MLB News
The Dodgers are back under the lights, this time for the first time on the road, on Friday against the Seattle Mariners in Peoria.
Landon Knack starts for the Dodgers, making his fourth appearance this spring. Cade Anderson is on the mound for Seattle.
HOUSTON — The USA players hung out in their posh team hotel Wednesday night watching the Mexico-Italy game, while manager Mark DeRosa and the staff had a watch party at pitching coach Andy Pettitte’s home with steaks on the grill.
The tension ended halfway through the game, once Italy scored five runs, and all of the stress was over.
They could exhale.
They were still alive in the World Baseball Classic.
The moment Italy took a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning over Mexico, it guaranteed USA would advance because of the tiebreaker rules, making no difference that Italy would win, 9-1. San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb, who was with his family in the hotel restaurant, got up from his table and immediately high-fived Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who was with his family. The next they knew, the entire restaurant was fist-bumping.
“We were all excited,’’ said Webb, USA’s starting pitcher in Friday’s quarterfinal against Canada (8 p.m. ET, FOX) at Daikin Park. “It's tough when stuff is not in your control. I think that was the hardest part. But shout-out to Italy for getting it done.’’
So instead of packing their bags and scurrying out of town, here they were Thursday afternoon, back at Daikin Field relaxed, taking batting practice, but more determined than ever to take advantage of this new lease on life in this World Baseball Classic.
They were given a scare, received a stay of execution, and now fully plan to capitalize beginning in the single-elimination quarterfinals. If they win, they’ll fly to Miami on Saturday with a semifinal game Sunday against the winner of the Dominican Republic and Korea quarterfinal.
They learned their lesson after getting smacked in the mouth by Team Italy, who went undefeated in pool play.
“New lease on life for the boys, certainly,’’ USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “Put ourselves in a tough spot. Tip our hat to Vinnie Pasquantino and Italy, truly. Went into that game a little overly confident and got a huge wake-up call. We turned the page and got Canada.
“Bottom line, the guys are fired up to be in that room and get rolling.’’
There will be no late get-togethers, no brash comments, and no getting ahead of themselves talking about playing in the World Baseball Classic championship game.
Yet, they do want to make it perfectly clear that they are taking this seriously, with DeRosa and the USA players insisting everyone knew all along what was at stake against Italy. The loss forced them to rely on Italy either winning Wednesday, or scoring at least four runs, to advance to the quarterfinals instead of Mexico.
“I think there's a couple false narratives out there,’’ DeRosa said. “I was well aware that we had to win that game based on all the scenarios that could take place. I mean, they [Italy] went in 2-0. We went in 2-0. And we knew they were playing Mexico the next day. We knew there was tiebreaker rules involved.
“So, I can understand the questions about lineup and pitching situations. We were up against a lot of guardrails with regards to teams, the deployment of certain relievers, how many pitches they can use, whether they can go back out, whether they can clean up innings. And you're just trying to piece it together in real time.’’
The only real mistake DeRosa made was saying they had “punched their ticket’’ to the quarterfinals Tuesday morning on MLB Network when they still had not clinched a spot. He knew when he arrived at the ballpark that he made a mistake on air but insists it had nothing to do with his lineup. He drew criticism playing Paul Goldschmidt at first instead of Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson at third instead of Alex Bregman or even Pete Crow-Armstrong instead of Byron Buxton. And the only reason Clayton Kershaw was warming up in the eighth inning was in case David Bednar reached his pitch count of 25 pitches.
“It was just an overly confident statement on 'Hot Stove,' period,’’ DeRosa said, “the end. And it's my fault. I felt good about where we were after Mexico.’’
And about that late night get-together in the clubhouse after defeating Mexico, with DeRosa offering that a few players were “dragging’’ the next day.
“Listen, us hanging out in a clubhouse is everything I ever dreamed of creating,’’ DeRosa said. “You've got to buy into this thing super quick and try and create a team. For those players to invite the coaches in and for us to spend time together, and enjoy a huge win that we hadn't had in 20 years [over Mexico] was something that was super special to me.
