With Opening Day about two and a half weeks away, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns met with members of the media to break down what he's seen so far this spring, while looking ahead to the regular season....
While Lindor has been sidelined from game action since undergoing surgery on his left hamate bone in early February, the expectation all along has been that the star shortstop would be back by Opening Day.
Stearns said on Monday that the plan hasn't changed.
"All indications we have is this is going as planned, and we have a similar level of optimism that he’ll be ready for Opening Day," Stearns said.
Stearns also added that getting Lindor in-game at-bats would be a must, saying that the team would not put him in the Opening Day lineup without getting some at-bats first.
"That would be a prerequisite. We wouldn’t have his first competition be Opening Day," Stearns explained. "We would ensure there are at-bats... I would expect Grapefruit League, but we haven’t mapped this out yet."
Roster questions left to answer
While the starting right field job has been in the spotlight throughout camp, Stearns explained that the Mets still have a few roster questions still to be answered, but also said the team makes sure all players are ready for the upcoming season.
"I think we have the right field question that we’re going to have to answer. There’s probably a bench question that we’re going to have to answer, and then one or two bullpen spots that we’re going to have to answer," said Stearns. "But for the most part, this is about getting our team and individual players ready for the season. I think we’re doing that. I think our coaching staff has done a really nice job of making sure this is a well-run, efficient camp, and we’ve done that so far. And it’s been good for me to see."
Clubhouse culture
Chemistry within the Mets clubhouse has been a talking point throughout the offseason, and when Stearns was asked what he's seen from this group early on, he explained that even with a team of veterans, the Mets are putting in the work every single day.
"I think guys are getting after it, and that’s been good to see. We have a very focused group in there," Stearns said. "As I mentioned earlier, the work has been really quality on the field, and that’s something you don’t see every spring. I think we have a group that is actively trying to get better every single day, and that can be somewhat unique with a team full of veterans. That’s not often the case.
"A lot of times you come to spring training with a veteran team and everyone’s really just got Opening Day circled and is just counting down the days until Opening Day. I think what we’ve felt here is guys are taking every single day seriously. They’re going out, they’re getting their work in, they’re working very well with our coaching staff, and it’s been very good to see."
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 06: Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks across the field before a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Camelback Ranch on March 06, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers look to snap their two-game losing streak as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Monday. Emmet Sheehan goes for the Dodgers while Aaron Ashby starts for Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 14: Aaron Ashby #26 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field on October 14, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a rematch of the NLCS at American Family Fields of Phoenix as the Brewers take on the Dodgers Monday afternoon.
And just like the NLCS, on the mound for the Brewers will be Aaron Ashby to start things off. He’s continuing to get stretched out this spring training for a potential starting role. Following him will be offseason trade addition Shane Drohan and then non-roster invitee Jacob Waguespack. The Dodgers will have Emmett Sheehan starting on the mound for them.
In the starting lineup, the Brewers have a number of their key roster pieces in there today. Sal Frelick will lead off while playing in center field for a change, followed by Luis Rengifo and the 2018 MVP, Christian Yelich. Jake Bauers and Gary Sánchez fill up the middle of the order. Some of the spring breakout stars, Akil Baddoo and Brandon Lockridge, will follow while David Hamilton and Greg Jones round out the bottom of the order.
The Brewers did make a round of roster cuts today, optioning Jeferson Quero and Sammy Peralta and reassigning a number of non-roster invites to minor league camp, including top prospects like Jesús Made and Luke Adams. Jones has also been reassigned, along with Eddys Leonard, Darrien Miller, Ramón Rodríguez, and Matt Wood.
First pitch is at 3:10 p.m. CT and can be seen on Brewers.TV today with Brian Anderson, Bill Schroeder, and Tim Dillard in the booth. It’ll also be broadcast on WTMJ 620 and the Brewers Radio Network.
Jedixson Paez will get the start for this afternoon’s contest, and needs to bounce back from a disastrous outing last week. | (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
Just a day after the White Sox announced the former Rule 5 draft pick Shane Smith would be the Opening Day starter, another Rule 5 pick takes the mound against the Rockies. Jedixson Paez, who was picked up on December 10, 2025, and was assigned to the White Sox prospects on March 5, will get this afternoon’s start. Paez was previously with the Boston Red Sox organization, and unless the Soxes come to an agreement, Paez must be on the active White Sox roster all season long, or be returned to Boston; this start is crucial to his future in Chicago.
