Category: MLB

Record 8-12. Change on 2025: -1.5. 5-inning record: 4-14-2.

Another day, another spring-worst margin of defeat. After losing by ten runs yesterday, the D-backs went one better (or worse?) this afternoon at Salt River Fields. It was an ugly afternoon for the Arizona pitchers, who handed out a dozen free passes to Colorado hitters, thanks to nine walks and three hit batters. The worst culprit was Brandyn Garcia, who threw 26 pitches to five batters in the sixth, without recording an out: one hit, two walks and two plunkings, part of an eight-run inning. But it had started well. Taylor Clarke and Juan Morillo tossed three hitless innings. John Curtiss also pitched well, with 1.2 scoreless frames. Drey Jameson? Less so: three runs in his 1.2 frames, on two hits and three walks.

The Diamondbacks actually led after the first inning here, before the Rockies got those pesky thirteen unanswered runs. Jordan Lawlar singled, then Tim Tawa got his second home-run of spring, to give Arizona a 2-0 lead before they had a hitter retired. It was all very much downhill from there, however. The D-backs got only four hits and three walks the rest of the way. LuJames Groover accounted for half of the hits with his double and single; Tawa added a walk to his home-run. At least all thirteen runs were earned, I guess? Arizona’s collective ERA in the Cactus League is now 6.22.

We hope for better tomorrow up in Surprise against the Royals. That will see Merrill Kelly return to the mound, as he restarts his build-up: fingers cross that goes well.

PHOENIX –– At this point of spring the last two years, the Dodgers were already breaking camp, departing Arizona early for season-opening overseas trips.

This year, the team still has two weeks to go –– which has made its stay at Camelback Ranch feel long, tedious and bereft of much remaining intrigue.

“With that comes just being bored and tired,” manager Dave Roberts quipped last week.

“We’re not entirely sure what to do with ourselves,” third baseman Max Muncy added. “But we know how to make sure that we’re ready.”

Thus, now is a good time to take stock of how camp has gone for the club and evaluate which players have –– and haven’t –– impressed as the calendar moves closer to Opening Day.

Stock up

Tyler Glasnow: In a camp that has featured few standout starting pitchers (because of injuries and WBC absences), Glasnow has been an exception. He came into the spring saying his mechanics felt as good as they had in four years and has backed it up with three strong outings, striking out 13 batters while walking only two in his nine Cactus League innings. “He looks as good as I’ve seen him,” Roberts said. “I just think that things are slowing down for him now, I really do.”

Andy Pages: Last year was shaping up to be a breakout year for Pages, who hit 27 home runs in the regular season. But then he went ice cold in the playoffs and was benched in the World Series. Now, the third-year slugger is using that October setback as motivation, showing improved plate discipline this spring while batting .385 with five extra-base hits in 10 games. “How he finished last year, I think it’s a sour taste in his mouth,” Roberts said. “He just wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. And to his credit, he looks fantastic.”

Freddie Freeman: Coming off a fully healthy offseason in which he finally recovered from an ankle injury that had plagued him since the end of 2024, Freeman hoped his swing would feel better from the outset this year. So far, that’s appeared to be the case. Freeman is batting .471 with three doubles and eight RBIs in just seven games. More importantly, he has already found his trademark opposite-field swing consistently –– raising hopes for a resurgent 2026.

Others: Santiago Espinal (who has likely assured himself of an Opening Day roster spot), Teoscar Hernández (who is hitting .440 while getting a bunch of spring at-bats), Tanner Scott (who has five strikeouts and no runs allowed in four innings) and James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard (two outfield prospects the Dodgers acquired in a trade for Dustin May at last year’s deadline who have had impressive springs).

Stock down

Ryan Ward: After winning MVP honors in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League last year, and being put on the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason, it appeared Ward was positioned to battle for an Opening Day spot. Instead, his clearest route to playing time was dashed with the signing of Kyle Tucker. And this spring, he has struggled mightily, hitting just .156 before being optioned to minor-league camp last week.

Edgardo Henriquez: Given all the injuries in the Dodgers bullpen, Henriquez seemed to have a clear path to an Opening Day role this spring. But command issues have continued to plague him, with four walks and two hit batters leading to seven runs allowed in four Cactus League innings. He is still battling for a spot but has struggled to capitalize on his opportunity to this point.