“We did not lose sight of the fact that we had to go out and play well against Italy. They played a hell of a game. They smacked us in the mouth early. They got up big. We went into that game prepared to win it.’’
The players backed up DeRosa, saying that while they might have been overconfident, everyone knew was at stake, and were startled to see the outcry.
“I don’t understand that,’’ USA captain Aaron Judge said. “We want to win every single game. Yeah, we got kicked in the mouth. That’s how you respond now. We got to go out there and take care of business. We’re going to treat it like every other game.
“We’re out there to win. We’re out there to beat some teams down.’’
USA slugger Kyle Schwarber also was exasperated by the narrative that USA treated the Italy game like a spring training exhibition, and that they didn’t care whether they won or lost, believing they already had a quarterfinal berth clinched.
“That was the furthest thing from the truth ...’’ he said. “I don’t like that perception. We have a baseball team full of great players, and we got beat. You tip your hat. But it wasn’t because we 'sold it,' or whatever you want to say. They beat us, fair and square. We put ourselves in that position and we’re moving on.
“We’re moving on, and now we’ve got to find a way to keep it going.’’
If Team USA wasn’t taking it seriously, Schwarber and Bryce Harper would have sent text messages to Italy starter Aaron Nola, imploring him to beat Mexico. They left him alone. They’re all competitors wanting the same gold medal. It was only after Nola came out of the game that Schwarber congratulated him for his five shutout-inning performance, but as a Phillies teammate, not as Team Italy pitcher.
“The reality is that it was out of our control, and you got to swallow the pill, but I’m happy that it ended up where we’re moving on,’’ Schwarber said. “Nobody wanted to go back home. It just wouldn’t have felt right.
“Now, we’re at the point where we can control our own fate.’’
While the DeRosa controversy died down with USA qualifying for the quarterfinals, a new one arose Thursday with several pitchers leaving the WBC and returning to their spring training camps. Yankees reliever Ryan Yarbrough, Royals starter Michael Wacha and Mets starter Clay Holmes left the team. Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who was their emergency pitcher, will be removed from the roster after Friday’s game, DeRosa said. They will be replaced by Tigers reliever Will Vest, Blue Jays reliever Tyler Rogers and Yankees reliever Tim Hill. Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan, who is scheduled to pitch the potential championship game along with Mets starter Nolan McLean, will replace Kershaw.
“I completely understand that,’’ DeRosa said. “There's a lot of pressure from the parent clubs to get these guys ramped up for the start of the season. If [Boyd] is going to be the Opening Day starter for the Cubs, we had to guarantee him innings. The game’s going to dictate now. Pool play is a different animal. Trying to weave our way through it from a pitching standpoint, all bets are off now.’’
Webb, who won the first game against Brazil, says he also understands why so many pitchers have returned to camp. Yet, he never considered departing, and even after he pitches Friday, he’ll remain with the team in Miami.
“I completely understand where all those guys are coming from, especially guys that have come out of the bullpen that are starters during the season,’’ Webb said. So, it's difficult. For me it wasn't. I guess I was just kind of one of the lucky ones that got to kind of keep [the routine] it the same.’’
And even though he won’t pitch again after Friday, there’s no way Webb is about to depart back to Scottsdale, Arizona, and leave his USA teammates behind.
“I want to see it through,’’ Webb said. “No offense to the teams that I've played on before, I love all those guys, but this is probably the most fun I've had with a group of guys.
“We've got three games to go, and then hopefully winning a gold at the end.’’
It’s not as if USA needed any motivation, but their Italy loss does remind them that anything can happen on any given night, and with it now being a single-elimination tournament, one bad night can send your home.
“We all know that no one’s invincible,’’ Schwarber said. “There’s always a good time to have a little slap in the face. I think that brings guys more together at the end of the day.’’
So could the Italy loss be a blessing in disguise, a much-needed wake-up call?
