Category: MLB

Shohei Ohtani will once again be one of the top players in the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar designated hitter/pitcher helped Japan to its first World Baseball Classic title in more than a decade at the 2023 World Baseball Classic when he struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to clinch that victory over Team USA inside LoanDepot Park in Miami.

The Ohtani-Trout matchup remains one of the more cinematic and talked-about moments in baseball history three years later.

REQUIRED READING: Can Shohei Ohtani win Cy Young Award? He expects to be in conversation

But as the 2026 World Baseball Classic begins, that matchup won't be seeing a Round 2 in the international tournament, as Trout was not named to the United States' roster after serving as its captain because of insurance issues.

Ohtani also is not expected to step on the mound for Japan, whose rotation will be headlined by his Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, at the World Baseball Classic.

Japan starts its title-defending run on Friday, March 6 against Chinese Taipei bright and early at 5 a.m. ET over in Japan at the Tokyo Dome in Pool C play.

Here's what to know on whether Ohtani is pitching for Japan in the WBC:

There’s nothing like the early days of spring to get the imagination going. Pitchers show up with new pitches, hitters show up with improved swings and approaches, everyone is in the best shape of their lives, and hope springs, well, eternal.

Among those bright spring training traditions is letting one’s optimism run wild when it comes to prospects. Prospects are unproven, untested, but that they’re untested means we haven’t yet seen them fail, making it that much easier to dream. George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ consensus top prospect, certainly gave us a reason to dream yesterday:

That’s a 20-year-old shortstop, facing perhaps the second- or third-best pitcher on the planet, taking a 97-mph fastball in a 1-2 count way out to left field. Lord knows we can’t jump to conclusions based on spring training, much less one swing in spring training, but if there was ever a swing to get excited about, it’s that one.

We won’t know what Lombard will ultimately become for many years, but after seeing him do that against Garrett Crochet, it’s not hard to ask: will he play a major role for the Yankees this year? The smart money probably says no. He’s still only 20, and he’s coming off a minor-league season that was fine more than anything, posting a .748 OPS across two levels, albeit while flashing big tools and playing largely against players much older than him. The Yankees also have José  Caballero, Ryan McMahon, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined up to start on the infield dirt, with Anthony Volpe likely to reclaim a starting job once he’s healthy.

Yet is it crazy to wonder if there’s any way Lombard could force himself into the conversation? Caballero and McMahon both project as average-ish players. If one of them played slightly below that standard, and Lombard was tearing up the high minors in the first half of the season, could he enter the picture? And then there’s the matter of Volpe, who was basically the worst regular starter in baseball for a good chunk of 2025. Better health could and should help him regress in a positive manner this year, but we’ve all grown weary of Volpe struggling for infuriatingly long periods. If he does it again, will the Yankees resist in challenging their top prospect, much as they did with Volpe himself three years ago?

Most 20-year-old prospects don’t end up playing a prominent roles for their big-league clubs. But we’re at spring training, and it’s time to dream big. Do you think Lombard will make an impact as soon as this year?

It’ll be another loaded day on the site today, starting off with Kevin’s recap of the official opener of the WBC, which took place late last night between Chinese Taipei and Australia. Josh will also finish off our preview coverage of the WBC with an overview of Pool D, while Jeff will continue our general 2026 MLB Preview with a look at the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, Michael brings us our latest player preview by analyzing Giancarlo Stanton, and Peter profiles Doug Bird as part of our Yankee Birthday series.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: YES, Gotham Sports App, Twins.tv

Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

USA's ice hockey teams restored some national pride as both won gold at the Winter Olympics.

Now their men's baseball team aims to follow suit at this month's World Baseball Classic.

The sport may be known as 'America's Pastime' but the USA are not the reigning champions.

In fact, Japan have won three of the previous five editions, beating the US on their own turf in a thrilling finale in 2023.

But the US have named a star-studded roster and sought help from the nation's most decorated Olympian, with Great Britain among the teams standing in their way.

What is the WBC?

