Category: MLB

A big slew of roster moves this afternoon, including some significant names.

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves and have 47 players in camp.

Optioned to Triple-A Reno:

• LHP Mitch Bratt
• RHP Juan Burgos
• LHP Kohl Drake
• RHP Grant Holman
• INF Jose Fernandez

Reassigned to Minor League camp:

• RHP Gerardo Carrillo
• RHP Hayden Durke
• RHP Junior Fernandez
• LHP Spencer Giesting
• RHP Taylor Rashi
• INF LuJames Groover
• INF Cristofer Torin
• INF Tommy Troy
• OF A.J. Vukovich
• OF Ryan Waldschmidt

Fernandez… Oh, J. Fernan… Um, I mean Jose Fernandez and Waldschmidt are probably the two names of most significance. Many were expecting Waldy to snag an Opening Day roster spot, given the absence of “true” outfielders on the 40-man roster. His spring numbers had merely been okay though: .240/.269/.480 for a .749 OPS, with a K:BB of 9:1. Fernandez had opened a lot of eyes, after being a surprising add to the 40-man roster. He was leading the team in spring home-runs, and a 1.148 OPS was impressive too. Most of the rest are fairly unsurprising, but I’d not be shocked to see at least some of these names at Chase Field later this year.

Going to Goodyear. pic.twitter.com/n28w1iVITZ

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 8, 2026

Bullpen day for the D-backs, though a switch in the “starting” pitcher, with Drey Jameson taking over from previously announced starter Kevin Ginkel. After Jameson, the list shows RHP Ginkel, RHP Shawn Dubin, RHP Junior Fernandez, RHP Taylor Rashi, RHP John Curtiss and LHP Spencer Giesting. Amusing that half of the position players optioned or re-assigned above, are in the Arizona starting line-up this afternoon – Troy, Waldschmidt and Groover – and three of the pitchers were similarly crossed off the list. Memo to self. The SB Nation system works on Eastern time, so remember to schedule this one for 4 pm Eastern, not 3!

Today’s game will be broadcast on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, with Chris Garagiola and Josh Collmenter running the broadcast.

Today the Texas Rangers continue their preparations for the upcoming season with a Cactus League matchup against the Anaheim Angels.

RHP Nathan Eovaldi will take the Surprise, AZ mound for Texas for today’s contest opposite RHP Victor Mederos, now under the tutelage of former Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux.

You can listen to this one via 105.3 The Fan or follow along on Gameday. First pitch from Surprise Stadium is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT.

Go Rangers!

After a pair of night games, it’s back to day games for a big for the Dodgers, who are in Mesa on Sunday to take on the Athletics.

Today’s #DodgersST lineup at Athletics: pic.twitter.com/9ZAd8UwQVT

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 8, 2026

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at A’s
• Ballpark: Hohokam Stadium, Mesa
• Time: 1:05 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: none

HOUSTON — Los Angeles Angels minor-league pitcher Najer Victor couldn’t sleep.

Really, he didn’t want to sleep.

His phone kept buzzing all night Saturday after his dramatic outing for Great Britain against the United States.

“What was it like to strike out three-time MVP Aaron Judge on that 85-mph cutter?"

“How did it feel blowing that 96-mph fastball past MVP Bryce Harper?"

"How cool was it throwing that 82-mph slider past Baltimore Orioles young star Gunnar Henderson?"

"Can you believe that you didn’t throw a single fastball to Boston Red Sox slugger Roman Anthony, and got him to swing through a 84-mph slider?"

And, oh, yeah: "What in the world did you say to make Team USA so angry?"

Mark DeRosa, manager of Team USA, said after their victory against Great Britain that Victor’s outburst and antics fired up their team entering the fifth inning, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 9-1 victory.

USA players say they couldn’t quite make out what Victor said, but were well aware that he yelled toward their bench strutting off the mound after striking out Henderson, and gesturing with his hands.

"When their reliever turned and looked in our dugout and had a couple of choice words," DeRosa said, "I think that lit the lineup up."

Victor, 24, who spent most of his childhood growing up in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands before moving back to Philadelphia, called his four-strikeout outing easily the greatest moment of his life.

And he called the verbal outburst one of his worst moments of his career, saying that he yelled, "You got to get louder than that!"