“We'll see,’’ Judge said, “if we’re holding that gold medal.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on Bluesky and X @Bnightengale.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Team USA has added motivation going into WBC quarterfinal vs. Canada
With the 2026 season opener two weeks away, most of the Astros’ Opening Day 26-man roster is coming into focus. A few spots, however, remain unsettled. After the signing of Christian Vázquez and the announcement that Josh Hader will start the season on the IL, here’s my second pass at how things could shake out:
Starting pitchers: Hunter Brown, Christian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCullers Jr
Also considered: None
Everything appears to have gone according to plan for the four perceived rotation locks — Brown, Javier, Burrows, and Imai — along with Arrighetti and McCullers, the favorites for the final two spots. All six are healthy, and all six have been effective in most of their outings.
Bullpen: Bryan Abreu, Bryan King, Steven Okert, AJ Blubaugh, Ryan Weiss, Bennett Sousa, Enyel De Los Santos
Also considered: Roddery Muñoz, Peter Lambert, Nate Pearson, Kai-Wei Teng
We know Josh Hader will start the season on the IL, but I’m working under the assumption that Enyel De Los Santos, who is scheduled to throw a live BP on Friday, will be ready for Opening Day.
Slow-playing things and having De Los Santos start the season on the IL would open a roster spot for Rule 5 pick Muñoz, who must remain on the roster all season or be sent back to Cincinnati. His velocity and strikeout numbers have been impressive this spring. The Astros could send Muñoz back to the Reds and then try to re-acquire him via trade.
Former second round pick Peter Lambert has put himself on the radar with an impressive spring following a season in Japan.
Catchers: Yainer Diaz, Christian Vázquez
Also considered: Cèsar Salazar
Vázquez has been with Puerto Rico in the WBC since rejoining the Astros on a minor league deal last week, but I don’t think he signed with the intention of starting the season in Sugar Land. Salazar is out of options, however, so sending him down risks losing him on the waiver wire. I think the Astros will ultimately take that risk.
Infielders: Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Jeremy Peña, Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes, Nick Allen
Also considered: Brice Matthews, Zach Dezenzo
I am working under the assumption that Peña will not need to start the season on the IL. He’s scheduled to be re-evaluated next week, so we’ll have a clearer picture then.
Outfielders/DH: Yordan Alvarez Jake Meyers, Zach Cole, Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido
Also considered: Taylor Trammell, Zach Dezenzo
Loperfido has hit in four straight games after a dreadful start, so I have him moving ahead of Trammell, who has had a nice spring himself. Cole’s numbers haven’t been great, but he has done a good job of getting on base, and I think the Astros would like for him to make the Opening Day roster.
Location: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL
How to Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home against the Atlanta Braves, where they will try and pick up another win in the Grapefruit League.
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
The Yankees continue to make some cuts at spring training, this afternoon announcing that they had reassigned their top prospect George Lombard Jr. to minor league camp. Right-handed pitchers Ben Hess and Brendan Beck also were reassigned.
Lombard had an uneven but tantalizing run at big league camp, flashing his huge potential at times. His mammoth home run off of Garrett Crochet earlier in the month stands as one of the most impressive swings from a Yankee this spring training:
As impressive as that showing was, Lombard is still just 20 and hit .185 in 11 exhibition games, with 12 strikeouts in 33 plate appearances. His time with the big club in spring was never about making the actual team, but to see how the fledgling prospect looked in a short spurt against high level competition. Lombard showed just fine in that regard, largely not looking out of place in games with actual big leaguers. He’s the team’s consensus top-ranked prospect, and his arrow is still pointed upward as he prepares to start his regular season in the high minors.
Though perhaps not as starry a talent as Lombard, Hess has played well in spring training, and is a dark horse to potentially help out the major league team this year. He impressed in a three-inning outing against the Pirates, striking out five and generating 11 whiffs in 48 pitches. Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez are higher up on the organizational depth chart, but Hess, the Yankees’ 2024 first-round pick, could be a pick to click this summer if he can wring a little more velo out of his heater, or else make improvements to other parts of his arsenal.
Beck was part of Great Britain’s squad at the World Baseball Classic, throwing four hitless, shutout innings in a start against Brazil. The 27-year-old posted a 3.36 ERA across 131.1 innings in the high minors last year, and comes in ranked 22nd on MLB Pipeline’s Yankees top 30 list.
