SARASOTA, FL - FEBRUARY 18: (EDITORS NOTE: A special effects camera filter was used for this image.) Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles poses for a photo during the Baltimore Orioles photo day at Ed Smith Stadium on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a three-day hiatus from our television screens, the Orioles are back on the air this afternoon with a MASN broadcast against the Rays. Trevor Rogers becomes the first O’s starter to make an encore appearance this spring after opening with two scoreless innings against the Yankees last Friday.
He’ll take on another AL East opponent today, though this Rays travel lineup bears little resemblance to the one they’ll use in the regular season. There are nearly no recognizable names in Tampa Bay’s order. The bottom of their lineup includes players like Tre’ Morgan, Raynel Delgado, Bradford Dill, and Tatem Levins. Those guys are so anonymous that I just made up one of those names and you don’t know which one!
The O’s, by contrast, have a lineup full of guys who will be on the Opening Day roster (aside from #9 hitter Weston Wilson, who is a long shot). Dylan Beavers will be making his first start in center field, something he’s done 70 times in his minor league career but never in the majors. Beavers isn’t considered a great defender in center, but if he can hold his own at the position, that would give the O’s some added flexibility in the outfield and allow Colton Cowser to get more rest. Today the Orioles are facing Brody Hopkins, one of the Rays’ top prospects.
Orioles lineup:
SS Gunnar Henderson LF Taylor Ward 1B Pete Alonso RF Tyler O’Neill C Adley Rutschman DH Ryan Mountcastle 2B Blaze Alexander CF Dylan Beavers 3B Weston Wilson
FORMER CUBS IN ROCKIES CAMP: José Quintana, Keegan Thompson, Willi Castro, Nicky Lopez and former Cubs prospect Vimael Machin. Kris Bryant is on the 60-day injured list and it’s not known when, or if, he will play this year.
A REMINDER: Here are all the Cubs heading to the World Baseball Classic: Miguel Amaya (Panama), Javier Assad (Mexico), Christian Bethancourt (Panama), Matthew Boyd (United States), Alex Bregman (United States), Pete Crow-Armstrong (United States), Jonathon Long (Chinese Taipei), BJ Murray (Great Britain), Daniel Palencia (Venezuela), Yacksel Ríos (Puerto Rico), Erian Rodriguez (Panama), Seiya Suzuki (Japan), Jameson Taillon (Canada).
Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Cade Horton, Caleb Thielbar, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Luke Little and Jack Neely. It will be the first spring outing for Horton, Maton and Harvey.
Old friend José Quintana will start for the Rockies. Other Rockies pitchers scheduled today: Antonio Senzatela, Jaden Hill, Carson Palmquist and RJ Petit.
Please visit our SB Nation Rockies site Purple Row. If you do go there to interact with Rockies fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.
These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.
Feb 24, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Max Clark (84) drops a fly ball in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Richard Fitts (35) throws a pitch during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals continue their Spring Training schedule as they take on the New York Mets. According to MLB.com, Richard Fitts will start the game for St. Louis. This will be his first appearance in a game since he came to the Cardinals in the Sonny Gray trade early in the offseason.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 27: Kody Funderburk #55 and Ryan Jeffers #27 of the Minnesota Twins celebrate after the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, September 27, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
First Pitch (CT):12:05 TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN/Audacy App Know Yo’ Foe: Over the Monster
With the longest tenure on the roster, veteran Davis Martin takes the hill for his first Cactus League start looking to lead a young staff by example. | (Mike Christy/Getty Images)
Offense, offense, and more offense — that’s been the name of the game for the South Siders this spring. The White Sox rolled into Wednesday’s action having smacked the most hits of any MLB team, sitting first in runs, doubles, and RBIs. So far, the Good Guys have prioritized contact over patience. While that aggression has kept the walk total at a modest 21, it’s also keeping the strikeouts down. At just 38 punchouts, they’re sitting in the bottom half of the league in K’s, ensuring they put the ball in play more often than not. It’s all added up to a team that currently sits atop the league in batting average, OPS, and slugging.
