Category: Baseball

Although arguably the team’s three best prospects were not apart of the roster, the Atlanta Braves top prospects completed the third season of the Spring Breakout Series with an 8-3 win over the Yankees prospects on Saturday night, going up early and leading almost the whole way. Even with Didier Fuentes, JR Ritchie, and Cam Caminiti not being included on the roster, it didn’t seem to matter to this group.

John Gil, 3B: 1-3, HR, BB, HBP, 2 R, 2 RBI

Diego Tornes, CF: 1-3, RBI

Tate Southisene, 2B: 1-4, BB, R, SB

Rolddy Munoz, RP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Garrett Baumann, RP: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

On the pitching side Owen Murphy started, and it looked like it would be a promising outing as he struck out Top 20 prospect in baseball George Lombard Jr. swinging in the first at bat, but his stuff and performance were more up and down as he battled shaky command and a high pitch count. Murphy went 2.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Murphy needed 71 pitches to go one out shy of three innings, though only 38 were strikes.

Rolddy Munoz followed and went the next inning and a third, not allowing any base runners and striking out three batters. Munoz pitched well, though narrowly escaped a mistake that was hit just foul. Garrett Baumann followed, and he was the most impressive pitcher of the night for the Braves, going three innings with no hits, runs, or walks, going with five strikeouts. Baumann’s five strikeouts included four swinging on four different pitches – the fastball, sinker, slider, and splitter plus another looking on the fastball.

Herick Hernandez went the final two innings and things started out rough in his first inning of work, before he got on track and finished off his outing strong. Hernandez allowed a run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts, three on the slider and the other on his fastball.

Offensively the star of the day had to be John Gil, though pretty much everyone in the lineup seemed to be taking quality at bats all day. Gil ended the day one for three with two runs scored and two batted in, as he homered, walked, and was hit by a pitch.

First round pick Tate Southisene went on for four with a walk, run scored, and stolen base with a pair of exit velocities above 105 MPH. Conor Essenburg was hitless in three at bats, but drew a pair of walks, while Dixon Williams was hitless in two at bats with his pair of walks. Diego Tornes was one for three with an RBI single, as were Jose Perdomo and Alex Lodise. Eric Hartman added a single and stolen base in two at bats, while catcher Colin Burgess was one for three with two runs batted in as every player in the starting lineup reached base in the win.

Off the bench we saw Isaiah Drake and Patrick Clohisy each get a pair of at bats, with Drake going hitless and Clohisy hitting a single and stealing a base. Owen Carey and Cody Miller each went hitless in their lone at bats, while Jim Jarvis and Archer Brookman played but didn’t record plate appearances.

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

Let’s start off with the national poll results, which also discussed the World Baseball Classic this week. The questions there were a little more focused. The first asked what was the most enjoyable part of the tournament. This was followed by getting respondents to choose the team which was most entertaining. Finally, they were asked how they felt about international baseball events generally. Here are the results:

Personally, in regard to the first question, I’m firmly on the side of National Support. High-intensity baseball is nice, but we’ll have plenty of that beginning in about five days. Player celebrations? If I wanted to watch that kind of thing, I’d be a fan of the NFL For me, it’s the fact that players are playing for their country (ok, for a fairly loose definition of “their country” in some cases!) which inherently separates this tournament from the mercenary endeavors of the regular season. I would agree with Italy though: they were certainly the underdogs all the way to the semi-final, and I’d have loved to have seen them in a rematch with Team USA.

Here on the SnakePit, we kept things considerably simpler. But before we get to that, let’s just have a quick round-up of how the various Diamondbacks performed on their national rosters, and some memorable moments from the event.

