Category: MLB

One day after the Mets began their season, Jonah Tong was on the hill for Triple-A Syracuse's Opening Day as they took on the Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park.

After a bit of a bumpy first inning in which he walked two, the right-hander settled down and looked good in his four innings of work, where he allowed no runs on one hit and those two free passes. The youngster also struck out four, including three of the last four batters he faced, but his outing was done following 73 pitches (42 strikes).

Tong featured his usual fastball/changeup combo while also throwing in some cutters and curveballs as he continues to work on adding to and refining his repertoire. His fastball reached as high as 97 mph, but was typically around 93-95 mph.

The 22-year-old got better as the game went on, retiring the final eight batters he faced. Had it not been for a first inning that saw him throw 33 pitches, Tong would've been able to pitch deeper into the game and possibly get the win. 

Nevertheless, Tong left the game with a 2-0 lead after Jose Rojas hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

The long winter has finally ended. Baseball is back. And while we got to laugh at the misfortunes of nearly half the teams in the league yesterday – seriously, Oneil Cruz seems very badly miscast as a centerfielder – it’s finally our turn to fret about our own team’s foibles. Let’s play ball!

Today’s starter for Kansas City is Cole Ragans, getting his third straight Opening Day start. He’ll be looking for his first win in such games, though. He took the loss against Minnesota in 2024 and could only watch from the bench as Sam Long got rocked for three runs in the tenth inning against the Guardians last year. Even after a ninth-inning rally forced the extra frame to begin with.

We all know that Ragans was hurt and had a much worse ERA last year. But pretty much every backing stat we have says he actually pitched significantly better than fourth-in-Cy-Young-voting campaign in 2024 – at least, when he was able to be on the mound. Keen-eyed Royals fans should watch not just to hope he stays healthy, but to see if he can pitch similarly to how he did last season while he’s at it. If he pitches a full season the way he did last year, he could end up the runaway favorite for the 2026 Cy Young Award.

Ragans has never faced Atlanta as a member of the Royals; he pitched three innings of relief against them in 2023 as a member of the Rangers and gave up four runs. But that was a long time ago and a very different Ragans. Atlanta’s offense somewhat resembles the 2025 Royals in that it has some absolute studs – Ronald Acuña Jr, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley – and then a bunch of guys you mostly would rather weren’t in your lineup. Former Royals Mike Yastrzemski either isn’t in the lineup or shouldn’t be thanks to his splits.

The Royals, as an organization, are very familiar with Atlanta’s starter, Chris Sale, as he pitched for the White Sox for so many years. But they haven’t actually faced him since 2023, when he was still with the Red Sox. He’s a very different pitcher now than he was then, back to being absolutely elite when he’s on the mound, and the Royals are going to have their hands full.

Lineups

The Royals’ opening day lineup includes four players who weren’t on the team at this time last year. Maikel Garcia also returns to his old home at the top of the lineup after a monster 2025 and an even better WBC performance, after being left out of the Opening Day lineup last year.

The Royals are really leaning into their platoons, at least to start the year, with Starling Marte and Lane Thomas getting starts over Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone, who each figure to get the majority of the playing time at their positions over the course of the season. However, you can understand letting them sit against one of the very toughest lefties in the game. They could both enter as pinch hitters later in the contest.

I think it probably says something less than kind that the Royals’ plan for leadoff last year now bats seventh, and their “big” offseason acquisition is batting eighth. But Lane Thomas is having a lot of faith put in him to bat third today. Still, it may be Opening Day, but it’s also only one game out of 162. So let’s try not to panic too much about what this lineup construction means or how lineups will work for the rest of the year. Looking purely at the positive, it’s nice to see Manager Matt Quatraro leaning into the platoon matchups the front office built for him. We’ll just have to see whether they and he did well enough.

Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña will make his season debut on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels after missing Opening Day due to his recovery from a fractured right index finger.

Peña suffered the injury playing for the Dominican Republic in an exhibition game leading up to the World Baseball Classic. He was healthy enough to be included on the Astros’ Opening Day roster and spent Thursday facing live pitching with the Astros Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land, TX. 

