing we want to do is tell a player that they are on the Opening Day roster and then have to walk that back before rosters are due.

"So we're just gonna make sure that we explore all possibilities before we announce anything final."

Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Baty will be getting "a lot of playing time" at second base.

Acuña made his MLB debut at the end of last season, collecting 12 hits in 39 at-bats over 14 games with three home runs and six RBI. He appeared in nine games during the Mets' postseason run, mostly as a late-inning replacement, and went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts. During 131 games at Triple-A Syracuse last year, Acuña knocked in 50 runs with 33 extra-base hits and a .258/.299/.355 slash line (.654 OPS) with an impressive 40 steals on 54 attempts.

This spring, he had 13 hits in 52 at-bats (.250 average).

"I think he had a nice spring training," Stearns said. "Luisangel is a very, very gifted defender. I'm glad he got some additional exposure to third base. I think that was important for him and towards the end of camp, he started to play a strong third base, and that was great to see.

"Offensively, I think we saw some really good signs. We saw some ability to go the other way, we know he's got some pop in the bat when he gets to his pull side. And then we also saw where there still needs to be some growth, and he's very aware of that as well."

Canario was solid during the spring for the Mets – 11 hits in 36 at-bats with three home runs and eight RBI and a 1.030 OPS – but keeping him would have meant that the Mets would begin the season with only four infielders on the 26-man roster.

He was acquired in a cash deal with the Chicago Cubs in late February. The 24-year-old appeared in 21 games with the Cubs the past two seasons, tallying 12 hits in 45 plate appearances with five extra-base hits, eight RBI, and a .857 slugging percentage.

Drafted by the Mets in the 24th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, catcher Hayden Senger has been waiting years for the message he finally received just before the team broke camp in Port St. Lucie this week.

For the first time, the 27-year-old can call himself a major leaguer.

Senger, who has played a combined 402 games in the Mets’ minor league system, has officially made the 2025 Opening Day roster. President of baseball operations David Stearns announced the move to reporters on Wednesday, and Senger later spoke to the assembled media, describing what that moment meant to him.

“It was a very nice conversation. I feel like I couldn’t really get words out,” Senger said. “I was really excited. All of those years that I put in, kind of overwhelmed me. So, yeah, pretty speechless.”

With Francisco Alvarezbeginning the season on the Injured List due to a broken bone in his left hand, Luis Torrens will take over as the starting catcher, opening a spot for Senger as the backup.

“There’s a lot of down times and lot of times when I felt like I was on top of the world,” Senger said. “It’s a roller coaster playing in the minor leagues for that long. To be here, it does make it all worth it.”

“I’ve got to give a shoutout to my wife [Ryann],” Senger added later. “She has worked for a lot of years to support me through this, and it kind of made it all worth it now that I get to say I’m a major league baseball player.”

Stearns said Senger making the team is a good story, but that's not the reason he made the ballclub. 

“He’s getting the job because we think he can help us win games,” Stearns said. “He’s an elite defensive catcher. Our pitchers love throwing to him; that really matters for us. And we’re excited to have him on the team and looking forward to watching him play.”

As Senger has battled his way up through the Mets’ minor league system (he first got a taste of Triple-A ball in 2022), he’s needed to take on an offseason job along the way, working in a grocery store to supplement his income.

“[Carlos Mendoza] said I know what you do in the offseason,” Senger said about when he got the call into the manager’s office, “and I don’t know if you ever got a promotion [there], but you got one here.”

Of course, there’s no telling how long this major league dream will last for Senger, but he’s not thinking that far ahead. For now, he’s soaking up every moment he can as he looks forward to his major league debut.

But what about keeping that other job?

“Still up in the air,” Senger said with a laugh. “I gotta tell my boss.”

Hall of Famer on Phillies Andrew Painter: ‘This guy's gonna be Gerrit Cole' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies haven’t opened the 2025 season just yet, but one Hall of Famer believes their pitching will guide them deep into October.

Hall of Fame baseball writer Jayson Stark was a guest on 97.5 The Fanatic’s “The Best Show Ever,” and he was very bullish on the Phils, particularly the starting pitching, a group that features a pair of additions at the back end to an already strong top four: hard-throwing Jesus Luzardo, added via trade from Miami, and top prospect Andrew Painter, who expects to arrive sometime around the middle of the season.

“I think the upside is best rotation in baseball,” Stark said. “We’re assuming the big guns stay healthy. [Zack] Wheeler, [Aaron] Nola, they’re all about taking the ball. Let’s assume they do. Then you have Cristopher Sanchez. So much buzz about that guy all spring, and with reason. He finished the spring with a 29% strikeout rate. Now you have this ‘swing and miss’ version of Sanchez that we’ve never seen. It could be spectacular if this is what he is.”

“Jesus Luzardo is a swing and miss machine. It feels to me like he is highly motivated by a chance to pitch for a team that’s actually good! When you think about all the retreads that they ran through the number 5 starter hole last year, and now you compare that group to Jesus Luzardo, what a difference! It’s incredible to think about what a difference that make.”

Some lofty expectations indeed for Luzardo, who while exceedingly talented, has yet to truly arrive in the major leagues. But Stark saved some superlatives for a man who has yet to throw a single major league pitch.