• Nolan Arenado (Puerto Rico) – Played in all five games, but underwhelmed at the plate, going 4-for-19 with no walks or extra-base hits, for an OPS of just .449
• Corbin Carroll (United States) – Did not play. He was originally listed on the roster, but the broken hamate bone disappointing put an end to his chances of participation.
• Wallace Clark (Great Britain) – A rare player on Team GB actually born in Britain, Clark went 0-for-3 but did draw two walks and scored a run.
• Indigo Diaz (Canada) – The newest D-backs, signing a minor-league contract on Christmas Eve, appeared twice, allowing a run over 1.2 innings, on two hits and two walks with three K’s.
• Jakey Josepha (Netherlands) – Another late call-up, replacing Jurickson Profar after his PED ban. Josepha went 0-for-2 with two K’s, but to be fair, has never played above A-ball.
• Druw Jones (Netherlands) – Andruw’s son led the Dutch team in OPS, with a line of .400/.563/.500 – in large part thanks to five walks, tied for most among teams eliminated in pool play.
• Jaitoine Kelly (Netherlands) – Became the youngest pitcher ever to start a WBC game, against Nicaragua, and tossed two scoreless innings in a 4-3 win.
• Yu-Min Lin (Chinese Taipei) – Pitched in the 14-0 drubbing of Czechia, working 2.1 scoreless innings, on two hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
• Ketel Marte (Dominican Republic) – Appeared all six games, mustering a line of .263/.423/.474 for an .897 OPS, and walked more times (5) than he fanned (4).
• Geraldo Perdomo (Dominican Republic) – Even more remarkably, had it not been for THAT call, Perdomo would have had a K:BB of 1:6 in the WBC.
• Kristian Robinson (Great Britain) – Had a rather disappointing WBC, going 1-for-9 with five strikeouts, leaving his OPS of .311, below even Clark.
• Eduardo Rodriguez (Venezuela) – His start in the final, 4.1 innings of one-hit ball, ensured he’ll never buy a drink at home ever again. Gave up three in 2.2 IP against the DR, including a home run to Marte.
• Carlos Santana (Dominican Republic) – It’s cool 3/4 of our starting infield was on the DR team. Though behind Vlad Jr, Santana didn’t see as much time, going 1-for-6.
• Michael Soroka (Canada) – Started two games, getting the W against Colombia, but was unable to get through the third in the quarter-final versus Team America.
• Alek Thomas (Mexico) – Though not making it out of pool play, Thomas led the team with six RBI, going 4-for-15 and scoring three runs.

What did we think of the event here?

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Well, that’s pretty conclusive. Nobody at all went with the two lowest options on the poll, “Poor” or “Terrible”. I’m not sure I can remember that ever being the case before. Instead, ninety percent voted for one of the two most enthusiastic choices. I think it’s safe to say we are all looking forward to the event’s return in 2029 – hopefully, it will also come back to Chase Field again, so we can experience it in person.

Braves infielder Tate Southisene’s 105.7-mph single to start off the evening was a precursor of what was in store for Kyle Carr and the Yankees. It was a pretty underwhelming performance for the New York prospects, dropping the Spring Breakout game by a final score of 8-3.

For the first two innings, Carr found a way to limit the damage and keep the Yankees in the game, allowing only a run in each of them, but the rally felt somewhat inevitable when you consider that all three recorded outs in the second inning came on hard-hit balls. What was a tightly contested affair early on finally got out of hand in the fourth inning, when—unlike in previous frames—the Braves didn’t need to connect that well on his pitches. Atlanta, instead, was able to rely on three free passes and a wild pitch to help string a rally together. The Braves found a way to score four runs in the fourth without the benefit of a single extra-base hit, routinely finding their way on with soft contact up and down the order.

Ultimately, though, it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than that of Carr’s diversified arsenal doing very little to stifle Brave hitters. The sweeper did OK as a weapon against right-handers, but no whiffs on seven swings on the changeup left a lot to be desired. Carr was removed in the middle of the fourth inning, but the Yankees trailed 6-2 when the dust had settled.

One of only two Yankee hitters in the starting lineup to strike out multiple times, George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ leadoff batter, was unable to set the tone for a team that didn’t match the Braves’ offensive effort, scoring only a pair of runs through seven. Both tallies came in the first and briefly gave New York a 2-1 lead, as Core Jackson singled, moved to third on an error, Jace Avina walked, and Coby Morales singled in Jackson for the game’s first run. Avina crossed home plate when Braves catcher Colin Burgess threw a ball into center field on a Morales stolen base. They had a chance for more, but Garrett Martin hit an absolute bullet of a liner with a man on. Alas, it was in the wrong spot at the wrong time, leading to an inning-ending double play. After that, it was only downhill for the Yankees’ offense.

