HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 7: Trayce Thompson #28 of Great Britain makes a catch in the outfield during a World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Will Smith played a part in the United States’ 9-1 win over Great Britain Saturday night to improve to 2-0 in Pool B in the World Baseball Classic. But he was also on the wrong end of a couple of nice defensive plays that prevented an even bigger night for the Dodgers catcher.
Smith walked twice and threw out a baserunner trying to steal second base against Great Britain. But he was also robbed of a solo home run in the second inning, when former teammate Trayce Thompson made a leaping catch over the right field wall to bring it back.
Early leader for catch of the World Baseball Classic?! 😤
Smith also tattooed a ball 104.1 mph in the sixth inning with the bases loaded, but left fielder Kristian Robinson tracked it down in the gap, making Smith settle for a sacrifice fly instead of extra bases. Smith had another hard-hit flyout to Thompson in the eighth inning.
Old friend Hyun-jin Ryu, two and a half weeks shy of his 39th birthday, was back on the mound for Korea for the first time in the World Baseball Classic since 2009. The former Dodgers left-hander allowed a solo home run in the second inning and worked around two singles and two steals to get through three innings with just the one run allowed with three strikeouts against Chinese Taipei.
In a back-and-forth contest in which no team ever lead by more than one run, Chinese Taipei scored in the 10th inning to outlast Korea 5-4.
Ryu, who returned to the KBO the last two years after pitching over a decade in MLB, talked with Michael Clair at MLB.com about his history in international play, including winning an Olympic gold medal in 2008 and finishing as the runner-up in the 2009 WBC:
“As a young guy back then, I remember a lot of good veterans were there for me. So, I try to do the same thing. We have a much younger pitching staff compared to years ago with the national team. I just try to be there. I think one thing I want to do for them is not only care about my baseball here now, but try to think for the young kids, so they can grow. Just being there really, but I’m also getting a lot of energy and things to learn from those young kids, as well.”
Hyeseong Kim walked in the eighth inning and scored the tying run from first base on a double.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 8, 2026
With the tying run on third base and one out in the 10th, Kim laid down a squeeze bunt but the runner was out at home. Kim stole second to get into scoring position, but he was stranded to end the game.
After throwing a scoreless inning on Friday, Edwin Díaz did not pitch for Puerto Rico on Saturday. Puerto Rico erased deficits in the ninth and 10th innings to stun Panama and improve to 2-0 in the tournament. Daniel Hernaiz delivered the walk-off blast for Puerto Rico in front of his home fans with one of the most joyous celebrations you’ll ever see on a baseball field.
Aaron Boone put the 20-year-old at shortstop Saturday in a 3-0 loss to the Nationals and said he planned on starting him at third base Sunday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie.
The part that needs more development is Lombard’s offense, although he has given the Yankees reason to believe that’s not far away with his home run against Boston’s Garrett Crochet earlier in the spring.
Boone also said he thought Lombard might have had another one Friday against Tampa Bay lefty Ian Seymour if the wind hadn’t knocked it down.
On Saturday, he walked in the first before being picked off to end the inning.
George Lombard Jr. hits a single during the Yankees’ Feb. 27 Grapefruit League game. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Despite making an error at short against Washington, what continues to wow the team — and opposing scouts — is his glove work.
“He’s mature, he’s a pro, he’s physical [and] he’s prepared,’’ Boone said. “He’s played really well. He’s swung the bat well, but also played phenomenal defense wherever.”
Despite that ability to play numerous infield positions, Boone said it’s clear where Lombard’s future is.
Asked about showing his versatility, Boone said, “I don’t know how important it is because he can really play short.”
Still, it’s a nice luxury to have and Lombard excels at the other spots, as well.
“The fact he plays the other ones with the ease with which he does, that’s what’s impressive to me,” Boone said. “Wherever I put him — even going back to last spring — he makes a play every time that you’re like, ‘Dang, not a lot of people make that play, even if they’re familiar with the position.’ He’s pretty special on the defensive side.”