“He feels good. He’s excited to be back in the lineup. We’re all excited to have him back in the lineup,” Astros manager Joe Espada said.

Espada said Peña’s availability for Saturday’s game will hinge on how he feels after Friday’s game. Peña hit a home run while playing in Tuesday’s exhibition against Sugar Land at Daikin Park.

Peña, 28, finished last season batting .304 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI in 125 games with 20 stolen bases. He was selected to his first All-Star Game and finished 10^th in American League MVP voting.

Welcome back to the Charlotte Knights’ redemption season. Last season didn’t go as expected, as the Knights finished 65-85, the fourth-worst record in the International League East. Despite spending time early in the season with a winning record and flirting with .500 for a while, the club ultimately struggled because the bullpen frequently gave up games, and the bats were streakier than Midwest weather in the spring. Fortunately, the Knights finally appear to be sporting some top-notch talent this year.

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Starting Pitching
The Knights rotation looks slightly different than last year. 

After securing a Southern League title, Tanner McDougal is ready to cruise through Charlotte. His 3.26 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and .241 allowed batting average made him a standout pitching in the farm system in 2025. But the real test is yet to come. McDougal lasted less than four innings in nearly half his starts last year, which isn’t enough in the majors. All eyes will surely be on the only new starter.

Jonathan Cannon returns to Charlotte after missing Chicago’s 26-man roster cut. He hopes to work his way back to the majors after posting a 5.82 ERA and giving up 17 home runs in 22 games. His regression from 2024 and struggles in Charlotte require he work especially hard to reclaim any role in Chicago. 

Duncan Davitt and Noah Schultz fall into a similar category of needing to prove themselves. Davitt didn’t give up the long ball as much as he couldn’t stop the bleeding. His 27 earned runs in nine starts with the Knights set a sink-or-swim expectation for him this year. Schultz is also in hot water after his leap from Double to Triple-A was a disaster. Schultz was decimated for 15 runs in his first three starts, was plagued for a month by a bum knee, and couldn’t manage to squeak out shutout appearances in his last two very short starts. 

Shane Murphy starts the season with the Knights after breaking out last year. His stunning 1.66 ERA, 24 walks, and 104 strikeouts from High-A through Triple-A went under the radar, but he was one of the best pitchers in the minors. Murphy needs reps in Triple-A before he gets the call up, and his timeline could speed up if Erick Fedde or Drew Thorpe get annihilated in April and May.

Relievers
Shifting to the bullpen, not much has changed. A few old faces will reclaim their place in the pen after pitching at least 25 innings last year for the Knights:

• Wikelman González – 33 IP
• Tyler Schweitzer – 50 IP
• Chase Plymell – 52 ⅓ IP
• Garrett Schoenle – 27 ⅔ IP

Ben Peoples, Adisyn Coffey and Zach Franklin got a taste of Triple-A last year, but struggled in the few innings they pitched.

Brandon Eisert had two appearances in Charlotte before being called up to play out the rest of the season with the Sox. He’s been relegated back to the Knights — although it could be a brief stay given Chicago embarrassed itself on Opening Day in a 14-2 loss to Milwaukee. Eisert’s 34 earned runs, 74 strikeouts, and nine holds in 72 innings aren’t keeping him off the 26-man as much as lack of space. However, he still has yet to show he isn’t a 4A reliever.

Position Players
With Korey Lee released, the Knights will rely on backstops Michael Turner, Josh Breaux and DrewRomo. With Reese McGuire signed to an MLB deal (no demotion to Triple-A in the plans) and Kyle Teel on the mend and preparing to share catching duties with Edgar Quero, it’s unlikely that any of this trio will get off of the Charlotte busses in 2026. However, Turner is the closest thing the White Sox have to an ace catcher in the system at this point.

