Category: Baseball

Hello, friends.

We are now just one week away from Orioles Opening Day. It’s true! Real baseball that counts will be back at Oriole Park at Camden Yards next Thursday afternoon. Hopefully that will be fun. Until then, there are another six exhibition games to get through, including a split-squad day today. Road Orioles play the Yankees at 1:05, while home Orioles play the Pirates at 6:05. The night game will be televised locally on MASN. The day game has only a Yankees broadcast for TV. Neither game has a radio broadcast.

In yesterday’s spring training action, the Orioles played the Blue Jays. They were victorious by a 3-2 score, with each of Ryan Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman recording multi-hit games and Jeremiah Jackson hitting his first homer of spring training. The starting pitcher, Albert Suárez, gave up a run in four innings while striking out five batters in what could be his last big audition to make the roster before camp is over. The O’s improved their Grapefruit League record to 9-11-3 with this win. Four games in Florida remain.

This deep into spring training, it’s around the point where I’d like to start seeing good results from players who are going to be on the roster and getting regular playing time. Some guys are doing pretty well and not giving much reason to worry about them. Others are more in the “Well, it’s a good thing that doesn’t count” category.

These guys who I think are likely to be in the Opening Day lineup are OPSing over .800:

• Adley Rutschman (.880 OPS)
• Samuel Basallo (.946)
• Coby Mayo (1.131)
• Taylor Ward (.960)

Additionally, Gunnar Henderson was a hot hitter in the World Baseball Classic when Team USA’s idiot manager put him in the lineup. He had not been doing well early on before leaving for Team USA. I am choosing to be more excited about the recent results. Tyler O’Neill, who only had 11 PA before joining Team Canada, has also had a split spring with interesting things going on.

Riding the struggle bus for spring with an OPS below .700:

• Colton Cowser (.564)
• Blaze Alexander (.653)
• Heston Kjerstad (.669)
• Leody Taveras (.595)

Kjerstad probably starts in the minors, especially since his bat has cooled. Taveras isn’t here for his bat. Those other guys, though… it’s time to get it going. Cowser is the expected regular center fielder and Alexander is likely to play a lot this season between Jackson Holliday’s and Jordan Westburg’s injury situations. Maybe they’ll start to make us feel a little better about them in the next few days.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Two more roster cuts gets Orioles camp down to 47 (Baltimore Baseball)
Reliever Jose Espada and pitching prospect Luis De León were reassigned to minor league camp yesterday. Neither was ever likely to make the Opening Day roster, so no surprises there. De León is a guy I’ll be following curiously this season.

O’Neill on WBC experience, spring breakout roster, other Wednesday notes (School of Roch)
The Spring Breakout game is happening on Friday evening in Sarasota, with Orioles prospects playing a team of Red Sox prospects. As you can probably guess, there is no local broadcast of the game.

Three reasons why this could be a special season in Birdland (Steve on Baseball)
Are you buying any of this optimism from Steve Melewski?

Bryan Ramos keeps building sleeper case to make Orioles Opening Day roster (Orioles.com)
If I had thought it worth including Ramos above, he definitely would have made it on the “who’s hot” list. There is a case for him, if the Orioles aren’t worried about the last infielder on the bench being able to play shortstop.

Orioles begin construction on flag court bar that will open midseason (The Baltimore Banner)
There were multiple announcements involving corporate sponsorships yesterday. As those corporations have not paid me to promote them (but if they want to, my rates are reasonable) I will not be doing so at this time. This one is about a beer company sucking up flag court real estate. This one is indistinguishable from some stupid idea John Angelos could have had. Maybe he even did have it. I hope it doesn’t turn out like an eyesore.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Nothing of particular note has been recorded for this date in Orioles history. That probably won’t change today unless there’s bad news.

There is one lone former Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 52nd birthday to Rocky Coppinger, an Orioles pitcher from 1996-99. He had a 5.68 ERA in 45 games with the team. Young Mark was excited about him once.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: explorer David Livingstone (1813), O.K. Corral gunfighter Wyatt Earp (1848), Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren (1891), author Philip Roth (1933), and rapper Yung Gravy (1996).

On this day in history…

In 1284, the Principality of Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England after the Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted by the king of the time, Henry I, who had conquered Wales following a rebellion over the previous two years.

In 1831, the first recorded bank heist in American history took place as burglars took $245,000 in 1831 dollars from City Bank on Wall Street in New York City. City Bank still operates today as Citibank.

