Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles
Time/Place: 1:05 p.m., Joker Marchant Stadium – Lakeland, FL
SB Nation Site: Camden Chat
Media: Tigers Radio Network
GameThread: Tigers vs. Orioles, 1:05 p.m.
Right out of the gate, a 438-foot Schwarbomb — and more from Phillies camp
Right out of the gate, a 438-foot Schwarbomb — and more from Phillies camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CLEARWATER, Fla. – It didn’t take Kyle Schwarber long to do what he did better than anyone else in the National League last season.
Schwarber, who led the league with 56 homers in 2025, went deep in his first at-bat of the Grapefruit League season on Sunday. The home run, against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, came off the bat at 108.7 mph and traveled 438 feet to right field. In other words, a bomb.
“I got a good swing off,” Schwarber said. “But the wind was blowing and that made it look further.”
Schwarber doesn’t often rack up eye-popping results in spring training. Last year, he went 9 for 49 (.184) with two home runs. The year before, he was 5 for 38 (.132) with no homers. But Schwarber is a veteran player and a proven big-league performer. For those types, membership has its privileges: He uses spring training to get ready for the regular season. Results are secondary at this time of year. He has finished 15th and second, respectively, in NL MVP voting the last two seasons so those lackluster springs clearly didn’t carry over.
Schwarber hit second in the Phillies’ lineup Sunday, behind leadoff man Trea Turner and ahead of No. 3 hitter Bryce Harper and cleanup man Alec Bohm. It’s possible that Schwarber and Harper will flip-flop in the regular season. Or things could stay the same. Manager Rob Thomson will use different variations throughout spring training. Schwarber’s goal is to just be ready when the bell rings March 26 at Citizens Bank Park.
Actually, Schwarber will need to be ready earlier than that. He will play on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. First game is March 6.
“Usually, Schwarber doesn’t hit in spring training so (the home run) was good to see,” Thomson said after the 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh. “And Bohmer (sacrifice fly, double) stung the ball really well.”
Though Schwarber is and will be the Phillies’ primary DH, he could get some work at first base this spring just in case an emergency arises during the regular season. That work could actually come in workout situations. For now …
“We’re trying to get his bat ready for the WBC,” Thomson said.
It looked good on Sunday.
“He understands the strike zone,” Thomson said. “He can hit velocity, hit off-speed stuff, shoot the ball the other way. He’s improved overall as a hitter. It’s not just the power. He can use the whole field and pull the ball with the best of them.”
Despite chilly temperatures, Sunday’s home opener drew 8,157.
“Great crowd, especially with the weather,” Schwarber said. “A little rain then the cold front that pushed through. It’s always great when the berm is full and you get the stadium going and everybody gets that buzz going. To see fans down here ready to rock and roll for game 1 (of the home Grapefruit League schedule) that gets us to game 1 (of the regular season) is great.”
AIDAN MILLER DOWN
Infield prospect Aidan Miller is sidelined with a sore lower back. It has kept him out of the first two games. It is not considered serious. He is receiving treatment.
“We’re just being super cautious with him this early in camp,” Thomson said. “We’re getting him some treatment to calm it down.”
EAST COAST BOUND
The Phillies play the next two days on Florida’s East Coast – Monday against Washington in West Palm Beach and Tuesday against Miami in Jupiter.
Sunday Game Thread vs. Niles Crane’s Ex-Wife, Marist
1pm CT SECN+.
After a 12-1 run rule win in the 7th, the Diamond Dores are riding a 4 game winning streak… all by the run rule. Let’s keep this red-hot Esposito-run high-powered offense rolling for the series sweep and 5th run rule win in a row (please and thank you). Then we can tell Daphne to break out the brooms, despite her being Martin’s home care worker and not the maid, as she is seemingly forever unable to convince Frasier.
Yesterday, the offense wasn’t just donger-powered, as the Diamond Dores had 15 hits in 7 innings. Logan Johnstone, Mike Mancini, Braden Holcomb, and Tommy Goodin all had 2 hit games, with the former and latter of that list hitting one over the fencing they’ve set up.
…and Austin Nye extended his season-opening scoreless innings streak at 9IP.
…and Marist still doesn’t know what to to with Vanderbilt’s tossed salads (offense) and scrambled eggs (pitching).
They’re calling again.
I was punched in the face by a man now dead.
I’m listening.
Frasier!
…and now, what you all came for… Dingers!
On the Mound
Saturday @ 2:00pm SECN+
Vanderbilt #80 So. RHP Nate “Nasty Nate” Taylor (0-1; 4.15 ERA)
vs. Marist #18 Grad. RHP Jack “John L.” Sullivan (0-1; 6.00 ERA)
The Lineup
See you in the comments.