Making our way around the horn, first base seems anyone’s guess, while there is some strong talent otherwise. A trio of middle infielders anchor the group, including Sam Antonacci, William Bergolla Jr. and Jacob Gonzalez. Gonzalez, the only one a first-rounder, is probably the odd man out and pushed to third base, as Antonacci strutted his stuff at the WBC representing team Italy and seems destined to be the first bat up in Chicago when injury calls. Like Antonacci, Bergolla impressed with his Spring Training invite. Oliver Dunn was solid at third base and could slide over to play some first. Darren Baker also had an active camp with the White Sox, and he’ll be subbing in at second base and pinch-running.

Finally, the outfield. Dustin Harris comes from the Rangers minor league system bouncing between Triple-A and the majors. While he didn’t hold his own in Texas, he slapped the ball around for Round Rock Express (.285/.369/.435, 44 walks, 41 RBIs). He should help move runners around the diamond on a team that loved to strand hitters. Dru Baker had a strong season with the Knights and has a real chance of being called up. Acquired in the Matt Thaiss trade, Baker hit a respectable .256 batting average and kept the offense. The only issue is that he is one of the few guys who can incite an offense on a whim. Jarred Kelenic takes over right field after struggling with Braves and Gwinnett Stripers. With batting averages below or just touching the Mendoza line, there are no expectations. And finally, LaMonte Wade Jr. couldn’t parlay his terrific Spring Training with the White Sox into a guaranteed deal somewhere else, so he is back to club the ball in Charlotte.

The Orioles are staying busy even on the off day between Opening Day and the second game of the season. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Friday afternoon that the O’s and Shane Baz are in the process of finalizing a five-year, $68 million contract extension.

That’s a serious vote of confidence in a player who has yet to even throw a regular season pitch for the Orioles and who had a bad ERA in his only full season to date as a major league starter. The team obviously believed in Baz’s breakout potential since they traded four prospects to get him, including two high draft picks from last year’s draft. Now they’ve put an even bigger sign down that they believe in Baz. I am surprised to see Mike Elias finally commit any kind of big, multi-year money to a pitcher. He really is doing things differently now.

According to Passan, the contract will buy out three years of Baz’s arbitration and two years of free agency. That suggests a deal that is replacing his already-negotiated 2026 salary of $3.5 million; Baz had been set to become a free agent after the 2028 season, three full seasons (minus one day) from now. The Orioles will now control his rights through the 2030 season.

The overall average annual value of the contract is $13.6 million. The structure of the near-final contract has not been reported yet. Extensions like this typically guarantee the player a bit more than they might have made through their arbitration years while paying them a bit less than they might have made if they had hit free agency on a good trajectory. MLB Trade Rumors reported that the contract breakdown is a $4 million signing bonus plus $1 million salary for 2026, $7 million for 2027, $10 million for 2028, then $21 million and $25 million over the two free agent years that were bought out.

That’s a serious chunk of change. It’s also a much lower amount in the total commitment compared to what it would cost to get a pitcher at the top end of free agency. Baz doesn’t have to do much to live up to the contract other than mostly stay healthy and mostly pitch at least like a #3 starting pitcher. That’s actually quite a lot to ask of his career track record, so it is really interesting that the Orioles have done this. I hope they’re right.

If Baz pitches like the Orioles are now betting, he would have been in line for somewhere between two and three times this amount guaranteed for his next contract. It’s not an awful deal for Baz, either, because he’ll hit free agency after his age 30 season. If he brings a solid-to-good track record into that, he’s still going to have a good chance to get a nice 3-4 year contract on top of what he’ll have already made at that point.

How are you feeling about this news? Who do you want to see the Orioles lock up next? Let us know in the comments below.

Alec Bohm grew up in Omaha and starred at Wichita State before the Philadelphia Phillies made him the third overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft. He's as Midwestern as they come.

Bohm usually doesn't stand out, even at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, with the nickname Raffe because a teammate thought he resembled a giraffe. He has retained the stereotypical Midwestern qualities of humility and consistency, fitting in well with veteran Phillies stars Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber.

Beneath the surface, however, Bohm has faced obstacles and oddities, including a frightening elbow infection and a viral social media post touting his generosity that was untrue.

Yet nothing compares to the news that he sued his parents this week on the eve of opening day, accusing them of draining staggering amounts of his money from four financial accounts they created.