Alex Freeland: Tommy Edman’s ankle injury put Freeland in a battle for a potential Opening Day second base role at the start of camp. But his swing remains a work in progress, hitting just .148 this spring. Now, he appears likely to head back to Triple-A to begin the season.

Wait and see

Roki Sasaki: He’s been the most interesting player in camp but for a lot of the wrong reasons. His two Cactus League outings were disconcerting, as he struggled to command his fastball. He looked much better in a recent B-game against White Sox minor leaguers but mostly because they unsurprisingly failed to touch his splitter. He remains in line to be in the Opening Day rotation yet still has much to prove against MLB competition in his return to a starting role.

Blake Treinen: After two sharp outings to begin the spring, Treinen’s last two appearances renewed concerns from his career-worst season last year. In one of them, he gave up four runs on three hits and two walks while recording just one out. In the other, he gave up two more hits while failing to record a strikeout. He remains confident a bounce-back season is on the horizon in 2026, but there still seems to be much to iron out to get there.

Mookie Betts: After spending the offseason trying to rewire his swing, Betts is 5 for 14 and has expressed renewed confidence in his mechanics at the plate. However, he hasn’t played much in the Cactus League because of an intentionally slower ramp-up process in camp and has just one extra-base hit. Coming off a career-worst 2025, questions remain about whether he can bounce all the way back to his old MVP-level form. It will take more time to get clear answers.

Dodgers pitcher makes progress

Snell’s path back: The biggest development from Dodgers camp Thursday came before their game against the Reds. For the first time this spring, Blake Snell threw a bullpen session, marking a key step in his return from offseason shoulder problems. Afterward, Snell said he and the team were still nailing down his return timeline, but he held out hope he could be back before the end of April.

Baby Betts: Mookie Betts left Dodgers camp Wednesday to return to Los Angeles to be with his wife, who is expected to give birth to the couple’s third child. Manager Dave Roberts expected Betts back with the team this weekend.

Caught my eye: Andy Pages has had a big spring with the bat. But on Thursday night, he flashed his premium throwing arm in center field, too, throwing out a runner at third base. Pages’ cannon was a weapon last year, when he had 10 outfield assists.

Up next: The Dodgers have another night game Friday, when they face the Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex.

LAKELAND, Fla. — Though Jasson Domínguez knew before he even went to bed Wednesday night that he’d be going up against Justin Verlander on Thursday at Joker Marchant Stadium, Will Warren was blissfully unaware until after he arrived to the ballpark and saw the future Hall of Famer getting ready for his Grapefruit League start.

“I didn’t realize he was pitching today until I went to warm up,’’ Warren said. “He was doing his own thing and I just said, ‘I’m gonna move over. He’s done it a lot longer than I have.’ ”

Warren looked good in his outing, lasting six full innings as he tries to follow up on a season in which he made 33 starts — only Giants ace Logan Webb made more.

The move to the third base side of the rubber is paying dividends, with Warren saying it “opened up a lot.”

“My pitches seem sharper,’’ the right-hander said. “I’m not falling behind as much, and that gives me confidence I can get anyone out.”

Max Fried is slated to start the March 25 season opener in San Francisco, and Aaron Boone said after Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Tigers that he “had an idea” of how the rest of the rotation would look to start the season, but declined to elaborate.

But he’s been impressed with Warren’s swing-and-miss stuff and efficiency. Warren’s next step is to avoid the occasional disastrous outing that plagued him a year ago.

“To me, he looks another year along in his development,’’ Boone said.

Boone has few questions about the top relievers in the bullpen, but with less than two weeks remaining until the start of the regular season, he and his staff are still looking for answers about the final two spots.

A pair of candidates, Cade Winquest and Angel Chivilli, were acquired in the offseason and pitched Thursday.

Winquest, a Rule 5 acquisition from St. Louis, tossed a scoreless inning, and Chivilli, picked up in a trade with Colorado, allowed a run in his lone inning of work. 

“He’s had some good and some struggles,’’ Boone said of Chivilli. 

Chivilli’s changeup and slider have stood out, but as Boone has noted about several bullpen arms this spring, “It’s about commanding the strike zone. He’s got weapons to get you out. He’s had ups and downs.” 

George Lombard Jr., Brendan Beck and Ben Hess were reassigned to minor league camp Thursday. Lombard continued to display his defensive versatility by starting at second base against the Tigers.