Dodgers on Deck: Monday, February 23 vs. Mariners
The Dodgers on Monday make their 2026 Camelback Ranch debut, hosting the Mariners for their third Cactus League game on the schedule.
Landon Knack gets the ball to start for the Dodgers, after a rough second season in the majors in 2025. Knack had a 4.89 ERA and 5.66 xERA in 10 games last year, including seven starts, with 42 strikeouts and 19 walks in 42 1/3 innings.
Logan Gilbert starts on Monday for the Mariners.
Monday game info
- Teams: Dodgers vs. Mariners
- Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
- Time: 12:05 p.m. PT
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (simulcast), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Dodgers at Padres spring training travel roster
The Dodgers on Sunday head to Peoria to play the San Diego Padres. Here are the active players making the trip slightly north from Camelback Ranch.
Lineup
Miguel Rojas SS
Kyle Tucker RF
Will Smith C
Ryan Ward 1B
Nick Senzel 3B
James Tibbs III LF
Zach Ehrhard DH
Ryan Fitzgerald 2B
Michael Siani CF
Kyle Tucker bats second in right field, playing his first game in a Dodgers uniform. Ryan Ward and Zach Ehrhard are the only two Dodgers in the starting lineup for each of the first two games, if you were keeping track of the team’s games played leaderboard.
Non-roster invitee Jackson Ferris starts on the mound. Last spring training he appeared in three games, including an impressive start at Dodger Stadium against the Angels.
Other pitchers
Will Klein and Ronan Kopp are the two Dodgers pitchers on the 40-man roster scheduled to throw in Sunday’s game. Non-roster invitees Patrick Copen, Chris Campos, Garrett McDaniels, Jerming Rosario, and Carlos Duran are also on the schedule.
Active from minor league camp are Payton Marin (wearing number 06), Roque Gutierrez (87), Cody Morse (90), Christian Suarez (91), and old friend Nick Robertson (97).
Other position players
The outfield prospect trio of Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, and Kendall George are active again on Sunday, as are fellow non-roster invitees Keston Hiura, Noah Miller, and catchers Seby Zavala, Griffin Lockwood-Powell, and Nelson Quiroz.
From the minor league side, infielders Austin Gauthier (88), Jose Izarra (89), and Kyle Nevin (03) are active, as is outfielder Kole Myers (07).
Ronald Acuña, Jr. to bat lead-off this season
The question as to where in the 2026 Atlanta Braves batting order outfielder Ronald Acuña, Jr. will hit can come to an end. Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters this morning that Acuña, Jr. will reclaim his spot at the top of the order, batting lead-off for the team this season.
Despite some questionable line-up constructions with Acuña, Jr. last season – him batting seventh was a thing that happened – it was reasonable to have expected him to return to the top of the order, the question was whether or not that would be in the lead-off spot or batting second.
Well, Acuña, Jr., he of the first 40 home runs, 70 stolen base season in MLB history will return to the spot where he has started 676 games during his career – at the top of the line-up. (His next highest batting order location is hitting third, which he’s done 46 times, by the way.)
As for who will bat second, that is still an open question according to the new Braves’ skipper, with Weiss noting that both catcher Drake Baldwin and first baseman Matt Olson hit left-handed pitching well enough that he could hit them back-to-back. Outfielder/designated hitter Jurickson Profar is likely another option, specially given his ability to switch-hit and get on base.
Now, for the next five weeks, it is just matter of everyone staying healthy so that the offense hopefully get off to a hot start when the Braves start their regular season at home against the Kansas City Royals.
What will become of baseball’s last knuckleballer?
The San Diego Padres have played two Cactus League games with many more to go before Opening Day in late March. Even with only two games played, the Friars have given fans plenty to think about.
As Spring Training continues the next few weeks, certain players have more to prove than others in order to make it onto the major league roster. Among these there are few with as much on the line as Matt Waldron.
The last of the knuckleballers
Apart from Waldron, there are no active pitchers using the knuckleball in MLB. After R.A. Dickey retired in 2017, as well as Tim Wakefield in 2011, no one apart from Waldron has had any legitimate success with the pitch.
Part of this is due to the fact that the pitch, as unhittable as it is, is incredibly difficult for catchers to get their gloves on and for umpires to correctly call. Umps simply don’t know how to call the pitch well because of how much movement it has, and the catching situation is even more dire.
In 2024, Kyle Higashioka did most of the work behind the plate and managed to do a decent job of catching Waldron, but others have not done as well.