And his bat is developing.
“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”
Jake Bird has looked like a different pitcher this spring compared to what the Yankees saw after they acquired him from the Rockies at the trade deadline last season — at least until Saturday, when he gave up a pair of runs and retired just two batters.
The right-hander had a rough introduction to the Yankees last season, allowing multiple runs in two of his three outings following the trade before being sent to the minors.
He had also been shaky in his final month with the Rockies and wasn’t much better with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Boone said Bird might have been impacted by a heavy workload prior to the trade, as he appeared in 45 of Colorado’s first 106 games before the Yankees picked him up and “hit a little bit of a wall physically.”
Now, Boone said Bird is “one of the guys very much in the mix” for a spot in the bullpen.
“We got him last year for a reason,’’ Boone said. “He’s had a good bit of success at this level. He had a really good winter and shown well [here].”
Didier Fuentes looked absolutely dominant on Saturday, drawing 7 whiffs on just 25 pitches and pumping up to 99 MPH with his fastball. He did so, however, throwing only two pitches and throwing his four-seamer 80% of the time. It will be interesting to see what additional pitches he adds to his arsenal this season, if any. It’s difficult, as we know, to succeed as a starter with only two pitches. Fuentes looked nasty though and looked the part of an absolute weapon who could handle up to one time through the order, but I would be skeptical of his success seeing hitters multiple times with that pitch mix, even if the fastball is looking like it did today.
Feb 13, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) works out during spring training practices at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
New York Post | Mark Sánchez: After yet another bullpen session on Saturday, Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón got some good news. He is set to face hitters next week, for the first time since going under the knife to remove loose bodies from his elbow in the offseason. Rodón is healthy, but the Bombers have been slow with his ramp-up process in order to avoid any setbacks. He said his range of movement improved considerably, so he is still ‘trying to figure out how everything moves again and just find the [pitch] shapes.’
SNY | Philip Martinez: Right-hander Will Warren extended his spring dominance on Saturday night vs. the Washington Nationals, pitching four quality frames in which he surrendered just one unearned run, lowering his Grapefruit League ERA to an impressive 0.87. He allowed two hits and walked a pair, striking out three. The talented but inconsistent hurler stretched out to 50 pitches and looks ready for the start of the season. He has a chance to prove he can improve his command and take the next step.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: On Friday, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole completed his third live batting practice session of the spring, and it went as well as you can expect. He completed two innings, threw 30 pitches, and reached 97.5 mph with his heater. He also included some breaking balls and looked excellent, just like he has all spring. “It actually felt good,” Cole said. “The second inning felt really good.” The team and the pitcher are both taking things really slow because he didn’t pitch at all last season, but it’s hard not to feel excitement at the prospect of a healthy Cole dominating in October.
Aaron Judge might have to write out a check for this one.
During the sixth inning of Team USA’s 9-1 blowout win over Great Britain on Saturday in Group B pool play, Judge hit a laser directly into the left field wall, breaking the scoreboard at Daikin Park in Houston.
The ball, which ended up resulting in an RBI single for Judge, wound up destroying a panel on the left-field scoreboard at a scorching 109.6 mph off of the bat.
Judge’s hit also came during a three-run sixth inning for Team USA, which saw them break the game open against Great Britain.
Team USA was held scoreless for the first four innings, with Great Britain jumping out to an early lead after outfielder Nate Eaton homered off of Tarik Skubal on the first pitch of the game. Trayce Thompson also robbed Will Smith of a homer in the second inning, but the Americans rolled after that.
After their victory against Brazil on Friday, Team USA improved to 2-0 in pool play, with the team set to face Mexico next on Monday.
The U.S. went all out with its roster for this year’s tournament following a devastating loss to Japan in the finals back in 2023.
Aaron Judge flies out during the fifth inning of Team USA’s 9-1 blowout win over Great Britain in a World Baseball Classic game on March 7, 2026, in Houston. AP
Manager Mark DeRosa assembled a star-studded U.S. squad this time around, and was dead set on landing Judge, previously detailing on “The Show with Joel Sherman & Jon Heyman” last month how he got the three-time American League MVP to come aboard.
