Category: Sports News

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers opening day roster has been finalized, if not yet officially announced, since Sunday when Alex Freeland beat out Hyeseong Kim for a platoon role at second base. Antoine Kelly and Chris Campos were the last two non-roster pitchers remaining in camp, and made the trip to Southern California for the Freeway Series after having strong showings in Arizona.

Kelly signed to a minor league deal by the Dodgers in November after pitching six minor league seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Colorado Rockies systems. The 26-year-old left-hander has yet to reach the majors, but it’s not hard to see that changing some time this season after his impressive spring.

Kelly led Dodgers pitchers in Arizona with nine appearances, with 11 strikeouts and a 34.4-percent strikeout rate in 8 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and walked four, and was consistently pitching in the high-90s along with an effective slider.

“Big fastball, easy velocity, slider. He’s been filling up the strike zone. He’s had a tremendous camp. And I think as far as some guys that weren’t on our radar that are now, he’s one of them,” manager Dave Roberts said Monday. “For us, just getting him here on this trip was something that he earned, and we wanted him to kind of reward him with his spring. So yeah, he’ll go down to OKC, and won’t be surprised to see him at some point with us in a relief role.”

Campos grew up going to games at Dodger Stadium, born in Montebello and playing baseball at Damien High School in La Verne. He was a two-way player at St. Mary’s College, the same school that produced Corbin Burnes and Tony Gonsolin, to name a few.

Roberts said his son Cole while at Loyola Marymount played against Campos. Cole Roberts walked against Campos, who struck out seven in four innings in that 2022 game.

Campos pitched almost exclusively as a starter or in bulk relief in his four professional seasons since getting drafted in the seventh round in 2022. This spring as a reliever, he allowed only a run on 11 hits in his 10 innings of work over seven appearances this spring. Campos didn’t walk a batter until issuing two free passes Monday night in his Dodger Stadium debut, and struck out 12 of his 43 batters faced (27.9 percent).

“I like him. He’s just very confident, and I wish everyone carried themselves the way he carries himself on the mound, with the confidence that he has,” Roberts said of Campos. “He’s not a high velocity guy, he’s a command guy. Uses three, four different pitches, and so just probably lets his stuff play up in a relief role and see how he can, you know, bounce back”

They didn’t make the opening day roster, but Kelly and Campos sure pitched themselves into consideration for a call-up at some point this season.

MLB Opening Day is just two days away and while the iconic Dodger Dog is the go-to concession choice for fans headed to Chavez Ravine to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers begin their quest for a three-peat, they'll have some more options to fill up on this season.

Among the additions to the menu at Dodger Stadium for 2026 are a Habit Burger & Grill location in the centerfield plaza, cochinita pibil bone marrow tacos, char siu pork loaded fries, a "loco moco" bowl, PB&J smashburger, fried chicken bucket and to wash it all down, a watermelon habanero margarita -- tequila shaken with lime juice and a house watermelon-habanero mix, served in a souvenir cooler cup with Tajín on the rim.

The Dodgers will have a watermelon habanero margarita that you can get in a souvenir water cooler cup 🤩

It features tequila shaken with fresh lime juice and a house watermelon-habanero mix, served over ice with a Tajín-dusted rim

(via @LevyRestaurants) pic.twitter.com/j1YaWSpZnU

— MLB (@MLB) March 19, 2026

Here's a rundown of some highlighted selections from the many new food and beverages at Dodger Stadium for 2026:

The Washington Nationals have an interesting and exciting problem to figure out in the lower levels of the minor leagues. They have so many quality infield prospects and need to find a way to get all of them on the field. Between Eli Willits, Gavin Fien, Devin Fitz-Gerald, Marconi German, Ronny Cruz, Coy James, Luke Dickerson and Angel Feliz, the Nats are overflowing with infielders between 18 and 20 years old.

All of these players need reps to develop, but the Nats will have to juggle things around to get them all playing time. Some players will need to learn new positions on the infield or even get exposed to the outfield. Meanwhile, others may be held back in Rookie Ball for a longer than expected, while others might get exposed to High-A quickly. It is a good problem to have, but the Nats minor league decision makers will still have their hands full.

Only one player can play each position, and there are a lot of mouths to feed. In a perfect world, Willits, Fien, Fitz-Gerald, Cruz, Dickerson and Feliz would all start the year in Low-A. However, that may not be possible because all of these guys need to play. Some of these players may have to go to High-A before they are ready or stay. 

An article by MLB mentioned Angel Feliz could start the year in High-A, which is interesting. He only played 31 games in Low-A, and did not light it up with the bat. However, they want him to get reps at shortstop and must like what they are seeing this spring. It is also a bet on the person as well. They must feel comfortable with Feliz’s ability to deal with adversity.