The Mets dropped their road game in Jupiter to the Cardinals this afternoon, as Sean Manaea gave up three runs in two-and-two-thirds innings of work. With a lineup featuring many projected Opening Day starters, the Mets only had five hits on the day.
The Mets are in split-squad mode tomorrow, as they’ll send a team to face the Nationals in West Palm Beach at 6:05 PM EDT while fielding a team at home to host the Marlins for a game at 6:10 PM EDT. The former will not be televised, but the latter will be on WPIX.
With the news yesterday that Bryce Miller’s timeline will be delayed by at least a week, today’s Emerson Hancock start against the Cubs takes on a bit more significance. Hancock has looked sharp this spring, showcasing an improved sweeper and holding his velocity well; today he’ll be tasked to do so as a starter instead of piggybacking off Kade Anderson, who will get tomorrow’s start against the Dodgers (which will be televised on SNLA). Hancock is slated to throw around four innings/50 pitches, similar to the other starters.
Lineups:
Also scheduled to pitch for Seattle: Alex Hoppe, Troy Taylor, Josh Simpson, Casey Legumina.
Don’t get your hopes up of seeing an old friend at third base: that is Jefferson Rojas, who spent most of 2025 at High-A South Bend. Trade acquisition Edward Cabrera gets the start on the mound for the North Siders, who today named former Mariner and Seattle-area native Matt Boyd as their Opening Day starter.
Injury updates:
Yesterday Bryce Miller reported tightness while throwing his bullpen session and his bullpen was immediately cut short. Dan Wilson says that from what he understands with imaging on Miller, things actually look better, and gave his young pitcher credit for having the maturity to say something and also seek advice from teammates who have undergone a similar injury, all of whom told him not to push it.
Today’s game information:
Game time: 1:05 PT
TV: No
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports (delayed to 7 PM PT); live on Gameday, Seattle Sports app
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves and have 40 players in camp.
Reassigned to Minor League camp:
No major surprises here. The best known name is probably Jarvis, who has appeared 67 times for the D-backs over the past three seasons. However, he was designated for assignment in December, and subsequently taken off the 40-man roster.
After Taylor Clarke, pitchers likely to appear include LHP Brandyn Garcia, RHP Drey Jameson, RHP Juan Morillo, RHP Shawn Dubin and RHP John Curtiss. All except Dubin, who was on the reassigned list above, are still potentially contending for a spot in the bullpen. Garcia is the most likely: he and Morillo have each tossed four scoreless innings this spring. But Brandyn has the advantage of being a southpaw, something in perilously short supply for the Diamondbacks. I’ll get an updated Opening Day roster prediction written up, and likely posted tomorrow night.
No broadcast again today, but things improve over the weekend, with three consecutive Dbacks.TV games.
Today the Texas Rangers have yet another hated American League West opponent in for a Cactus League contest with the Athletics of Northern California arriving to Surprise.
RHP Jack Leiter is next to take the mound for Texas while the Ranger bats will face RHP J.T. Ginn of the Athletics.
The A’s have a radio feed but you can also follow along on Gameday. First pitch from Surprise Stadium is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT.
Go Rangers!
In 2019, a 16-year-old Jasson Domínguez became a multi-millionaire, coming to terms on a $5.2 million signing bonus with America’s most iconic franchise. In the just under seven years since, he’s encountered a lot, from losing a year of development due to COVID-19 to his minor-league breakout and rapid MLB debut to Tommy John surgery to losing opportunities in his true rookie year of 2025 due to the emergence of Trent Grisham.
Entering 2026, the now-23-year-old Domínguez is likely ticketed for Triple-A to continue developing, but he’s still got a chance to prove he belongs on the major-league roster. After a rare home run from the right side on Tuesday against the Phillies, the Martian flipped back to his strong side and replayed a highlight from the first at-bat of his MLB career in September 2023, blasting a long home run off Justin Verlander to get the Yankees started in an eventual 4-3 win over the Tigers in an untelevised game in Lakeland.
Nestled away in front of zero cameras in Lakeland, the Yankees got a quick start off of their longtime foe Verlander, facing the Bombers in a Detroit uniform for the first time in 3,561 days. After the 43-year-old froze Ben Rice to start the game, he coughed up back-to-back home runs to Domínguez and Escarra. The Martian’s blast was especially notable, going 431 feet to deep right-center field.