As for the players currently playing in the World Baseball Classic, there was not a lot going on yesterday. Seranthony Domínguez (Dominican Republic) and Kyle Teel (Italy) did not play. Curtis Mead (Australia) went 0-for-4, 2 K, and Munetaka Murakami (Japan) was 0-for-3, BB. Sam Antonacci (Italy) had a better day, with a final of 1-for-4, 3B, R, RBI, K.
Kyle Freeland will get the start for the Rockies today. We’ll also see our old friend Nicky Lopez starting at shortstop.
The game won’t be available to watch or listen to, but it starts at 3:05 p.m. CT.
Earlier today, the White Sox sent three more players out of major-league camp:
Murray had two homers in Cactus League play but not much else. González had gotten rocked pretty hard over four appearances, while Sandlin hadn’t appeared at all in Cactus League play.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 6: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners at bat during a Spring Training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on March 6, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re back, and so is J.P. Crawford.
The Mariners play the Diamondbacks in another rousing round of Spring baseball. Crawford is in the lineup and playing shortstop for the first time this Spring, after a slower start than usual while battling shoulder issues. Ryan Bliss and Brendan Donovan flank him on either side of the infield. Luke Raley gets another starter in center field, which is increasingly becoming a thing. Rob Refsnyder is in right and Victor Robles is at DH.
Bryan Woo is on the mound for his third start of the Spring. I expect he’ll work a bit deeper than last time, and probably exit around the fourth inning, as he continues to ramp up.
Game information
Game time: 1:10 PT
TV: No
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, the Seattle Sports app, or Gameday
PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 22: Randy Vasquez #98 of the San Diego Padres delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Peoria Stadium on February 22, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers at San Diego Padres, March 8, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
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SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 3: Ryan Bergert #38 of the Kansas City Royals gets set to throw a pitch during a World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Cuba at Surprise Stadium on March 3, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After taking a loss to the White Sox yesterday, the Royals will play another division rival in the Cleveland Guardians today. We’ll get another look at Ryan Bergert, whose appearances thus far in Spring Training have been relatively quiet. He’s thrown only three innings of one-hit ball.
Cleveland sends Parker Messick to start. Messick is another one of those “I’ve never heard of this guy” pitchers that Cleveland seems to manufacture every year. He threw 39.2 innings across seven MLB starts last season and accumulated 1.0 fWAR with a solid 2.72 ERA and 2.98 FIP. He was the 54th overall pick in 2022 by Cleveland.
With the WBC going on, we’re definitely going to see some guys in the lineups today.
The game starts at 3:05pm US Central. You can listen on KWOD 1660.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 04: Starting pitcher Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies throws a warm-up pitch during the first inning of the MLB exhibition game against Team United States at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 04, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In his first spring training action of 2026, Kyle Freeland faced the daunting task of pitching against Team USA in an exhibition game on March 4. He gave up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in a two-hit, one-strikeout performance in one inning.
Today, Freeland and the Rockies (8-6-1) will take part in his first Cactus League action against the White Sox (10-7) at Camelback Ranch. The Rockies are 5-2 on the road this spring vs. 3-5-1, including the showdown vs. Team USA, at Salt River Fields.
Today’s game represents a rematch of a Feb. 23 showdown where the Rockies beat the White Sox 5-4. Chicago will send Jedisxson Paez to the mound to start the game. The 22-year-old RHP will be making his third spring appearance. He’s posted a 23.14 ERA in 2 1/3 innings over two starts with six earned runs, six hits, including one homer, three strikeouts and one walk. Former Rockie Drew Romo will be starting at catcher for the White Sox.
On Sunday, four pitchers combined to throw five scoreless innings and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman each had two-hit performances in the Rockies 4-4 tie with Cleveland. Even though it’s only spring training, the Rockies offense has been much improved thus far. The Rockies rank among all Major League teams this Spring in: on-base percentage (.381, T-1st), home runs (23, T-4th), average (.287, 3rd), HBP (14, T-2nd), slugging (.492, 3rd), OPS (.871, 3rd), runs scored (98, 5th), RBI (91, 6th) and total bases (254, 6th).
Earlier on Monday, the Rockies released a new motto for the 2026 campaign: “New era. At altitude. We are here for the climb.”
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals runs up the line during the sixth inning of a Spring Training game against the Chicago Cubs at Surprise Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2025 Kansas City Royals were not bad. However, they also share a division with the Detroit Tigers (excellent in the first-half of the season) and the Cleveland Guardians (excellent in the second-half), so their 82 wins just weren’t enough to push them into the postseason.
Consider some of the details.
The good? Bobby Witt Jr. (8 fWAR), Maikel Garcia (5.6 fWAR), the pitching staff (3.80 ERA).