There were also some other interesting nuggets in that story. The article mentioned that Gavin Fien is likely to see most of his time at third base. That is not much of a surprise, despite the fact he was technically drafted as a shortstop. Fien, who came over in the MacKenzie Gore trade projects as a bat first third baseman. Offensively, he reminds me a bit of a young Ryan Zimmerman.

We saw what Fien could do in the Spring Breakout game. He hit two doubles off of top pitching prospect Liam Doyle. Fien seems like a guy who could be among the league leaders in doubles with his line drive heavy approach, while also having enough strength to hit 25 homers one day. I love what I have seen from him so far and he should be a quick riser in prospect circles.

He is not the only guy that will have to change positions though. Nats executive Devin Pearson mentioned that Luke Dickerson will be playing mostly at second base and in the outfield. Dickerson got a massive over-slot signing bonus in the second round in 2024. He had a hot start to the season, but tailed off in part due to playing through an injury.

Like most of these guys, Dickerson was drafted as a shortstop, but will have to move around. I think the outfield could be a good home for him. His build reminds me of a Mike Trout or Wyatt Langford, which is why I think the outfield would be a good home. Obviously, he has a long way to go to be like those guys as players, but his build is similar. Dickerson is also very fast, but does not have the best hands in the infield.

Another guy who could bounce between the infield and outfield could be Devin Fitz-Gerald. The 20 year old was a big part of the MacKenzie Gore return and is a polished switch hitter. He played all over the infield as a Rangers prospect, but should mostly play second or third with the Nats. Devin Pearson also mentioned he could get some reps in the outfield.

Fitz-Gerald is a smart player with solid fundamentals, but he is not the twitchiest athlete. That sounds like a second base profile to me. I hope he can stay in the infield, because being a corner outfielder would put more pressure on his bat. That bat is very good though. His season was cut short due to injury, but he showed a very well rounded offensive skillset when he did play.

Fitz-Gerald is the son of a very successful high school coach, and that shows up on the field. Those smarts should allow him to play a number of different positions at a solid level. We are seeing more of an emphasis being placed on versatility at the MLB level so far this year, and the same thing is happening in the minors.

One player who will not be moving around much though is former first overall pick Eli Willits. The 18 year old is a no doubt shortstop and will be treated as such. He has the chance to be an above average to plus defender at the position. Even in his first taste of Low-A last year, Willits looked like a great defender at just 17.

He is the Nats crown jewel at the moment. Willits’ speed, defense, contact and plate discipline make him very well rounded. He may never hit for a ton of power, but he does not need to with how good the rest of his game is. Willits could look a lot like Geraldo Perdomo, who might be the most underrated player in baseball right now.

One final guy I want to touch on for a bit is Ronny Cruz. The Nats acquired him in the Michael Soroka deal last July. Based on how he is being talked about this spring, that could be a steal. Paul Toboni has had glowing praise for him on multiple occasions. I also saw him homer in a Spring Training game. Whenever I have seen him hit this spring, he has looked very comfortable.

That is very encouraging for a guy who was viewed as raw and did not light up rookie ball last year. Cruz should start the year in Low-A, and will play all around the infield. I have seen him play second, short and third base in my viewings of him this spring. He is a good athlete and a solid defender.

The Nats are just totally overflowing with teenage infield talent. I did not even get to Coy James and Marconi German, two talented youngsters who should start the year in Rookie Ball. There are so many mouths to feed that some of these guys may have to get out of their comfort zones.

The only time I can remember the Nats having a problem like this in the past was all the outfielders they had a couple years ago. Other than that, the Nats prospect pool has been too thin to have these kinds of first world problems. Paul Toboni and Devin Pearson will have to find a way to get all of these guys game time, but these are the kinds of problems front offices want to have.

Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo drop their official 2026 season preview episode of The Mets Pod, with help from new SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes.

Connor and Joe chat with Chelsea about her first spring training covering the Mets for SNY, what she saw in Port St. Lucie from Carson Benge, Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., the starting staff, bullpen, and more, plus ask for a player to keep an eye on this summer who may surprise.

Later, the guys take the big picture temperature of the starting rotation, bullpen, lineup, and defense of the Mets heading into the regular season, drop their 2026 season predictions that will of course be hilarious to recap later on, go Down on the Farm to review the Spring Breakout Game, and answer Mailbag questions about Nolan McLean and his old college teammate, Mr. Benge.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Cristopher Sanchez will be a member of the Phillies rotation until 2032.

Jesus Luzardo is at least under team control until 2032.

Aaron Nola will be in Philadelphia until 2030.

Zack Wheeler is only under contract for two more seasons including this one.

Andrew Painter is under control for six years.

The Phillies believe in paying for their starting rotation, especially when they believe the members of that starting rotation are worthy of higher compensation. How good they will continue to be at the end of those contracts remains to be seen, but you don’t pay players for the end of the contract. You pay them for the now and right now, the Phillies should feel secure in who they have together for the next few years.