DeRosa said he was able to recruit Judge through former Yankee great — and current Team USA pitching coach — Andy Pettitte, who said that the seven-time All-Star wanted to play for the U.S.
“I just said, ‘Hey Aaron, I’m not going to bug you throughout the year. … I talked to Andy Pettitte, I’d love for you to be obviously the captain of Team USA and kind of start with you and filter everything around you as the pillar of this thing,’” DeRosa said was his pitch to Judge.
“He called me back within 48 hours and was like, ‘I’m in, I want to do it.’ … I started it in April, I just started slow-playing and trying to make pitches. I was building a Dream Team at night in my apartment on paper. Trying to make lineups out and pitching staffs. I was just slowly cold-calling people and seeing where their heads were at”
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Brenton Doyle #9 of the Colorado Rockies runs during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This evening in the Colorado Rockies first night game of 2026, they headed home with a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 4: Blake Treinen #49 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch in the seventh inning during a World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Mexico at Camelback Ranch on March 4, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite allowing only one hit in three innings of work, Landon Knack was unable to keep the Rockies off the board in what ultimately became a 6-4 loss to the Rockies. More important than the result, Knack struggled with an aspect of a starter ’game he ought to navigate well in order to have the desired impact. The young right-hander didn’t make the most out of allowing only one hit in three innings of work, done in by the Rockies small-ball game—one that works particularly well with a speedster like Jake McCarthy at the top of the batting order.
In the first inning, a walk was all it took for Colorado to get on the board, with McCarthy stealing back-to-back bases in order to score on a simple sacrifice fly. A couple of frames later, a ground rule double and a pair of sac-flies got Colorado on the board once again. Knack, who had a 1.394 WHIP last season, needs to do a better job of stranding runners and controlling the running game if he is to compete at even a decent level, much less a high one.
Sadly, Knack, who has multiple youngsters ahead of him in the pecking order for innings on this staff, wasn’t even the most disappointing Dodger pitcher of the evening, a distinction that belonged to Blake Treinen. Severely underwhelming in 2025, particularly in the postseason, Treinen came into this season on the final year of his deal, looking to bounce back to the form that made him one of the more dependable relievers of this team not so long ago. After a couple of scoreless outings in spring, the veteran got roughed up by the Rockies, who hung a four-spot on him in the sixth without the need of a single extra-base hit. On the flip side, there wasn’t a lot of hard contact to go around, so for now, we chalk it up to an isolated, unfortunate incident, even if the downward trend was cause for concern well before spring got underway.
For a game with 10 runs scored, neither offense looked particularly potent, with them combining for only three extra-base hits in the whole game—responsible for the Dodgers only one, Andy Pages continued his terrific showing this spring, now 7 for 20 in eight games. The first five hitters in the batting order all got three at bats with each of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, and Max Muncy going 1 for 3. Both in the eighth and ninth innings, the Dodgers had the tying run in scoring position, but failed to capitalize once all the starters had left the game.
Up next, the Dodgers will go to Mesa to face the Athletics with a couple of left-handers taking the ball—Justin Wrobleski for Los Angeles and Jacob López for the A’s.
United States pitcher Clay Holmes (35) throws a pitch against Great Britain during the fourth inning at Daikin Park.
Mets starter Clay Holmes had himself a dazzling World Baseball Classic debut for Team USA on Saturday night.
While coming in relief for reigning American League Cy Young champion Tarik Skubal during the Untited States’s’ 9-1 blowout win over Great Britain in Group B pool play, Holmes, 32, threw three scoreless innings and struck out six batters.
The Mets right-hander also struck out five Great Britain hitters in a row across the fourth and fifth innings.
Clay Holmes throws a pitch during the fourth inning of the United States’ 9-1 blowout win at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Saturday’s game was Holmes’ first appearance in the WBC, with the two-time All-Star previously telling reporters that he was ready to represent his country.