The World Baseball Classic was first staged in 2006 as an invitational event before replacing the Baseball World Cup - held for the 39th and final time in 2011 - as the sport's official world championship.

Each tournament has been held in multiple countries, with 16 teams competing in the first four editions before expanding to 20 for the fifth staging in 2023.

Japan won the first two tournaments before the Dominican Republic triumphed in 2013, followed by the USA in 2017.

Then came an epic ending three years ago, as two of Major League Baseball's best players went head-to-head in the final at-bat with the title of world champions on the line.

Japan's Shohei Ohtani faced his then Los Angeles Angels team-mate Mike Trout and struck out the US captain to clinch a 3-2 victory.

As in 2023, there are three host nations, with 20 teams having qualified. They are spread across four pools and will play a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals.

All Pool C games take place in Tokyo, Japan, including Thursday's opener between Chinese Taipei and Australia, while all Pool A games will be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Houston and Miami will host Pools B and D, respectively, and share the quarter-finals. Miami's LoanDepot Park will then stage the semi-finals and final from 15-17 March.

How USA are trying to channel Olympic spirit

In the early editions of the WBC, America's top players were reluctant to take part, preferring to focus on spring training or recovering from injury. Even now, some players are unable to play because of insurance issues.

But the perception of the tournament began to change in 2017. Watching the USA triumph convinced Trout to make himself available for 2023, and other MLB stars decided to take up one of the few opportunities they have to represent their country.

The unique circumstances of that 2023 finale also helped to build the WBC's prestige, and this year the tournament will boast the highest calibre of players it has ever had.

This will be the first WBC to feature the holders of MLB's four most prestigious awards - Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.

Three-time Most Valuable Player Judge, 33, will make his Classic debut as captain of a US roster that includes Bryce Harper and Cal Raleigh.

Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps spoke to the team on Monday and the 23-time Olympic champion stepped into the dugout during Tuesday's exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants.

"He was intense, I thought it was an awesome speech," said Team USA manager Mark DeRosa.

"There's nothing better than winning gold for USA - it's pretty much what it centered around," added Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher. "We've got to keep that moving."

Which other stars will play?

Most of the other 30-man rosters feature mainly minor league players with a smattering of stars. Of the 600 players in total, about half are affiliated with MLB teams, with 190 currently on MLB rosters.

They include a record 78 players who have been named to an All-Star team, with 36 selected last year. The US have the most, but the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have at least 12 All Stars.

Juan Soto plays for the New York Mets on the most lucrative contract in world sport - worth a staggering $765m (£600m) - and he will lead the 2013 champions while Ronald Acuna Jr stars for Venezuela.

Czechia are the only team without an MLB-affiliated player but again have Ondrej Satoria, the electrician who struck out four-time MVP Ohtani in 2023.

Ohtani will not pitch as the two-way superstar continues his recovery from elbow surgery and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to release team-mate Yoshinobu Yamamoto because they "understand how important the WBC is to everyone in Japan".

The 27-year-old pitcher, who was series MVP as he and Ohtani helped the Dodgers win last year's World Series, added: "I'm in good shape, so I can play in the WBC and be ready for the Dodgers' opening game."

Nolan Arenado has switched allegiance from Team USA to Puerto Rico, who will feature pitcher Edwin Diaz, while Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran will play for Mexico, and Australia will be led by Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick of the 2024 MLB draft.

And with baseball returning to the Olympics, the two highest-ranked teams from the Americas will qualify for LA 2028, besides the hosts USA.

Who are the GB stars to watch?

Great Britain made their WBC debut in 2023, winning one of their four games to finish fourth in their pool and secure an automatic place in this year's edition.

Their current roster features 11 of those players while Jazz Chisholm Jr of the New York Yankees will represent Britain for the first time in 10 years.

The 28-year-old is the only All Star on the British roster after injury prevented the Bahamas-born infielder from taking part in 2023.

He will be co-captain with catcher Harry Ford, who was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Washington Nationals in December and hit two home runs during GB's 2023 campaign.

They are two of 20 GB players currently affiliated with an MLB team, while eight have MLB experience.