The lawsuit describes deceptive financial dealings by Dan and Lisa Bohm that began shortly after the Phillies paid Bohm a $5.85 million signing bonus in 2018 and continued for years. Bohm alleges that his parents used his cash from the four limited liability companies to pay their expenses.

Read more:Plaschke: Seeing double: Dodgers celebrate titles on a sparkling opening day

Through their attorney, Bohm's parents said they are "deeply saddened by the allegations" and will defend themselves.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bohm love their son very much and have always acted in his best interests, both personally and professionally, and still do so to this day," lawyer Robert Eckard said.

Bohm's lawsuit demands at least $3 million in damages and that his parents relinquish control of the accounts. He also requests that an accountant track every transaction that involved money transferred from Bohm's personal accounts to the accounts his parents controlled.

Bohm declined to comment on the lawsuit after Thursday's opening-day game in which he hit a three-run home run in a Phillies victory.

A 2024 All-Star, Bohm has batted .280 with 71 home runs in six seasons. He is making $10.2 million in 2026, his last season of arbitration, and earned an additional $20 million or so from his signing bonus and salaries in his first five seasons.

Read more:Shaikin: The signs say Uniqlo Field. You will continue to say Dodger Stadium

Bohm's lawsuit also alleges his parents used money from the Alec Bohm Foundation to pay their expenses. Dan and Lisa Bohm, who a few years ago sold their home and title insurance business in Elkhorn, Neb., to travel to their son's games in a recreational vehicle, remain listed as directors of the foundation.

According to the MLB.com "Beyond the Bell" blog, online tax documents indicated Bohm had given $675,000 to the foundation through 2022. The blog said the foundation "helped drill about a half-dozen water wells in Africa" while also assisting Nemours Children’s Health hospital in Philadelphia and Covenant House Pennsylvania, which serves runaway, homeless and trafficked youth in the Philadelphia area.

“I learned from a young age to help those less fortunate,” Bohm told MLB.com at the time. “My parents and I were often involved in local church efforts. We helped others whenever we could.”

None of those donations is listed on the foundation's website, which states that the "Alec Bohm Foundation's mission is to inspire philanthropy and create a meaningful impact in communities nationwide. We do this by cultivating generosity, strengthening nonprofits and initiatives, and engaging the community around issues elevated by Alec.

"Our investments are guided by Alec’s passions — which include high school and collegiate athletics, medical research and innovation, and the eradication of homelessness."

Read more:Puka Nacua denies woman's claim that he made antisemitic comment, but says biting her was 'horseplay'

Bohm was a late bloomer in high school, growing so fast that he required elbow surgery between his junior and senior years. A plate and screw inserted in his elbow to fix a growth plate injury became infected and required emergency treatment.

Gangly and awkward, Bohm was not drafted out of high school or offered a scholarship by Nebraska, his school of choice. He blossomed at Wichita State and by his junior year became one of the nation's top MLB prospects.

Bohm, 29, soon cemented himself as the Phillies' everyday third baseman, and he has been a consistent cog on a team that has made four consecutive postseason appearances. Still, a strange, viral Facebook post in 2025 caused a distraction.

The post on a Phillies fan page proclaimed that Bohm had donated his "entire $15.9 million bonus and sponsorship earnings to a homeless shelter in Omaha." Comments lauded Bohm for his generosity, but he explained that the post was a hoax.

Now his name is trending again, his lawsuit against his parents a startling revelation.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Hello and welcome to the Atlanta Braves Lineup, Opening Day (Night) 2026 Edition.

For your perusal this fine March evening, we have entrees such as “Jonah Heim is on this team?” and “Eli White hitting sixth.” To be fair, the Braves are making the best of their situation, but both Heim and White will likely bedevil the future version of you that tries to do the whatever-the-2036-Sporcle-equivalent is and gets stumped by the missing spots in the 2026 Opening Day lineup you try to re-encounter in your mind palace.

In any case, this lineup is largely as expected, just… kind of jarring. Ozzie Albies is hitting third because Kansas City starter Cole Ragans throws baseballs with his left hand. Among players available to the team, Steamer’s split-specific, versus-southpaws projection is the fourth-best, so hitting him third makes sense. Given the uncertainty about whether Albies is firmly in the twilight of his career or not, there’s at least a chance this makes sense.