In his lone start of the 2025 season against the Philadelphia Phillies, Martín Maldonado caught for Waldron and allowed a passed ball and three wild pitches, leading to the Phillies scoring a run in the fourth inning.
Waldron used his knuckleball 74.0% of the time in his outing against Philly, much higher than the 38.2% average across the 2024 season.
The problem with the pitch is that if it’s not executed perfectly, batters will destroy it. And even if it is executed correctly there’s no guarantee the pitch will be called a strike, with umpires having difficulty calling the pitch accurately for Waldron throughout his career.
Struggles with settling in
Waldron has spent most of his career in the minors, but he spent significant time shuttling between the major and minor league clubs from 2023-25. His largest stint in the majors came in ‘24, making 26 starts for the Padres and helping them reach the postseason in October.
In those starts, he finished with a 4.91 ERA across 146 2/3 innings. While most pitchers struggle their second and third times through the lineup, Waldron had his biggest problems his first time through. His ERA through the first three innings was much higher than it was in innings four through six (4.62 compared to 3.36). In fact, he ended the season with a 7.88 ERA in the first inning alone.
Waldron’s problems settling in have hurt his resumé deeply, leading to a 6.48 ERA during the 2025 season spent in the San Diego minor league system. If Waldron can find a way to warm up sooner and settle in, he’ll be absolutely dominant with his unhittable knuckleball.
Saturday’s start
In the Padres 10-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Waldron allowed only one walk and one single across two innings of work. In those innings, Waldron decreased his typical knuckleball usage from 46.3% (major league career average) to 33.0%, opting to use a more balanced pitch mix.
In the first inning, he faced four batters who all start for Kansas City’s major league ball club, getting Jonathan India and Bobby Witt Jr. to groundout before walking Vinnie Pasquantino. He ended the inning by striking out Salvador Perez.
In the second, he got Kyle Isbel to lineout and then gave up a single to Dairon Blanco. Waldron then caught Blanco stealing second base before striking out John Rave, ending his first game of the year.
If he can capitalize on this start to Cactus League play over the next few weeks, it would earn Waldron consideration for a backend spot in the Padres’ rotation and possibly revive his career.
Maybe he learns how to settle in sooner and is used in a swingman role who can take over the brunt of a game’s middle innings.
Whatever the case, Waldron is running out of time to prove his usefulness at the major league level. He’s out of options and, although it’s unlikely another club claims him off waivers, it’s always possible the Padres lose him for good.
Spring Training Game Thread #2/3: Milwaukee Brewers (0-1) @ Chicago White Sox (2-0)/vs. Kansas City Royals (1-1)
After a losing effort against the Guardians on Saturday afternoon, the Brewers are back at it with their first split-squad day of the spring. The road Brewer squad is in Glendale, where they’ll take on the Chicago White Sox, while the home team welcomes the Royals to American Family Fields of Phoenix.
In the road lineup, Joey Ortiz bats leadoff as the DH, followed by Andrew Vaughn, Akil Baddoo, and Tyler Black. Jeferson Quero makes his spring debut behind the plate, followed by top prospect Jesús Made at second base. Fellow top prospect Cooper Pratt starts at shortstop, Luke Adams starts at third, and Luis Lara rounds out the order in right field.
Logan Henderson starts on the mound in that one, with righties Carlos Rodriguez and Peter Strzelecki also scheduled to pitch behind him.
In the home game, Jackson Chourio bats leadoff and starts in left, followed by Gary Sánchez, who serves as the DH. William Contreras bats third and starts behind the plate, followed by Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers. New Brewer Luis Rengifo bats seventh and starts at third base, followed by center fielder Blake Perkins and Jett Williams at short.
Robert Gasser will start for the home squad, with fellow lefties DL Hall and Tate Kuehner also slated to pitch.
First pitch for the road game against Chicago is set for 2:05 p.m. CT, with the home game against Kansas City scheduled to begin at 2:10 p.m. The road game is also Milwaukee’s first televised spring game on Brewers TV, free for viewing (even in the blackout region). The road game will be broadcast on 94.5 ESPN Milwaukee and the Brewers Radio Network across the state.
New York Yankees vs. New York Mets: Luis Gil vs. Justin Hagenman
The first two games of the Yankees’ spring schedule showcased the two hottest pitching prospects in the organization, Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange. Today, a post-hype-prospect-turned-post-hype Major Leaguer gets the ball. Luis Gil will need a big spring to reestablish his place in the MLB rotation, especially with those two hotshots rising through the ranks. He’ll make his first start opposite Justin Hagenman as the Yankees host the Mets at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Gil only threw 57 regular season innings in 2025 after his AL Rookie of the Year-winning campaign in 2024. While his 3.32 ERA was fine enough, his strikeouts plummeted and his 4.63 FIP indicated deeper issues. He made an unimpressive start in the ALDS against the Blue Jays and enters 2026 with far less buzz around him than the new kids on the block. Even with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón set to miss the first chunk of the season, Gil still might not be guaranteed a rotation spot; FanGraphs’ RosterResource currently has him fifth on the rotation depth chart behind Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and even new arrival Ryan Weathers (though the Yankees’ selection of Gil over Warren for a playoff start last October likely still reflects some internal thinking).