GB are in Pool B so will be based in Houston and begin their campaign on Friday against Mexico before facing the USA, Italy and Brazil.

US pitcher Tarik Skubal is set to make his only start of the tournament against GB on Saturday, while GB's best chance of victory will come in their final pool game on Monday against Brazil, the lowest-ranked team in their group.

• 'Generational talent' Soto seals £600m Mets deal
• The $500m slugger who helped Canada get to the World Series

It probably was not the exact start Joe Musgrove had in mind for his return to the mound in the San Diego Padres’ 2-2 tie with Great Britain at the Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday, but it was positive. He got one out in the first inning, allowed a run and was taken out with the bases loaded and one out. Reliever Johan Moreno came into the game and recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Trayce Thompson and Nick Ward to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

Musgrove returned to the mound to start the second inning and recorded a strikeout and a flyout against the first two batters. He then allowed a single to Nate Eaton, who advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Musgrove then got Jazz Chisholm to pop out to end the inning, stranding Eaton in scoring position.

Musgrove returned to start the third inning and recorded a groundout before allowing a single to BJ Murray. Musgrove followed that with a strikeout of Matt Koperniak for the second out of the inning, which ended Musgrove’s day on the mound.

Musgrove threw a total of 60 pitches with 36 of those pitches going for strikes. His final stat line was two innings pitched with one run allowed on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Musgrove left the outing with his fastest pitching topping 95 mph and used an array of fastballs and off-speed pitches.

The most important part of the outing was that Musgrove walked off the mound healthy and officially kicked off his return to the MLB mound, which is expected to occur sometime during the season-opening series against the Detroit Tigers on March 26-28 at Petco Park.

It never feels good to have someone tell you that “almost isn’t good enough,” or that “close doesn’t cut it.” Growing up in the south, the phrase I always heard was “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” People use these sayings whenever some who failed to reach a goal says that it’s okay because they were “close.” And often, they’re right. If you were “close” to making that big sale or if you “almost” didn’t crash your forklift the end result is still a disaster. Hell, the Mariners were close to making the World Series last year, and we all remember how that turned out.

But often, especially for the small stuff, close does count, so long as you do your best. Today, I almost did all my laundry. I’ll finish tomorrow. I’m close to finishing the book I’m reading, but I see how it’s going to end. Tonight the Mariners were, for a while at least, close to winning a Spring Training game. Maybe they’ll win the next one.

The Mariners almost had some productive at-bats against Robbie Ray in the first inning. Cole Young led off the game and worked a six pitch at-bat by fouling everything off before whiffing on pitch 6. J.P. Crawford watched from the on deck circle and wanted in on the fun, working a 7-pitch AB that ended in a groundout. Brennen Davis got bored and grounded out on the first pitch. Almost some productive outs.

The Giants almost put a rally together in their half of the first, with Matt Chapman and Will Brennan hitting back-to-back one out singles, but Mariners pitcher Cooper Criswell neutralized the threat by inducing a double play from Casey Schmitt. The Mariners were also close to putting a rally together in the second, but likewise stranded runners on first and second.

In the top of the third Jonny Farmelo hit a leadoff triple, and almost didn’t score with Cole Young and J.P. Crawford making back-to-back outs, but was able to scamper home on J.P.‘s groundball. After a few quiet innings it looked like the Mariners were close to carrying their slim lead into the “every starter leaves the game” portion of a Spring Training game. Alas, close did not count.

Carlos Vargas replaced Criswell on the bump in the bottom of the fourth, and sadly wasted no time in getting hit all up and down the field. Brennan, Schmitt, and Matos led off the inning with a trio of singles to load up the bases and put all of the pressure on Vargas’ shoulders. That pressure may have gotten to him, as he found it impossible to find the zone and issued a free pass to Grant McCray. From a pitcher’s perspective, a no-out bases loaded walk is very close to the worst possible outcome. You’re in the same situation and you just gave them a run for free. The worst possible outcome is of course a grand slam — hey what’s this video of Jake Holton doing here?

