SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 28: Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Saturday, February 28, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Zach Gardner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Kansas City Royals continue to barrel toward Opening Day; however, they’ve been missing a lot of key guys. And no, that’s not because of injuries, it’s because they are tearing it up in the World Baseball Classic and most of them are in the semifinals. Here is some of those key Royals and how they’ve fared in the WBC.
Anyways, back in Arizona, the Royals are struggling to win games, but that doesn’t matter a great deal, it’s about getting looks at some younger guys and others fighting for an Opening Day roster spot, which some are getting a longer look because of guys away for the WBC.
Cole Ragans gets the start today for Kansas City against divisional foe, the Chicago White Sox. Starling Marte is the designated hitter today, and a lot of “regular” guys start behind Cole today.
NORTH PORT, FL- FEBRUARY 22: JR Ritchie #92 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins on February 22, 2026 at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s recap is going to be a short and sweet, as this game was light on action and light on Braves’ roster candidates, as Jose Suarez got the start, to be followed by JR Ritchie.
Suarez looked pretty good by his standards, striking out 3, walking 2, and accruing 10 whiffs over 4.0+ scoreless innings and 61 pitches thrown. He allowed 4 batted balls over 95 MPH, two of which were ground balls. Overall a strong outing for Jose. Joel Payamps took over for Jose in the fifth after Jose gave up a leadoff single. After a bunt hit and a soft flyout, Payamps stuck out Marsh and Bohm to end the inning.
JR Ritchie entered the game in the sixth and hit Adolis Garcia to start his outing. Ritchie settled in after that, inducing a soft flyout and striking out two, ending the inning. He carried that momentum into the second inning, striking out the first two batters and ending the inning with a Trea Turner pop-out. It was more of the same for the last two innings, as Ritchie ended his outing with 4.0 no-hit innings with 6 strikeouts and just the one HBP as the lone baserunner, needing 52 pitches to get the job done. He worked with a large pitch mix, as is his norm and did so to devastating effect. That’s a really impressive outing for the Opening Day roster candidate and top prospect.
On the offensive side, the Braves’ quad-A lineup squandered a leadoff triple in the first and scattered a few baserunners but didn’t put up any runs against the Philly starter, Walker…or first reliever in Alvarado…or any other Philly pitcher until Tyler Tolve launched a solo homer in the ninth inning. Brett Wisely and Luke Williams each had two-hit days, which were also the only Braves hits outside of the Tolve homer. Luis Guanipa got a plate appearance in the ninth and struck out.
Join us again tomorrow as the Braves take on the Rays at 1:05 PM ET.
TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 08: Stuart Fairchild #17 of Team Chinese Taipei celebrates after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Chinese Taipei and South Korea at Tokyo Dome on March 8, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MIAMI — Michael Lorenzen will start for Italy and Keider Montero for Venezuela when the teams meet Monday night in a World Baseball Classic semifinal.
A 34-year-old right-hander, Lorenzen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the group stage 8-6 upset of the United States on Tuesday.
“I faced him many times,” said Italy manager Francisco Cervelli, a former big league catcher. “This is the perfect guy.”
Italy is in the semifinals for the first time of a tournament that started in 2006. Venezuela lost its only semifinal appearance, 10-2 to South Korea in 2009.
Lorenzen, an All-Star in 2023, was 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearances for Kansas City last year, then became a free agent and signed a one-year, $8 million contract with Colorado.
If Italy wins, Aaron Nola would be lined up to start Tuesday night’s final against the U.S. or the Dominican Republic.
Montero, a 25-year-old right-hander, pitched three scoreless innings of relief on Monday in a 4-0 first-round win over Nicaragua.
He made his big league debut on May 29, 2024, and was 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 12 starts and eight relief appearances last year for Detroit during a season in which he was optioned to Triple-A Toledo six times. Monero was 4-4 with a 5.91 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances for the Mud Hens.
Montero had three postseason appearances last year and got a save in the AL Division Series opener, an 11-inning win over Cleveland.
Italy made a pair of roster moves ahead of the semifinal: Left-hander Joe Jacques replaced Dylan DeLucia, who threw 58 pitches in Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Puerto Rico and under pitch-count rules is ineligible to take the mound on Monday. Infielder Brayan Rocchio took the roster spot of Miles Mastrobuoni, who got hurt in the game against the U.S.
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 23: Tanner Gordon #29 of the Colorado Rockies prepares to deliver a pitch during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Coors Field on May 23, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Saturday the Rockies lost… but they also won. In split squad action they were beat by the Milwaukee Brewers primarily due to a rough four run appearance from Victor Vodnik. At the same time, they bested the Cubs 4-3 after a scoreless three inning start from Kyle Freeland and a walk-off two run homer by Braxton Fulford.