“Ricky, this guy’s gonna be [Yankees ace] Gerrit Cole, honestly. I just wonder about how patient the Phillies can be about getting him to the big leagues if they have any injuries early in the rotation.”

Whoa.

Painter hasn’t pitched a single inning above AA-ball, and Stark compares him favorably with a 6-time All-Star, Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer. Heady stuff. I’ll take it.

Coming off Tommy John surgery and rehab, Painter (who turns 22 next month) is on an innings restriction of about 100 innings for 2025. The front office would prefer that those innings are pitched down the stretch, or, if the situation calls for it, in the postseason. But we shall see.

“I know they feel like they’ve got the best rotation in the big leagues… I’m not sure they’re wrong, and a lot of it is about those two guys who were not there at any point last year.”

When the Dodgers’ Guggenheim ownership group first bought the team in 2012, one of their early hires was renowned sports architect Janet Marie Smith.

And in her first couple of months on the job, one of her biggest early tasks quickly became clear.

The clubhouse at the time, she recalled, still felt like a “1962 locker room” — from the shared batting cage and food room used by the home and road teams, to the dilapidated dressing room that still harkened back to the stadium’s opening a half-century earlier.

So, that first offseason before the 2013 campaign, the team did some immediate renovations, updating the space with more modern features and expanding its footprint to a more spacious two-level design.

But over the decade since, a more complete reimagining of the space had been on the club’s bucket list.

Read more:Mookie Betts is happy to be back in the Dodgers' lineup

This winter, those visions finally became reality.

When the Dodgers begin the domestic portion of their schedule on Thursday, hosting the Detroit Tigers for their home-opener at 4:10 p.m., they will do so in the comfort of a brand-new clubhouse space, having completed an extensive renovation to Dodger Stadium this offseason that centered on transforming the area players will call home for the next six months.

“We felt that what we’d done in 2013 seemed like a marked change,” Smith said this week. “But what we’ve done this year is what [team president] Stan Kasten has described as a ‘generational upgrade.’”

In the space of just four months this winter, construction crews gutted the bowels of Dodger Stadium, digging deep trenches down the left and right field foul lines to build new, expanded clubhouse areas within the confines of Major League Baseball’s third-oldest ballpark.

When fans arrive Thursday, the results of the work won’t be obvious to the naked eye. From the exterior, the ballpark won’t look much changed from the extensive 2020 renovations Smith oversaw at the stadium, when the outfield pavilions were updated and the center field plaza was added to become Dodger Stadium’s new “front door.”

But beneath their feet, the Dodgers will be enjoying all the trappings of their new home clubhouse.

They now have expanded weight, training and food rooms. Their once-cramped locker room has been turned into a more spacious, luxurious setting. And, to the excitement of much of the roster, a second batting cage has been installed as well, one fitted with all the trappings of modern training technology in what the team hopes will serve as yet another boon to its superstar-laden roster.

“That clubhouse was amazing,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after getting his first look during the team’s Freeway Series exhibition game against the Angels on Sunday.

“Really crazy,” added starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow. “Everything was really nice.”

“It’s hard to put into words,” echoed third baseman Max Muncy, one of the longest-tenured players on the roster. “You get so used to something being there and you come in and you have no idea where you’re at. It’s really cool. It’s what you’d expect out of the Dodgers.”

Because Dodger Stadium is built into a hillside in Chavez Ravine, Smith said the only way for the team to create new space for its players and coaching staff was effectively by digging deeper into the ground.

“It would be impossible — and I don’t use that word casually — to go into the hillside to create the space for the clubhouse,” said Smith, whose decorated career includes leading past jobs to build Camden Yards in Baltimore, transform Turner Field in Atlanta from a Summer Olympics venue into an MLB stadium, and renovate Fenway Park in Boston for a second century of use.

“So,” she continued of this winter’s Dodger Stadium renovations, “we took all the seats out, created the space below the playing field, and then created essentially a concrete roof over that” for the pre-existing structure to be rebuilt on top of.

Read more:Dodgers will visit President Trump and the White House to celebrate World Series title

Planning for the project had taken shape over the last two years, with Smith soliciting input from president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his front office, members of the coaching staff and playing roster, and virtually anyone else who counts the clubhouse as their workplace on a daily basis.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the clubhouse who didn’t have some input on their area,” she said. “That’s been really helpful.”

And through those conversations, the reality Smith first confronted a decade ago was only further crystallized as blueprints came together.

“As we worked with our baseball operations team and Andrew Friedman and all of his lieutenants,” she said, “it became clear that what we really needed was not just an appendage to the clubhouse, but a holistic renovation.”

Now, the home clubhouse is a sprawling three-story structure residing beneath Dodger Stadium’s field level. It stretches from behind the third-base dugout all the way down to the left-field foul pole. And it’s so big, Freeman joked that before Sunday’s game, he didn’t even have time to check out all of its new features on his first day there.

“I heard there were [new] sleep rooms,” he said with a laugh. “I haven’t even seen those yet. So yeah, it’s gonna take a couple days to take it all in.”

One of the most notable changes was the expansion of the actual locker room, which transformed from one of the smallest home dressing rooms in all the majors to a more modern space with new stalls complete with mood lighting and digitized nameplates.