For his part, Morales had a nice day on both sides of the ball, driving in another run in the eighth and throwing out two runners at the plate — first on a heads-up play at first base and then on a seed from left field.

Atlanta starter Owen Murphy never quite really settled down and wrapped up his appearance with four walks and not even three full frames. However, the Yankees didn’t hurt Murphy after those two first-inning runs, and a little later on, the star of the game would appear. With neither starter impressing too much, it was Garrett Baumann coming out of the pen for the Braves who stole the show on the mound. The right-hander came into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, and he tossed three perfect frames. Baumann struck out more than half of the hitters he faced, nullifying any chance the Yankees had of making this a more tightly contested matchup in the end.

Morales made it an 8-3 game with a bases-loaded single in the eighth, but Roderick Arias was thrown out at home trying to score the second one. The Yankees still had the chance to make it a close one with two runners on, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame. They went quietly in the ninth to end the night in a Braves win. Morales registered three of the Yankees’ five hits, with the only other knocks going to the aforementioned Jackson single in the first and the other a double by Arias in the eighth.

The more familiar faces on the Yankees will be back in business tomorrow afternoon, as they host the Phillies in Tampa. Will Warren is set to face Aaron Nola with first pitch at 1:05pm ET.

Box Score

Top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. went hitless and had a throwing error, while the young pitchers struggled to keep the Braves prospects off the board in their 8-3 loss in the Spring Breakout game on Saturday.

Here are the takeaways...

-Kyle Carr, the team's No. 11 prospect, started this game and got off to a rough start. After Braves No. 4 prospect Tate Southisene led off with an infield single, Southisene stole second and advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Carr. After walking the next batter, Carr bounced back by striking out Braves No. 12 prospect Diego Tornes swinging on a sinker on the outside corner. 

John Gil, the Braves' No. 10 prospect, beat out the attempted 6-4-3 double play to push across the game's first run. 

Carr had some bad luck in the second. Lombard Jr.'s throwing error and a two-out single put runners on second and third. Carr then balked to push across the Braves' second run. 

Carr settled in to pitch a 1-2-3 third inning, but the opposite happened in the fourth. Carr allowed the first two runners to reach (walk, single) before he threw a wild pitch to get both runners into scoring position with no outs. A walk loaded the bases, and Jose Perdomo (No. 25 prospect) hit a bloop single to drive in a run. After getting a pop-up, Carr's night was done after a two-run single from catching prospect Colin Burgess.

Carr had his moments, but he either struggled with command or couldn't execute the out pitch. Carrs pitched 3.1 innings (67 pitches/41 strikes), allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks, while striking out three.

-Harrison Cohen, the Yankees' No. 27 prospect and someone who started a game for Team Israel in this past WBC, came in to relieve Carr and although he allowed an inherited runner to score on a walk and a hit, he got the two outs to get out of the fourth inning. 

Jack Cebert had the best pitching performance for the Yankees. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in his four innings of work, but he struck out five batters, including striking out the side in the eighth inning.

-The Yankees prospects did have the lead in the bottom half of the first after Core Jackson (No. 12 prospect) singled and went to third base on a fielding error in the outfield. After Jace Avina (No. 20 prospect) walked, Coby Morales drove home Jackson with a single. Morales stole second and Avina scored from third after a throwing error by Burgess. 

However, the Yankees hitting prospects could not get on base consistently. In total, they had just five hits and five walks. Morales had the best hitting performance, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

-Lombard Jr. was the highest-profile hitter in Saturday's game for the Yankees and was left hitless.

In his first at-bat, Lombard Jr. struck out swinging as he couldn't catch up with Owen Murphy's high fastballs -- Murphy is the Braves' No. 6 prospect. His second at-bat saw the young infielder come up with two outs and runners on first and second. Lombard Jr. battled in a six-pitch at-bat, but grounded out to third base to end the threat. 