Leading that charge is catcher Edgar Quero, who’s slashing .667/.714/.833 and tops the squad with five RBIs. Quero, an offensive-first backstop, told CHSN’s Chuck Garfien last week that he spent his winter working on framing and defense, but we saw a bit of a lapse yesterday when he blew a rundown at third and threw it over Lenyn Sosa’s head. It’s exactly the kind of fundamental breakdown that has plagued this team for the last several years, and while Spring Training is for working out kinks, that’s the specific stuff that needs cleaning up.
Then there’s Swiss Army Knife Brooks Baldwin, who’s basically forcing his way onto the plane to Chicago at this point. Sporting a massive 1.143 SLG, he isn’t just making contact; he’s making noise. With that kind of production, Skipper Will Venable is going to have a hard time finding a reason not to pencil him into the 26-man roster come March.
As far as prospects are concerned, keep your eyes on William Bergolla. He’s 4-for-6 with two doubles and a bag. He doesn’t strike out, he plays solid middle infield and he’s got wheels. The 21-year-old came over in the Tanner Banks trade at the 2024 deadline. He’s the type of “high floor” contact hitter this lineup has desperately missed.
On the mound, it’s not all doom and gloom, though the contrast is noticeable. While the 3.43 ERA is solid enough for a top-five spot, the 1.52 WHIP shows the pitchers still shaking off some rust. However, the hurlers are at least missing bats, tied near the top of the pack with the Cubs at 49 strikeouts.
Today, we get the first Cactus League start for Davis Martin, the “glue guy” who is now the longest-tenured player on the team following the Luis Robert Jr. trade. Martin is coming off his first full year as a starter, having tossed 142 2/3 innings in 2025 with a 4.10 ERA. This season, we’re looking for his six-pitch mix to generate a few more “red” circles on the Statcast chart.
The Sox will face off against Nick Lodolo, who makes his spring debut for the Reds. Lodolo hasn’t quite hit those 7th-overall-pick expectations yet, but he’s coming off a strong 3.33 ERA season and features a heavy four-pitch arsenal. He has a pretty good curve and sinker that can really tie up hitters.
Here’s how the managers line up their teams this afternoon.
Now for the bad news: it’s a lean day for media coverage. The only way to follow the live action is through an MLB.TV or MLB+ subscription. If you’ve got one, you can tune into the Reds’ radio broadcast at 2:05 p.m. CST to see if the Sox bats can keep the heater going.
Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (74) smiles after he checks on the balls and strikes during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Today’s Jays’ game is not on TV, one of the few that aren’t on TV. The game is at Lakeland, Florida in the Tigers’ spring park, Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium which has to be up there on the list of longest ballpark names, as well as getting two sponsor names into it. It isn’t on MLB TV either. If you are really interested Sportsnet will carry a radio broadcast on their site (two minutes of thinking of subtle insults for anyone who would listen to a spring game on radio and I settle on interested. I have no imagination this morning). It has a 1:00 Eastern start time.
The Jay are sending a bunch of regulars to Lakeland. Google maps tells me that it is an hour and a quarter drive from Dunedin to Lakeland, which likely means it will be a 2 to 3 hour drive on the way back.
Today’s lineups:
Today’s Lineups
BLUE JAYS
TIGERS
Ernie Clement – 2B
Parker Meadows – CF
Andres Gimenez – SS
Kevin McGonigle – SS
Vladimir Guerrero – DH
Jahmai Jones – LF
Alejandro Kirk – C
Riley Greene – DH
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Spencer Torkelson – 1B
Eloy Jimenez – LF
Wenceel Perez – RF
Nathan Lukes – RF
Hao-Yu Lee – 2B
Jonatan Clase – CF
Jace Jung – 3B
Sean Keys – 1B
Jake Rogers – C
Cody Ponce – RHP
Casey Mize – RHP
It is too bad that we aren’t going get to watch it, I want every chance I can to see Kazuma Okamoto play third. I also like any chance to watch Jonatan Clase play center field.