After that back-breaker, the Giants really wanted to get another rally going. Christian Koss almost even got a hit to speed that along. But just almost, thanks to Cole Young.

Afterwards, the Giants went into full Spring Training mode and pulled half their starters from the game. The Mariners clawed back a couple of runs on a Cole Young single and a J.P. Crawford sac fly, but couldn’t keep the line moving long enough. And honestly? They didn’t even come close.

The Giants secondary squad contended with Jose A. Ferrer on the mound in the bottom of the 5th, and had no trouble extending their lead back to five runs, with the capper being a two-RBI double by Bryce Eldridge. Even though the Mariners were able to get another run back in the sixth, the game still wasn’t nearly close enough. In a close game when the offense is clicking, singles can turn into doubles and doubles can turn into homers. But when you’re down by a grand slam or more, everyone is sad. And no one plays good baseball when they’re sad.

[Speaking of sad, Jake had to end the recap here, because he is in Texas and did not realize this game would end at midnight his time. I am here to tell you things did not get better, tonight. The Mariners will try again tomorrow, in a home game back in Peoria at the normal 12 PM PT start time. -KP]

Well in the aftermath of Jurickson Profar’s suspension, the Braves are down a (presumably) productive bat, but up $18 million dollars when you include luxury tax savings. That Mike Yastrzemski signing looks even more important now and Eli White is really not a bad platoon partner for him. That said, for a team that wanted to add a quality starting pitcher but was unable to and suffered a couple brutal pitching injuries right at the beginning of Spring Training, the Profar news really is an instance of “when it rains, it pours”. The team said they had money leftover before, but they certainly have more now. It will be really tough to add impact players in March, but they’ve almost got to be at least making calls on the trade market for another bat, a starting pitcher, or both. We’ll see if the front office can pull a rabbit out of a hat and bolster a roster that still has significant talent, but has already been substantially depleted before the season has even started.

Braves News

The Braves cut Rolddy Munoz, Owen Murphy, and Garrett Baumann from major league camp, as they have begun whittling down the roster.

Brady wrote up some prospect performances of note so far in Spring, including JR Ritchie and John Gil.

The Braves crushed Columbia in a lopsided Spring contest that at least made just about everyone on the Braves’ side look good.

MLB News

Reds’ star Hunter Greene is undergoing an MRI after experiencing elbow stiffness.

The Pirates and Reds made an intra-divisional depth trade, swapping members of their 40-man rosters.

ESPN ranked their top 100 players in baseball, featuring a handful of Braves.

MLB.com | Ian Browne: George Lombard Jr.’s strong spring continued Wednesday as he took Red Sox ace Garret Crochet deep to lead off a Grapefruit League game. The Yankees’ top prospect pulled the ball 392 feet and it exited his bat at 104.2 mph. Crochet was “just trying to push it up in the zone instead of just throwing it up in the zone,” the 2025 AL Cy Young runner-up said after the game of the pitch that led to the long ball. “But that was a good swing, because it was still a good bullet by me.”

Lombard has flashed the leather at shortstop throughout camp, though he’s not expected to be in play for an Opening Day roster spot.

SNY | John Flanigan: Cam Schlittler has gotten the go-ahead to make his spring debut Friday against the Rays, easing concerns about his back. The starting pitcher was delayed earlier in camp due to back inflammation. Given his later start, it’s expected that he might only get stretched out to 65-80 pitches to start the season. Still, with fellow starters Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt expected to begin the season on the IL, the Yankees will take all the Schlittler they can get.

MLB.com | Alfred Santasiere III: In light of Schlittler’s scheduled return, what better time for a profile on the young right-hander? The sophomore touches on adjustments to big-league competition, evolving his pitch mix, and closing out the season strong. But the lion’s share of the Q&A provides a remarkably in-depth, sometimes inning-by-inning, breakdown of his instantly legendary performance in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against his hometown Red Sox.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: ($) After the Dodgers’ repeat title last year, their blockbuster offseason acquisitions of Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz intensified backlash from many around the game decrying the lack of parity in today’s game. Don’t count the Yankees’ biggest stars among the detractors of LA’s approach. “They’re trying to get the best product on the field and finding a way to maximize whatever they can to get the best players,” says Aaron Judge, adding (perhaps pointedly), “I wish a lot of teams found a way to do that.”