Both of these lineups are somewhat similar in that they are basically halved into “pretty scary” and “not so scary.” The Braves’ trio of White, Mauricio Dubon, and Jonah Heim — whether pressed into service due to injury or not — is more defensively-focused than anything else; if Michael Harris II has another struggle-laden year, that trio could be a quartet. The same goes for the 6-7-8 spots in the Kansas City lineup, including acquisitions Starling Marte and Isaac Collins. Carter Jensen absolutely destroyed the ball in 69 PAs last year and may not be hitting ninth for long. (Amusingly, both teams have two catchers in the lineup.)

If we’re talking head-to-head history, well, there’s not much. Six Braves in this lineup have a combined 20 PAs against Ragans, and 12 of those come from Dubon (who actually has a .376 xwOBA / .382 wOBA in those 12 PAs, though he hasn’t faced Ragans since 2024).

There are also six Royals that have faced Chris Sale, and again, it’s overwhelmingly tilted towards one guy: Salvador Perez has faced Sale in 69 distinct PAs, and has an uremarkable .236 xwOBA / .273 wOBA. The other guys all have fewer than ten (or zero) PAs against Sale so far.

With this being Opening Day and all, both starters probably aren’t going to stick around too long. Expect to see Mike Yastrzemski come in when the Royals move to a righty reliever; the Royals will probably throw Jac Caglianone (and maybe Kyle Isbel for Lane Thomas?) in there when the Braves do the same.

After a dominant Opening Day performance and early rest day, the Yankees are back at it again this afternoon for the second game of their series with the Giants in San Francisco. Cam Schlittler will get the ball for the Yankees against veteran left-hander Robbie Ray as the Bombers look to keep the momentum going from the Wednesday night victory.

With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón still on the mend, Schlittler is the Yankees’ de facto second starter behind Max Fried—an incredible step up for the young man considering the fact that he was in Somerset this time last season. Cam looked good in three spring starts, allowing just one run in 9.2 combined innings, and now he’ll give a multifaceted Giants lineup their first taste of his high-octane repertoire.

Robbie Ray revived his career with the Giants last season, putting up vintage numbers across an All-Star campaign. The 2021 AL Cy Young winner pitched to a 3.65 ERA across 182.1 innings, with his trademark high-strikeout, high-walk profile. He’s always been vulnerable to letting a village get aboard against him—and we’ll see how his command is out of the gate. But when he attacks the zone he’s among the hardest pitchers to square up. Even with a multitude of left-handed bats, the Yankees typically hit southpaws well last season. Will that trend continue in 2026?

With that in mind, lefty smasher Paul Goldschmidt enters the lineup as the leadoff man ahead of Aaron Judge, who seeks to rebound from a rare four-strikeout night on Wednesday. Cody Bellinger, who was the best left-on-left hitter in the league last year, bats third with Giancarlo Stanton cleaning up. Another platoon man bats fifth: Amed Rosario makes his season debut at third. Jazz Chisholm Jr. will hit sixth followed by José Caballero and left fielder Randal Grichuk, making his first appearance in Yankee drapery. Austin Wells will do the catching and hit ninth.

How to watch

Location: Oracle Park — San Francisco, CA

First pitch: 4:35 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES Network, NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB TV (out-of-market)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Friday by the Bay. #RepBXpic.twitter.com/PA4kCtnatF

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 27, 2026

Today's #SFGiants#OpeningDay lineup ⬇️

⌚️: 1:35 p.m. PT
📍: @OracleParkSF
📺: @NBCSGiants
📻: @KNBR | KSFN#SFGiants | @CocaColapic.twitter.com/dC7FjvDlOd

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 27, 2026

This was provoked – triggered might be a better word – by paulnh’s feed post about the D-backs’ bullpen. The key conclusion was, “Since Mike Hazen has taken over, the Diamondbacks bullpen has been the second worst position in all of baseball, better only than the Pirates shortstop. That’s an even 300 positions (30 teams x 10 positions) and your D-backs bullpen ranks 299th.” As a kneejerk response, last night’s opening game of the 2026 season didn’t indicate any improvement. While Ryan Thompson and Juan Morillo looked good, and Andrew Hoffman wobbled into and out of trouble, Taylor Clarke served up batting practice. Overall bullpen ERA = 9.00. Not a great start.