"I don’t know why I did that," he told USA TODAY Sports. "It was kind of a blackout moment. I didn’t mean to look at their dugout. It was for the crowd. They were all yelling, U-S-A, and that noise wasn’t fazing me. So, I was trying to get to the crowd, and I ended up turning to the dugout and it was like, 'Aaargh.'

"I mean, that got them fired up. That’s what the game is, showing emotions. But if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t do that. I mean, I was not trying to show up any of the guys. I hope they know that.

"I was just trying to talk to the crowd, not to them."

While Victor prays his outburst will be soon forgotten, he hopes the memory of his dazzling outing will be remembered forever.

"That was the No. 1 moment in my career, no question," said Victor, who spent last year pitching 35 games in Class A for the Angels, going 1-6 with a 4.87 ERA, striking out 65 and walking 26 batters in 40⅔ innings. "I live in the moment, but it felt pretty sick when I thought about it afterwards."

So, of the four strikeouts against the star-studded lineup, just who was his favorite strikeout victim?

"I grew up a Red Sox fan," Victor said, "so the Roman Anthony once for me. But I do like that 3-and-2 slider to Gunnar Henderson. And, of course, Aaron Judge."

When Victor returns to Angels’ camp in Tempe, Ariz., this week, he’ll certainly have some stories to tell the boys in the clubhouse.

He also learned some valuable lessons from the WBC experience.

"This is a moment that will wake you up," Victor said, "but it’s also a moment you just can’t live off. So for me, it’s not my end goal, and I don’t see myself stopping right there.

"Hopefully making a name not only for myself, but for an island of 32 square miles. It’s not just for my island, but also other small islands."

And, who knows, maybe one day he’ll see those same stars again from Team USA, and let them know his outburst wasn’t personal, and certainly not directed toward them.

"Please, let them know," Victor said, "that’s not me."

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WBC moment leaves Najer Victor sleepless after big strikeouts

The Royals are back in action this afternoon against divisional foe, the Chicago White Sox. The Royals are coming off a victory over the Reds on Saturday, by a final score of 6-2.

Left-handed pitcher Noah Cameron will get the start today for the boys in blue. With the World Baseball Classic just getting going, a decent number of regular Royals remain out of the lineup. So, here is the guys going behind Cameron this afternoon.

Sunday's starters as we head back to Glendale. pic.twitter.com/gaYPQGozrk

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) March 8, 2026

The Royals record in Spring Training is currently 6-7-1. Haha, 6-7. Anyways, we inch closer to the real deal, and the excitement of the WBC continues to pick up. So yay!

I have alarming news. Somehow, while I wasn’t looking, we passed the halfway point of spring training. Counting today’s game, only 15 games remain between Opening Day and [gestures at the smoking ruin of the 27-6 blowout against San Diego] whatever this is. It’s been a weird spring, with so many regulars gone with their WBC teams, but it is quickly drawing to a close. Yikes!

As a reminder, Arizona doesn’t do Daylight Savings time, but now the PNW is all synced up with Arizona, so games start at 1 o’clock PT now.

Lineups:

Also slated to pitch for the Mariners: Josh Simpson, Yosver Zulueta, Troy Taylor, Nick Davila, Gabe Mosser.

Injury updates:

Victor Robles is expected to get 3-4 at-bats today as he works back from lingering shoulder soreness.

Bryce Miller threw a “touch and feel” bullpen today of 25 pitches and spoke to the media after. Bryce said he was at 80% effort and he’s trying to be very mindful, having talked to other players who have been through an oblique injury, not to try to do too much too soon. He’s planning another bullpen midweek next week, aiming for higher intent and the same number of pitches. “It’s kind of boring, because I like to just let it rip, but I’m trying to be smart with it.”

Roster moves:

The Mariners optioned RHP Ryan Loutos to Triple-A Tacoma. Loutos came into yesterday’s game and cleaned up a mess, throwing one pitch and getting a double play, much to the delight of his personal cheering squad.

Also, the Mariners re-assigned three players to minor-league camp yesterday: LHP Austin Kitchen, OF Victor Labrada, and RHP Teddy McGraw. Both Labrada (oblique) and McGraw (biceps tendinitis) are currently battling injuries.

Game information:

Game time: 1:10 PT

TV: no

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, the Seattle Sports app, or Gameday

Today’s spring training matchup pits the Brewers against the Seattle Mariners, who finished one win shy of the World Series last season.