“They’re maximizing their efficiency,” ace Gerrit Cole said in typically analytical fashion. “They are getting contracts that are making them better quality. It’s within the rules.”

Giancarlo Stanton lauded the Dodgers for creating “good buzz for baseball.”

Lastly, a couple Yankees went deep in World Baseball Classic exhibition play yesterday, with Aaron Judge launching a 453-foot moonshot for Team USA off the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland …

… Paul Goldschmidt joining the Team USA slugfest by homering off John Brebbia …

… and Jazz Chisholm Jr. belting a bomb of his own for Great Britain against Padres righty Eli Villalobos:

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Yankees have a new secret weapon against Garrett Crochet.

In the Grapefruit League, at least.

George Lombard Jr. took the Red Sox ace deep to lead off Wednesday’s exhibition, then drilled a single off him in his second at-bat for two of the three hits Crochet allowed.

“It’s always good getting to face the elite guys in the league,” Lombard said. “I was excited for it. Looking for something to hit, not trying to do too much with it and put a good swing on it.”


Lombard has already turned in a standout spring defensively, making highlight-reel plays at shortstop, third base and second base.

But he has also flashed his offensive potential with plenty of hard-hit balls like Wednesday, with his OPS now up to 1.196 through six games.

Crochet, the big lefty who most recently shut down the Yankees in a dominant start in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series last October, threw a 97 mph fastball at the top of the zone on a 1-2 count to Lombard to lead off the game.

The top prospect had no trouble catching up to it, clobbering it over everything (including the Green Monster replica) in left field for a 392-foot homer that came off the bat at 104.2 mph.

Then in the third inning, Lombard roped a 108.5 mph bullet that got past shortstop Trevor Story for a single.

Leadoff blast for Lombard @georgelombardjr leaves the stadiumpic.twitter.com/kLMwP1gHIn

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 4, 2026

“He’s been great,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You see what he’s capable of. The thing he does pretty well already, as a young hitter, is control the strike zone and has real pop. Obviously a no-doubter there to start things off. He’s just continuing to develop as a hitter.”

Luis Gil looked the sharpest he has all spring in his third start, striking out six and walking two across three-plus scoreless innings.

More significant than the results, Gil’s fastball velocity continued to tick up, averaging 95.7 mph (up from his 2025 average of 95.3) and maxing out at 97.9 mph on a strikeout of Trevor Story to end the third inning.

“It feels great, to know that the velo is there when you need it,” Gil said through an interpreter. “It also shows how the body is progressing and getting into shape to be able to execute pitches like that. Routine is very important and I feel like I’ve been building slowly to that.”


Boone acknowledged that Gil’s “progression has been slow” this spring, but told the righty he keeps getting better.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“I want to see more, because I know what he’s capable of,” Boone said. “Keep working him back to that early ’24 form where he was dominant. I feel like he’s moving in that direction but he’s got to keep doing that.”

Cam Schlittler is scheduled to make his spring debut Friday night against the Rays at Steinbrenner Field after being delayed by mid-back/left lat inflammation.

The Yankees slowed Schlittler’s buildup earlier in camp to let the back issue settle down, but the right-hander has since faced hitters twice and then threw a bullpen session Wednesday morning that cleared him for Friday’s start.

If the rest of his spring goes well, Schlittler should be built up to around 65-80 pitches by the time the regular season begins, Boone said.

Aaron Judge blasted a 453-foot home run in Team USA’s exhibition against the Rockies on Wednesday, taking lefty Kyle Freeland deep on a tape-measure shot that came off the bat at 115.9 mph.

Oswaldo Cabrera is also “trending” toward making his spring debut on Friday, Boone said, as the Yankees ease the utility player back into action coming off a broken ankle last May.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Christian Scott was the organization’s top pitching prospect when he made his MLB debut for the Mets in May 2024.