Vast improvements were also made to strength and conditioning rooms, something that Smith credited to owner Mark Walter’s goal of making Dodger Stadium “a place where the players feel is there for them 12 months a year,” and also noted as being high on Friedman's list of suggestions.

“One of the things that Andrew and his team asked for was that our weight room and training room be placed together,” she said, “because the activities between the two are very fluid.”

The team’s full-service kitchen got a facelift, too, having evolved as a place of renewed importance since Dodger Stadium’s last clubhouse renovations in 2013.

Same went with the batting cages — the place many hitters and coaches spend much of their time pregame, and made near-universal requests for the creation of a second hitting tunnel.

“I mean, we made it work with one cage,” Freeman said. “But having two cages, obviously you can get so much more. Guys can work at the same time … We’ll be able to change schedules.”

“More space, more resources,” Freeman added, “means hopefully better things.”

The real surprise from players was how quickly the renovations got done.

Freeman deadpanned that, compared to Dodger Stadium’s four-month timeline, it took a wine cellar he installed at his home “about eight months to do, so I’m kinda confused.” Glasnow added that, at points this offseason, he “honestly didn’t think it was gonna get done” in time for the start of the season.

“But when we walked in, everything was ready to go,” Glasnow remarked this week, his eyes still wide with amazement at the new space. “To all the workers, I don’t know how they did that so quick. It was so much stuff.”

Smith acknowledged the scale of this offseason’s renovations isn’t usually completed so quickly. She estimated that the timeline “probably should have been three times” as long as their four-month construction window. But, to expedite the process, crews from PCL construction, along with hundreds of other subcontractors and vendors who were involved in the job, worked on a seven-day-per-week schedule. Some contractors, Smith said, “have literally not had a day off since January.”

“When they took the job on, it was sort of a pact everyone made: You’re gonna be available,” Smith said. “And everyone stuck to that … I think people feel real pride in being able to be a part of something that has this kind of cultural relevance to the city.”

Read more:News Analysis: Shohei Ohtani is restarting his throwing program. But how much will he pitch in 2025?

Smith’s hope is that fans feel similarly, even if their gameday experience might not look much different when they arrive Thursday.

“I know it’s not a fan-facing space [that we renovated],” she said. “But I think our fans have such a connection to our players and their emotions and their psyche, that I hope they sort of feel that energy resonated.”

With the players, at least, it already is; giving the Dodgers’ defending World Series-winning roster one more thing to celebrate as they open the 2025 season.

“It feels like they created space out of nothing, which they kind of did,” Muncy said. “Everything just feels a whole lot bigger. It’s kind of amazing.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets were dealt a handful of injuries to starting pitchers during spring training, with Paul Blackburn the latest to land on the injured list at Opening Day, but president of baseball operations David Stearns said on Wednesday that the club isn’t overly concerned about any of the injuries to the starters.

Stearns said that he’s experienced some spring trainings where you come out unscathed on the injury front and others where you "take it on the chin a little bit." 

“We’re fortunate that we believe that these dings to our starting rotation are pretty temporary and really not concerned with any of them,” he said from the Mets’ dugout in Houston ahead of Thursday's game against the Astros.

The Mets’ top baseball man said that Blackburn has already responded "really well" to the injection he got to deal with inflammation in his right knee, and Sean Manaea is “throwing and in good shape and really going through his rehab process at a really good clip and we’re excited about that.”

The Mets got the good news on Manaea two weeks ago when a follow-up MRI on his right oblique came back clear, and he was cleared to resume throwing as he was "symptom-free."

"We gotta pretty much build him back up as a starter," manager Carlos Mendozasaid at the time. "The good thing is he's feeling good, there's nothing going on there -- that oblique. And now it's just 75, 90, 120 [feet] before he gets on the mound."

Frankie Montas, who had had a “repeat MRI” on his lat injury in the last few days that showed “really good healing,” Stearns said.

In terms of throwing progression, the right-hander is still a “week or two away,” but Stearns was upbeat about Montas’ progress: “Clearly good healing is better than not healing and so we’ll certainly take that update.”

Montas landed on the shelf right at the start of spring training, which he believes he sustained during his first bullpen session of camp.

But on the whole, Stearns indicated a level of positivity on the rotation's injury issues on the eve of the season's start.

“At this point, we’re pretty optimistic on all these guys,” Stearns continued before dropping a grain of salt, “Of course, until they’re back throwing well in major league competition, we won’t know for sure. But we seem to be trending in the right direction and we’re really looking forward to getting them back.

“In the meantime, we have guys that we think can step up and do the job.”

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is making progress toward a return from a broken bone in his left hand.

The 23-year-old, who underwent surgery just over two weeks ago, got his stitches out on Monday and is set to begin strength work, manager Carlos Mendozasaid on Wednesday, adding that Alvarez is expected to resume baseball activities shortly after he starts his strength work.

Speaking on March 12, Alvarez discussed his expected return date.

"Maybe six weeks," he said. "My goal is to make that as quick as possible."

Alvarez added: "They said after the third week, maybe I can start hitting. It's on me. If my body takes more time than normal, maybe take eight weeks. But it's very on me. If I feel comfortable, if I feel good, I can move quicker."

Alvarez's return from injury seems to be on track with his aim for the shorter end of the six-to-eight week timeline, which would mean the catcher being back at some point near the end of April.