“I feel ready,” Holmes told reporters earlier this month, according to MLB.com. “Whether you know you’re in spring training facing a big league lineup or you’re going to face another team in the WBC, you’re trying to get outs, and you’re doing the best you can.”
After initially being held scoreless for the first four innings, Team USA erupted for five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth and never looked back.
Following Holmes, Yankees closer David Bednar came in and threw a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two.
After losing in heartbreaking fashion to Japan in the 2023 WBC, Team USA came back stronger than ever for this year’s tournament, with manager Mark DeRosa assembling a star-studded team this time around.
“Not only can we talk about players, but our coaching staff, too,” Team USA captain Aaron Judge told reporters on Monday, according to The Athletic. “We’ve got All-Stars, Silver Sluggers, World Series champs, [pitching coach Andy] Pettitte, one of the best postseason pitchers ever.
“It’s just some of the best baseball players that ever played the game in one room, so it was pretty cool to get a chance to address them and talk with them. That’s what I kind of started out with: It’s just an honor to be here in front of you and be wearing the same uniform as you guys.”
Will Warren throws a pitch for the Yankees during his March 1 Grapefruit League outing.
Observations from Yankees spring training Saturday:
Good Will Warren
Despite saying his “stuff wasn’t as sharp” later in his outing as he wanted, Will Warren threw four solid innings and gave up just an unearned run in a 50-pitch outing.
Will Warren throws a pitch for the Yankees during his March 1 Grapefruit League outing. Getty Images
No-show on ‘O’
The Yankees left most of their main players — the ones who aren’t in the WBC — back in Tampa.
But the lineup that faced the Nationals didn’t impress, putting up just three hits — all singles.
Caught my eye
Washington right-hander Josiah Gray missed all of last season after July 2024 Tommy John surgery.
The New Rochelle native and Yankees fan appears to be all the way back, with three scoreless innings against the Yankees.
Sunday’s schedule
The Yankees continue their East Coast (of Florida) road trip with a game against the Mets at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie with offseason addition Ryan Weathers on the mound.
The midway point through Spring Training brings a little more clarity to the roster competitions going on in camp for the San Diego Padres with almost three weeks to go. The scores of the games don’t matter; the games often include minor league players that will never see a major league roster. Even the performances by the veterans are not too important as it is the process that is the focus in spring.
Everyone is working on stuff. Hitters are refining approaches and tweaks to their mechanics. Pitchers are working on new pitches, grips, sequences and building stamina. Despite all of that, it is still possible to impress the coaching staff if you are a non-roster invitee or minor league prospect. There are many factors that go into making the final roster decisions at the end of camp and some of those decisions are made easy by performances.
Randy Vasquez
When camp opened in February, manager Craig Stammen sent a message to starter Randy Vasquez. You have to earn your spot on this staff; nothing is a given. It appears Vasquez took that challenge to heart and has been impressive. His fastball velocity is averaging 2.2 mph higher than last season, and he is using it a lot more. The whiff percentage has gone from 16% to 27.3% in his appearances so far. Last year, of his seven-pitch mix, he had a stuff+ rating of 100 or more for his cutter, sweeper, curveball and slider. This spring, his stuff+ is 100 or more for all of his pitches.
In the 4.2 innings pitched in his two starts, Vasquez has allowed one hit with five strikeouts and three walks and no runs allowed. The exhibition against Great Britain on March 4 featured the first start for Joe Musgrove in his return from Tommy John. Vasquez came on in the fourth inning and pitched four shutout innings, allowing one hit and three strikeouts with no walks. That is a drastic contrast to watching him in past seasons, where his nickname was “Strandy Vasquez” with his penchant for getting out of messes he created for himself.
The Padres staff has expressed excitement with his performance so far and Vasquez has no worries if he can keep this up.
Fifth rotation spot
Triston McKenzie will not be in the rotation. The velocity is impressive but the control and command are everywhere. No one can fix that in three weeks.