This continues a trend which, frankly, we have banged on about for years. It has probably gone past dead horse levels, and is now circling dead parrot levels of obviousness. Mike Hazen has a bullpen problem. But how much has it hurt the Diamondbacks overall? To find out, I decided to look at each season from 2018-2025, and give the D-backs simply a league average bullpen. For this, I used fWAR, because Fangraphs allows easy splitting out of starting and relief pitching. I took the mid-point between the 15th- and 16th-ranked bullpens as the average, and saw how many more wins than the actual D-backs bullpen that would have given the team.

The chart above shows the math. But those averse to such things can focus on the final two columns, which show the actual wins for the Diamondbacks and the “ABP wins”. That is the wins Arizona would have had, with an Average BullPen. Now, there are some season it wouldn’t have made a difference. The biggest bump comes in 2021, when our bullpen was five wins below average. However, that would only have given the D-backs a record of 57-105. They would still have had the second pick in the draft the following season, so an average bullpen that year really would not have moved the needle at all.

The same goes for all the seasons through 2022. In 2018, the last wild-card went to the Colorado Rockies who won 91 games, so Arizona would still have been well short. Of course, back in those days, there were only two wild-card teams, so the bar was higher. But a third wild-card team would have been the Braves at 90 wins. No difference. In 2023, the D-backs would still have had a wild-card spot. Though the extra two wins would have made the last week or so considerably less nerve-wracking – or “exciting”, if you prefer. It would have bumped them above the Marlins to face the Phillies in the first round. Would we have beaten them in five? We didn’t in the first five games of the NLCS…

But it’s 2024 and 2025 where the bullpen really hurt the Diamondbacks, and that’s perhaps why we have focused on it so much over the past couple of years. In 2024, the Arizona bullpen was the closest to mediocrity it has been since 2019, just a win and a half below average. But considering the team ended up on the sticky end of a three-way tie for the last two spots… Those 1.5 wins would have propelled the D-backs from the outside of the dance to the second wild-card position, and a series against the Padres. Who knows what might have happened? Could hardly have done worse than Atlanta, who trailed at the end of 17 of the 18 innings played against San Diego.

Although the D-backs were worse in 2025, so was the post-season standard. The Mets got in with just 83 wins, three more than the Diamondbacks. With our bullpen 3.7 wins below average, we would have been rounded into the final wild-card spot based on ABP victories. [Three wins would have led to another three-way tie between New York, Arizona and Cincinnatti. I do not have time to go down the rabbit-hole of that hypothetical scenario, especially since we split the season series against the Mets!] We’d have replaced the Reds against the Dodgers. Again, we could hardly have done worse, as Cincinnati conceded eighteen runs over two games.

Based on the above, it’s fair to think that, with merely an average bullpen, the D-backs could have gone to the postseason in three consecutive seasons. That’s something the team has never managed to do. Let’s hope this is not another article about our relievers I need to start bringing out every winter.

The 2026 season for MLB minor league affiliates begins today with some Triple-A teams starting their schedules. The El Paso Chihuahuas, Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres, plays their first game on the road versus the Sacramento River Cats. The roster features multiple players who played with the major league team during spring games with right-handed starter J.P. Sears, relievers Garrett Hawkins and Alek Jacob and infielder Mason McCoy all on the Padres’ 40-man roster.

Infielder Will Wagner is starting the season on the IL with an oblique strain.

The Double-A affiliate San Antonio Missions and Low-A affiliate Lake Elsinore Storm both begin their seasons on April 2. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps begin play on April 3. The rosters for these teams have not been released and likely won’t be available until next week.