Today the Rockies will come back together as a single full squad to take on the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
On the mound for the Halos is twenty two year old righthander Austin Gordon. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, Gordon struggled to limit runs (5.44 ERA over 84.1 innings) in his first year at High-A with the Tri City Dust Devils.
His 10.14 k/9 and 2.88 bb/9 paint a bit of a rosier picture of his first season as a professional, and he has only allowed two runs in six innings so far this spring. Still, Gordon currently projects as a potential back of the rotation starter with solid command and will need to start displaying a true put-away pitch to surpass that.
The Rockies will be countering with a Gordon of their own. Tanner Gordon (no relation) has been working this spring to add a two seam fastball to his repertoire but you wouldn’t know he was workshopping something new and unfinished just by looking at his results. So far this spring the Rockies’ Gordon has pitched seven innings of one run ball over three appearances while striking out eight and only allowing one walk.
That strong performance means that Gordon is still very much in the mix for a spot in the opening day rotation so todays results, alongside seeing how his new pitch progresses, have potential implications for the start of the season.
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Feb 12, 2026; Peoria, AZ, USA; Former Seattle Mariners player Ichiro Suzuki looks on during a Spring Training workout at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
If you’re interested in a little amuse bouche before tonight’s semi-final WBC game between the DR and US, the Mariners are playing an exhibition game against the Cincinnati reds this afternoon. George Kirby gets his third Cactus League start, where he’ll hope to round into cleaner form. Keep an eye on him between pitches to see how often he’s calling the game for himself, an innovation Kate dug into last week.
Facing off against him will be old friend Brandon Williamson, who was the headliner in the Mariners’ 2022 trade for Eugenio Suárez and Jesse Winker. Things haven’t gone great for him since the trade. He struggled with command problems, then sacrificed his whiffs to compensate. Then he got a bad case of the injury bug, with shoulder soreness and then TJ limiting him to just 30.2 total innings in 2024 and a goose egg in 2025. He’s looking to bounce back with a move to the bullpen, and his first seven innings this spring have been spectacular.
Lineups
Randy Arozarena makes his first appearance since his totally uneventful with no news around him whatsoever turn in the WBC. Refsnyder gets another start, and Luke Raley will get a chance to face a southpaw. “Taylor” at first base is Carson Taylor, who the Mariners picked up in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft.
Quite a few regulars in Cincinnati’s lineup today, including Noelvi Marte, the centerpiece of the trade that brought Luis Castillo to Seattle. I also forgot Ke’Bryan Hayes had been traded to the Reds, which forced Marte to the outfield.
News From Camp
Michael Arroyo, Michael Rucker, and Ryan Sloan have been reassigned to minor league camp.
Game Info
First pitch: 1:10 PT TV: No television broadcast today. Radio: Old Reliable
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Team USA starter Paul Skenes will have his hands full in Sunday's semifinal with the Dominican lineup that also includes All-Stars in Ketel Marte, Julio Rodriguez and Manny Machado.
Here's a look at the full Dominican Republic roster:
Dominican Republic roster for 2026 WBC
Infielders
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B)
Manny Machado (3B)
Ketel Marte (2B)
Geraldo Perdomo (SS)
Erik González (SS/UTIL) — Injury replacement for Jeremy Peña
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 12: Willie MacIver #47 of the Texas Rangers celebrates in the dugout during the game between the Athletics and the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Sydni Griffin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Alexis Diaz has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. The team also announced that catcher Willie MacIver has been optioned to AAA Round Rock and pitcher Jose Corniell has been optioned to AA Frisco. In addition, Jonah Bride, Cam Cauley and Gavin Collyer have all been re-assigned to the minor league camp.
Not really anything terribly surprising from this sequence of moves. Diaz, who was signed this offseason as a free agent, was designated for assignment two days ago when the Rangers needed a roster spot for Jalen Beeks. Diaz was very bad this spring after being very bad in 2025, and no team was apparently interested in devoting a 40 man roster spot to him. He will try to get things back on track at Round Rock once the AAA season starts.
Neither Corniell nor MacIver were candidates to be on the Opening Day roster, barring injury. Corniell, who returned from Tommy John surgery in the second half of 2025, is looking to pick up where he left off after a strong finish to the 2025 campaign, and show that he’s a viable option during the 2026 season should the Rangers need to call someone up to help out in the rotation. MacIver is the third catcher on the 40 man roster for a team that is only carrying two catchers on the active roster.