On the mound for Milwaukee tonight is lefty Kyle Harrison, acquired from the Red Sox this offseason in exchange for a package headlined by infielder Caleb Durbin. As I wrote about a few weeks ago, and as Curt Hogg wrote about this week, Harrison has worked on a kick change over the offseason that should be on display today.

Also scheduled to pitch for the Brewers are RHP Jacob Misiorowski and LHP Jared Koenig. Starting for Seattle is 2023 American League All-Star George Kirby.

Milwaukee’s lineup today features a good number of players expected to play a role with the big league club this year. Garrett Mitchell, Jake Bauers, and Christian Yelich make up the top third of the lineup. Andrew Vaughn, who enters today’s game with a 1.085 OPS this spring, is batting cleanup. Vaughn is followed by David Hamilton (playing shortstop today), Blake Perkins, and prospect Brock Wilken. Rounding out the order are Jeferson Quero and non-roster invitee Ethan Murray, playing second today in the absence of Brice Turang.

In other roster news, the Brewers optioned RHP Coleman Crow to Triple-A Nashville and reassigned LHP Tate Kuehner and Drew Rom to minor league camp.

If you want to tune into today’s game, you can catch the broadcast on 620 WTMJ and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. CT.

Kyle Harrison gets the start

📻: WTMJ 620#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/f93bbzvTvN

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 8, 2026

On the road in Phoenix ⚾🌵 pic.twitter.com/uWXSLrRbHB

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 8, 2026

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The San Diego Padres have some positions still in question and have plenty of options to fill those positions. With a handful of Padres regulars competing in the World Baseball Classic, it means players competing for roster spots with San Diego will have opportunities to win or lose a job. In the case of some players, it may not be an opportunity to win a job, but an opportunity to show they should retain a roster spot they already hold.

In this week’s Padres Reacts Survey on Gaslmap Ball, readers were asked which player could benefit most from extra reps at the expense of WBC players. The majority of respondents said Sung-Mun Song would benefit most, which makes sense considering he is making the transition from the Korean Baseball Organization to MLB.

Song has shown himself to be a capable defender and seems to have adjusted to the higher velocity of pitches in MLB much quicker than his fellow countryman Ha Seong Kim when he made the jump from the KBO to MLB. Song blasted his first homerun, a 430-foot shot to right field off Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo, earlier this week in a 27-6 Padres win. The problem was not long after his homerun he left the game. It was reported that Song aggravated the oblique injury that he suffered in the offseason.

It would benefit Song to get back as fast as possible with Manny Machado playing for Dominican Republic and Xander Bogaerts playing for Netherlands in the WBC. The additional reps and trying to get acquainted with shortstop would be critical to his development, but he can only go as fast as his body and the Padres medical staff will let him.   

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For Cincinnati Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, there couldn’t have been much better news on Sunday. Manager Terry Francona informed the 2025 National League All Star that he would get the ball come Opening Day, an honor that will sear him into the history books for all those in Reds Country.

The Reds announced the move on Twitter, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon later catching up with Abbott for reaction to the honor.

Taking the mound on Opening Day…
For your Cincinnati Reds…
Number 41…
Andrew Abbott! pic.twitter.com/9wrrOslOPB

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 8, 2026

Abbott, who’ll pitch in his age-27 season in 2026, has pitched to a combined 138 ERA+ across 304.1 IP the last two seasons. His 8.9 combined bWAR over those two seasons ranks 8th in all of Major League Baseball behind the likes of only Chris Sale, Garrett Crochet, Hunter Greene, Zack WHeeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Tarik Skubal, and Paul Skenes.

That’s as elite as company comes, and firmly puts him in the conversation as one of the aces of the game. Just last season, his 5.6 bWAR ranked 6th in all of baseball.

The only cold comfort here is that it all but confirms that fellow ace Greene won’t be ready for Opening Day after experiencing enough elbow soreness this past week after his first start of the spring that he went for an MRI for more information. For all of Abbott’s accolades, Greene still sits a bit higher than him in terms of both stuff and seniority, and would have been the obvious choice for Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox were everything 100% hunky dory. Now, we’re stuck waiting until Tuesday’s MRI results are known to see just how long after Opening Day we’ll have to wait to see Cincinnati’s other ace pitch.

Congrats to Andrew on his first OD nod!