There is a question though.

Unless there is some other nook and cranny in the ballpark that has yet to be commercialized, there is an end to the resources the team has to put into the team’s payroll. At some point, someone will say “Enough.” and not swim in the deeper waters of free agency. Yet they’ll continue to have a lot of those resources tied up in the rotation. Is that the wisest use of those resources?

On the one hand, the players that they have identified and extended are good! They’re worthy of being paid that much money because they are good pitchers. It’s not as though they are extending five Taijuan Walker-esque pitchers. Rather, they’re getting pitchers that are at, or near, the top of their vocation.

On the other hand, it’s a volatile position where perceived depth can evaporate as quickly as one thinks it can appear. Were something to happen to any of them, that’s a significant chunk of their payroll doing not a whole lot to bring back a return.

It’s definitely a good question, a good way to think about roster construction.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Phillies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week is exciting in Cardinals Nation for multiple reasons, with Opening Day being the most important element of it all. The Cardinals return to St. Louis on Thursday and will take on the Tampa Bay Rays to open the 2026 season. Gabe and I had the privilege of sitting down with Pre/Post Host for the Cardinals Radio Network, Matt Pauley. St. Louis listeners can hear him on 1120 KMOX AM/104.1 FM. Matt is also on from 5-6 PM Monday-Friday for “Rush Hour Sports.” On applicable nights, you can hear Matt on “Sports open line,” where listener calls drive the show, and Matt or whoever is hosting answers and expands on the sports topics asked.

Matt Pauley is one of the hardest-working people around the Cardinals sphere, and there aren’t many who are more in the know than he is. We covered SO MANY topics with Matt, who was very gracious with his time. Matthew Liberatore, Ivan Herrera, Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, JJ Wetherholt, and more!

We have more exciting news to announce later this week regarding podcast-related content for this site, so stay tuned for that! As for the Viva El Birdos podcast, it was a welcome return to normalcy on this week’s episode, as we have been able to run past our tech issues and get back to a level of expectation that we had established previously, and hopefully will continue to grow and get better, much like the young pitchers in the minor leagues.

Just when it all seemed too easy, the Milwaukee Brewers shake things up. Entering the final exhibition game of the year before Opening Day on Thursday, the Brewers had 26 healthy players in camp. It seemed like the roster was set and there would be no more drama with the roster construction.

Then the Brewers made a trade.

Right before Pat Murphy’s media availability on Tuesday, the Brewers announced they had acquired RHP Jake Woodford from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league pitcher K.C. Hunt and cash considerations. Outfielder Akil Baddoo was transferred to the 60-day IL to make 40-man roster space.

What Jake Woodford brings

Woodford throws five pitches, including three fastball variations: a sinker, cutter, and a traditional four-seam. He also has a sweeper and a changeup in his arsenal. Woodford has a career 5.10 ERA and his ERA was over 6.00 last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was in Rays camp on a minor league deal with a non-roster invite.

The 29-year-old righty is primarily sinker/sweeper against righties and four-seam/changeup against lefties.

“Happy to have him. He’s pitched in a number of different roles. He’s been a veteran in the league for a while. A guy we faced, obviously, with St. Louis. We have some history with him, and he’s an interesting arm that can play a valuable role in a number of different spots in our bullpen or potentially even at the front of games. So again, just at the point where we wanted to add some depth and he’s right-handed, and I think we’re obviously a little more skewed to the left-hand side, so we feel like he’s a really good fit for us.” Brewers PBO Matt Arnold told reporters.

The Brewers had just five right-handed relievers on their 40-man roster prior to this trade: Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, Grant Anderson, Craig Yoho, and Easton McGee. Yoho is on the IL to start the season.

“Followed his career obviously in St. Louis. [Woodford] did a really nice job against us. He was a good player out of Tampa as an amateur. Got a big signing bonus and has been on our radar for a while,” Arnold added.

Woodford is out of minor league options, so now that he’s added to the 40-man, he must remain up with the big-league club. It remains to be seen if he’ll arrive in time for Opening Day. The Brewers have 72 hours to activate him after a trade, so they could wait until Friday to put him on the roster.

On the other side, the Brewers shipped out Hunt, who was ranked No. 48 on my Top 50 Brewers prospects list this spring. Hunt had a 4.45 ERA last year in Double-A Biloxi across 26 starts covering 121 1/3 IP. An undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2023, Hunt exploded onto prospect radars in 2024 with a 2.03 ERA across three levels. He wasn’t quite able to maintain that success last year and with the sheer depth of starting pitching in the upper minors, Hunt became expendable depth.

“He’s certainly done a really good job. Obviously have to give up something to get something and you feel like just accelerating what K.C. Hunt was into what we believe is a guy who can contribute to our major league team right now was something we felt like made sense” Arnold said.