The bad? The outfielders couldn’t hit (like, at all, to the tune of a collective 73 wRC+), and the Royals (with the exceptions of Witt Jr. and Garcia) could not steal bases. They were ranked 26th in runs scored, so not good. Having an elite pitching staff and a terrible offense is not a combination known for postseason success. Our colleagues at Royals Review provide a nice recap here. But that’s all in the past, and now it’s time to see what the Royals could manage in 2026.
2025 record: 82-20 (3rd, AL Central) 2026 FanGraphs projection: 81-81 (2nd, AL Central)
The Royals shuffled things around with some modest moves to shore up an already solid team and address some problem spots, trading for Isaac Collins from Milwaukee and signing Lane Thomas away from a division rival in Cleveland on a one-year deal alongside more recently picking up Starling Marte on a $1 million deal to give their aforementioned struggling outfield some options. They traded away their main left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa in the deal for Collins, and to shore back up their bullpen the Royals flipped Jonathan Bowlan for Matt Strahm, a former Royal himself who has blossomed the last few seasons in Philadelphia.
On top of the roster changes, they also remodeled their stadium a bit, moving in the walls of Kauffman Stadium. The K has been a slighty-above average stadium offensively over the last three years, but it’s been one of the worst parks to hit one out of — now the corners will be nine-to-ten feet closer before tapering off to an unchanged center field, perhaps aiding their offense enough to kickstart them out of mediocrity.
Looking at the Royals’ infield, any team with Bobby Witt Jr. at short is already at an advantage. This year, he’ll be working with an increasingly elite Maikel Garcia as well as a servicable Vinnie Pasquantino. What happens at second remains a question: Will the Royals start Jonathan India there or use Michael Massey? Perhaps Brandon Drury has a bounce back? Stay tuned! Then there’s Salvador Perez, who is not longer young but still effective. Although he will probably give more catching days to Carter Jensen, Perez fits in at first base or DH as well. Extended for two more seasons this winter, the veteran of the clubhouse might have the deal in place to ride out the end of his career.
With Collins in the fold now, Kansas City could plug him into left field while rolling Kyle Isbel out in center and Jac Caglianone in right. Granted, Cags was not especially good in 2025, but he got important experience in his first shot at the majors after excelling in the minors, and his spring training numbers suggest he may be figuring things out.
Marte, as mentioned, was a last-minute addition, signed just a couple of weeks ago. Though often injured, Marte will bring some much-needed power and contact to the Royals (assuming he can stay on the field) and should toggle between the outfield and DH. Add into that Lane Thomas and Kameron Misner, and this looks like a better — if not awesome — outfield lineup.
The rotation remains the strongest part of this Royals core. Although ace Cole Ragans missed much of 2025 to injury, when he was in the rotation, he was good (as in 14.3 K/9 and a 2.42 FIP in 13 starts). Now he needs to replicate that for an entire season. Kris Bubic picked up his first All-Star nod last year as he moved back into the rotation, and the combination of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Noah Cameron form a fearsome top to bottom rotation that offers no easy days for opposing lineups.
In addition to pure pitching skill, the Royals rotation started working as, essentially, a “pitching workshop” when Wacha joined the team. The rotation works closely together, observing each other’s bullpens and debriefing when they leave games. Lugo and Wacha are seasoned veterans helping mentor a group of youngsters. Plus, there’s more depth in the wings. Assuming everyone stays healthy, if the Royals struggle in 2026, it won’t be because of the rotation.
The bullpen remains reliable to round out the pitching staff. Carlos Estévez will return as the closer after an All-Star campaign, tying his career-best with a 2.45 ERA and working the second-most innings of his career. Add to that Lucas Erceg, John Schneider, Bailey Falter, and Alex Lange, and it’s a solid group. Strahm returns to the team that drafted him as a revamped pitcher, now relying on a mix of fastballs having incorporated a cutter and sinker to great effect, and Nick Mears and Alex Lange can provide further depth.
Will that be enough for them to jump back into contention for their division? It’s the AL Central, so who knows — the division could go any number of ways, as what appeared to be a runaway title for the Tigers slipped away on the final day of the season last year. Kansas City was in the running in 2024, taking a shot at the Yankees in the ALDS, but 2025 just didn’t break their way. The 2026 Kansas City Royals are trying to improve on the margins with hopes it’s enough to get them back to the postseason. If Bobby Witt Jr and Cole Ragans play to their potential, their odds are good.
More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.
Jack Perkins gets the nod today in the Spring Training matchup against the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona. | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Athletics take on the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The A’s come into this game fresh off a split squad sweep of the Angels and Dodgers yesterday.