During today’s spring training contest between the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta’s organizational depth when it comes to their starting pitching may have taken yet another hit. Joey Wentz had to be carted off the field during today’s game with an apparent injury to his leg — probably his knee.

There’s no video of the incident but from what we can gather on the radio, Joey Wentz hurt himself trying to cover first base. He stayed on the ground for quite a bit and had to be carted off as a result of the incident.

Joey Wentz injured his right leg while covering first base. He was carted off the field, but he walked in the clubhouse under his own power. Initial diagnosis is promising. He’s day-to-day for now.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 8, 2026

Bowman is right about the fact that while Wentz was carted off, he was still able to walk around. In fact, Wentz was standing up and attempted to walk off the field under his own power but was probably advised to just go ahead and take the cart ride to the dugout, at least.

Here’s hoping that this is just a day-to-day thing for Joey Wentz. Wentz was right in the thick of the competition to make it into the starting rotation for Opening Day but at the same time, you don’t want to see Atlanta’s organizational depth get any thinner than it is near the major league level at this point. Hopefully Wentz will be able to return to action sooner rather than later and we’ll have any updates for you as they become available.

UPDATE [3:18 p.m. ET]: Mark Bowman is reporting that they believe Wentz has avoided a “serious” injury, continuing to reiterate the “promising” initial diagnosis. We’ll see what happens!

Joey Wentz's right leg will continue to be examined and the Braves will give an update tomorrow. But initial tests indicate he may have avoided a serious injury.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 8, 2026

Elly De La Cruz is no longer going to lead off for the Cincinnati Reds. That much we are sure of since manager Terry Francona took over, with his switch-hitting superstar now penciled into the #3 spot in the lineup each and every day.

Elly is also a guy who filed a 67 steal season onto his ledger at just 22 years of age, and already has 139 steals in 420 career games as he enters just his age 24 season in 2026. All that despite playing most of the latter half of 2025 with a quad injury that clearly sapped both his ability to reach base in the first place and take extra bases once getting there.

It’s a bit of a dichotomy, especially when you factor in the tendencies of previous manager David Bell and Tito, who wants his baserunners to be a bit more cautious and calculated when taking off. It’s a situation with enough variables that I thought it worth asking you, the fine readers of Red Reporter, whether you thought Elly had another 50+ steal season in him in 2026.

In a pretty overwhelming vote, you sure as heck think he does.

A healthy quad will certainly help Elly, who still managed 37 swipes in that banged-up 2025 campaign. Presumably more thumpers behind him in the lineup everyday will, too, as the likes of Sal Stewart and Eugenio Suárez work deeper counts, take more pitches, and see more off-speed breaking balls as pitchers try to keep the ball in the ball park.

There’s also the playing time factor that Elly may have to deal with more in 2026 than ever before. Francona has spoken openly about trying to get Elly days off here and there after he played in the full 162 games last year (and looked worn down and hurt a lot of the time), and even a modicum of reduction in opportunities will obviously make racking up counting stats harder to do in a shorter amount of time. However, that could mean he’s closer to 100% in more games played, and that could be enough for his turbochargers to reset faster than they did just last year.

Personally, I took the over here, too. I think Elly’s got a handful of 50+ steal seasons in those legs, and we’ll look back at 2025 as the exception to the rule.

MLB Reacts are brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook.

HOUSTON — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who originally was scheduled to leave Team USA and rejoin his Detroit Tigers teammates in Lakeland, Florida, remained in Houston on Sunday and attended USA's workout.

Skubal remains torn on whether he’ll still leave Team USA as he originally planned, stay with Team USA for the duration, or return to the Tigers’ spring training camp for one appearance and possibly rejoin Team USA if it advances to the finals in Miami.

He spoke late Saturday night with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, his agent, Scott Boras, and his family.

"I don’t think anything has been determined …," Hinch told reporters Sunday. "He’s incredibly emotional about the experience. It's a difficult time. It weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all."

Skubal told FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal after throwing 41 pitches in Saturday’s 9-1 victory over Great Britain during the game that he’s not prepared to give an answer, and he reiterated his dilemma afterward to reporters outside the clubhouse.

"This is going to be one of the toughest decisions I made in my career," Skubal said. "I didn't expect these types of emotions to run through my brain, or my thoughts to differ. I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp. Things have changed, obviously."

Simply, Skubal didn’t anticipate the flood of emotions being around his USA teammates, the patriotism, and the significance of representing his country.