Will Warren sat down the Tigers 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the first, allowing the home run parade to continue off of Verlander in the second. Non-roster invite Seth Brown gave us a preview of what we’ll see in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, showing off his great pop with his first home run of the spring to make it 3-0 Yanks.
Warren struck out a pair in the home half, blowing a 1-2 fastball past Spencer Torkelson at the top of the zone and dialing it up to 95 to get Zach McKinstry swinging to end the second. He continued rolling in the third, only being threatened by a long fly out by Javier Báez before inducing a pair of groundouts, retiring the first nine in order.
Verlander appeared like he was beginning to settle down after allowing three early home runs, but he got into another jam in the fourth. Spencer Jones tapped a ball through the right side and hustled out a double with one out before both Brown and Max Schuemann drew walks to load the bases and chase the future Hall of Famer. Brant Hurter came on in an unenviable situation, but struck out both George Lombard Jr. and Yanquiel Fernández to get out of trouble.
The Tigers’ lineup flipped over in the fourth, but they still had no answer for Warren, who had now tossed four perfect innings on just 41 pitches. Hurter stayed on for Detroit in the fifth and did the same to the top of the Yankees’ order, striking out Rice in a 1-2-3 frame.
After retiring his 13th consecutive batter to start the game, Warren finally faltered and gave up a single to Dillon Dingler and a home run to McKinstry to cut the Yankees’ lead to 3-2. Veteran Kenley Jansen, whom I just learned today is a Tiger, pitched the sixth for Detroit and worked around a two-out error to put up another zero, striking out DeJong and Jones in the process.
Still working extremely efficiently, Warren closed out a rare spring training quality start, tossing six solid innings on just 64 pitches. He only had two strikeouts and once again surrendered his only damage against lefties, but he was able to manage contact effectively, which will be valuable for a guy without overwhelming velocity.
Cade Winquest got the ball in the seventh in relief of Warren, looking to string together some good outings with less than two weeks left before the Yankees have to make a Rule 5 decision. It didn’t start well, as he plunked Hunter Dobbins on 0-2 to lead off the inning. He wasn’t fazed, though, inducing a pair of groundballs from Torkelson and Dingler to get the three outs he needed to end the inning while sitting 96 on his fastball.
After loading the bases and forcing Verlander out of the game in the fourth, the Tigers retired 14 of the next 15 Yankees, with the only baserunner being the sixth-inning error. Angel Chivilli pitched the eighth for the Yankees and got into trouble, allowing a double to Brett Callahan and an infield single to Max Anderson, neither hit harder than 88 mph, to put runners on the corners with one out.
He jumped ahead of Jude Warwick 1-2 with a changeup he chased in the dirt, but he doubled up on the pitch, and the Tigers’ prospect reached down and skied it to right field for a game-tying sacrifice fly. Chivilli jumped ahead of Bennett Lee and struck him out with a changeup, but the game was now tied at three.
Miguel Palma broke a 15-batter streak by Tigers pitching in the ninth with a leadoff walk against Johan Simon. 2025 draft pick Kaeden Kent upped the pressure by battling back from 0-2 to line a single to right field. Nick Torres chased a slider in the dirt for the first out, but the ball got away and allowed the go-ahead run to get to third with one out. Coby Morales struck out, Jace Avina got plunked to load the bases, and the Tigers made a pitching change.
Logan Berrier, who predominantly pitched for Low-A Lakeland in 2025, faced Josh Moylan, who plays first base for High-A Hudson Valley, with the bases loaded and two outs in a tie game in the ninth inning. Moylan jumped ahead 3-0, fell back into a full count, and drew a go-ahead seven-pitch walk. Braden Shewmake also jumped ahead 3-1 right after, but hit a hard groundball right to the second baseman to end the inning.
Nursing a 4-3 lead, Bradley Hanner was tasked with closing this one out. He struck out Corey Julks, induced a soft lineout from Samuel Gil, and ended the game with an Andrew Jenkins groundout.