Jack Perkins will take the mound to get the A’s started today. So far this spring he’s 1-2 in two starts with a 6.75 ERA. He’s only gone 2.2 innings, so the numbers are statistically meaningless. But I imagine Mark Kotsay will try to stretch him out a bit more today. Perkins will face off against 24-year-old Rhett Lowder for the Reds. Lowder is a 2023 first round draft pick who has pitched five innings this spring in both a start and relieving appearance. He has a 1.80 ERA and seven strikeouts so far.
Lowder will go face this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s Athletics:
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 4: Rhett Lowder #25 of the Cincinnati Reds, right, and catcher Tyler Stephenson #37 walk in from the bullpen before the World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Cuba at Goodyear Ballpark on March 4, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If it feels to you as if the Cincinnati Reds have hit a bit of a lull this spring, you aren’t alone.
The starting pitching – the bedrock on which this franchise is built – has seen some hiccups of late, chief among them the elbow issue that Hunter Greene is dealing with and the ripple effect that’s had through the entire team. Chase Burns got knocked around just yesterday, Nick Lodolo allowed 8 baserunners (and a Jonathan India homer) in just 3.0 IP over the weekend, and Brady Singer still boasts a 9.00 ERA despite yesterday’s scoreless trio of frames.
Eugenio Suárez is off at the World Baseball Classic, as is top prospect Edwin Arroyo. The event itself has so far been magical to watch, and perhaps that’s taken a lot of the spotlight off what’s going on in Cactus and Grapefruit League play, respective.
There have also been some notable cuts, with Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Chase Petty shipped over to minor league camp just yesterday.
It’s truly the dog days of spring training at the moment. Players are trying to actively get better and into regular season shape without overdoing it in games that don’t matter, trying to perform well while not giving away any of their tips or tweaks or secrets until the games actually matter. Players are also doing their best to simply stay healthy and get to Opening Day at 100%, and sometimes that doesn’t make for the best on-field product when paired with daily exhibition games.
Still, this is a Reds club with ample players trying to prove themselves, and Rhett Lowder is chief among them. He’ll take the mound on Monday afternoon at home in Goodyear opposite the Athletics, and will do so a leader in the clubhouse for one of the opening(s) at the end of the team’s starting rotation. He’s looked brilliant so far this spring, fully removed from the dual injuries that cost him almost all of 2025, and is poised to be a key part of the team from the outset in 2026.
First pitch on Monday is set for 4:05 PM ET, though sadly there is no televised coverage of the game. You can listen in via 1360 WSAI, however.
Here’s how the Reds will line up for the day (just a day removed from split-squad action where everyone in camp played at least a bit).
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 14: Alan Roden #19 of the Minnesota Twins bats against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning of the game at Target Field on August 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first rule of spring training is not to get too excited about spring training stats. That being said, Alan Roden is maybe making the Louis Varland trade look like a better deal, as he has eight hits in 22 at-bats, with one homer and a steal. For sure, a positive after he finished last season with a .191/.261/.294 slash line with two home runs and one steal in 153 plate appearances. Mick Abel is also doing his best to take the sting out of the Jhoan Duran trade, as through three starts, he has a 39% strikeout rate and a 0% walk rate and has yet to give up a single run through 10 innings. Of course, he did finish last season with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP through 39 innings, so let’s not get too excited. But hope does somewhat spring right now, and we’re going to need all the positivity we can get for this long season.
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Today we look at the Cubs’right-handed relief pitcher, who is diminutive in baseball terms.
Ethan Michael Roberts, 5’10”, 180 lbs, was born in Sparta, Tennessee 28 years ago, and has been in the Cubs’ system for quite some time, first surfacing in 2022 for a small coffee. He got into five games and picked up a hold and a save in 5.1 innings. He was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round in 2018.
He was injured and spent 2023 rehabbing, surfacing again in 2024 when he had a decent season, throwing in 21 games (26.2 IP), earning a 3.71 ERA, averaging a strikeout an inning, and not giving up an alarming number of home runs or bases on balls.
He’s still underwater lifetime, having amassed a grand 0.2 bWAR ( 0.5 fWAR) despite positive WAR in both cases in 2024. And so it’s kind of a mixed bag. We don’t know for sure where he’ll end up but I’d say the strongest likelihood is Iowa, though projections think he’ll do some time in The Show as well.