The 23-year-old went through something similar last year.

He injured his thumb on April 19 against the Dodgers while taking an aggressive turn at first base and awkwardly landing on his hand. That injury required surgery to repair a torn ligament and kept him out of the lineup until June 11.

When Alvarez returned, he took a while to get going offensively. But he finished the regular season on a high note, posting a 1.000 OPS and smacking five home runs over his last 48 plate appearances from Sept. 11 to Sept. 30.

Alvarez said he didn't think the thumb injury last year hampered his hitting upon his return.

Regarding how this injury might impact him?

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Alvarez said on March 12. "It's a quick recovery, so I don't think I'm going to lose strength in my hand. I'm very strong."

As the Mets complete their 26-man roster for Opening Day, pretty much everything has come into focus.

Speaking on Wednesday in Houston ahead of Thursday's opener against the Astros, president of baseball operations David Stearns saidBrett Baty, Hayden Senger, Max Kranick, and Huascar Brazoban had been informed that they made the team.

There really wasn't any suspense when it came to Baty.

Baty was already getting exposed to second base before Jeff McNeil suffered a mild oblique injury, but that injury opened the door for the 25-year-old to not only begin the year on the roster but enter it as the expected regular second baseman.

After getting some reps at second base last year while with Triple-A Syracuse, Baty looked more than capable at the position during spring training games, which impressed manager Carlos Mendoza.

Baty's range, arm, fielding ability, and instincts were all solid, paving the way for this opportunity.

Mendoza said the “game will dictate” how much Baty sees left-handed pitchers, but the plan in the season's early days will be for the 25-year-old to get “a lot of the reps at second base.”

“Especially when you look at the matchups early on the teams that we’re facing, we’re gonna be facing a lot of righties,” the manager said. “So it will be a very good opportunity.”

Stearns said Baty “wouldn’t be here” if he wasn’t expecting him to “get a lot of playing time.”

“He has also earned that [opportunity to play]. He had a great spring, I think he’s played pretty well over at second base,” Stearns said. “Mendy’s gonna put all these guys in the best position to succeed and, I think, we’ll see Brett plenty out there.”  

Stearns noted that the team remains undecided on its final roster spot, which will theoretically go to infielder Luisangel Acuña or someone who isn't currently on the roster. Carrying outfielder Alexander Canario (who is out of options) would mean having no backup infielders on the expected four-man bench.

Meanwhile, Senger -- whose first game action will be his MLB debut -- will serve as Luis Torrens' backup with Francisco Alvarez out.

As far as Kranick and Brazoban, they had been in competition for the final spot in the bullpen. But two spots wound up being open because...

Paul Blackburn will open season on IL

Blackburn was placed on the 15-day IL due to knee inflammation, Stearns said, adding that the right-hander will refrain from throwing for seven-to-10 days.

The expectation, per Stearns, is that Blackburn will return at some point in April.

Blackburn began spring training in competition for a starting rotation spot, but the final two slots went to Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill. That left Blackburn destined for the bullpen, until his injury.

What to know about the 26 players on Giants' Opening Day roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — Buster Posey didn’t make many moves over the offseason, repeatedly showing faith in the 40-man roster he inherited. But as the Giants put together their Opening Day roster, Posey and the rest of the staff shuffled the depth chart in interesting ways.

When the initial 26-man roster was released Wednesday evening, it was apparent that a lot of thought was given to rewarding players who had big springs, and several of them got spots over incumbents. 

The big surprise came with the bench. Christian Koss had his contract purchased and was added to the roster, making it alongside Casey Schmitt, with Brett Wisely and Grant McCray getting optioned to Triple-A. Both Koss and Schmitt are right-handed hitters who bring defensive versatility, but Schmitt had a .924 OPS in the spring with plenty of power and Koss posted a .413 OBP. Both were rewarded with a trip to Cincinnati. 

At first glance, the initial roster is too heavy on right-handed infielders and light on outfielders and left-handed bench options, but these things change quickly. The Giants might look different by the time they arrive back in San Francisco next Wednesday night, but for now, here’s the group that will line up at Great American Ball Park on Thursday: 

Patrick Bailey

When camp started, Posey told Bailey he wanted his focus to be on leading the pitching staff.

“He has shown flashes of being a good, productive offensive player, and that’s great, but ultimately I truly believe that if he leads the staff and continues to progress defensively, that we’re going to be in a good spot,” Posey said. 

The Giants don’t necessarily need Bailey to take a leap at the plate, but it would be a nice boost, and it’s not at all out of the question. He had a .784 OPS in the first half but dipped to a shocking .434 in the second half. Bailey won the Gold Glove and will be the favorite to win again, but if he can keep those first half numbers going for a full season, or even come close, he’ll get some down-ballot MVP consideration. 

Sam Huff

With Tom Murphy sidelined by a back injury, Huff quickly proved that he was ready to partner with Bailey. He homered in the first spring game and batted .323 in Arizona. One of the hits was a 114-mph single, an exit velocity that only four catchers in baseball reached last year. 

“Just his horsepower in general is top five percent in the game,” said Texas Rangers offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, the former Giants hitting coach. 