The Yankees remain confident Lombard’s bat will come around, especially as the 20-year-old fills out.

For the spring, Lombard is 5-for-27 with three extra-base hits, six walks and a dozen strikeouts.

And as was the case with Spencer Jones, who also is no longer with the major league team, Lombard will continue to get playing time with the big league roster.

Left-hander Caleb Ferguson was signed by the Cincinnati Reds this offseason to a 1-year contract that will pay him $4.5 million, the first move of several to help backfill a bullpen that had seen quite the exodus.

Taylor Rogers was jettisoned at the trade deadline last year due to poor performance, while each of Brent Suter, Reiver Sanmartin, and Joe La Sorsa headed elsewhere after the season. Southpaw relief for the bullpen was a primary need for Nick Krall and Co. heading into the winter, and signing Ferguson – the owner of a career 3.66 ERA and 10.0 K/9 across 7 seasons – was the first big domino to fall.

The problem now, though, is that it looks like Ferguson won’t be around on Opening Day to help the Reds at all. As MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed today, Ferguson is dealing with an oblique injury, one that will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks and effectively rule him out for the first active Reds roster of the year.

That leaves Sam Moll and Brock Burke as lefty relievers who are almost assured to make the Opening Day roster. Just how creative the Reds get beyond those two is where it gets a little interesting.

With Hunter Greene now out for months following elbow surgery, there will be two starting rotation spots up for grabs over the coming weeks, too. Each of Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder appear to have the inside track for those, but Brandon Williamson – a fellow lefty – is very much still in the mix. Whether or not the Reds would choose to carry all three of those talented arms in order to a) make sure there’s another lefty on-staff and b) to potentially piggy-back those guys to save innings for later in the year remains to be seen, but it would certainly be one way of making sure the most talented arms in the organization are all at the highest level.

More likely, of course, is that the Reds will simply use that open bullpen spot on one of their arms who is already set as a reliever and keep one of that trio of starters stretched out at AAA Louisville. That means the likes of Zach Maxwell, Luis Mey, and the inconsistent Connor Phillips each got a boost to their Opening Day roster chances with this news. It would also, I would assume, put the recently acquired Kyle Nicolas in-line to be on the roster for Game 1, too.

Giants' Hayden Birdsong sidelined by elbow soreness amid bullpen competition originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SCOTTSDALE — With less than two weeks until Opening Day, the Giants are still trying to figure out which pitchers will emerge as their best relievers. One potential option is headed for tests on his elbow, potentially knocking him out of that race. 

Right-hander Hayden Birdsong felt soreness in his right elbow during an outing on Tuesday and will get checked by team doctors, manager Tony Vitello confirmed after Thursday’s spring training game. The news first was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Birdsong has had an up-and-down spring but showed promise on Tuesday, striking out one in a scoreless inning and hitting 99 mph. Vitello said he caught up with the young pitcher before Thursday’s game.

“(He’d) like to know what’s going on, so they’re looking into that,” Vitello said. “Obviously on a personal level you want what’s best for each one of these guys … he’s one that everyone has gotten close to because of his likability, coachability and his talent, but as of right now it’s out of my hands. I’m not a (medical) expert.”

The Giants likely will be extremely cautious with Birdsong no matter what tests say. He is still viewed as a big part of their future, and the hope is that he can figure out his command issues and turn back into a good option for the rotation. There also has been some thought this spring that Birdsong could excel in short sprints and help a bullpen that is the clear weak spot on the roster; he did that early last season and looked comfortable. 

A few of the pitchers vying for bullpen spots pitched on Thursday, and another young right-hander was a standout. Keaton Winn hit 99 mph and showed off a nasty splitter. In five appearances this spring, Winn has struck out six and allowed just one run.

“It’s not been once, it’s not been twice, it’s been three times and maybe even a little more of he’s gone out there and thrown the ball well,” Vitello said. “The stuff has upticked, and then he’s throwing it in there with conviction. It’s a pretty good overall combination.”

Cutting Down

There are often multiple rounds of cuts by this point of the spring, but the new coaching staff wanted to get an extended look at unfamiliar young players, and the fact that so many veterans left for the WBC made it easy to find playing time. That’s about to change, though, and on Thursday the Giants reassigned four players to minor league camp: Right-handers Trent Harris and Will Bednar, outfielder Bo Davidson, and catcher Diego Cartaya. 