Less than three months later, he underwent Tommy John surgery.

And A.J. Minter was supposed to be a key piece of the Mets bullpen last season after signing a two-year, $22 million deal, but he made just 13 appearances before a lat injury led to season-ending surgery.

Both were back on the mound Wednesday, Scott in a 5-2 win over Team Israel at Clover Park and Minter in a minor league game on a back field.

And the results were encouraging, as Scott hit 96 mph in his 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings, walked none and struck out five in a performance the right-hander had envisioned “for a long time,” he said.

“Probably 18 months,” Scott said. “As soon as I got the surgery, I knew this was on the horizon. It was just about being consistent, keeping up day-to-day. I was thinking of this day for a long time.”

Regardless of how Scott does this spring, it seems likely he’ll open the season with Triple-A Syracuse, since the Mets don’t have any room in the rotation.

Still, Carlos Mendoza called the 48-pitch outing “pretty impressive.”

“It’s been a long road for him and it hasn’t been easy,’’ the manager said. “To go through the rehab process after he had a taste of [the majors] in 2024, when he was really good for us.”

Scott’s command stood out, in particular.

“He attacked,’’ Mendoza said. “One thing from him, he’s not gonna back down.” 

Neither is Minter, whom the Mets believe can be an integral part of their new-look relief corps.

“The first one is always the hardest,’’ the lefty said of his return to the mound. “It was good to get back out there and I was happy with the results.”

Mendoza said before Minter’s outing that he could be back in late April or sometime in May.

“This is a guy that’s used to pitching high-leverage,’’ the manager said. “We saw it last year before he went down. With teams nowadays playing the matchups, you want a left-handed pitcher that can get righties and lefties [out].”

As for the rest of the bullpen, Mendoza said with Minter out, it’s not essential that the team carry two lefty relievers, thanks to the presence of newcomers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.

“We’ve got guys that are platoon-neutral,’’ Mendoza said. “We’re gonna take what we feel is our best guys north with us.”

Bo Bichette is prepared for some hostility from the city of brotherly love.

The Mets’ new third baseman, who spurned the Phillies this offseason to join their National League East rivals, knows the Philadelphia faithful won’t take kindly to his decision — and he’s fine with it.

“If I know Philly fans, probably not the best,” Bichette said Wednesday during an appearance on “Foul Territory” about the type of response he expects to receive during games at Citizens Bank Park.

“I’ve never been booed by an opposing crowd like that. … I look forward to it. In my opinion, that’s actually pretty cool to experience, so I look forward to it.”

Aside from reuniting with superstar slugger Kyle Schwarber, Bichette would have been the Phillies’ biggest splash of the offseason.

A mid-January meeting between Bichette and the Phillies reportedly went “very well,” with the club offering a reported seven-year, $200 deal.

“I can’t say that we ever thought it was done,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters about the Bichette negotiations. “We thought we were very close to having a deal done. We thought it was going to happen, but it wasn’t done. There’s a difference between the two.”

Bo Bichette is anticipating plenty of boos from Phillies fans.

"I'm looking forward to it." pic.twitter.com/wpMoGwXx6D

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 4, 2026

After missing out on superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker, the Mets pivoted to Bichette, inking the longtime Blue Jays shortstop to a three-year, $126 million pact with a higher average annual value and multiple opt-outs.

The Phillies’ front office was reportedly “livid” about the deal, with Dombrowski calling it a “gut punch” while a local radio host mocked the Mets as “losers” for swooping in and landing Bichette.

But New York ultimately made the splash, landing last season’s AL batting title runner-up with plans to shift him to third base — a position he has never played professionally.

Any intradivision backlash has taken a backseat this spring as Bichette begins adjusting to the hot corner — a transition he called a “challenge.”

Through four Grapefruit League games, Bichette has two hits in nine at-bats — and has even flashed some leather defensively.

Bichette admitted during his “Foul Territory” interview that he isn’t fully comfortable at his new position yet, but expects that to come with time.