New rules for 2026

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is the testing ground for the new rules that the MLB is discussing for the major league side. There are multiple new rules being implemented this year in order to evaluate if they should be installed in MLB.

• Moving second base – The second base bag will be placed within the perimeter of the infield diamond. The bag will be closer to home plate and be approximately nine inches closer to first base and third base. The hope is this encourages more base stealing, which has diminished significantly and was also encouraged by enlarging the size of the bases. The bags will only be moved in the International League and during the second half of the season.
• Swing rules – Starting May 5, the Pacific Coast League will have a Check Swing Challenge system with players allowed to appeal an umpire’s call on whether the player swung at a pitch. Bat-tracking technology will be used and a swing will be a strike when the angle between the bat head and the bat handle is greater than 45 degrees. Teams will start a game with two challenges and can be used for either ball/strike or swing/no-swing calls.
• Hitter pitch clock regulations – Due to the increase in game time last season (2 hours and 38 minutes average) from the season before (2 hours 36 minutes), new rules are coming for the pitch clock. Batters will be limited in timeouts called during an at-bat. For Single-A: no timeouts except for special circumstances (equipment issues, brush back, dirt in the eye). In High-A time can be called with runners on base. In Double-A and Triple-A, time can be called but the umpires will not wait for the batter to be ready before restarting the clock. Hitters have to be ready before the clock hits eight seconds.
• Pitcher clock regulations – In Triple-A, if a pitcher claims a Pitch-Com issue this will be called a mound visit. If the team is out of mound visits then a pitcher will have a violation charged. In Double-A, the disengagement limit will be decreased to one from two. All mound visits will be timed and everyone who is not the pitcher has to be off the mound by the end of the time or a violation will be charged to the pitcher. This will be at all levels of the minors.
• Pitchers returning to game – The rule commonly seen in Spring Training, with the pitcher removed in one inning and then returning the next inning, will be implemented in the Arizona Fall League, Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League. The pitcher must throw at least 25 pitches in the original inning in order to be removed and returned the following inning.

Players to watch in Padres minor leagues

There are a handful of players that bear watching more closely this season as they are returning from injury or transitioning in their careers. Gaslamp Ball will again have weekly reports covering the Padres minor league teams and players.

Catcher Ethan Salas, returning to play after missing most of 2025, has added bulk and mental reps while out of commission. He will be the primary catcher for Double-A San Antonio and seems determined to show that he is still an upper-level prospect for MLB.

LHSP Kruz Schoolcraft, the high school pitcher drafted in the first round last year, will begin with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm in the rotation. His development could be quick and lead to a promotion mid-season. He is considered an advanced prospect at 18 years old.

RHSP Kannon Kemp, could have a breakout this season after being fully recovered from shoulder issues that plagued him early in his career. He gained some velocity last season as he worked back from his injury and will hopefully turn the corner this season.

RHSP Michael Salina, had Tommy John surgery before being drafted by the Padres in 2025. He should be with a team (probably Lake Elsinore) this May or June. He highlighted significant velocity before his injury.

RHP Lan-Hong Su, impressed in his one inning in the Spring Breakout game, throwing strikes with a 96-98 mph fastball and his curveball and changeup were also effective. He throws a slider to round out his pitch mix. Due to his lack of any previous work in the system he will likely be in extended Spring Training for evaluation before being assigned.

RHP Triston McKenzie, was seen in multiple spring games and featured increased velocity (up to 98 mph) but was unable to command any of his pitches consistently. He seems to be a project that could be an interesting investment should he be able to return to the pitcher he was prior to his multiple arm injuries.

Infielder Jorge Quintana, has also added bulk this offseason and is a switch-hitter. He should show more of what he is capable of this season and turns 19 on the first day of the Lake Elsinore season. He might be the star of that roster and should be watched as his skillset develops. He was the top International signing for the Brewers in 2024, earning a seven-figure bonus, before being traded to the Padres.

Outfielder Kale Fountain, has prodigious power to go with his size (6-5/225) and begins the season fully healthy after returning last year from Tommy John surgery. The Padres are moving him from the infield to the outfield now that he is rehabbed from the TJ and a knee injury last season. He should start with Lake Elsinore and might still get work in the infield despite playing outfield all through spring camp.