Marco Gonzales has improved from the start of camp, but his competition is pushing him to the back of the line due to his low velocity compared to the other starter options.
JP Sears has improved his velocity (up to 94 mph on his fastball) but the command of his pitches has not been consistent. If he is to compete, he must improve his location on all his pitches.
Germán Márquez has also improved as the number of starts have increased. His fastball in the mid-90s is used about half the time and he mixes in his knuckle curve, slider, sinker and changeup. Only his curve has a stuff+ of 100 or more and the rest are below average.
Walker Buehler has a seven-pitch mix with a fastball that currently hits 94 mph. His stuff+ is better on his secondary pitches and his only appearance for the Padres showed a starter that knows how to pitch. If he improves over the course of the rest of the games, it will be hard to imagine the other starters beating him.
The last starter spot will continue to be competitive until late in spring. An improvement in performance and execution could significantly affect the final decision. As things stand now, Buehler seems to be the frontrunner but that can change. There has been no clarity on what happens with the veterans who don’t make the roster. The opt-out rules and contract details aren’t totally clear, and those details could be part of the final decision.
First base and DH
The competition for the platoon partner for Gavin Sheets at first base and DH seems to have concluded with both Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos showing major league performances in spring games. Castellanos can play corner outfield and DH but spent his offseason working at first base. Despite learning a new position, Castellanos has looked comfortable and made some good plays. There have also been enough misplays to allow him to learn and get coaching and mentoring from those around him. Offensively, his 21 at-bats feature a home run, two doubles and six RBI with a .333 average and 1.011 OPS
Andujar, who can also play third base and left field, has had 21 at-bats with a double, two homers and three RBI. He is hitting .381 with a 1.233 OPS. Although spring stats mean very little, seeing them both make good contact and have good at-bats is encouraging for improving the production in the last half of the lineup.
Infield/Outfield depth
Sung-Mun Song looks good in infield drills, showing athleticism and excellent defense. He has played mostly third base so far this spring. He debuted at shortstop in the game on March 5, making a good play with quick reactions and a strong throw. He also hit a home run 430 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph on a 95-mph fastball. Watching his hits so far this spring, hitting velocity hasn’t been an issue.
Unfortunately, he came out of that game with soreness in his right oblique. That is the same side he injured before camp began and is now day-to-day. Depending on his progress, there could be some competition for infield depth as infielder Ty France has impressed this spring. In his 24 at-bats, France has three doubles and five RBI while playing strong defense at first base. If the Padres test him at third base and second base in coming games, it could be a sign that he has a chance for the roster.
Coming into spring, most everyone figured Bryce Johnson had a lock on the fourth outfield job. He played well last year and is a defensive plus at all three outfield positions. It’s possible that may not be the case. Johnson has options remaining and there are multiple players in camp who have experience in the outfield. Castellanos and Andujar are infielders who have played the corner outfield spots. Gavin Sheets has also seen time. The real issue is the backup for Jackson Merrill in centerfield and only Ramon Laureano has been able to fill in. That isn’t a great fit, but Johnson could be called up in case of a longer-term issue.
It will be interesting to see if there is a true fourth outfielder on the roster when camp breaks.
Bullpen
The only clarity to come with this battle is that Bryan Hoeing appears to have a significant injury and may not be in the conversation at all. The team has been suspiciously quiet about details regarding his status. The only report is elbow soreness, and he is exploring second and third opinions on his options. None of that sounds good and it is possible surgery would be what is being debated.
The surprise has been the rise of Logan Gillaspie as an option for the long role. His velocity is also up from previous years and there looks to be more movement on his pitches as well. The 3.2 innings pitched so far have been over two games with one hit and six strikeouts. Nick Pivetta is backing off from his start on Sunday and Gillaspie will start in his place.
The final decision for the bullpen will probably come down to the last days of camp, unless there are further injuries. Fingers crossed that the performances will continue to make it hard on the Padres staff to make those final decisions.