None of Bride, Cauley and Collyer were expected to be in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster when camp began. Collyer, who was re-signed by the Rangers after becoming a minor league free agent this past offseason, got good reviews this spring, to the point he was being mentioned as a possible bullpen candidate. Cauley, meanwhile, turned heads and impressed manager Skip Schumaker.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 10: Andrew McCutchen #4 of the Texas Rangers during the spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Surprise Stadium on March 10, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for March 15, 2026 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rangers have a spring road game lineup against the Dodgers today. Trey Supak is getting the start.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 10: Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts during a Spring Training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch on March 10, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers’ final Monday of the Arizona portion of their spring training will have them hosting the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch.
Tyler Glasnow gets the start for the Dodgers, remaining in line for an opening-series start. He tossed 4 1/3 innings his last time out, last Tuesday.
FORMER CUBS IN DODGERS CAMP: Kyle Tucker. That’s it.
CUBS vs. DODGERS: Today’s game is expected to draw a Sloan Park sellout of nearly 16,000 fans. The forecast high temperature is 90, before temps are expected to soar over 100 degrees beginning Wednesday.
Jameson Taillon, just back from the WBC, will start for the Cubs. The other Cubs pitchers scheduled today were not available at posting time.
Emmett Sheehan will start for the Dodgers. Other Dodgers pitchers scheduled today: Will Klein, Kyle Hirt and Antoine Kelly. As noted above, the Dodgers are a split squad today.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. There will be a radio broadcast on WSCR The Score.
Please visit our SB Nation Dodgers site True Blue LA. If you do go there to interact with Dodgers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 3 p.m. CT and 4:35 p.m. CT.
These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
Build Your Winning Bracket!
SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET)
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MARCH 11: A detail shot of a Spring Training San Francisco Giants hat in the dugtou prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With the best record and run differential in the Cactus League for the second Spring Training in a row, it makes a lot of sense that the San Francisco Giants fans are feeling pretty good about the team heading into the regular season. For the moment, let’s ignore what actually happened after last Spring Training’s triumph and stay on that positivity to examine the latest results of SB Nation Reacts poll. The question was straightforward: Where will the Giants finish in the NL West?
That’s a really strong poll, with just 40% of respondents believing the team won’t be vying for the division title or a Wild Card spot (thanks to those fans who took the time to cast a troll vote predicting they’d be worse than the Colorado Rockies). Yes, I’m perhaps prognosticating too negatively suggest that a third place finish won’t push the Giants into the postseason for the first time since 2021, but that seems pretty reasonable given a non-NL West field that will almost certainly include the Mets, Atlanta, Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, and possibly the Reds. There might be room for just one other team in the NL West to make the postseason or realistically scrap it out.
That’s if you believe San Diego and Arizona are too weak to be serious competitors (and, if you’re thinking about another division, the Reds) both within the division and that field. That might wind up being the case, but it’s still a massive prognostication that, to me, outweighs projecting a Wild Card field that might only include one NL West team. Yes, absolutely, the Giants could wind up being the second-best team in the division, but San Diego’s range of projections is so wide that while they could wind up in the 80 to 82 win range, they could also get to 88 or 90. The conventional wisdom all offseason has been that the Giants will be chasing the Padres in 2026. The consensus with the Diamondbacks is that they’ll almost certainly trail the Giants, suggesting a third place team at best (unless those trolls who cast the fifth place finish votes wind up being correct).
But that’s enough about the playoffs. That’s a six months from now problem. Today, it’s about basking in the positivity. If I were to have predicted the results of this prediction poll, I would’ve come pretty close to getting it right. The Giants are playing great and they’ve got just enough “new” in the mix to make the last three months of last season not only a distant memory, but in no way predictive for 2026. It certainly feels like there has been positive developments with the development section of the roster and that’s before you start thinking about Logan Webb, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos, and Jung Hoo Lee.
Indeed, this poll demonstrates that Giants fans have looked at the bullpen and concluded, “You know what? Keaton Winn will be 7th inning guy when the team breaks camp. Gregory Santos is the Prodigal Son who will setup Ryan Walker who will be a top tier closer despite how last season went. Buster Posey’s spaghetti-at-the-wall bullpen makes all the sense in the world.” They’ve seen the first six weeks of the schedule — which goes Yankees, Padres, at Mets, Phillies, at Orioles, at Reds (then at Nationals), Dodgers, Marlins, at Rays, Padres, Pirates, and Dodgers again — and have concluded, “Hey, they go 22-22 and they’re in great shape the rest of the way.”
A bad Spring Training record would not have engendered such optimism.