First baseman Romeo Sanabria, opened eyes in Spring Training while playing in some major league games. He led the team in RBI and hit three doubles and two home runs to go with his 11 RBI. He has had some ups and downs while playing last season and worked on conditioning during the offseason to maintain endurance. The potential is there and he needs to maintain consistency through a whole season. After playing last year with the Double-A Missions, he will likely return there to start 2026.

Outfielder Ryan Wideman, was drafted in 2025 and got a brief debut with Lake Elsinore last summer. He has a high-upside profile but significant swing-and-miss risk. If he can cut down his chase rate and improve on his contact skills, his defense and speed profile as a top centerfield prospect.

Hours before Opening Day 2026, the Atlanta Braves announced a multi-year agreement with DIRECTV to carry their new network, BravesVision, making Atlanta Braves games available through the satellite provider within the Braves’ home markets. That region includes Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and western North Carolina.

BravesVision can be found on channel 645 and will be available for Opening Day. On U-verse, it is on 1730.

DIRECTV was one of the last major traditional satellite or cable providers with whom the Braves had not announced and agreement for BravesVision. An agreement with Fubu was announced earlier today.

For more information on how to watch Braves games this season, read this post.

The Mariners announced today that RHP Carlos Vargas is going on the 15-day IL, retroactive to March 24, with a right lat strain.

The lat issue must have cropped up suddenly, because Vargas was on a relatively regular schedule this spring, appearing every 3-4 days. His last appearance was in the spring training finale against San Diego, when he hurled a clean 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. However, Vargas apparently wasn’t available for the season opener, leading to manager Dan Wilson having to use the two other lower-leverage relievers – Casey Legumina and Cooper Criswell – in the eighth and ninth innings of a 6-4 loss to Cleveland.

To replace Vargas, the team is calling up RHP Cole Wilcox, who was rotation-mates with Mariners pitcher Emerson Hancock while the two were at Georgia. The Mariners acquired Wilcox, the last remaining piece of the Blake Snell trade, from the Rays for cash in early November. Wilcox was a standout this spring, featuring eye-popping velocity on his fastball and sinker, easily touching 97 and pairing that with a slider/sweeper combo.

Another solid outing from Cole Wilcox with a groundout, flyout, and this strikeout on a 97 mph fastball on the plate. Only needed 11 pitches, 8 strikes, for his three outs; avg 4S 97.2 and avg SI 97.5. pic.twitter.com/6oZO8qZIWN

— Lookout Landing (@LookoutLanding) March 10, 2026

It’s easy to see why Wilcox is the Mariners’ first option out of a group of pitchers in Tacoma that has multiple intriguing options. Wilcox has big stuff and the potential for both swing-and-miss with an elevated fastball and the ability to generate weak contact on the ground when he’s locating well with his heavy sinker. It’s that second bit that’s the tricky part, though. Wilcox’s velocity has finally rebounded from where it was before his TJ surgery and recovery (2021-22), but his command remains a work in progress. He’ll now have an opportunity to keep working with the big-league pitching coaches while Vargas is recovering. For now, expect Wilcox to slot into Vargas’s spot in the ‘pen alongside the other lower-leverage arms Criswell and Legumina, although perhaps as the one with the highest upside.

The Mets lost lefty Bryan Hudson on Friday, as he was claimed off waivers by the White Sox. 

Hudson actually landed with New York in a deal with Chicago this offseason. 

He seemed like a strong early-season insurance policy as A.J. Minter continued working his way back from a lat injury, but ended up struggling mightily during Grapefruit League play. 

The southpaw allowed six runs on five hits and three walks over just 3.1 innings of work. 

New York ultimately decided to bring back Richard Lovelady to fill the final spot in their bullpen instead, and Hudson ended up being DFA'd ahead of Opening Day.

Now he lands back with the White Sox, where he'll look to carve out a role in their bullpen.  

The Mets' other two final roster cuts did, however, remain in the organization as catcher Ben Rortvedt and versatile infielder Vidal Bruján cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A.