Catcher
The start of his tenure as the new manager featured Craig Stammen naming Luis Campusano as his back-up catcher. He left no doubt he was counting on Campusano to win the job this spring. So far, Campusano has looked good behind the plate. He is noticeably more engaged with the pitchers, and his work seems a lot more focused. Although his throws were a bit off to start, his last couple have been on target and crisp.
Unfortunately, his offense hasn’t kicked in yet. It seems obvious that might lag behind if he is dedicating most of early camp to the pitchers and his defense. Watching for more offense as the games go on and we get closer to the regular season would relieve some anxiety among fans who have never seen a consistent Campusano in a Padres uniform.
If positive vibes and confidence from the manager have any effect, then Campusano should begin to bloom soon. If you buy into the theory that 80 percent of baseball is mental, then having confidence in a player and giving him all the opportunities should bring out the best in him. I continue to hope that Stammen supporting and encouraging Campusano will unlock the player we haven’t seen yet.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Saturday night was supposed to be about Tarik Skubal, at least from a Tigers fans’ perspective. The best pitcher in baseball had a perfectly fine short outing for Team USA against Team Britain, but it was southpaw Enmanuel de Jesus who put on a show. Taking on Team Israel, which does feature a few major league caliber hitters, the southpaw struck out seven of the first 14 hitters he saw in perfect fashion. A triple and a single in the fifth allowed a run before de Jesus punched out his eighth hitter of the night to wrap up five stellar innings. Team Venezuela went on to win 11-3 on homers from Eugenio Suarez and a pair of blasts from Luiz Arraez.
Granted, outside of Harrison Bader, Team Israel is composed of Triple-A caliber hitters. But considering how well de Jesus has pitched all spring, it wasn’t surprising to see him absolutely dominate in the spotlight. His fourseam and sinker command was outstanding, and he was working cutters and changeups just off the edges with a lot of precision. It reminded me of watching prime Jose Quintana out there.
De Jesus has 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Tigers already in Grapefruit League play with an excellent strikeout to walk ratio. He signed a minor league deal worth a potential $1.3M if he makes the Tigers’ major league roster this offseason. After pitching well in the KBO the past few seasons, the lefty’s command of his 93-94 mph fourseam-sinker combination, cutter, and changeup, have all looked very good so far. It’s not the kind of arsenal that screams frontline MLB starter, but as long as his command is this good, it’s going to be hard to keep him off the Opening Day roster with a straight face.
The Tigers might prefer to keep him stretched out, but with Keider Montero and Ty Madden already optioned to minor league camp, there’s really no need. We also don’t know the specifics of de Jesus’s minor league contract. If he has an opt-out date if not called up to the major leagues, the Tigers are probably best served by taking him on Opening Day and optioning Brant Hurter. Let’s just say that Hurter needs to get it going in a real hurry or he’ll be tuning up with the Toledo Mud Hens while de Jesus occupies the longman/lefty role in the Tigers’ bullpen.
It’s easier to pitch well early in camp before the major league hitters are ramped up and clicking on all cylinders, but just watching the stuff and command, it’s obvious this isn’t just a fluke run. De Jesus pitched very well and really learned his craft overseas, and it looks like the Tigers are set to benefit so far this spring.
As for Skubal, he was only scheduled to throw 55 pitches or so, as he’s put his emphasis on preparing for the regular season. He surrendered a first pitch home run to Red Sox infielder Nate Eaton before getting into full Skubal mode and punching out five hitters in three innings of work. Team USA leads 7-1 in the seventh inning as of this writing.
Trayce Thompson #28 of the Great Britain catches the home run attempt of Will Smith #16 of the United States (not pictured) in the second inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 07, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
This one was a win for the red coats.
Great Britain outfielder Trayce Thompson robbed a potential game-tying home run during their World Baseball Classic Group B pool play game against the U.S. in their 9-1 loss to the American on Saturday night at Daikin Park in Houston.
With one out in the second inning, Team USA catcher Will Smith belted a ball opposite field, but Thompson leaped and made the catch to keep the ball in the diamond.
Thompson, 34, is the brother of five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson, and spent this past MLB season playing for the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester.
