WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 03: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Team Venezuela and the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Lawrence Brown/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Houston Astros (11-13-3) host the St. Louis Cardinals (16-9-2) in their Grapefruit League finale.
RHP Cristian Javier (0-0) will start for the Astros vs. Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (0-3).
MR. CRISTIAN: Today will be RHP Cristian Javier’s third start of the Spring in an official game and his fourth start overall (includes his March 3 exhibition game start vs. Venezuela).
In his last start on March 15 vs. MIA, Javier hurled 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while tallying five strikeouts.
Javier, who was limited to just eight starts in 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, is 35-22 in his career with a 3.66 ERA (219ER/538IP). In his career, Javier has held opponents to a .203 (397×1956) batting average, which is tops among all AL pitchers since 2020 (min. 525 IP).
He’s also helped author several notable moments in his career, starting a combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, as well as a combined no-hitter in June of that season at Yankee Stadium.
Javier has been stellar in the post season, going 6-2 in 17 app. with a 2.68 ERA. In 43.2 postseason innings, he has allowed just 22 hits while tallying 60 K’s
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Roddery Munoz, RHP AJ Blubaugh, LHP Steven Okert, RHP Christian Roa, RHP Logan VanWey.
VS. THE CARDS: Today is the Astros sixth matchup of the Spring vs. the Cardinals. HOU is 1-4 vs. STL this Spring.
The two clubs will face off in the regular season in a three-game set the weekend of April 17-19 at Daikin Park in Houston.
UP NEXT: Following today’s game, the Astros will return to Houston. On Monday and Tuesday, they will play games vs. the Triple A Sugar Land Space Cowboys at Daikin Park ahead of the 2026 season opener vs. the Angels on Thursday, March 26.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, March 22, 11:05 a.m. CST
Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL
The Mets informed veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel on Sunday that he would not be on the Opening Day roster.
The right-hander was able to seek opportunities with other clubs, but he has decided to remain in the Mets organization and continue to prepare for a potential bullpen role in the future.
"I am going to stay down here in Florida and stay ready," Kimbrel told Mike Puma of the New York Post. "My goal was to make the Opening Day roster. I am a little disappointed in that, but that is all on me."
Manager Carlos Mendoza said on Sunday that there was a "good chance" that Kimbrel would remain with the club.
"That goes to show you who he is, as a person, as a human, as a competitor," Mendoza said. "It’s a very good opportunity here, but we did inform him yesterday."
The 37-year-old Kimbrel, who ranks fourth on the all-time saves list with 440, was a non-roster invite by the Mets, but he was inconsistent on the mound this spring. In six appearances (6.0 innings), Kimbrel posted a 4.50 ERA with five strikeouts, five walks, and two hit batters.
With Kimbrel now out of the mix for an Opening Day bullpen spot, lefty Bryan Hudson and lefty Richard Lovelady are the remaining internal candidates for the final job in the bullpen.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced this morning that outfielder Mike Tauchman has a meniscus tear in his knee and will require surgery. That certainly takes the 35-year-old out of the equation for the Mets’ final decisions about their Opening Day roster, but assuming he stays with the organization, it is the sort of surgery that should give him an opportunity to join the Mets’ roster at some point this season.
Coming off a very solid 2025 season with the White Sox, Tauchman signed a minor league deal with the Mets in mid-February. And in Grapefruit League play, he hit .241/.371/.448 with a home run, putting himself on track to get a spot on the Mets’ roster to start the season.
With Tauchman sidelined, though, the starting gig in right field should belong to top prospect Carson Benge, who very well might’ve made the team even if Taucham hadn’t gotten hurt. After looking very good in the upper levels of the minors last year, the 23-year-old has looked fantastic in spring training games. He’s hit .368/.442/.447 in those exhibition games and will be an exciting player to watch as the season gets underway.
Mar 21, 2026; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
I’m going to be flying all day, and I’m running around doing last-minute things, so writing something useful won’t happen.
So let’s have an OpenThread.
If you want a topic to start things off, the team has a bunch of decisions to make on the last few spots. Who gets the last one or two spots in the bullpen. Doesn’t Leo Jimenez get a spot, or do they DFA him? Would he clear waivers?