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how he comes out of the gate following a long offseason. Will we continue to see Gil tamp down the fastball velocity as he did last season, in order to keep from running out of steam? Or will the urgency to win a spot and restore trust have him tossing fireballs right away? Of course, Gil likely won’t be built up to full velocity anyway, but we should still get a decent idea based on the numbers. As always, command and missing bats will be focal points as well.
Gil will be opposed by South Jersey native Justin Hagenman, who had his inaugural big-league cup of coffee after seven seasons in the Minors. The 29-year old right-hander posted a 4.56 ERA in 9 games with 23 K’s in 23.2 innings, not too shabby an introduction. We’re most likely looking at a depth reliever or swingman-type player here; he throws a lot of strikes but lacks a truly eye-popping offering. There may be an analogue to the Garden State in there somewhere.
It’s a packed lineup today for the Bombers. The full starting outfield—albeit with Aaron Judge at DH—will take their familiar top three spots in the lineup while Jazz Chisholm Jr. bats cleanup. Paul Goldschmidt will man the cold corner with Austin Wells behind the plate. Amed Rosario will play third base, former Rockie Yanquiel Fernández will be stationed in right field, and José Caballero rounds out the starting nine at shortstop.
How to watch
Location: George M Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: Gotham Sports App, MLB Network (out-of-network only)
Radio broadcast: WHSQ 880AM & Audacy Mets Radio
Online stream: Gotham Sports App
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Seattle Mariners backup catcher battle: pick your pony
One of the things about having a more established team is there are fewer spring training roster battles. Backup catcher isn’t exactly the most glamorous position, especially when backing up one of the league’s more famous iron men, but it is one of the things we have to watch this spring alongside the yearly bullpen battle and the platoon obstacle course in right field. As a reminder, the candidates are:
- Andrew Knizner. Knizner has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster and earning actual guaranteed money no matter what happens this spring. He also has the backing of our own Connor Donovan, who came away from writing Knizner’s 40 in 40 with a newfound appreciation for the career backup.
- Jhonny Pereda. Pereda has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster, although he did not inspire the same strong feelings in ZAM that Knizner did in Connor. Pereda’s other advantage is he has an option year left.
- Mitch Garver. After saying earlier this winter that the team hadn’t had any conversations about bringing Garver back, Cal Raleigh apparently influenced the organization to bring back Garver on an MiLB deal after he went unsigned this winter. Garver has the advantage of knowing the system and the way he fits on this roster; he’s also enjoyed the most successful career out of any of the potential candidates, as a World Series champ with a Silver Slugger.
Then there are the non-roster invites currently in camp with the Mariners. Two are MiLB journeyman who have been with the Mariners in the past in Bryan O’Keefe and Nick Raposo, and three are homegrown prospects Josh Caron, Connor Charping, and Luke Stevenson. Jakson Reetz, another MiLB journeyman, rounds out this group. This crew is here mostly to catch because catchers make the spring training world go round – and gain experience in the case of the prospects – but there’s an outside outside outside chance O’Keefe, Raposo, or Reetz might have a late-career resurgence. Realistically, though, this is a three-horse race between Knizner, Pereda, and Garver. Given those options, which of the the three is your early spring pick to make the Opening Day roster? Really, what this question asks is: what do you see as the role of a backup catcher, and what traits do you value most in that position?
Mets vs. Yankees: Spring training lineups, broadcast info, and open thread, 2/22/26
Mets lineup
- Carson Benge – RF
- Mark Vientos – 1B
- Luis Torrens – C
- Jared Young – DH
- Christian Arroyo – 3B
- Ryan Clifford – LF
- Vidal Bruján – 2B
- Cristian Pache – CF
- Grae Kessinger – SS
Justin Hagenman – RHP
Yankees Lineup
- Trent Grisham – CF
- Aaron Judge – DH
- Cody Bellinger – LF
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 2B
- Paul Goldschmidt – 1B
- Austin Wells – C
- Amed Rosario – 3B
- Yanquiel Fernández – RF
- José Caballero – SS
RHP Luis Gil
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:05 PM EST
TV: MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Spring Game #2 GameThread: Jays At Red Sox
Game two of the spring schedule. I was up early and at the bar for the hockey, and that is all I’m saying about it. Though beer at 6:00 in the morning is surprisingly good.