Lombard Jr.'s third at-bat saw him strike out swinging on three pitches, the final one up out of the zone. 

Looking at the schedule and the Astros’ plan to open with a 5-man rotation, there are certainly clues.

Back on January 5th, at the press conference introducing SP Tatsuya Imai, Astros manager Joe Espada said the team would likely employ a 6-man rotation frequently this season and that we would “probably see it from the get-go.”

With 26 games in 28 days to open the season, and their new prized pitcher used to pitching once a week in Japan, it seemed to make the most sense the Astros would utilize the 6-man rotation as much as possible to keep things as close to “normal” for Imai as they could as he adapted to the MLB schedule and level of play.

A little over a week ago, that started to change, and the Astros were unsure whether they would go 5-man or 6-man to start the year. That question was answered today by the manager.

Astros manager Joe Espada said the club will open the season with a five-man rotation.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

That definitive statement was made before the Astros took on the Mets in Port St. Lucie today, in their penultimate Grapefruit League game of the 2026 season. It was a game stated by Mike Burrows, who followed Hunter Brown as the Astros line up their rotation for the season.

Cristian Javier will pitch tomorrow. Imai, who hasn’t pitched since he threw 3 shutout innings March 11, is scheduled to pitch Monday (March 23) in Houston against the Space Cowboys. The regular season begins March 26.

Lance McCullers Jr., who last pitched March 17, would presumably follow as the fifth starter. Spencer Arrighetti, the other prime candidate for the rotation’s fifth spot, has not started a game this spring and he was just away from the team due to the birth of his twins. He will likely either begin the season in the bullpen.

The Astros will play 7 games in a row to open the season. Right now, the way the Astros lineup, that rotation would run Brown, Burrows, Javier, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, DAY OFF.

Houston would then play six straight games: Javier, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, DAY OFF.

They would then play 13 straight games, and this is where the sixth starer would be introduced: Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti as 6th starter, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti, Imai, DAY OFF.

After that stretch of 26 games in 28 days, they have a 3 game series with the Yankees and then another off day. This could lead to McCullers being skipped and giving him some extra rest before he would make his next start.

Against the Yankees, the Astros could go with Brown, Burrows and Javier all on 5 days rest.

Houston will then play 9 straight. With McCullers having been potentially skipped for the Yankees series, that could ultimately lead to Arrighetti not starting again until they need to create a fifth day of rest for Imai again.

The rotation coming out from the off day following the Yankees series could be Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti, Imai, McCullers, Brown.

The Astros will want to keep Imai on 5 days rest, and in the 4th starter spot, it all seems to lineup that way for him.

Dodgers major leaguers are done with the Arizona portion of spring training, but there’s one more game at Camelback Ranch, with Dodgers prospects taking on White Sox prospects in the spring breakout game.

Spring breakout game info

• Teams: Dodgers prospects vs. White Sox prospects
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 6:05 p.m. PT
• TV: MLB Network
• Streaming: MLB app, Amazon

Among two games that won’t count, the more interesting contest pits top White Sox prospects at the top Dodgers prospects, held conveniently enough at Camelback Ranch. Ostensibly this roster represents the top players in every organization, and thus it stands to reason that the best at each position are starting in this game. See if you agree:

I mean, see if you agree with the White Sox; as of 100 minutes before game time, the Dodgers had not produced a lineup. Pro tip: It will be a really, really, really, really good one. Bonus pro tip: Some of these guys will be White Sox one day, given the habit the front office has had in trading with L.A. over the past decade or so.

No argument with anyone here, really. Interesting to see that Caleb Bonemer is already being pushed to third base, with Billy Carlson earning the start at short. Grant Magill gets the start at backstop somewhat by default; with the talent on the major league roster, the White Sox are top-heavy at catcher for sure.

Hagen Smith earning the start over, say, Tanner McDougal or Noah Schultz, is instructive — possibly. Coming off of a stellar (short) start on Sunday, Smith may be positioning himself as first man up when the inevitable injury hits the big-league rotation.