Eloy Jimenez? Does he get a spot over Davis Schneider? If he does, Leo has to get a spot. Eloy started the spring on fire, but didn’t carry it through to the end. But he hits the ball hard.
How many left-handed outfielders do we carry?
With Eric Lauer in the rotation, who is the long man? Do we need a long man? Are eight one-inning pitchers enough? Yariel Rodriguez is being paid a lot and can do 2-3 innings, and when one of the injured pitchers comes back, we know he can clear waivers.
Tauchman suffered a meniscus tear that requires surgery, an MRI revealed.
"Unfortunately, he’s going to be down for a while," Mendoza told reporters on Sunday.
Mendoza said that the team will have a better understanding of the timeline for Tauchman's return after he has surgery.
"He started feeling discomfort yesterday, and he got to a point where he couldn’t do it [anymore]," Mendoza said. "... Trainers kind of knew right away when he came out, because we sent him for an MRI."
The 35-year-old Tauchman was pushing for a roster spot, hitting .241 this spring with one home run, six RBI, and an .819 OPS. He seemingly grimaced in pain while running down the first-base line on Saturday, and then later could not get back to make a play on a ball over his head in the outfield.
Tauchman was likely the biggest competition for top prospect Carson Benge in terms of the starting right field job come Opening Day. Benge has looked the part this spring, but Mendoza would not make any declarative statements on Sunday about Benge's potential place on the big league roster.
As far as other right field options, Mendoza said that M.J. Melendez is not considered an Opening Day option right now, as he'll start the year in Triple-A, but the team does like their internal options.
"We feel good with the options that we’ve got here," Mendoza said. "Obviously, we’ve got a lot of guys who are playing well, but we know injuries happen. It sucks for him and obviously the team, but we feel pretty good with the guys that we’ve got here."
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 17: Members of Team Venezuela celebrate on the podium after the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship game presented by Capital One between Team Venezuela and Team USA at loanDepot Park on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! Since the last time we came together, the World Baseball Classic came to a close, with Team USA shutting down the dominant D.R. lineup before being themselves shut down by the Venezuela pitching staff. Just as importantly, spring is now upon us, and that just means one thing: Opening Day is (almost) here! That’s right, this coming Wednesday, the New York Yankees will take the field against the San Francisco Giants to kickstart the 2026 season. So as we get ready for the big day, let’s check in on our favorite ballplayers, and see what they’ve been up to this week!
Final Photos from and about the Classic
The biggest news of the week, of course, was the World Baseball Classic. I will admit, I wasn’t able to snag everything — Jasson Domínguez, for example, posted about the Dominican Republic’s loss on his Instagram story even though he wasn’t there, which should help give you an idea just how much this tournament means to so many of these players. So this is just a small sample, from official accounts, Yankees players, beloved former Yankees, and other NYC athletes.
This past Wednesday, Gerrit Cole took the mound. Yes, it’s only spring training, and yes, it was only one inning, but it’s a major step in his return from Tommy John surgery.
As spring training comes to a close, so does our daily dose of fun shenanigans from the Yankees and YES Network Instagram accounts. But that doesn’t mean we’re out of material just yet! This week, we have Carlos Lagrange, the pitcher everyone’s talking about this spring, answering questions from the YES Network — but only with wrong answers, giving us a bit of a look into the tall right-hander’s sense of humor.
We also got to learn which music has been most commonly found on the Yankees’ iPods (hey, some of them are still old enough to use iPods), and — what I found rather interesting as a Latin teacher — where exactly a bunch of Yankees stand on a controversial linguistic question.
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 20: Josh Owens #93 of the Texas Rangers fields a ball during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In non-Rangers news, Christopher Sanchez, the Philadelphia Phillies lefty who will be facing the Rangers on Opening Day, has agreed with the Phillies on a re-worked deal that adds a couple of years at $30 million guaranteed to his existing contract, as well as having the existing option years picked up.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: A view of the Dodger Stadium light towers during Game Five of the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Spring training isn’t quite yet complete, but has changed scenery for the Dodgers, who are back home in Southern California to face the Angels for three games in the Freeway Series. Also this week, the real shebang gets underway with opening day and three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Here’s a look at the week ahead.
Beginning on Sunday, every game the rest of the way this season will be broadcast on Dodgers radio in English on AM 570 and in Spanish on KTNQ 1020 AM. For the schedule below, assume SportsNet LA for television unless noted otherwise (opening day this week on NBC, for instance).