While there are probably fans who place a bet on the Giants winning the World Series every year no matter the odds, the Giants do appear to be a group with a lot more going on for it than wishcasting or “there’s always next year.” This is the second straight Spring Training where this basic roster core and executive group has looked competitive once assembled on a baseball field. Bob Melvin’s ancient staff of been there, done thats didn’t have any answers when that Spring Training success translated to regular season success but then floundered and you can bet that Tony Vitello and his coaching group won’t rest on “letting guys figure things out” if things go as terribly midseason as they did in 2025. The team’s makeup has changed with few changes to the team itself.
This week’s SB Nation Reacts report had two more questions included with the team-specific questions and came about because of the suspensions for Max Kepler and Jurickson Profar, who both tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in their system.
45% of MLB fans who voted in the SB Nation Reacts MLB polls this past week aren’t worried at all about PED usage in the sport. Only about 1/3 of fans see PEDs as, currently, a major problem and it’s a bit concerning that it’s so high. A major problem? I have a big smile on my face for the 20% result for “Only if it hurts my team.” Sometimes, that degree of lizard brained honesty is refreshing.
My lizard brain perceives the 35% thinking it’s a major problem as those who think the Dodgers are cheating and that the root of all evil is either the Dodgers or Yankees, because fans of a teams that usually stink must think that teams that try and win a lot must be the result of sorcery or some devil’s bargain. While it’s true that the Dodgers are The First Evil, the cause of all death and disaster in the universe, the histrionic segment of the US population that believes the key to “fixing” Major League Baseball is by constraining the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mets via the annihilation of the players’ collective bargaining power is no friend of mine or genuine fan of the sport. They’re tribalists who are channeling blood lust through team sport. I don’t find relief in inflicting pain on others, but I might be in the minority on that. But there will always be a group of people who want to hurt a stranger as much as they can imagine. And on that note, the second national poll question:
The majority of fans who voted are basically fine with the current punishment system, but a not-insignificant group of 41% wants more. I wonder how many of the “I only care if it affects my team” wanted harsher punishments. If my lived experience as an American is instructive at all, there’s probably a lot of overlap.
Of course, another suspension could be a big story for the labor negotiations, as the owners — and fans — have a list of grievances against the players they think will be compelling enough to impose a dumb stupid salary cap and a pathetic salary floor. We’re not there yet, though, and back to the point of this post: we’re not at the point where we can forget how well the Giants are doing right now.
Yes, zero negative and zero positive outcomes during Spring Training are predictive or matter, but it’s fun when the Giants win. That they’ve so rarely won over the past decade when the games have counted can’t get in the way of how they look today.
Lindor underwent surgery Feb. 11 to repair a stress fracture in his left hamate bone, a procedure that figured to jeopardize his availability for opening day. Yet Lindor is leading off and starting at shortstop against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, March 15, a full 11 days before the Mets are scheduled to open the season at home against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Lindor, the 32-year-old five-time All-Star, steadily worked through a rehab progression as spring training unfolded and appeared in three minor league games in the past week.
"He's ready to go," manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters in Port St. Lucie, Florida. "It's time for him to start playing for us after checking all the boxes and racking up good days."
Lindor, who struck out in his first plate appearance, debuted with new double-play partner Marcus Semien alongside at second base, and flanked at third by Bo Bichette, who will face his former Blue Jays teammates that made the trip from Dunedin to Port St. Lucie.
He was one of three prominent players who required hamate surgery at the outset of spring training. The hamate bone is typically removed or repaired, and can sideline players from six to eight weeks. Yet Lindor and Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll, who underwent surgery Feb. 12 and reported his hand "felt fine," returned around the one-month mark.
Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday underwent surgery Feb. 12 as well, but will open the season on the injured list and is expected back in mid-April.
Mar 13, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; United States second baseman Brice Turang (13) throws out Canada catcher Bo Naylor (23) on a ground ball during the second inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The World Baseball Classic is down to just four teams, as there is one semifinal on Sunday before another on Monday leading into the championship game on Tuesday evening.
Sunday’s matchup features Team USA battling the Dominican Republic at 7 p.m. CT on FS1, with Italy and Venezuela battling for the other spot on Monday at 7 p.m. on FS1. Both games will take place at loanDepot Park in Miami.
The Brewers have at least one player on all four of those rosters, as follows:
Dominican Republic: RHP Abner Uribe
USA: 2B Brice Turang
Italy: MLB Pipeline Team No. 6 prospect 3B Andrew Fischer
Venezuela: C William Contreras, OF Jackson Chourio, and LHP Ángel Zerpa
Tune into the action today and tomorrow, and feel free to weigh in in the comments with your takes.