This originally was an afternoon game, but due to the scorching heat squatting on Arizona it’s now an 8:05 p.m. Central start. It’s listed as both a CHSN and MLB.TV game, but these days your guess is as good as ours.

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With games that go on their permanent record looming (remember when adults threatened you about stuff going on your permanent record?) and a bunch of the NRIs playing in the Spring Breakout game, the White Sox are sporting a starting lineup that is at least very close to what they’ll feature in Milwaukee on Thursday, when things count.

Well, except for the pitcher. MLB listed Ryan Borucki, but he was cut yesterday. So, opening on the mound will be Rule 5 draftee Jedixson Paez, who appears to have made the team despite a lousy spring line (seven earned runs in 8 2/3 innings, but six came in one one-inning outing).

The Reds counter with 2025 All-Star lefty Andrew Abbott, who is set to be their Opening Day pitcher with Hunter Greene out for months. Abbott is having a horrific spring of 20 earned runs in 13 innings. Unfortunately for his spring stats, Abbott won’t be facing any minor-leaguers tonight:

Paez will also be facing most of the lineup the Reds are apt to use against the Red Sox come Thursday:

First pitch in Goodyear is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Central, when the temp may have drifted below 100° for the first time since early morning. No TV or radio on the White Sox side of things, as the broadcast teams are at the prospects game; try Reds radio, if you can.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that outfielder Mike Tauchman is set to undergo an MRI for a knee issue that he experienced in the team’s split-squad spring training game against the Astros this afternoon.

Tauchman collided with the right field fence early in the game and was visibly uncomfortable while continuing to play in the game before exiting before the top of the fifth inning got underway.

Signed to a minor league deal in mid-February, Tauchman seemed like a very shrewd acquisition and figured to earn a spot on the Mets’ Opening Day roster if healthy. If the results of the MRI don’t show a significant injury, perhaps that’ll still happen, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if he were to begin the season on the injured list, even if only for precautionary reasons.

Fellow outfielders Juan Soto and Luis Robert Jr. are locked into the starting gigs in left and center, of course, and Tyrone Taylor always looked like a near lock to make the roster despite his poor 2025 season. And both Tauchman and top prospect Carson Benge appeared likely to make the roster. If Tauchman were to miss any time, Benge would obviously be lined up to the take the vast majority of reps in right field during his absence.

After he went 2×4 with a 3-run HR today, Astros manager Joe Espada said he believes Christian Walker’s bat is coming around:

"He's not playing tomorrow, so a good way to end camp," Espada said. "He's making some adjustments. The timing, it looks like it's coming." https://t.co/BekKqXDm3w

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Espada raved about SP Mike Burrows, who has been better than advertised this spring:

Joe Espada said Burrows has exceeded their expectations: "He had one heck of a Spring Training. We're really happy with his performance, but also (being) open to some ideas for us to help him. We're really happy with the way he compares and the way he competes."

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Burrows also said the ball he took off the leg is of no consequence:

Burrows said the ball hit him in the left calf and that's he's fine. Just a bruise. https://t.co/qzUM3Pyw7k

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Did Espada hint that OF Zach Cole may need some more seasoning in Triple-A?

Espada on Zach Cole: "He's getting on top of fastballs. When they're missing with offspeed pitches, he's driving the ball. He needs to do that. We need to have him find the barrel more. He's always swung at good pitches, but needs to be more consistent making solid contact."

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Cam Smith has made some adjustments to improve at the plate, both physically and mentally:

Cam Smith is making it a point to “play free” this spring and “looks really good offensively” in bid to retain his roster spot:https://t.co/K2bxL7cp9g

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 21, 2026

The Astros have decided to open the season in a 5 man rotation:

The Astros will open with a five-man rotation, Joe Espada said, then likely go to a six-man during a stretch of 13 games with no off-day starting April 10.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 21, 2026

This may indicate that Tatsuya Imai will open up as the 3rd starter in the order based on the Astros schedule and off days. It will also lead to bullpen decisions that will likely include multiple relievers who can go multiple innings.