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Cade Cavalli #24 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a spring training game at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 11, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the Grapefruit League all wrapped up, I wanted to discuss a pair of the Nats biggest stars this spring. Brady House and Cade Cavalli are entering key seasons in their pro career. Both are starting their first full season as a big leaguer. This spring, both of them looked ready to roll.
I want to start with House, who was the only Nats hitter to truly stand out this spring. He had a tough introduction to the big leagues last season, posting a .574 OPS in 73 games. Most people figured House would struggle with plate discipline and strikeouts, but that he would run into some homers. We saw the struggles, but we did not see that signature power.
House only hit 4 homers and 11 doubles in 261 at bats last season. This spring has been a totally different story. He has hit 3 homers and 6 doubles in just 38 at bats. House made a statement in his first game of the spring with a pair of homers, and never looked back. He has been totally locked in this spring.
Hopefully that can carry over into the regular season because that would be a big boost to the Nats offense. Consistently hammering the ball like he has this spring is what House has to do to succeed. His approach will never be great, so he has to feast on the pitches he does get in the zone. This spring, even House’s outs have been loud.
If House can consistently drive the ball with authority, the rest of his game will come together. He is a good defender at third base, which could offset some of the potential offensive holes in his game. If he can hit 25 homers and a bunch of doubles, the approach and whiff concerns become less of a problem. It is no guarantee that this happens, but the spring was a good sign.
The other big star of the spring has been Cade Cavalli. Entering Spring Training, he was the favorite to be the Opening Day starter, and he locked up that honor with his performances. Cavalli tossed 14 scoreless innings this spring with 10 strikeouts and just two walks. He generated a ton of weak contact and kept the ball on the ground.
If you have been following, you know this has been my breakout arm for 2026.
Cavalli has become a popular breakout pick, and for good reason. His stuff is dynamic and now he is finally 100% healthy. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery in early 2023, Cavalli had a tough road back. He had some setbacks, which led to him missing two whole seasons. However, he showed some major promise when he got called up to the big leagues in the second half of last season.
Now, Cavalli seems ready to take the next step and that will start in four days at Wrigley Field. Being the Opening Day starter with just 11 career starts feels crazy, but Cavalli is by far the most talented pitcher in the rotation. I would not be surprised if he outperformed the now departed MacKenzie Gore this season. He has the big sturdy frame to hold up for the whole season.
Cavalli’s stuff might be even better than Gore’s as well. He has a 4-seam and a sinker that are both in the mid to upper 90’s. They set the table for his power curveball and his new sweeper. Cavalli also has a really nice changeup he will show off every once in a while. There is also an occasional cutter he will mix in.
Cade Cavalli is a pitcher I need to talk about more!
After a myriad of injuries that kept him out effectively since 2022, Cavalli returned strong at the end of the last season and looks even better this Spring! He is sustaining his upper 90s velocity and producing well. pic.twitter.com/DtqoN4kufG
Overall, it is a very impressive arsenal. I think that new sweeper will be very helpful, especially against right handed hitters. Righties were actually Cavalli’s kryptonite last year, but the sweeper gives him a new weapon against them.
Cavalli and House were picked in the first round in back to back years. It has been a long road for both, but if this spring is any indicator, they have arrived. Now, it will be time for them to prove themselves in the regular season. They are two of the Nats I will be following the closest this season. House and Cavalli are two true breakout candidates. I can’t wait to watch their 2026 seasons, and we only have to wait a few more days.
“I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don’t want it to be a distraction. Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game,” Arozarena said in a statement issued by the Mariners. “Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates. He’s family, and we are both focused on helping the Mariners win the World Series.”
The incident between the two took place on March 9 when Arozarena reached down to greet Raleigh in his catcher’s squat at home plate, and Raleigh declined to offer his hand back in a game in which the Americans beat Mexico 5-3.
Arozarena, speaking to Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert in Spanish, said Raleigh “has to thank God that he has nice parents, well educated,” and added he recently hugged them during a friendly greeting at the team hotel.
He then used profane Cuban and Mexican slang to insult Raleigh before pivoting to English and saying Raleigh could shove his “good to see you” in his rear. Arozarena was born in Cuba but defected to Mexico to pursue an MLB career.