The Yankees will stay on the road and travel to CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida, to take on the Atlanta Braves on Friday at 1:05 pm. Ryan Weathers will look to bounce back in his third spring start against Didier Fuentes. The game will be televised on MLB Network and the Gotham Sports App.
The Houston Astros enter the season unlike any other in quite sometime. Astros fans don’t need a reminder of missing the Postseason in 2025. Also with a looming work stoppage and the CBA agreement set to expire Dec of this year. The time is NOW. What is one of the most effective ways to win in baseball. Pitching. The Astros have quietly put together a Top 3 rotation with a solid back end and a ton reinforcements to catapult themselves into the discussion when it comes to taking back the AL West Crown.
These three pitchers have been outstanding this Spring, chronicled very eloquently by Apollo Media on X! The Graphic is top notch much like the pitchers crushing it in Spring Training.
Hunter Brown has looked sharp, and appears to already be in mid season form. His place in the AL power pitcher Rankings seems to only grow with time. He is looking to have an even better season, and there’s no reason to think he can’t top 2025. He has more and more reinforcements than ever. Not to mention a top 3 that sees 2 new names on it that are new additions to the 2026 Roster. If you have been following social media much a new X account has been launched called Pitcher List. Take a look at Hunter Brown’s Card from his last start:
Now you would have to follow them for a full explanation of their scoring system, but an A has always been a top grade. Hunter Brown is very confident in who he is, what he can accomplish as well the command of the pitches he throws. His arsenal includes a nasty slider, Curveball, change up and Four seam Fastball. His usage of these pitches and how he is able to dial up the speed make him a clear Top 3 pitcher in the American League.
There was a TON of talk about Iami being one of the most sought after free agents in MLB, well that was until the Houston Astros signed him. Just search his name and look at all the doubters once he put on the dreaded orange and blue. The copium was and still is palpable. Tatsuya has a ton of ?’s, not because his talent is in doubt, and there are a few things to factor in here. A new country, the game is different, the baseball is not the same, the way catchers call games, the pressure and of course the dreaded word “EXPECTATION”.
All in all he has handled it quite well. His most recent start he went out and touched 98.4 on the radar gun as well induced swings and misses. In his most recent pitchers list card you can see his results:
I mean we could look at score cards all day, but what does Imai think of the job he did this last time out? He has been going through a trial and error approach. He says the mound is a different height than what he is used to. He also has adjusted where he stands on the pitching rubber as well. He got into a grove and pitched very well. On his previous outing he produced an 86% whiff rate with his reverse slider. It ‘s what we in baseball call a unicorn pitch, that most hitters are going to struggle with especially right handers.
Imai was also asked about his confidence going into the season and how he’s pitched. “I don’t associate how well I did on the mound with confidence level. It comes more from wether or not I would pitch the way I want to, the way I come set, and what I would like to do.” Imai’s interpreter said after his most recent outing.
I have contended that Tatsuya Imai will be the Astros #3 starter behind Mike Burrows. Some of that is due to his newness to MLB, and in the end in a postseason scenario he very well could be a #2 starter.
When you hear the phrase “Man, he pulled the string on them.” You are probably watching or listening to one of Mike Burrows Spring Training outings for the Houston Astros, or you could be thinking back to 2025 when he faced the Astros while in a Pirates uniform and carved up the starting lineup that day.
Going back to see where he came from, Burrows was selected by Pittsburgh in the 11th round of the 2018 draft, Burrows’ path to the big leagues took a detour after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He briefly reached the majors in 2024 with a single appearance, then logged a larger role last season with 23 outings (19 starts). Because of what the Astros saw, and how he has performed this spring, I would say Mike Burrows comes as advertised and even better according to most estimations.
I am not the only one saying that Mike Burrows is the real deal. This just furthers my case for him to be the number 2.
Avid baseball fans are aware that a number 1 guy or number 3 guy isn’t all that important outside of who the Ace is of each club. Where the rubber meets the road is when you get into the post season. For the Astros making it to the Post season is their Top priority after clinching the A.L. West. During the season the Astros early on will go with a 6 man rotation. To add to the arsenal, they will also have pitchers coming off surgery recovery who could actually contribute, not to mention a stack of arms in AAA Sugar Land.