“It’s a little weird,” Bichette said of adjusting to third base. “Practice is good, and I’m trying to get to the point where I’m just letting my athleticism take over.

“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to catch the ball and throw to first, but when you play a different position, you start thinking of different ways to make it, things like that, so those are the kind of things I’m working through.”

Observations from Yankees spring training on Wednesday

Big blast

Ben Rice crushed his first home run of the spring, a 412-footer off Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten that came off the bat at 108.8 mph and cut through the wind blowing in from right field.

Bird botch

At first base, Rice made a diving stop to his right to knock down a hard ground ball from Isiah Kiner-Falefa, got to his feet to collect the ball and then flipped to Jake Bird for what should have been an out.

The first base umpire claimed Bird did not actually step on the bag, but it was a strong play by Rice nonetheless.

Caught my eye

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, shortstop Braden Shewmake made a diving catch in shallow left field, then got onto one knee to fire home and throw out the runner trying to tag up from third for the inning-ending double play.

Thursday’s schedule

Paul Blackburn will make his second start of the spring as the Yankees host the Twins on Thursday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field.

The new “Sunday Night Baseball” has its voice. 

NBC Sports announced Wednesday that Jason Benetti will be the play-by-play announcer for the network’s new “Sunday Night Baseball” package on NBC and Peacock, something that had been widely expected for some time now. 

His first game on-air for NBC this season will be on March 26, when the Dodgers host the Diamondbacks in an Opening Day battle. 

Benetti will remain as the TV voice of the Tigers’ local broadcasts, and while on the air for “Sunday Night Baseball,” he will be paired with analysts who have connections to the teams playing in that day’s game. 

“I am thrilled to be rejoining the NBC Sports family,” Benetti said in a statement. “Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and the whole team at NBC all have a deep appreciation for live sports. It’s a true honor to be part of the dawn of Sunday Night Baseball at NBC Sports. Each week is going to be a new, unique experience with analysts who all have different viewpoints on the game of baseball.”

This will be Benetti’s second go-around at NBC, having done play-by-play duty on NBC’s “MLB Sunday Leadoff” in 2022 on Peacock. 

He also called baseball games during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. 

“After Jason finished the 2022 baseball season with us, we told him that if we ever got MLB back, he’d be our first call,” NBC Sports Executive Producer Sam Flood said in a statement. “Jason is one of the best play-by-play announcers in the business and we’re thrilled to have him back on a full-time basis with NBC Sports, beginning with Sunday Night Baseball.”

Front Office Sports reported Wednesday that Benetti had been released from his contract with Fox early in order to take the NBC gig. 

NBC Sports has put together an all-star lineup, adding former MLB stars Joey Votto, Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Rizzo for its studio show. 

Bob Costas will also contribute in an emeritus role as he winds down his broadcasting career. 

Costas told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he would be hosting the pregame show for about two-thirds of NBC’s coverage leading up to a “Sunday Night Baseball” game.

Could Kyler Murray change sports?

One MLB club certainly wouldn’t mind.

Murray, who is expected to be released by the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the new NFL year, was selected by the A’s as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.

He eventually went back to Oklahoma, though, winning the Heisman Trophy and getting taken as the top overall pick in the NFL.

That all but ended his baseball-playing career.

But the A’s are keeping the door open as Murray is soon to be without an NFL team.

“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” A’s general manager David Forst told MLB.com. “That said, he and his baseball representatives know that we’re always open to him exploring a return to baseball with the A’s if that time ever comes.”

Murray, an outfielder, signed a $4.6 million contract with the A’s after the 2018 draft, with the deal allowing him to play college football with the Sooners before coming to the baseball team the next year.

However, in February of ’19, Murray posted a statement to Twitter where he said he had changed his mind and he was going to pursue professional football.

“Moving forward, I am firmly and fully committing my life and time to becoming an NFL quarterback,” Murray wrote. “Football has been my love and passion my entire life. I was raised to play QB, and I very much look forward to dedicating 100% of myself to being the best QB possible and winning NFL championships.”

Murray played two seasons on Oklahoma’s baseball team, hitting .261/.381/.466 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs.