We are going to get to see a lot of the prospects and the guys on the edge of making the Jays roster, later in spring training, because there are seven Jays going to the World Baseball Classic, as well as five minor leaguers. The Jays players will be spread across 11 WBC teams.
The players:
Andres Gimenez (Venezuela)
Leo Jimenez (Panama)
Ernie Clement (United States)
Alejandro Kirk (Mexico)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic)
Kazuma Okamoto (Japan)
Yariel Rodriguez (Cuba)
Minor leaguers (well, Yariel is a minor leaguer too:
Adam Macko (Canada)
RJ Schreck (Isreal)
C.J. Stubbs (Israel)
Will Cresswell (Great Britain)
Ismael Munguia (Nicaragua)
The WBC starts on March 5th and runs til the 17th.
The Jays are bringing Trey Yesavage along slowly this spring. He won’t pitch in a spring game until next week. Trey threw a lot more innings last year than he had before and, not surprisingly, they want to be careful with him. Or at least as careful as you can be, while asking someone to throw a rock as hard as he possibly can, while making it spin as much has he possibly can.
I do often wonder how so many of them can make it through a season without injury.
As well, Ricky Tiedemann ‘experienced’ elbow soreness last year and will take a week off from throwing. MRI didn’t show any damage. A pitcher coming back from Tommy John will have some soreness, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. But it does show why there the team tries to grab up as many potential MLB pitchers as possible.
We weren’t expecting Tiedemann to break camp with the team or anything like that, even if there were to be a rash of injuries to our starting pitchers. I won’t worry unless they shut him down during the season.
Before spring training, I would have said said that Eloy Jiménez had almost no chance of making the Jays out of spring training. But, he’s looked terrific (in two games), he’s a right-handed bat and our outfield is fairly lefty heavy.
If he could play center, I’d say he had a good chance, because I’d rather have his bat than Myles Straw’s. But since he can’t, he’d have to beat out Davis Schneider and that would be tough. Schneider does have options left.
But would you rather have Eloy than Nathan Lukes? Lukes has an option year left. And we have Jesus Sanchez in front of him on the left-handed hitting corner outfielder depth chart. But then, Lukes can play center.
Jiménez can also play first base and will get some time there while Vlad is at the WBC.
Anyway, I’d have guessed Jiménez had about a 1% chance of making the team, before the start of spring, he must have a 30% chance now. Of course, he would have to make it through spring training without an injury and injuries have been his downfall.
After being shown Bo Bichette video of him booting some balls, early in spring training, I liked seeing this great play:
SURPRISE, AZ - FEBRUARY 17: Willie MacIver #47 of the Texas Rangers poses for a photo during the Texas Rangers photo day at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for February 25, 2026 against the Cleveland Guardians.
NORTH PORT, FL - MARCH 04: Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder (55) throws a pitch during a Spring Training game against the Minnesota Twins on March 4, 2025, at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s Spring Training Game Thread time. Wooooo.
It’s the very “fun” matchup of Paul Skenes and Bryce Elder, but really, it’s an early Grapefruit League tuneup for both arms.
This game is one of the Spring Training games broadcast on Gray TV, and should be available via MLB.tv as well, regardless of where you are.
The Braves will start the regulars in a home game, as is their wont. The Pirates have kind of a half-and-half lineup as some of their starters are making the trip to North Port. The Braves will get their first look at Marcell Ozuna wearing Pittsburgh’s colors this afternoon.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Johan Oviedo #29 of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 22, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Is it on TV?