SS Jeremy Pena has swung a bat 2 days in a row as he tries to be ready for Opening Day:

Jeremy Peña swung a bat yesterday and will do so again today, Joe Espada said.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2026

Could Brice Matthews make the team as an outfielder?

Everything the Astros are doing signals that Brice Matthews could make an impact as an outfielder. Some matchups early in the season could give Matthews a runway for regular at-bats — and perhaps bring some stability to left field – https://t.co/Tw28pZmXlX

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2026

Enjoy these short games while they last, because this one could have gone on for hours. The A’s and Dodgers ended their Saturday afternoon contest in a tie, finishing the game after nine innings of work and tying 5-5 uner the hot sun. Who wanted those extra innings anyway?

More to come…

We are down to the closest representations of real regular season baseball that Spring Training has to offer. In a televised night game, Seattle is running out a largely-accurate lineup for their big league club, with their starters likely to go as long as possible and George Kirby making his final tune-up start before the season begins.

Here’s how we’re lining up today.

Catch us on @WatchMarquee. 🙂‍↔️ pic.twitter.com/8M4T7vCask

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 21, 2026

Seattle gets to face a batch of big leaguers, but decidedly the B-team for the Cubbies. On the hill at least will be Colin Rea, a starter for Chicago’s main rotation who should provide a proper test against the M’s top lineup.

Roster Moves:

The Mariners optioned OF Rhylan Thomas to Triple-A Tacoma formally before today’s game, and functionally did the same with INF Colt Emerson. The latter move is at least a minor surprise, with J.P. Crawford still not entirely shipshape. Seattle had the option to see Emerson showcase his position while Crawford returned to health. Instead, Cole Young will get additional play, with the club’s approach seeming to be that of Young for shortstop, and a possible Ryan Bliss/Leo Rivas/Miles Mastrobuoni combination to take 2B reps until Crawford can return.

First Pitch: 6:10 pm PDT (sorry!)

TV: Mariners.TV or MLB.tv

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, MLB.com

San Diego Padres Prospects at Chicago Cubs Prospects, March 21, 2026, 6:05 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Sloan Park – Mesa, AZ

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Tonight's #SpringBreakout lineup! pic.twitter.com/TCrfSCOijQ

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 21, 2026

Spring breakout!

Download the @WatchMarquee app to watch all the action. pic.twitter.com/kwH8wQP5DO

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 21, 2026

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The downward slide continues for former top MLB prospect Jarred Kelenic.

Kelenic, who signed a minor league deal with the White Sox in December, was informed by the team on Friday that he would not be a part of the Opening Day roster, according to multiple reports.

The 26-year-old will remain in big league camp until Spring Training concludes, but will not be a part of the team’s 26-man roster.

This decision from the White Sox comes after the outfielder posted an abysmal Spring Training slash line of .179/.273/.359, which included striking out 12 times in 39 at-bats in 14 games.

Kelenic, who was selected by the Mets with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, was widely considered one of the league’s top talents during his early days in the minor leagues.

After spending less than one full season in the Mets’ organization, Kelenic was a part of the blockbuster trade for the Mets to acquire star closer Edwin Diaz and veteran second baseman Robinson Cano from the Mariners during the 2018 offseason.

Since being called up to the big leagues during the 2021 season, Kelenic has massively underperformed expectations, batting just .211 through 407 games across parts of five seasons.

Kelenic was with the Braves last season, hitting .167 and striking out 23 times in 60 at-bats.

In April 2025, he was shaded by Braves teammate Ronald Acuna Jr. for his lack of hustle during a game.

Kelenic jogged around first base and was thrown out at second after hitting a ball to the wall.

“If it were me, they would take me out of the game,” Acuna wrote in a since-deleted post on X.

As spring training winds down, the third annual MLB Spring Breakout is kicking off, featuring 16 matchups between rosters loaded with baseball’s up-and-coming stars. The Colorado Rockies’ prospects get their turn in a Saturday evening matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Rockies announced their 2026 roster earlier in the week. Among the group are familiar faces like Cole Carrigg (no. 4 PurP) and Zac Veen (no. 9 PuRP). Carrigg makes his third straight Spring Breakout appearance, while Veen rejoins the roster after being included in 2024 but not 2025 when he was busy battling for a spot on the Major League roster. The two headliners drumming up the most excitement, locally and nationally, are Charlie Condon (no. 1 PuRP) and Ethan Holliday (no. 2 PuRP).