Harris and Bednar should return to Triple-A Sacramento, and both could be options for the big league bullpen this season. Davidson is the organization’s top outfield prospect and will start the season in Double-A; he made a dozen spring appearances and was 3-for-14 at the plate.

Cartaya’s next step is more of a mystery. The 24-year-old was once one of the best prospects in the minors and has played for the Triple-A affiliates of both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. But the Giants could have Jesus Rodriguez, Eric Haase and Logan Porter as Triple-A catching depth, and it’s clear the staff feels Cartaya needs a lot more development. He had just five spring at-bats before getting reassigned. 

Almost Back

Erik Miller will make his spring debut Friday after missing time with lower back tightness. Miller should have enough time to get built up by the March 25 opener, which is crucial for the Giants. 

Miller is not only their top left-handed reliever, but also a candidate to pitch in the seventh or eighth regardless of matchups. He had a 1.50 ERA in 36 appearances last season before feeling elbow discomfort. He didn’t need surgery, but Friday’s appearance will still be his first against big league hitters since a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 2. 

The Giants should also soon get Gregory Santos back in a Cactus League game. The hard-throwing right-hander was making a strong push for a roster spot before going on bereavement leave, and Vitello said the missed time won’t impact his standing in the bullpen competition. 

Familiar Face

LaMonte Wade Jr. got a nice ovation before the game when his name was announced and again when he came up for the first time. The former Giants first baseman went 1-for-3 against his old team, continuing what has been a solid first spring for the Chicago White Sox.

Wade has a .828 OPS with one homer after signing a minor league deal with Chicago late in the offseason. He is viewed within their camp as a potential option for their bench. 

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Led by a dominant 3 shutout innings from recently named Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli, the Nats beat the Cardinals 3-1 yesterday to improve to 10-4 on the spring, 2nd second in all of baseball. Cavalli has had as good of a Spring Training as you could hope for, as he has now thrown 9 shutout innings over 3 starts, with just 1 hit allowed. His newly added sweeper is looking sharp as well, generating lots of weak contact from right-handed hitters so far.

Jake Irvin takes the mound tonight for the Nats, and he has looked impressive as well this month, throwing 5 scoreless innings and striking out 6 batters. The lineup behind him looks rather standard, with James Wood and Daylen Lile being the only starters sitting, and Robert Hassell III and Christian Franklin taking their places. One notable defensive positioning is Nasim Nunez getting the start at third base, an opportunity to hone his skills at another position on the dirt.

The Astros will counter with a lineup filled with starters, with Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes being the most notable names missing from the starting 9. On the bump for the Astros is right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows, who was acquired from the Pirates in the winter and has thrown 8.2 scoreless innings to start his spring.

With the addition of Zack Littell, room in the Nationals’ rotation is tightening, and guys like Jake Irvin are on the chopping block, making every start critical for him to show he’s made real improvements from last season. I will be watching how he uses his pitch mix today and if he can maintain strong velocity throughout the outing. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Game Info:

Stadium: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches

Time: 6:05 PM EST

TV: MLB.TV

Radio: N/A

We’ve got ourselves a rare night game in spring training, folks! This time, the Braves are on the road in Bradenton to take on the Pirates. As you are smart to expect from a road game during spring training, the Braves have sent a group mostly consisting of organizational depth for this one.

There are two big exceptions, though. Of course, Grant Holmes will be on the mound to take on the Pirates (who are putting out a lineup that includes former Braves DH Marcell Ozuna) and Michael Harris II will be starting in center and batting leadoff. Holmes will be looking to outduel Pirates starter Bubba Chandler in this one — Chandler is currently ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 pitching prospect, so this’ll certainly be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on this evening.

Here are the rest of the lineups, starting with the Braves:

Here’s the lineup for the Pirates:

This evening’s game will be televised on Gray TV, so check your local listings in order to find the channel in your area. Meanwhile, the radio feed will be on 103.7 FM in the Atlanta area as well. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET, so we don’t have much longer to wait.

The Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds play under the lights Thursday night at Camelback Ranch.

Lineup

Miguel Rojas SS
Andy Pages CF
Teoscar Hernández LF
Freddie Freeman 1B
Alex Call RF
Max Muncy 3B
Santiago Espinal DH
Dalton Rushing C
Nick Senzel 2B

Non-roster invitee Cole Irvin starts on the mound.