“I love Randy, I do,” Raleigh said. “I hate that this is a thing. There’s no beef when we get back to Seattle. He’s my brother. We’re family.”
On Saturday night after their spring training game, Raleigh reiterated his feelings.
“We talked it out, and everything went great,” Raleigh said, according to MLB.com. “Randy knows that I love him, and he’s a brother, and it’s in the past and none of us are carrying this forward. We’re in a good spot.”
The Mariners open the season Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians.
Seattle is coming off a season in which it won the franchise’s first AL West title since 2001. Raleigh helped lead the way by becoming the seventh different player in major league history to hit 60 homers in a season.
Mar 9, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Ty France (4) bats against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Good morning and happy Sunday everybody! We’re only three sleeps away from meaningful Major League baseball and that means rosters are being finalized and difficult decisions are being made in front offices across the league, all to bring us closer to the baseball we so desperately desire. And all so we can spend Thursday night yelling at our screens. It’s soooo close. Just a little longer.
The Mariners reassigned Colt Emerson to minor league camp yesterday, ending an impressive spring for the 20 year old prospect. Rhylan Thomas was optioned to Tacoma in the move as well, bringing the Mariners roster to 32.
Randy Arozarena released a statement yesterday to finally put to rest the “drama” between him and Cal Raleigh. Cal followed up Randy’s statement with a similar sentiment, firmly placing the entire exchange in the past where it belongs.
Cal Raleigh “We talked it out. Randy knows that I love him and he’s a brother. It’s in the past and none of us are carrying this forward. We’re in a good spot. We talked it out. We’re both sorry, and we both got in a good place, and we’re both happy to be here too.” https://t.co/Iw4cEABojh
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston will join Netflix’s Opening Day coverage on Wednesday night. Jameis certainly strikes me as an entertaining and charismatic character, however I’m not necessarily convinced that baseball needs more football, and vice versa.
Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh start their season with the Mariners on Thursday. Photograph: Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Randy Arozarena says he has apologized to his Seattle Mariners teammate Cal Raleigh after an incident at this month’s World Baseball Classic.
Arozarena was representing Mexico against Raleigh’s USA when the teams met at the WBC on 9 March. Raleigh ignored Arozarena’s offer of a handshake during an at-bat, a move that angered the outfielder. In a later interview, Arozarena said Raleigh could “fuck off” and “go to hell.” Raleigh downplayed the incident, saying “we’re good friends and we’ll continue to be good friends”.
On Saturday, Arozarena issued a statement through the Mariners saying he had made amends with Raleigh.
“I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don’t want it to be a distraction,” Arozarena said. “Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game. Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates.”
Raleigh hit 60 home runs last season, a record for a catcher, as the Mariners won the AL West and fell just short of a World Series appearance. Mariners manager Joe Wilson said he wasn’t surprised at Arozarena’s apology.
“It’s just a special group,” Wilson told MLB.com. “They love each other, and yeah, it’s time. I think we’re all ready to get back to Seattle and get this thing started.”
The Mariners play their first game of the season on Thursday, against the Cleveland Guardians.
TEMPE, ARIZONA - MARCH 13: Travis Bazzana #72 of the Cleveland Guardians walks to home plate while adjusting his batting gloves during the Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 13, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tanner Bibee was throwing batting practice again yesterday, but Travis Bazzana homered twice and Jace Laviolette also homered for the Guardians:
What does it mean that Bibee is giving up double-digit hits every outing? I guess we will find out soon enough.
Logan Allen is headed to Columbus and Parker Messick is in the rotation. The Reds and Guardians play at 3:05PM ET. And, THIS THURSDAY BASEBALL IS REAL AGAIN GAAAAAH
MESA, AZ - MARCH 21: Lan-Hong Su #41 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Ty France celebrated the news that he made the Opening Day roster for the San Diego Padres by getting the start at second base when the Padres took on the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Saturday. San Diego lost the contest 6-1, but France finished his outing with a 1-for-3 performance. Randy Vasquez started on the mound for the Padres and worked through the first three innings without allowing a run. Over the final 2.1 innings of his outing the Brewers scored four runs on five hits, three of which were home runs, en route to the win. Mason Miller also surrendered two runs, one of which was earned, on two hits over 2/3 of an inning. The lone run in the game for San Diego came on a solo home run by Francisco Acuna in the top of the ninth inning.