Huff played 78 games in four seasons for the Rangers and got a ring when Bruce Bochy returned two years ago. In a lot of ways, he is giving the Giants a redo on their Joey Bart mistake. Like Bart, Huff is a big, powerful right-handed hitter who was a former top 100 prospect. He also happens to be a Scottsdale native who used to sneak into Giants spring training games, so making his first Opening Day roster is providing a fun full-circle moment. 

LaMonte Wade Jr. 

Wade’s offseason focus was simple: He did a lot more running, hopeful that he can keep his legs under him for a full season after repeatedly dealing with nagging injuries. When fully healthy, Wade can challenge Juan Soto for the National League’s OBP crown, but his numbers have tailed off in the second halves of the last two seasons. Wade said his goal this year is to “move better.”

“‘I’m not trying to do anything special, I’m just trying to be healthy and last the whole season without going on the IR,” he said. “I’m not trying to do anything crazy. Just trying to be healthy.”

Wade will hit atop the order in what could be his final season in San Francisco. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, and top prospect Bryce Eldridge plays the same position. 

Wilmer Flores

When Flores had season-ending surgery on his knee last August, it was no guarantee that he would be back for a sixth season in orange and black. But after opting into the final year of his contract, he had a healthy offseason and looked like his old self this spring, repeatedly lining balls into center field while occasionally flashing his power. 

Flores will have a familiar role, platooning with Wade at first base and getting plenty of DH at-bats. He’ll be manager Bob Melvin’s go-to pinch-hitter in the late innings, and when he makes his 40th appearance, he’ll have played more games for the Giants than he did for the New York Mets. 

Tyler Fitzgerald

The highs last year were historic, but the Giants want more consistency from a second-year infielder who is moving across the bag. If Fitzgerald can build off last year, this is one easy area for the lineup to make up a lot of ground. Giants second basemen hit .215 last year and ranked last in the National League with a .603 OPS. 

Fitzgerald should pretty easily be an upgrade, and he looked smooth defensively this spring, which is no surprise given he’s a natural shortstop. He’s likely to hit ninth in the order, serving as a sort-of second leadoff man and putting speed on in front of the top of the order. Posey has encouraged him to run more, too. As a rookie, Fitzgerald was 17-for-21 on stolen base attempts. 

Willy Adames

The owner of the largest contract in franchise history wasted no time settling in. Adames quickly bought a house in Arizona and reported to camp several weeks early so he could get to know his new teammates. He already is one of the team’s leaders, and he certainly brings a lot more energy to a team that needed it. 

Adames formed a quick bond with Matt Chapman, who told him not to worry about anything hit to his right. He’ll hit second for Melvin after crushing 32 homers and driving in 112 runs last season. Those are big numbers, but he’s confident he can match them even while playing at Oracle Park. He was the rare free agent hitter who decided to spend his prime at the ballpark by the Bay. 

“At the end of the day, it’s just the mentality that you have. If you go with that mentality that I can’t hit here, the ball doesn’t fly and this or that, I think that will eat you up,” Adames said. “I don’t really care about it. If the ball goes, it goes. I’m not trying to hit homers every time. It just happens. I’m just trying to hit the ball hard and put the barrel [on the ball] every time. I don’t really worry about if the ball flies here, I don’t care.”

Matt Chapman

The Giants kept Chapman off the market in the offseason by signing him to a massive extension in September, and they have no regrets. Chapman was given his fifth Gold Glove in November, and this spring he hit a team-high six homers and posted an OPS north of 1.300.

In his first season in orange and black, Chapman finished fifth in the NL in fWAR and played 150-plus games for the third time in four seasons. He also took on a leadership role in the clubhouse, and there’s little doubt that it’s Chapman, Adames and Logan Webb who will lead the Giants for the next few seasons. 

Casey Schmitt

He is blocked at his best position — third base — but that didn’t stop Schmitt this spring. The 26-year-old slugged .605 and got reps all over the infield, building off some better at-bats last September. Schmitt has plenty of physical talent but has yet to stick at the big league level. There was some thought that he might be traded in the offseason since Chapman is signed long-term, but the Giants view him as valuable depth. He’s the next man up at second base if Fitzgerald slumps.  

Christian Koss

The biggest surprise on the Opening Day roster, Koss won over the coaching staff this spring. The conversations about making the initial roster picked up in recent days, and Koss had a lot of backers in the organization. He’s a good defender at short who took advantage of a lot of time this spring, playing hard and playing well.

Koss hit .325 this spring with a homer and three doubles. Last year, he hit .299 across three levels, finishing in Triple-A. There’s a bit of Matt Duffy in his game, and the comparisons will be easy to make. The former Boston Red Sox prospect has a slight frame and was a mid-round pick, but he does a lot of things well and he’ll bring some speed to the bench. 

Heliot Ramos

Last year, Ramos became the first homegrown Giants outfielder to make the NL All-Star team since Chili Davis in 1986. He’ll now take aim at another mark. 

Ramos will become the 19th different Opening Day left fielder in 19 years, but the streak might not hit 20. If all goes according to plan, the 25-year-old will be the starting left fielder for years to come. This will be Ramos’ first year as a full-time starter, and at times he’ll have a new role. Melvin plans to hit Ramos in the leadoff spot against left-handed pitchers after he posted a 1.189 OPS against them last season, the second-best mark in the majors behind only Aaron Judge. 

“When I told him about it earlier in the spring, he was pretty excited,” Melvin said. 