Yes, it’s on NESN at 1:05 PM.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
It’s always fun when you get a first look at a new pitcher. It’s especially fun when that pitcher is a 6’6” beast of a man. And it’s even more fun when that beast of a man gets his size from his mother: “My mom is huge. I feel like I kind of got that from her. She’s like 5-11 I think but she’s like big and wide and huge legs. She’s a monster of (a) woman.”
The wheels of infamy were set in motion on this day, 109 years ago, with the acquisition of Chick Gandil from Cleveland. | (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
1903 Though under contract to the White Sox, shortstop George Davis made it known he intended to go to court in order to break it and return to the New York Giants (“May ask courts for release; Davis has novel idea for jumping contract with White Stockings despite peace” read one headline, with the “peace” referring to the battle for players between the new American and established National League.)
Davis’ decision kicks off a tug-of-war over the superstar that lasted more than eight months. He would in fact report to New York, who paid him but flouted his White Sox contract in only four instances (games on June 26-27, June 30, and July 1 before a court injunction took him off of the field for the Giants).
Only when New York formally waived any rights to Davis, in November, did the shortstop re-join the White Sox to resume his Hall of Fame career.
1917 In an ill-fated move that would stain two pennants and one title over the next three seasons, the White Sox purchased Chick Gandil from Cleveland for $3,500 (close to $100,000 in today’s dollars). Gandil was the ringleader of two scandals involving baseball bribery: the Black Sox in 1919, as well as the lesser-known (and unpunished) payoff of the Detroit Tigers late in 1917 to help ensure the pennant.
Ironic in the Gandil saga (he, of course, was banished form the game along with seven teammates for throwing the 1919 World Series) is that he was a terrible player by the time he came back to the White Sox for a second tour. (Gandil made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 1910.) After strong seasons from 1913-15 with Washington (13.5 WAR, 116 OPS+), his 1916 in Cleveland was poor for a full-time player (1.2 WAR in 602 PAs). With the White Sox, he was even worse, with just 3.6 WAR over 1,562 PAs — not much better than a replacement player.
1946 The White Sox create what is regarded as the first media guide, handed out to beat writers.
Now, clearly there were programs and even media guides published before 1946, even by the White Sox themselves. However, those were often (always?) Spring Training and/or player rosters-only. The guide, written by Marsh Samuel and running 17 pages, actually just triggers a deeper, more interesting story … that the White Sox were once forerunners of the metrics revolution!
According to researcher Alan Kornspan at Cleveland State, beginning in 1946 and following in the footsteps of some other innovative figures (Branch Rickey, for one), Samuel began tracking advanced statistics, likely of his own creation but resembling some of what we see in the metrics world today. Cleveland owner Bill Veeck got wind of what Samuel was doing — and hired him away! At that point, Sox successor Ward Stevens took the reins and continued the work, which was still merely siloed in the PR department — not player evaluation.
However, once Frank Lane was hired as GM — at this time, no one wanted the White Sox GM job, as the team was in hock and possessed a woeful roster — he added Earl Flora as both publicity director but also statistician.
Lane’s pet stat, tracked as a child rooting for the Cincinnati Reds, was RBI with RISP. Under Lane’s direction, Flora started tracking reach percentage (i.e. on-base percentage), base runs (both bases advanced by runners, as well as bases a batter’s hit moved runners) and GWRBI. In fact, Lane felt so strongly that RBIs were an overblown stat that he created his own offshoot: OBR (Opportunities to Bat in Runs), the percentage of time batters drove in RISP.
Without extending this too long, Flora returned to sports editing, to be replaced by future White Sox GM Ed Short, a tireless worker who drove statistical analysis on the South Side to new heights.
But that is a story best continued on another Day in White Sox History.
1997 After a one-season spurt with the White Sox, 34-year-old free agent outfielder Danny Tartabull signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $2 million. Tartabull had been acquired before the 1996 season to add some punch to an already-formidable White Sox lineup, and punch he did: 27 homers, 101 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .487. However, Tartabull’s defense was so poor in right field as to earn him just 0.6 WAR on the season, so with Albert Belle signed for left field and Dave Martinez coming off of a 4.8 WAR season as a supersub ready to step into right, Tartabull was not re-signed.