He throws a sweeper, cutter, and sinker. Once in a very great while he throws a four-seam. In 2022 he had a curve, but has since abandoned it. A break-glass arm, it looks like to me. His track record isn’t so great. His sweeper does have the highest horizontal break, so there you go.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - JULY 04: David Davalillo #20 of the Frisco RoughRiders pitches during the game between the Frisco RoughRiders and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Friday, July 4, 2025 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers have optioned outfielder Dairon Blanco and pitcher Michel Otanez to AAA Round Rock yesterday, the team announced today. In addition, the MLB transaction logs are showing that pitchers David Davalillo and Leandro Lopez were optioned to AA Frisco yesterday, though that transaction apparently hasn’t been officially announced by the Rangers.
Blanco and Otanez are both claimed on waivers this offseason by the Rangers — Blanco was claimed yesterday, and Otanez was claimed in early November. Both seem to be guys who the Rangers are taking a look at while they have 40 man roster spots available, and who would seem to be candidates to be dropped from the 40 man roster once the team needs a 40 man spot for someone like Andrew McCutchen.
Davalillo and Lopez, meanwhile, are guys who were added to the 40 man roster this winter. Neither was a serious candidate to be on the Opening Day roster, and both will likely start the year in the rotation for Frisco.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 15: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros bats in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park on September 15, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At some point, the Houston Astros need to stop overthinking this and simply accept reality.
Yordan Alvarez can play left field. And more importantly, if the Astros are serious about maximizing their championship window, they should let him.
For years now, the organization has treated Alvarez with extreme caution defensively. The reasoning is obvious: he’s one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, and keeping him healthy is a top priority. The safest place for him, in theory, is at designated hitter.
But here’s the problem with that logic, the cautious approach hasn’t exactly worked.
Despite limiting his time in the field, Alvarez has still missed large stretches of games over the past several seasons. Injuries happen in baseball. They always have, and they always will. Trying to eliminate that risk entirely is a losing battle. So if the Astros are going to face that reality anyway, they might as well put their best possible team on the field when Alvarez is healthy enough to play.
That includes letting him play left field.
This idea isn’t as radical as it might sound. Alvarez has said himself on multiple occasions that he actually prefers playing the field. He’s talked about how it helps him stay engaged in the game and keeps him mentally sharp between at-bats. For a hitter of his caliber, feeling locked into the rhythm of the game matters.
If your best hitter is telling you he performs better when he’s involved defensively, that should carry some weight.
There’s also a practical reason this makes sense for the Astros right now. The roster construction leaves them juggling pieces in the lineup almost every night. With a crowded infield mix and questions still lingering in the outfield, Alvarez playing left field would give manager Joe Espada far more flexibility when building his lineup.
Simply put, it allows Houston to put its most dangerous offensive lineup on the field more often.
Even if Alvarez doesn’t play left field every single game, making it a regular part of the plan, especially at home at Daikin Park, would help solve some lineup puzzles. Think about it, the talk is, it’s easier to play left in front of the Crawford Boxes. I mean, Jose Altuve was given the opportunity whole heartedly by throwing caution to the wind. Why not Yordan? On days when the Astros want to give him a partial break, he can slide right back into the designated hitter spot.
It’s about creating options instead of limiting them.
And let’s be honest: Alvarez doesn’t need to be a Gold Glove defender. He just needs to be serviceable. Plenty of elite hitters across baseball play the outfield despite not being defensive standouts. Aaron Judge patrols the outfield for the Yankees regularly, and while Alvarez is built differently, there’s no reason he can’t handle left field well enough to make it work.
Meanwhile, Houston’s roster is still taking shape. Jake Meyers seems like the frontrunner to once again handle center field duties alhough others are getting an opportunity to challenge him. While right field remains somewhat unsettled, whether that role goes to Cam Smith or someone the Astros acquire before the season gets too far along, there is still potential and plenty of time to figure out the other two spots in the outfield.
Defensively, there will likely be some growing pains. But offensively, this team has the pieces to compete with anyone in the American League.
That’s especially true if the Astros keep Isaac Paredes, something I’ve been very vocal about supporting.
The bigger picture here is simple. The Astros are still operating within a championship window. That window doesn’t stay open forever, even for organizations as consistently successful as Houston has been during this golden era of Astros baseball.
When you have a generational hitter like Yordan Alvarez in the middle of your lineup, your job as an organization is to maximize what he brings to the field.
Right now, that might mean trusting him with a glove in left field more often.
Some fans will disagree and prefer the cautious route. That’s understandable. Protecting a superstar always feels like the safer choice.
But playing it safe doesn’t necessarily mean playing it smart.
At some point, the Astros need to stop worrying so much about what might happen and focus on giving themselves the best chance to win tonight.
And that might start with letting Yordan Alvarez jog out to left field.