He has spent parts of seven seasons in the MLB, playing for the Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs, Padres, and Athletics.
Despite being a native of California, Thompson is eligible to play for Great Britain because his father, former NBA center Mychal Thompson, is from the Bahamas, a former British colony.
Thompson’s catch comes as Great Britain started surprisingly well start against a powerful U.S. team.
On the first pitch of Saturday’s game, Great Britain outfielder Nate Eaton blasted a solo shot off of reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Reliever Najer Victor also struck out four batters in just 1⅓ innings pitched.
Great Britain’s Trayce Thompson robs the United States’ Will Smith (not pictured) of a home run during the second inning of their WBC pool play game at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026 in Houston. Getty Images
Great Britain also kept Team USA scoreless through the first four innings, until Team USA third baseman Ernie Clement came home on a wild pitch in the fifth inning.
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber then followed with a two-run blast to give the U.S. their first lead of the night.
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson then hit a two-run double to break the game open for Team USA, putting them up 5-1, and they didn’t look back.
Great Britain is still seeking its first win in the WBC this year. They lost 8-2 to Mexico in their first pool play game on Friday.
Perhaps the feature player of Great Britain’s roster is Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., who joined them for this year’s tournament after originally playing for them at 18 years old back in the 2016 WBC qualifiers.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the batters box against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 26, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Introduction
Last week we began a series of articles reviewing the offseason moves of each National League West team, starting with the worst team in the NL West (and possibly all of MLB), the Colorado Rockies. (Here’s a link to that article). Continuing our NL West offseason reviews, we’re going from worst to first with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are not only the best in the NL West, but are the back-to-back World Series Champions and are arguably the best run organization in all of MLB.
2025 Season Overview/Recap
The Dodgers won 93 games and took the NL West division title. This in spite of a lot going wrong throughout the season, like Mookie Betts having the worst season of his career, big offseason acquisition SP Roki Sasaki not being anywhere close to the starting pitcher he was in Japan, and injuries to many key players. They’d go on to win their second consecutive World Series Championship for the first time in franchise history, and the first since the Yankees won back-to-back-to-back titles from 1998 to 2000
RP Anthony Banda (traded to Twins for International bonus pool money)
SP Clayton Kershaw (retired)
Offseason Summary and Review
So how do you improve upon a roster that was just the first to win back to back World Series in over twenty years, while you already have the highest payroll in baseball, if at all? Well as far as the latter goes, you just ignore the consequences of the luxury tax completely, and pay it if you’re the Dodgers. The Dodgers roster did have a few areas that could be improved. And, coincidentally, adding the top free agent hitter in Kyle Tucker, along with top free agent reliever Edwin Diaz just so happened to perfectly address the two biggest weaknesses on the roster.
While I do not like the optics of the team with the highest payroll in baseball raising their payroll even further by giving Tucker a 4 year, $240m contract and setting a record for AAV (average annual value), along with another $85m spread out between the other four FA signings, that’s more taking an issue with the business/financial side of the game. This is not what I’m evaluating here. I will criticize the fact that the Tucker signing cost them two draft picks, which is never a good thing long term for a sports franchise.
Honestly, there really isn’t much you can knock the Dodgers for this past offseason as far as the baseball operations side goes. They could have easily and justifiably stood pat this winter, but improving a team is what every fan wants their team to do during the offseason. I would knock the Kiki Hernandez signing based on his career during the regular season .(236/.305/.403, a 91 wRC+) , but he has hit extremely well (272/.339/.486 and a 122 wRC+) in the postseason, and apparently clubhouse vibes really are an actual thing, U guess. I do not like the Rojas signing either because he also looks like he’s about to hit the age cliff, but it’s nitpicking over a contract that’s essentially a World Series bonus.