"It just changes your perspective a little bit, you know?" Skubal said. "And how proud I am to be an American and go out there and pitch and compete. (Thinking about) the people that make real sacrifices for me to play a kids' game. …

"It’s just hard. When you get into these environments, when you get this team, it’s hard to walk away from that."

Team USA, which has won its first two games in the WBC, is expected to play a quarterfinal game Friday, March 13 at Daikin Park in Houston. If the U.S. wins, it would play in a semifinal game either Sunday, March 15 or Monday, March 16. The championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17.

It’s possible that Skubal could return to Tigers camp and pitch Thursday, March 12 against the New York Yankees in Lakeland, and then wait and see if he’d be needed to pitch in the WBC championship game.

Skubal said players have been supportive of him, whatever he chooses, completely understanding his predicament. He not only wants to be on regular rest and start the Tigers' season-opener in San Diego on March 26, but he’s a free agent after the season, and in line to receive a contract in excess of $400 million, the largest contract by a starting pitcher in history.

"The guys have been cool about it," Skubal said earlier in the week, "but I mean, obviously, like publicly, it’s a little bit different perception. But I think they understand what it means for me to be here. Obviously, I want to be in the room, you know, and that's cool for them to even take that aside and be like, it's awesome that you're here."

Whatever his decision, Team USA officials insist they understand, and he has the full support of his USA teammates.

"He's got the two Cy Young Awards, but this guy's about to make half a billion dollars here in the next offseason," Yankees three-time MVP Aaron Judge said. "So, for him to put it all on the line for his country, and come out here and show up for us. … You know, maybe it is just one game, but you know there's a risk with everything you do, and for him to take that risk and come out here and be with us, the boys love it."

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarik Skubal’s emotional WBC decision weighs on Tigers ace

The local talents had been relatively quiet through two World Baseball Classic games for Team Dominican Republic, but they were finally able to make their mark in Sunday’s win over the Netherlands.

First it was Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who lifted one of the teams two homers as part of a six-run bottom of the fifth. 

The two-run shot came on a 3-1 fastball low in the zone, and landed 388 feet away in the second-deck in right. 

It was just Wells’ second hit of the tournament, but certainly was a big one. 

AUSTIN WELLS VISITS THE SECOND DECK! 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/LkirVA7otr

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 8, 2026

Mets slugger Juan Soto got in on the fun later in the game, as well. 

After being held hitless over his first few at-bats, the All-Star outfielder launched a two-run shot of his own, officially helping Team DR hit the run rule in the bottom of the seventh.

Soto jumped all over a first pitch slider, depositing it 419 feet into the seats in right-center.

The 27-year-old enjoyed a pair of strong showings during DR's tune-up meetings last week, but he had been relatively quiet over the first two games, before the blast.

He had two homers and a tournament-high 1.500 OPS during the 2023 WBC.

JUAN SOTO CALLS GAME!

He goes yard and the Dominican Republic wins by mercy rule over The Netherlands! 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/NoljujSiah

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 8, 2026

There was also former Yankee and former Yankee crime earlier in the contest, as Didi Gregorious lifted a solo homer off of DR starter Luis Severino in the top of the second. 

The back end of the Sox rotation is still up for grabs, but the staff in Charlotte is starting to take shape. The White Sox announced Saturday that righthander Tanner McDougal had been optioned to Triple-A, while lefty Noah Schultz was sent over to minor league camp.

pic.twitter.com/p5qBSE92LN

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 7, 2026

They’ll presumably join David Sandlin, Duncan Davitt, and perhaps Hagen Smith in the Knights rotation to start the year.

One place there definitely won’t be any competition is at the top of the big league rotation. The team also announced earlier this afternoon that, as one probably would have expected, Shane Smith will be taking the ball on Opening Day later this month.

On the bump for Opening Day 🫡 pic.twitter.com/L8uRawDtjn

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 8, 2026

Smith will be the eighth different pitcher in 10 years to start the opener since Chris Sale departed the team. He joins José Quintana (2017), James Shields (2018), Carlos Rodón (2019), Lucas Giolito (2020-22), Dylan Cease (2023), Garrett Crochet (2024) and Sean Burke (2025).

If I had to be reminded that James Shields actually started an Opening Day for this team, so do you.