The Padres host the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday at 6:10 p.m.
Padres News:
Walker Buehler had the opportunity to sign with other teams on major league deals this offseason, but he chose to sign a minor league deal with the Padres and earn his way onto the team. He did just that with it being announced on Saturday that he made the Opening Day roster. Buehler is now one part of the rotation group that has the Friar Faithful concerned about the upcoming season.
The San Diego Padres prospects lost their Spring Breakout game to the Chicago Cubs prospects, 7-5, but the story of the game for the San Diego organization was catcher Ethan Salas. The No. 2 prospect for the Padres went 2-for-3 and that included a monster home run to right field.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs during the 11th inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This current Phillies era of being October regulars began in 2022, when they got in as the final NL Wild Card and then went on a run to the World Series before falling to the Astros. In the three years since, they’ve made the postseason every time and won the NL East in the last two seasons. However, they haven’t been able to match that postseason run in the years since, having lost in the NLDS in both of the last two seasons.
This season, they’ll go in on the shortlist of NL favorites again, although questions still remain. Can this be the year they return to the Fall Classic and even win it, or will the season end in frustration again?
Philadelphia Phillies 2025 Record: 96-66 (1st in NL East) 2026 FanGraphs Projection: 87-75 (3rd in NL East, 2nd NL Wild Card)
On the offensive side of things, the Phillies will run out a fairly similar lineup to last year. There are some differences, and there could’ve been even more, but they ended up re-signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, meaning the core of what their lineup has been in recent years in still intact.
The biggest difference on that front is in right field. After a turbulent end to his Phillies’ career, Nick Castellanos was released by the team back before spring training got going. Earlier in the offseason, they signed former Rangers All-Star and 2023 World Series winner Adolis García, and he’ll likely handle most of the duties in right. Offensively, that change may be a bit of a wash, at least based on what he and Castellanos did last year. Defensively, though, it should be a big improvement. While he’s won a Gold Glove in right in the past, García doesn’t grade out as one of the best at that spot anymore, but Castellanos was one of the worst defensive right fielders around in recent years. It shouldn’t be hard to better that.
The main worry around their offense is just that everyone is a year older with another year of wear and tear on their bodies. Bryce Harper is still an excellent hitter, but not at the 170 wRC+ level that he was in his early years in Philly. Trea Turner is coming off the second best season of his career according to fWAR and there’s no guarantees that he can be good to that extent again. J.T. Realmuto still rates very good defensively, but was below average last year and is projected to be again this year. Odds are that not everyone will regress enough to make them miss the playoffs or anything, but if one or two do, they could fall behind in the NL East race.
The Phillies’ actual biggest loss of the offseason came in the rotation. Pitcher Ranger Suarez left in free agency, signing with the Red Sox. Even taking him out of it, the Phillies’ rotation was very good last year, but Suarez has consistently been a solid to very good pitcher since he became a full-time member of Philly’s rotation in 2022.
Some of their hopes in replace him land on prospect Andrew Painter. Since 2022, Painter has been pretty consistently rated in top 100 prospect lists, ranking has high as the top ten at points. The 2025 MiLB season was his first full one after missing most of 2023 and ‘24 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He didn’t post the best numbers in his 22 starts at Triple-A, but they’re hoping another year back from the surgery and his prospect pedigree will improve things. Even besides him, led by Cristopher Sánchez and the recently-extended Jesús Luzardo, the Phillies should have a strong rotation, which will also be bolstered by the return of Zack Wheeler, who missed time due to blood clots last year, at some point.
The bullpen will also be key for the Phillies this year. While several members of their 2025 bullpen put up good numbers, it was occasionally a turbulent year in that area for them. That led to them making a deal for Jhoan Duran at the trade deadline last year, and further adding to the mix by signing Brad Keller, on top of making a couple minor deals for backend guys. There’s certainly hope that the ‘pen will be a strength for them in ‘26.
The projections expect them to fall back to the pack in the division, but a lot of that is because they all seem to expect bounce back seasons from the Mets and especially the Braves. However, it wouldn’t remotely be a surprise to see the Phillies take the NL East again. For their sake though, they probably need another deep October run.
More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.