Over on Fangraphs.com, not only does ZIPs projection system project the Dodgers to be the best team in baseball, but they also have the highest playoff odds. Their lineup against RHP also looks particularly strong:
Freddy Freeman 1B
Shohei Ohtani DH
Mookie Betts SS
Kyle Tucker RF
Teoscar Hernandez LF
Will Smith C
Max Muncy 3B
Andy Pages CF
Hyeseong Kim 2B
That looks like a fairly strong lineup to me, even if it’s starting to get a little long in the tooth. The starting rotation will probably continue to be oft injured, with Blake Snell and Gavin Stone on the injured list as we speak. But the Dodgers have the depth to weather it, while still having one of the best starting pitchers in baseball in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani will keep being an alien when he’s healthy.
Grade
Overall, I give the Los Angeles Dodgers a B+ for their offseason, with the lower grade stemming from the wider implications of the Tucker signing, along with the ages of the guys they brought back.
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 15: George Lombard Jr. #55 of the New York Yankees throws the ball during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s absolute nonsense that a game featuring so many top prospects and recent graduates wasn’t televised, but then again, maybe we’re all better off for not having seen this matchup on Saturday night. The Yankees really didn’t bring much to West Palm Beach, with a sextet of pitchers walking more Nationals than they struck out, and a collection of people who called themselves hitters failed to manage much from the Yankee side of the box score. It’s a good thing these games don’t count, because New York went down without a whimper 3-0.
I thought Will Warren was fine today, if not electric. He was facing a lineup that’s pretty representative of what the Nationals will throw out there in the regular season — and that’s an indictment on the state of that once-again-rebuilding franchise. He threw the four-seam fastball nearly half the time, and half his whiffs came against the heater as well. Warren did struggle a little more with his control than in his previous outings, walking two in four full innings against three strikeouts.
One of those walks was a successful Dylan Crews challenge under the ABS system, and I wonder how (if at all) we will distinguish reviewed walks/strikeouts over the course of a full season. The one run that Warren allowed was unearned, as George Lombard Jr. couldn’t cleanly throw out Luis García Jr. to load the bases in the fourth, then Crews would come home on Brady House’s sac fly to make the game 1-0.
Will Warren fired off another productive Spring outing with 4 scoreless innings against Washington
Warren continues to showcase his impressive stuff which was supplemented by solid command, rendering a sparkling 50.0 O-Swing% on the day pic.twitter.com/LrjSGQxHqZ
Jake Bird took over for Warren and struggled mightily, walking the first man he faced, allowing a single, then a triple off James Wood’s bat that pushed those two runners across. He would get Crews swinging and a lazy fly ball from CJ Abrams, but for a player who landed flat on his face upon acquisition last year, this wasn’t exactly the best way to stake your claim on a regular-season MLB bullpen role.
A bunch of the Yankee first-stringers are playing in the World Baseball Classic, and even the second-stringers didn’t seem to make the trip to West Palm Beach. That left a bunch of prospects and org depth, and while Jasson Domínguez, Lombard, and Spencer Jones all managed to reach base — Jones twice, with a single and a walk — there wasn’t much offense to go around. The club managed just three hits overall on the day, and the one time that Lombard Jr. did reach, he was picked off at first base for an easy retirement. It’s rarely a good thing when your side manages one hit more than the cumulative number of errors they made.
There’s been plenty of buzz about Lombard in camp, between his strong showing in Grapefruit League games and Anthony Volpe continuing to rehab, the nominal incumbent hasn’t even played so far this spring. Today’s a good reminder of how far George still has to go though, and how he is still a product requiring some sanding, polishing and seasoning. We’ve all seen and read about the talent the 20-year old boasts, but there’s still a long way from Double-A to the majors.
The Yankees stay “on the road” tomorrow, bussing to Port St. Lucie to take on the Mets. Ryan Weathers will get the ball for his second exhibition start, coming off that stellar start against these same Nationals, the outing that had the internet abuzz about his raw stuff. The challenge for Weathers will be refining that raw product into something a little more dependable, and that will be the focus of his start tomorrow. First pitch comes at you at 1:10pm Eastern, note the time change tonight, and this one will be on TV (SNY).
: WBC on FOX 