Anyhow, here’s the lineup the White Sox are running out in the present day against Kansas City:

Our Sunday plans pic.twitter.com/Kqwn5WJMEN

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 8, 2026

Hicks has an even 6.00 ERA in two spring outings thus far, but his fastball has looked sharp, averaging a blistering 99.2 mph on the sinker — substantially up from the 97.5 mph and 94.5 mph averages it showed the last two seasons. Just 4-for-20 with seven punchouts, Jarred Kelenic is running out of time to claim any chance at a backup outfield spot, but LaMonte Wade Jr. might be making a real run at a backup 1B/corner OF spot with a homer, two doubles, and five walks to just three strikeouts in 24 spring trips to the plate.

Here’s what Kansas City will be countering with:

Sunday's starters as we head back to Glendale. pic.twitter.com/gaYPQGozrk

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) March 8, 2026

The Sox get their second-ever look at Noah Cameron this afternoon, who finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year with a 2.90 ERA over 24 starts. A seventh round pick in 2021 out of Central Arkansas, Cameron made the record books last year when he threw at least six innings with no more than a single run allowed over the first six starts of his big league career.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT, and will be broadcast on CHSN and ESPN AM 1000.

In his first two MLB seasons, Paul Skenes has won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and the NL Cy Young Award.

Not bad!

Before he embarks on his third season with the Pirates, Skenes will lead Team USA’s strong rotation in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, looking to claim the championship for the second time in tournament history. 

Skenes has started the last two All-Star Games for the NL and has the potential to be one of the top pitchers of all time.

It’s a lot to put on the shoulders of a 23-year-old, but Skenes has answered every question that comes his way.

As MLB prepares for what is likely to be its last season before a considerable lockout, ESPN ranked the Top 100 players in baseball. 

Skenes, of course, made the list… but the question is, where?

ESPN said that more than two dozen ESPN employees submitted their ballots that comprised the total ranking. Skenes had his number called at No. 6.

“Since May 11, 2024, the day he arrived in the big leagues, Skenes has found himself squarely in the conversation for ‘Best Pitcher in the World.’ And the numbers back Skenes’ claim to that title,” ESPN insider Jeff Passan said.

Skenes will make two starts in the WBC and is in line to pitch for the Americans in the semifinals, as long as Team USA gets there. 

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick out of LSU earned a 1.97 ERA last season and struck out a Pirates right-handed pitcher record 216 batters in 187.2 innings. He only allowed 41 earned runs and earned a total 0.95 WHIP.

“I'm from America, I love America… There's no bigger stage or no greater honor than wearing USA across your chest.” 🇺🇸@Pirates ace Paul Skenes discusses the pride he takes in playing for @USABaseball. pic.twitter.com/bTl8zebd3b

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 3, 2026

“Since his debut, he has the best ERA in the sport by nearly four-tenths of a run (1.96), the fourth-lowest home run rate (0.59 per nine innings), the sixth-best strikeout rate (10.83 per nine), the hardest average fastball (98.5 mph), and, even with restrictions on his output, the 10th-most innings (320.2),” ESPN wrote.

2025 may have been the first of many NL Cy Young Awards for Skenes, who is under contract through 2029. Two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal finished two spots ahead of Skenes.

Skenes is in elite company, with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bobby Witt Jr. the top three players. Juan Soto ranks right ahead of Skenes at fifth. 

“What’s scary is that this is just the beginning,” Passan said. “Health permitting, Skenes will be an all-time great.”

Passan expects Skenes to considerably improve his win-loss record in 2026 from his stunning 10-10 mark as the best pitcher in the NL.

He projected Skenes to finish the regular season 18-4 with 251 strikeouts and 48 walks in 206 innings. This would mark Skenes’ highest total in each category.

Passan also noted in his prediction that Skenes will record a 2.03 ERA, which would also be his highest after finishing below a 2.00 over his first two seasons. He thinks Skenes will allow 11 home runs.

Passan thinks this stat line WILL be good enough to win Skenes his second-consecutive Cy Young.

Skenes will take the ball against the New York Mets in Queens on March 26 on Opening Day. Skenes hasn’t been announced as the starting pitcher, but barring injury, will make his second-career Opening Day start.

The WBC runs until March 17. The Pirates’ home opener is set for April 3 against the Baltimore Orioles at 4:12 p.m. at PNC Park, looking for playoff baseball to return for the first time in a decade.