Time will tell who pitches when, one thing we do know is this the Astros Top 3 are going to be GREAT granted they stay healthy, perform up to expectations and go out and dominate opposing lineups. I have not talked once about the other starting pitchers for a reason, they are the middle or back end rotation guys in my book. I do look forward to tackling Spencer Arrighetti, Ryan Weiss (who I think has a real shot at making the rotation), Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers, Jr. (who’s not looked bad this spring), and Aj Blubaugh. We will save that for my next installment.
Please check out my two podcast, Back to the Bullpen on the Locked on MLB Youtube Channel where Mike Stanton and I tackle the league, as well Locked on Astros as Eric and I go into our 7th season together on the most listened to Astros podcast on the planet!
The Houston Astros (7-8-3) host the Washington Nationals (10-4-3) in Grapefruit League action.
RHP Mike Burrows will make the start for the Astros, opposed by RHP Jake Irvin for the Nationals.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Mike Burrows, making his fourth start of the Spring, has been fantastic thus far, tossing 8.2 scoreless with 10 strikeouts, a 0.81 WHIP and a .103 opponent batting average through his three Grapefruit League starts.
The Astros acquired Burrows this offseason in a three-team, six-player trade from Pittsburgh. As part of the deal, the Astros traded OF Jacob Melton and minor leaguer RHP Anderson Brito to the Rays, while the Rays traded IF Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery to the Pirates.
Burrows pitched most of the season with the Pirates, making 23 appearances (19 starts) and going 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA (42ER/96IP). He struck out 97 hitters in 96.0 IP.
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: LHP Tom Cosgrove, LHP Bryan King, RHP Roddery Muñoz, LHP Bennett Sousa, RHP Logan VanWey.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have reassigned RHP Michael Knorr and RHP Anthony Maldonado to minor league camp.
Game Date/Time: Thursday, March 12, 5:05 p.m. CST
Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2
Suddenly, we find ourselves just two weeks from Opening Day and overdue for a 2026 King of Spring Training update. This year’s contest looks a little different than recent years because many players are playing in the World Baseball Classic, including a couple of KoST candidates. We’ve also unfortunately had a KoST campaign-ending injury since our last update. But on the flip side, we have one new addition to the field since last week. The race is pretty wide open at this point. It’s anybody’s game.
Pache sprinted ahead of the field to start our KoST contest, but his production at the plate has fallen off since. However, he’s still making highlight reels with his outfield defense. Pache’s nine hits still lead the team, alongside Carson Benge. He remains a favorite with a week and a half to go.
KoST Points: 3
Total KoST Points: 8
Melendez has not logged any at-bats since our last update because he is representing Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico will face Italy in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
KoST Points: 0
Total KoST Points: 4
Barnes is unfortunately hitless since our first update last week, so his KoST stock has fallen.
KoST Points: 0
Total KoST Points: 3
Carson Benge has been red hot this spring, so it seems unlikely at this point that an outfield roster spot is going to be ripped from him, but Mike Tauchman is doing his best. His batting average has fallen slightly since our last update, but he is still getting his knocks. The Mets are certainly giving him an extended look this spring. Unfortunately for him, Tyrone Taylor is having a strong spring as well, so Tauchman is likely to find himself on the outside looking in for the outfield battle, and possibly in the KoST race as well.
KoST Points: 2
Total KoST Points: 5
Bruján is the only new name on the KoST candidate list for this week. He had a slow start to spring and an injury sustained while trying to steal second base that sidelined him for a few days, but he has performed well since then, racking up five hits, six walks, and three stolen bases. Those six walks lead the team this spring.
KoST Points: 4
Total KoST Points: 4
Myers hasn’t appeared in any more games since our last update, but he did pitch in the game that is ongoing as I write this on Thursday afternoon. That outing and any others will be reflected in next week’s update.
KoST Points: 0
Total KoST Points: 4
RIP to Robert Stock’s KoST candidacy and his chances of being an unexpected addition to the 2026 Mets bullpen.