Jung Hoo Lee

In the first season of a six-year deal, Lee played just 37 games. A collision with the center field wall at Oracle Park led to shoulder surgery in May, but Lee sailed through the rehab process and was a full go from the start of camp. He missed some time with back discomfort late in the spring, but returned for the final three exhibitions. 

Melvin made waves overseas when he mentioned early in camp that Lee might move from the leadoff spot to the No. 3 spot, and over time, the Giants solidified that thinking. Lee will bat third against both righties and lefties, and the belief is that he can drive in plenty of runs while also getting on base right in front of Chapman. 

The Giants missed Lee’s bat control last year, but they also missed his glove. He looked like an above-average fielder as a rookie and had a strong spring defensively. 

Mike Yastrzemski

The 34-year-old is somehow in his seventh season with the Giants, and it comes after some uncertainty. The Giants got calls on Yastrzemski in the offseason and he was floated in trade rumors, but all along they viewed him as the right fit in right field. 

Yastrzemski is one of the best defensive right fielders in baseball and plays Oracle Park’s tricky dimensions as well as anyone. He’s so good out there that the staff won’t move him back to center if Lee needs to miss any time.

Yastrzemski will be a free agent at the end of the year, and he’ll have to fight off young outfielders looking for time in the corners. At the moment, he’s set to start against right-handed pitchers, and the hope is he can find some of his old form against lefties. 

Luis Matos

The easy pick to be this year’s Ramos or Fitzgerald, Matos was NL Player of the Week early last year but then went into a prolonged slump. This spring, he showed much better discipline at the plate.

“He has a different look to him,” Melvin said. “We’ve seen the consistency this spring. He had a great Winter Ball and came into camp with a lot of confidence.”

Matos had more of an up-the-middle approach this spring and was better with two strikes. He’s likely to play right field against left-handed pitchers and could DH quite a bit with Jerar Encarnacion sidelined. 

Logan Webb

What’s next for the homegrown ace who is starting on Opening Day for a fourth consecutive season?

“I definitely think there are some goals,” he said. “I would like to win the Cy Young, and 200 strikeouts is a thing that I haven’t done yet and that would be cool.”

Webb felt he was too inconsistent last year, but he still led the NL in innings for a second consecutive season. If he can limit some of the blowups, he should again compete for the Cy Young, and he said he has taken lessons from a spring spent alongside Justin Verlander in the clubhouse.

Webb unveiled a cutter last year against certain lefties, and it was a big part of his mix this spring. The Giants are hoping he can use the pitch to keep hitters from sitting on his changeup, which was hit hard at times last year. 

Justin Verlander

The offseason’s big pitching addition celebrated his 42nd birthday early in camp with a laser tag party, which was well-attended by teammates. Verlander is coming off a down year, but in Scottsdale, he looked like, well, Justin Verlander. The velocity sat 95-96 mph and he was sharp all spring. He also was a vocal mentor for the organization’s young pitchers. 

The Giants feel they got a steal in adding Verlander on a one-year, $15 million deal, and Melvin doesn’t expect to have any limitations on the oldest player in the big leagues. 

“Man, you watch what he does every day to condition himself and go out there and start and give his team a chance to win,” he said. “I’m not looking at him as [just] a five-inning starter right now.”

Robbie Ray

Before Wednesday’s game, Ray met up with AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. If Ray returns to his Cy Young ways, Skubal might get a fair amount of credit. Ray contacted him in the offseason to learn his changeup grip, and he threw the pitch often this spring. 

“It’s just another look and something that has some arm-side movement, something I don’t normally do,” Ray said. “Everything [I threw before] is kind of hard-in to righties. You’ve seen it so far this spring, it’s been really effective getting righties off my fastball-in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a swing-and-miss pitch, it’s just something that gets them off of my swing-and-miss pitches. I definitely think it’s going to be a big pitch for me.”

Ray had a dominant spring, striking out 23 and walking just one while putting up a 1.86 ERA. When the Giants acquired him for Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani (both of whom were later released by the Seattle Mariners), the hope was that he would one day be a strong No. 2 to Webb. This spring, he looked ready to be that guy. 

Jordan Hicks

After running out of gas in his first season as a starting pitcher, Hicks stayed in San Francisco over the winter and added weight to his lower body. He’s up about 15 pounds from the end of last season and made some dietary changes to make sure he can keep most of that weight on over 162 games. 

With Verlander and Ray dominating in front of him and a lot of attention paid to the fifth starter race, Hicks was a bit of a forgotten man this spring, but Posey and Melvin never wavered. Hicks has been locked into the rotation from the start, and the hope is that he can replicate his first 10 weeks last year, when he had a 2.82 ERA over 15 starts. The goal now is to extend that success deep into the summer. 

Landen Roupp

Roupp seemed to be a longshot in the fifth starter competition at the start of the spring, but pretty quickly it became apparent that he was as sharp as anyone in Giants camp. The 26-year-old actually cut the competition short; a couple of days after Roupp struck out 13 in five innings in a minor league game, Melvin told him he would be starting against the Houston Astros on April 1. Roupp didn’t have a hard time keeping the secret for a week and a half — he might be as stoic as anyone in the clubhouse. 