Before the 2019 season, he ranked as the A’s No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline, with a 50/80 overall grade.

The A’s, meanwhile, have a young core of major leaguers — particularly in their lineup — that makes them a promising team in the American League West.

They inked All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson and outfielder Tyler Soderstrom to seven-year extensions this offseason as they look to improve upon a 76-win 2025. Fangraphs projects the team to have a four-win improvement in 2026.

Murray said Tuesday after the news of his Arizona departure that he was “sorry” he “failed” the Cardinals. He finished his Arizona tenure with a 38-48-1 record, 20,460 passing yards and 3,193 rushing yards. He should still have plenty of suitors in the NFL, with the Jets potentially being one of them.

But if he wants to take a different swing path, the A’s are open and willing.

PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets like a lot of Carson Benge’s game, especially his ability to hit left-handers.

The young right fielder showed that again Wednesday, when he went deep for the first time this spring in the 5-2 win over Team Israel on Wednesday at Clover Park.

The opposite-field shot to left came off Ryan Prager, a Single-A pitcher in the Cleveland organization.

Benge, though, didn’t make much of the shot.

“I can’t focus too much on results,” Benge said. “Just focus on the work I do pregame and postgame. That’s really all that matters to me. Results, yeah, they’re nice, but I’m sticking to my work.”

But as Benge tries to win the right field job out of spring training, performances like Wednesday’s likely don’t hurt.

“I said before the game that he can hit left-on-left,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We saw it today: A two-strike count and he stayed in there. Not only did he put the ball in play, but he was able to drive the ball with authority [the other way]. That’s what he does and it’s exciting.”

“It doesn’t matter to me who’s up there,” Benge said. “Just do my best to win the battle.”

The battle for the right field job is still up for grabs and there’s plenty of time for the right field competition to play out, with Mike Tauchman and MJ Melendez also in the mix, and Tyrone Taylor also a possibility.

The Mets continue to be intrigued by Benge’s ceiling.

Benge's oppo blast @Carsonbenge3 | @SNYtvpic.twitter.com/FfGQU3nKHV

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 4, 2026

“I felt like I came [into camp] trying to be myself,’’ Benge said. “I feel I’ve put in the work and whatever happens is in God’s hands.”

Mendoza said Benge has been “as advertised” this spring.

“He’s a guy with a lot of tools,’’ the manager said. “He helps win ballgames not only offensively, but defensively.”

And while Benge can play center field, Mendoza said he’d keep the prospect in right for now, since that’s the spot that’s open, with Luis Robert Jr. in center and Juan Soto in left.

Robert made his debut of sorts with the Mets in a minor league game on a back field.

He doubled and looked fine on the bases, as well as in center, where he made a catch, but wasn’t tested much in four innings.

Mendoza said Robert will play minor league games every other day for a week, but he has no restrictions when he’s on the field as the Mets look to avoid the lower-body injuries that have plagued him in recent seasons.

Francisco Lindor’s road back from hamate surgery continued Wednesday as he began a swinging program in the batting cages, according to Mendoza.

The shortstop also recently began playing catch as he tries to be ready by Opening Day. 

Chris Suero, who played catcher and left field this spring, and reliever Nate Lavender were reassigned to minor league camp.

Observations from Mets spring training on Wednesday

Long man

David Peterson, now the longest-tenured Met, got off to a strong start with three scoreless innings in his first outing of the spring. The lefty struck out four in the 5-2 win over Israel’s WBC team.

Burd is the word

Nick Burdi allowed a run on two hits in his lone inning of work and has allowed three runs in three innings this spring.

Caught my eye

Bo Bichette made a terrific diving stop to his right on a smash down the third base line to start a 5-4-3 double play in a minor league game, saying afterward, “It’s all about getting more comfortable there. My goal coming into the game was to feel less antsy and not worry if a ball like that got by me and that allowed me to just go after the ball and make the play.”

Thursday’s schedule

The Mets travel to West Palm Beach, Fla., to face the Nationals with right-hander Justin Hagenman getting the start.