And that turned out to be a solid move, because a broken foot limited Tartabull to just three games in 1997, and he never saw the majors after that. Thus the final home run of Tartabull’s 262-dinger career came in a White Sox uniform, at the Metrodome, on Sept. 27, 1996.
Mar 9, 2025; Peoria, Arizona, USA; A general view of the fans in attendance during the early inning of a spring training game between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Hatfields and McCoys. Dominos and Pizza Hut. Coke vs. Pepsi. None of these rivalries hold a candle to the red-hot intensity that awaits in The Battle of Camelback Ranch, as the Dodgers face the White Sox, their spring co-tenants, on Thursday afternoon.
It’s the first of two meetings this spring between the two teams who have called Camelback Ranch home since 2009, with another encounter on the docket for Saturday, March 14. On Thursday, the Dodgers are the home team.
Tyler Glasnow is on the mound for the Dodgers, making his first spring start. Left-hander Sean Newcomb starts for Chicago.
A fly ball fall between Oklahoma City infielder Alex Freeland (5) and Oklahoma City infielder Hyeseong Kim (6) during the home opener Minor League baseball game between the Oklahoma City Comets and the El Paso Chihuahuas at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Dodgers are back on the road Wednesday to play the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Here are the active players for the fifth game of the Dodgers’ spring, including Roki Sasaki making his first Cactus League start this year.
Lineup
Hyeseong Kim CF Santiago Espinal 3B Dalton Rushing C Alex Freeland 2B Ryan Ward 1B Nick Senzel DH James Tibbs III RF Zach Ehrhard LF Noah Miller SS
Kim starts in center field after two starts this spring at second base. Freeland makes his second start at second base to go with his other two starts at shortstop.
Other pitchers
Edwin Díaz will make his 2026 Cactus League debut on Wednesday, and River Ryan will see his first game action in 563 days after Tommy John surgery in 2024.
Will Klein and Ronan Kopp will each make their second appearances this spring, as will non-roster invitees Chris Campos and Garrett McDaniels.
Other active pitchers on Wednesday are Waytt Crowell (wearing uniform number 01), and Joseilyn Gonzalez (04), Christian Suarez (90), Payton Martin (91), and Cody Morse (93) up from minor league camp.
Other position players
Mike Siani is the other active player from the 40-man roster.
The daily active player group of non-roster invitees Ryan Fitzgerald, Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Kendall George, and Chris Newell are all making the trip, as are catchers Griffin Lockwood-Powell, Nelson Quiroz, and Eliézer Alfonzo.
Up from the minor league side on Wednesday are outfielder Damon Keith (06) plus infielders Sean McClain (44), Jake Gelof (05), and Logan Wagner (96).
Feb 18, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong (21) throws a pitch during spring training workouts at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
Carson Benge – RF
Juan Soto – LF
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Mark Vientos – 1B
Hayden Senger – C
Christian Arroyo – 3B
Vidal Brujan – SS
Cristian Pache – CF
Grae Kessinger – 2B
Jonah Tong – RHP
Cardinals lineup
JJ Wetherholt – SS
Jose Fermin – 2B
Nolan Gorman – 3B
Nelson Velazquez – RF
Leonardo Bernal – C
Nathan Church – CF
Joshua Baez – DH
Blaze Jordan – 1B
Chase Davis – LF
Richard Fitts – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:10 PM EST TV: PIX11 Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Feb 19, 2026; PortCharlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Brody Hopkins (88) poses for a photo during media day at Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Rays top overall prospect will make his spring debut this afternoon, getting the start against the Baltimore Orioles.
There isn’t any radio coverage today, but the Orioles are broadcasting the game so it can be seen on MLB.tv.