Roupp’s curveball is so good that he was at times able to just throw that and his sinker last year as he broke in as a reliever. This spring, he added a cutter and a changeup that’s modeled after Webb’s, with the hope that he can keep hitters guessing and make the curveball more of a putaway pitch.  

Ryan Walker

There was no closer controversy this spring. Melvin said right away that Walker would be his closer, which the right-hander appreciated. He then went out and struck out 14 in 7 2/3 innings, looking every bit as nasty as last year, when he had a 1.91 ERA and became one of the best relievers in baseball. 

Walker had a 0.92 ERA after being named the closer and was perfect in the ninth. If he comes close to repeating that, he could be an All-Star and take a run at a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a Giants reliever since Robb Nen in 1998. Nen struck out 110 batters that year; Walker finished with 99 last year. 

Tyler Rogers

The Giants know exactly what to expect from Rogers, who has led the NL in appearances three times and posted a 2.93 ERA in six seasons. He’s as reliable as it gets from a reliever, and last season he found new heights, walking just six batters in 77 appearances, two of which were intentional. Rogers is the longest-tenured player in the organization and is entering his 12th season with the Giants, the last six of which have been in the big leagues. 

This is the final year of club control, and Rogers could hit free agency in the winter at the same time as his brother, Taylor, who was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason. The twins will be reunited on Opening Day. 

Camilo Doval

After losing his closer title and briefly ending up back in Triple-A last summer, Doval had a different look this spring. He took on a leadership role with young Spanish-speaking pitchers, driving several to the ballpark every day, and focused on the little details that have derailed him at times. He is quicker to the plate and doing a better job of holding runners, although in the spring, it was sometimes hard to work on those intricacies. Doval had too many clean outings to get much practice. 

“Camilo is in a great space right now,” Melvin said. “He’s pitching really well, too. He’s throwing strikes, he’s efficient, he’s worked on a lot of things.”

Doval is the next man up if the Giants need help in the ninth, but for now he’ll be a setup man for Walker. If he’s truly back to his 2023 form, he could be the best seventh-inning option in baseball. 

Erik Miller

It wasn’t a very smooth spring for one of last year’s breakouts. Miller dealt with a minor finger issue early in camp and then got sick, but got up to speed in March, which was crucial. The Giants are carrying just one left-handed reliever, and while they think they have some others who can handle tough lefties, it’s Miller who will be their go-to guy against the Ohtanis and Sotos of the world. Especially against Ohtani; Miller struck out the game’s best player in all five of their meetings last year. 

Hayden Birdsong

The 23-year-old battled Roupp for the final rotation spot, and while he didn’t get that nod, he still ended up on the Opening Day roster. The Giants wanted to go with their best 26 at the start, and there’s no doubt that Birdsong is one of their top 13 pitchers. Birdsong occasionally struggled with his command as a rookie, but in four Cactus League appearances, he struck out 18 and didn’t walk a batter. 

“I had to stop thinking about striking people out,” Birdsong said of the improved command. “Groundballs get outs, too. Pop-ups get outs. Everything gets outs. I don’t have to strike everyone out.”

Birdsong’s slider improved this spring after he moved to the other side of the rubber, but it’s still an upper-90s fastball that leads his arsenal. The Giants are hoping they can keep him stretched out as a reliever, because they anticipate he’ll start a lot of games for them at some point this year. 

Randy Rodriguez

A year ago at this time, Rodriguez was a gifted minor leaguer with serious questions about his command. He all of a sudden started throwing strikes, and the big fastball got him to the big leagues, where he immediately looked comfortable. Rodriguez had a 1.93 ERA this spring and showed good command in recent outings while repeatedly hitting 100 mph. In Rodriguez and Doval, Melvin has a couple of big arms to throw at teams in the sixth and seventh innings. 

Lou Trivino

The former Athletics standout hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2022 because of Tommy John surgery and a long rehab. He felt like the Giants might be a good fit, and he was right. Trivino had a good spring, and while he doesn’t throw 100 mph anymore, he still has mid-90s velocity and a five-pitch mix. 

Trivino broke into the big leagues with Melvin’s Athletics in 2018 and had a 2.92 ERA. Six years later, he came to camp as a non-roster invitee and won a job. 

“There was a period of time [in Oakland] where he was about as good as anybody in the American League,” Melvin said. 

Spencer Bivens

The right-hander bounced around the globe for several years, but when he reached the big leagues last summer, he looked like he belonged. Bivens posted a 3.14 ERA as a rookie and he had a strong spring, edging Sean Hjelle, Tristan Beck and others who can be versatile bullpen pieces. Last year, Bivens even showed he can start in a pinch if needed. 

Bivens was guaranteed nothing at the start of this spring, but he won a job. He said everything has slowed down in his second year, which will come as a 30-year-old. 

“I feel comfortable now,” he said. “Last year was very fresh, very green.”

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Five Athletics players to watch during promising 2025 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Athletics enter a promising 2025 MLB season with a secure core of stars ready to prove their worth, and several prospects eager to accumulate service time.

A year ago, then-rookies such as outfielder Lawrence Butler and closer Mason Miller were up-and-coming players to follow, as the pair weren’t yet big names. Nowadays, that’s old news — and there are other players fans will need to familiarize themselves with.

Here are five Athletics players to watch before the Green and Gold begin their inaugural season in West Sacramento.