The Jays have Fernando Perez as the starting pitcher. He was good in Vancouver last year, 3.05 ERA in 20 starts, and finished the season in New Hampshire.
Less regulars today, as the veterans don’t like to make the bus rides:
Go Jays Go.
Spring Training Game Thread: Blue Jays at Red Sox
Can the US stick it to Canada twice today? We’ll find out! First pitch at 1:05 PM.
Is it on TV?
You bet! NESN is three-for-three so far in the spring. Give it up for cable television, ladies and gentlemen.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
As Alex Cora himself said, this is pretty close to a regular season lineup. I didn’t expect to see a lineup quite like this so soon, but the WBC is speeding things up a bit this spring, so let’s go ahead and pretend this is a real game for the first few innings.
Harry Ford should be the frontrunner for the Nationals starting catcher job
One of the biggest competitions we will see this spring is behind the plate. Top prospect and new Nat Harry Ford will be battling it out against Keibert Ruiz at camp. We will see who comes out on top, but for my sanity, I really hope it is Harry Ford. It would be the best outcome for Ford to win the job because he has more upside.
Keibert Ruiz has gotten chance after chance in his four plus seasons with the Nationals. However, he has never been able to put it together and has been regressing over the past couple of years. The bat first catcher is only hitting .235 with a .610 OPS over the last two seasons. When you combine that with awful defense, you get one of the worst regulars in baseball.
If it weren’t for his contract extension, Ruiz would probably have been non-tendered or DFA’d by now. However, he has that contract, so he is going to be on the team. His contract is not big enough to just promise him a starting role despite poor production. Ruiz is only making $5.375 million this year.
Meanwhile, Ford has proven everything he has needed to in the minors. He hit .283 with an .868 OPS in Triple-A last year. Ford also showed increased power production and slightly improved defense. The only reason he did not see more time in the MLB was because of how good Cal Raleigh is. In other organizations, Ford would have been a starter for at least part of last season.
Ford is 23 years old with four full seasons in the minor leagues now. The Mariners brought him along slowly and developed him nicely. Now, it is time for the Nats to reap the rewards and unleash him. If Ruiz and Ford are playing at the same level this spring, the tie should go to Ford not Ruiz.
We have seen Ruiz get the benefit of the doubt for so many years now. He has lost that right, and Harry Ford now has the title of catcher of the future in DC. Ford has a level of athleticism and plate discipline Ruiz could only dream of. We saw some of that plate discipline yesterday when Ford walked and got an RBI base hit.
The whole reason the Mariners traded Ford was because they knew he was basically big league ready but they did not have regular playing time for him. Rather than letting him rot on the bench or AAA, they wanted to flip the asset while he still had value. For the Nats to see that and decide to roll with Ruiz over Ford would be silly. It would kind of defeat the point of the trade. Why trade for a blocked big league ready catcher if you are not going to play him?
This is not to say there should not be competition. If Ruiz looks way better than Ford, he should get the job. However, in this battle, the tie should go to Harry Ford. Back a few years ago, Ruiz was the high upside catcher the Nats were developing, now Ford is that guy. At this point, Ruiz’s development is a secondary concern to Ford’s.
There is going to be one twist in this competition though. At the start of March, Ford will be leaving camp to play for Great Britain. He is one of the stars of that team and is a co-captain. His parents are British, so this is a great honor for him, but it could give Ruiz an upper hand.
The time away from camp gives Ruiz more reps and opportunities. If he takes advantage of that, Ruiz could be in the driver’s seat of the competition. As a fan though, I am really rooting for Ford to win this competition.
The Nats catching situation has been such a disaster the last couple years, and Ruiz has been the biggest problem. He has not been the player Nats fans thought they were getting when he was a headliner in the Scherzer/Turner trade. Rather than establishing himself as a star, Ruiz has struggled on both sides of the ball and has not stayed healthy.
There is a reason trading for Ford was Paul Toboni’s first major move. He knew the catching situation was not good enough. Toboni bet on Ford to be the answer. If Harry Ford has a comparable or better spring than Ruiz, unleash the young man and give him his shot.
Spring Training Game #2/3: Pirates vs. Rays, @ Phillies
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, February 22, 2025, 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL
How to Watch: Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, February 22, 2025, 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: BayCare Ballpark, Clearwater, FL
How to Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7
The Pittsburgh Pirates are splitting the team up, with half staying home to face the Rays and the other traveling to visit the Phillies.
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