Our 2026 Spring Breakout Roster.

Get your tickets ➡️ https://t.co/SCQPPV1clBpic.twitter.com/t88xTFMq5S

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 19, 2026

You can get to know the roster here:

Get to know our Spring Breakout roster! pic.twitter.com/QZilGpkllp

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 21, 2026

As for today’s pitching matchup, one of the last around the league in the current format before the league moves to a tournament in 2027, RHP Brody Brecht will kick things off against RHP Patrick Forbes, before the teams work through their stable of pitchers.

Brecht (No. 3 PuRP) was drafted 38th-overall by the Rockies in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Iowa. He started 2025 in the ACL but was promoted to Low-A Fresno after just four games. In 16 games with the Grizzlies, he went 1-4 with a 2.60 ERA over 55.1 innings while giving up just two home runs. Some of that was due to a back injury that sidelined him twice — once in May and once in July — but he finished strong.

Brecht will face Dbacks’ right-hander Patrick Forbes. Forbes (MLB Pipeline #9) was drafted 29th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Louisville.

First Pitch: 5:10 p.m. MDT

TV: MLB.com, MLB Network, MLB.TV, Rockies.TV

Radio: None

Lineups:

Look at these prospects 🤩

Our Spring Breakout Game will start 30 minutes following the completion of Arizona vs. Texas. pic.twitter.com/RE1t4H1cnV

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 21, 2026

Time to Breakout.

Catch the action on https://t.co/epBmrbYHsx. pic.twitter.com/aJt9afRYKF

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 21, 2026

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Today’s Seiya Suzuki news: Here

Saturday notes…

• SATURDAY CUBS ROSTER MOVES: The Cubs returned BJ Murray Jr., Jefferson Rojas and Jeff Brigham to minor league camp. The current camp roster has 41 players, comprised of 22 pitchers (four non-roster invitees), four catchers (one non-roster invitee), eight infielders (two non-roster invitees) and seven outfielders (three non-roster invitees).
• TODAY’S TIME SCHEDULE: The Spring Breakout game at Sloan Park begins at 8:05 CT and the Cubs vs. Mariners game at Peoria begins at 8:10 p.m. CT.
• CUBS SPRING BREAKOUT ROSTER:Here are the 27 Cubs players eligible to play tonight. Almost all of them have appeared in some MLB Spring Training games.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup at Peoria:

Here’s how we’re lining up today.

Catch us on @WatchMarquee. 🙂‍↔️ pic.twitter.com/8M4T7vCask

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 21, 2026

Mariners lineup:

Back at it in Peoria against the Cubbies. #TridentsUppic.twitter.com/qvQXG3oRFd

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 21, 2026

Cubs Spring Breakout lineup:

Spring breakout!

Download the @WatchMarquee app to watch all the action. pic.twitter.com/kwH8wQP5DO

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 21, 2026

Padres Spring Breakout lineup:

Tonight's #SpringBreakout lineup! pic.twitter.com/TCrfSCOijQ

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 21, 2026

Colin Rea will start for the Cubs at Peoria.

Will Sanders will start the Cubs Spring Breakout game.

George Kirby will start for the Mariners.

Luis Gutierrez will start for the Padres in the Spring Breakout game.

Here’s the broadcast schedule for tonight. Both games will have TV and radio broadcasts.

Cubs vs. Mariners: Mariners TV/Marquee (streaming only), WSCR The Score

Cubs vs. Padres Spring Breakout game: Marquee Sports Network/Padres TV, KWFN 97.3

MLB.com Gameday for Cubs vs. Mariners

MLB.com Gameday for Cubs vs. Padres Spring Breakout game

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Please visit our SB Nation Mariners site Lookout Landing and Padres site Gaslamp Ball. If you do go there to interact with Mariners or Padres fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 8 p.m. CT and 9:35 p.m. CT.

These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.