Luis Severino

Severino is expected to be a guy in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

In MLB free agency, the right-handed ace signed an Athletics franchise-record three-year contract worth up to $67 million — a deal that aligns with the team’s move to Las Vegas in 2028 — and will start Opening Day against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday at T-Mobile Park.

Severino, 30, is a nine-year veteran with a 3.81 ERA over 172 games (156 starts) and, though more of a reserved person, is expected to be a leader in the Northern California clubhouse where the average age was 26.8 a season ago.

“If they need me, I’m going to be that leader,” Severino said during his introductory press conference on Dec. 6. “I mean, I’m not going to be bossing guys around. I’m just going to let my talent talk. I’m going to go out there, I’m going to compete, help out. If they need me, I’m going to be out there for anything they need.”

Severino also has formidable MLB playoff experience with a 4.62 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 14 career games. His latest October outing was a three-hit bid against the future champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2024 NLCS. Remember, the Athletics haven’t reached the postseason since the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign.

Jacob Wilson

The 22-year-old shortstop is the franchise’s top prospect and should develop profoundly over a 162-game schedule.

Selected No. 6 overall by the Athletics in the 2023 MLB Draft, Wilson reached the majors rather quickly toward the end of 2024 and slashed .250/.314/.315 over 28 big-league games with 23 hits and three RBI.

“From the start … I think it’s been a phenomenal journey,” Wilson told NBC Sports California on Sep. 26 before the franchise’s second-to-last game at Oakland Coliseum. “I’ve enjoyed every step of the way. I just want to come back each year stronger and better and do whatever it takes to help this team and organization win games.”

Wilson put on 15 pounds of muscle this offseason, according to MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos, and followed his limited big-league experience with a strong spring. Over 19 games, he slashed .308/.321/.558 with 16 hits, 13 RBI and four home runs across 53 plate appearances.

Fourth-year manager Mark Kotsay likely will use Wilson as an everyday player, clearing the way for the rookie to stack major-league repetitions.

José Leclerc

A candidate to be MLB All-Star closer Mason Miller’s set-up man, Leclerc is a 31-year-old right-handed reliever looking to bounce back from a lackluster 2024 season – for his standards – in which he posted a 4.32 ERA across 66 2/3 innings in 64 games.

Leclerc signed a one-year, $10 million free-agent contract with the Athletics after spending his first eight MLB seasons with the Texas Rangers, where he won the 2023 World Series. Leclerc posted a 12-20 record with a 3.27 ERA, 473 strikeouts and 41 saves over 360 1/3 innings as a Ranger.

“I think any time you can add experience, you can add guys that have a track record or the back of a baseball card, it helps in depth, right?” Kotsay said about the Athletics’ older offseason additions like Leclerc and Severino on Feb. 12.

Leclerc transitioned from closer to set-up man in 2024. Despite his ERA, Leclerc carried an attractive 3.48 FIP and pitched more than one inning in 26.6 percent (17 of 64) games last season.

He has a sturdy six-pitch repertoire led by his four-seam fastball and cutter, and last season finished in the 96th percentile for both his 36.0-percent whiff rate and his 30.7-percent hard-hit rate. 

The Athletics hope Leclerc’s spring, in which he surrendered a 6.23 ERA and six earned runs over just 8 2/3 innings, won’t matter in the long run.

Joey Estes

The 23-year-old righty recently was named the Athletics’ fifth and final member of the starting rotation, joining Severino, JP Sears, Osvaldo Bido and offseason acquisition Jeffrey Springs..

Estes earned the spot ahead of Mitch Spence after carrying a 4.63 spring training ERA through March 19. 

Behind a four-pitch arsenal dominated by his four-seamer, Estes finished the 2024 season with a 5.01 ERA over 127 2/3 innings in 25 games (24 starts). He ended this spring by allowing eight earned runs over five innings, but like Leclerc, the shaky outing doesn’t define what the future can have in store.

Kotsay and the Athletics will heavily monitor that fifth rotational spot throughout the season. After all, the Green and Gold’s 2024 team ERA of 4.37 was the sixth-worst in baseball, and its 5.48 mark in 2023 was the second-worst.

Estes truly can make a name for himself by being a competent starter. Kotsay is just two seasons removed from tying an MLB record for starting pitchers used with 24.

Max Muncy

The infielder might just be one of the more fun players to remember across MLB throughout the 2025 campaign.

Besides sharing the same name, Aug. 25 birthday and professional beginnings as the star Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman, Muncy is the Athletics’ seventh-ranked prospect and made the Opening Day roster, to his surprise.

“It was surreal,” Muncy said about Kotsay informing him on Sunday (h/t Gallegos). “A little unexpected. I thought I was getting sent down. But he was like, ‘Hey, we’re going to have you out in Seattle.’ I just couldn’t be more excited.”

Muncy, a non-roster spring training invitee, was selected No. 21 overall by the Athletics in the 2021 draft out of Thousand Oaks High School in Southern California. He earned his big-league chance by slashing .282/.383/.385 over 24 games this spring with 11 hits, seven RBI and six walks across 47 plate appearances. 

It is uncertain where Muncy will find on-field opportunities, but the fact that he made the roster is tremendously encouraging for his future and the Athletics’ scouting department.