Other pitchers

Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia are scheduled to pitch in this game, as are nominal bullpen contenders Kyle Hurt and Paul Gervase, plus non-roster left-hander Antoine Kelly.

Pitchers active from the minor league side of camp are Antonio Knowles (wearing number 90), Cody Morse (91), and Myles Caba (92).

Other position players

Non-roster regulars James Tibbs III, Zach Ehrhard, Noah Miller, Zyhir Hope, and Ryan Fitzgerald are active on Thursday, as are catchers Eliézer Alfonzo and Seby Zavala.

Up from minor league camp are Eduardo Quintero (05), Kole Myers (89), Kyle Nevin (06), and Logan Wagner (96). Also active is 20-year-old outfielder Brendan Tunink (87), an eighth-round draft pick from 2024 who hit .300/.417/.550 in 39 games in the Arizona Complex League last year.

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.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Mariners
• Ballpark: Peoria Sports Complex
• Time: 6:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: KIRO 710 AM (Mariners broadcast)

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.’’

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.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves, March 12, 2026, 6:05 p.m. ET

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.

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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 Yankees announced that infielder George Lombard Jr., who has had flashes of excellence this spring, has been reassigned to minor league camp.

The 20-year-old Lombard was never expected to make the team out of spring training, so this is very much an anticipated move. 

Ranked as the top overall prospect in the Yankees’ system, Lombard has never played higher than Double-A ball, meaning his Major League debut is still likely a bit down the road. 

But that didn’t stop the former first-round pick from showing flashes of what he can do whenever that time comes around. While he hit just .185 in 27 at-bats, Lombard’s biggest moment came when he blasted a leadoff home run against Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet. 

Lombard also held his own defensively, playing short stop, second, and third base. 

The Yankees do have a bit of question mark at shortstop, with Anthony Volpe recovering from offseason surgery and not expected to return until after Opening Day, but for now, Lombard will continue to get at-bats and play every day in the minors.

It was a slog for Mets left-hander Sean Manaeaon Thursday against the Cardinals.

He allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four in 2.2 innings -- needing 56 pitches to get that far.

Spring training results should always be taken with a grain of salt, but the most notable thing for Manaea was that his velocity continued to be down.

Manaea topped out at 90.4 mph with his fastball, but it sat mostly around 88 mph, which is similar to where it was during his first Grapefruit League start.

It was an injury-riddled season for Manaea in 2025, with him missing significant time due to an oblique injury and then pitching through a loose body in his left elbow -- an ailment he did not require surgery for during the offseason.

Last season, Manaea's fastball averaged 91.7 mph.

Manaea's two-seamer averaged 92.4 mph in 2024, while his four-seamer that season averaged 92.2 mph.

So, is there concern regarding where his velocity is at with Opening Day in two weeks?

"It is what it is," Manaea said after his performance on Thursday. "I feel healthy, I feel good. To me, I'm not concerned about anything."

Manaea added that he doesn't have "any explanation" for the velo dip, but noted that he thinks "adrenaline will definitely play a role" once the regular season starts.

Asked where he wanted his velocity to be, Manaea said he'd like it to be around 92-93 mph.

Speaking after the game, Carlos Mendoza weighed in on the velocity issue.

"I'm not concerned, as long as he keeps telling us that he's healthy," Mendoza explained. "That's what he keeps telling us: 'I feel great.' Look, it might take a while for the velo to come back. That's why he's tinkering with the cutter, the changeup is good, the sweeper.

"He went through a lot last year. And now, it's refining the mechanics, the arm slot. There's a lot going on, but I thought overall he got better the second and third inning. But again, it's gonna come down to him feeling good. It might take a few weeks, it might take a month. Who knows? But again, he's feeling good."

Manaea tossed just 60.2 innings last season while posting a 5.64 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.

He threw a career-high 181.2 innings for the Mets in 2024, during a season when he dropped his arm angle midway through and was largely dominant over the last three months.

As things currently stand, the Mets appear poised to enter the season with a six-man rotation that includes Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, and Manaea.

New York's starting pitching depth includes Christian Scott and Jonah Tong, while Tobias Myers -- who has starting experience -- has been staying stretched out.