KoST Points: 0
Total KoST Points: 3
Warren has made just one appearance since our last update and lost his clean sheet, being scored upon for the first time this spring. Still, he has done enough in camp to demonstrate why he remains a solid depth piece for the Mets this year.
KoST Points: 1
Total KoST Points: 3
Matt Turner is arguably the fastest riser in this year’s KoST contest simply by virtue of the fact that he made two additional appearances since our last update and maintained his 0 ERA. He was reassigned to minor league camp on March 1. With two weeks left till Opening Day, he’s this year’s KoST dark horse.
KoST Points: 4
Total KoST Points: 6
The Chicago Cubs today announced that they have removed seven players from their Spring Training roster. Left-handed pitchers Luke Little and Ryan Rolison as well as outfielder Justin Dean were all optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Additionally, right-hander Vince Velazquez, catchers Ariel Armas and Casey Opitz, and outfielder Brett Bateman were all reassigned to minor league camp.
If you want to know the difference between the first three who were sent to Iowa and the other four, the first three are on the 40-man roster and the other four aren’t.
Of the 46 players left on the Cubs Spring Training roster, 25 are pitchers, four are catchers, ten are infielders and seven are outfielders. Thirteen of the 46 players are non-roster invitees: five pitchers, one catcher, four infielders and three outfielders.
It appears that Carlos Beltrán’s number 15 will soon be joining the other retired numbers up above the promenade in left field at Citi Field. According to Mike Puma, the organization is planning a ceremony to honor the former Mets’ center fielder and retire his number later this season. Originally, Beltran was going to be inducted into the tam Hall of Fame alongside Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine, but he is no longer part of that ceremony, which has been scheduled for May 30 at Citi Field.
Earlier this year, Beltrán was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his fourth year on the ballot, receiving 84.2% of the vote. A few weeks later, it was officially announced that he would go in wearing a Mets cap on his plaque, making him only the third player to enter Cooperstown with a Mets cap. He joins franchise legends Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza, who were, for a long time prior to Steve Cohen purchasing the club, the only two Mets players to have their number retired. Under the Wilpons’ ownership, it always seemed that entering the Hall of Fame with a Mets hat was a requirement to get your number retired, though Cohen in recent years has done wonders to celebrate the organization’s greats by retiring more numbers.
Beltrán is one of the best all-around players in franchise history, excelling with both his bat and his glove while in Queens. After signing a seven-year, $119 million deal prior to the 2005 season, he slugged 149 home runs, scored 551 runs, and drove in 559 runs while slashing .280/.369/.500 with a 127 wRC+ and a 29.3 fWAR in 848 games in New York. He experienced a rough first year in Flushing in 2005 and responded with a tremendous 2006 campaign, posting a 7.2 fWAR while slashing .275/.388/.594 with 41 homers, 127 runs scored, 116 runs batted in, and a 148 wRC+ in 140 games. He finished fourth in NL MVP voting and won his first of three straight Gold Glove awards and two consecutive Silver Sluggers. He also earned one of his five All-Star nods as a member of the Mets. However, he very unfairly became remembered by some fans for one particular at-bat, going down on three pitches against Adam Wainwright to conclude a Game 7 loss to the Cardinals. That would be Beltrán’s final postseason moment as a Met, though he hit three home runs during that NLCS.
Among position players all-time, he ranks third in WAR (31.2), fourth in OP (.869), sixth in OBP (.369), sixth in SLG (.500), seventh in home runs (149), seventh in doubles (208), seventh in RBI (559), tenth in walks (449), and tenth in runs scored (551). By all accounts, he remains one of the best offensive players in franchise history while playing terrific defense at a premium position. Like with David Wright, it seems the club will pair together his Hall of Fame induction and number retirement in one ceremony.
Beltrán’s number retirement will be the fourth in three years, and the seventh since Cohen took ownership of the club, joining Jerry Koosman’s 36 (2021), Keith Hernandez’s 17 (2022), Willie Mays’ 24 (2002 – done during Old Timer’s Day), Dwight Gooden’s 16 (2024), Darryl Strawberry’s 18 (2024), and David Wright’s 5 (2025).