In 1918, Congress established time zones in the United States and granted approval for daylight savings time.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a book of random Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question each time it’s my turn in this space until I run out of questions or forget. The book gives multiple choice answers, but that would just make it too easy for us, so you don’t get them. Here’s today’s question:

Who was the only player to ever record his 500th home run in Memorial Stadium?

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 19. Have a safe Thursday.

Gerrit Cole completed a major milestone in his recovery from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, pitching in his first live-action game and making his Grapefruit League debut. He pitched a single inning, tossing 10 pitches in a breezy outing that saw him touch the high 90s in velocity on his fastball. With the team committed to running back most of the 2025 team that wound up winning 94 games but got bounced in the ALDS, the few new faces that will appear need to really count for them, and Cole’s is the biggest one.

The team’s defacto ace since signing the then-largest contract for a pitcher in free agent history in 2019, Cole’s shown the team exactly why they need him out on the mound. He’s been a perennial Cy Young candidate in pinstripes and won the award in 2023, anchored the staff in their run to the World Series in 2024, and provided a wealth of knowledge to the rest of the pitching staff. He was also sorely missed for a good portion of that 2024 season as he started on the IL, missed the entirety of last year to the aforementioned Tommy John, and likely pitched through an injury in 2021 that led to the team flaming out in the Wild Card.

Health is always the predominant factor when it comes to pitchers, who carry more risk in their arms than any other ballplayer. And the risk never fades away after the injury is over — some careers never return to the trajectory they were on as players are forced to adjust to prevent repeat injury, or simply lose some of the velocity they relied on when they return. Thus far Cole hasn’t displayed those concerns, and from quotes throughout spring looks unburdened and free to flash some of the vintage heaters he dominated the league with. But with the journey back to the mound still not complete, as Cole will likely still be sidelined from regular season action until late May or early June, what can the Yankees expect when they do finally slot him back into the rotation?

His ’24 campaign, as alluded to, was delayed by injury and forced him to sit out for a similar timeline to the one he’s facing now. His results remained strong, tossing 95 innings and sustaining a sub-3.50 ERA while he dealt with a little more traffic on the bases than he normally allowed. If that’s the baseline for what the Yankees can expect in the regular season, Cole will still be a solid addition but will need to be more than that come October if the Yankees want to go farther than they did with this team last year. However, that year Cole’s issues could’ve required Tommy John and he managed to stave it off, while this most recent issue forced him to go under the knife and resolve the issue for good. If Cole’s got access to more life on his reconstructed elbow, there’s room to hope that he turns the clock back to that marvelous 2023 form, one that would instantly push the Yankees near the top of any “best rotation in baseball” conversation. It’s anyone’s guess what spring training form will translate to, but in Cole’s case his form deserves a bit more examination than anyone else in camp, and the signs have been only positive thus far.

Today on the site, Kento leads off with a look at why Austin Wells needs to stay the course in his pursuit of offensive results, followed by a double dose of Matt first examining Ben Hess’ potential contributions this season before covering Fritz Brickell’s short time in New York celebrating the life that was unfortunately taken too soon. Andrés recaps all of the production from Yankees contributors in the World Baseball Classic, and later in the afternoon Peter previews the Los Angeles Dodgers and their stranglehold over the preseason predictions.

Today’s Matchups

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles | Blue Jays (split squad)

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: YES, Gotham Sports App, ESPN Unlimited |Gotham Sports App, Sportsnet

Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL | TD Ballpark, Dunedin, FL

Didier Fuentes is doing his best to make his case for the Opening Day roster, as he is lighting up the radar gun and opposing hitters this spring. He has currently pitched 9.0 scoreless innings with 17(!!!) strikeouts and 0 walks, which is just preposterous stuff even in a small sample against varied levels of competition. He is relying heavily on his four-seam fastball, which has been sitting 96-97, with his slider as his clear second pitch and a few sinkers mixed in to round out his arsenal. An argument could certainly be made on merit for carrying him on the Opening Day roster as a starter or bullpen option, but there is another argument for giving him a little time to continue refining those secondary pitches before he is inevitably needed at the major league level later this season. That combination of stuff and command has Didier with a lethal look about him though. It will be interesting to see what the front office decides, as these roster decisions are rapidly approaching.

Braves News

Fuentes’ 4.0 inning, 8 strikeout performance headlined an otherwise quiet Spring Training game on Wednesday against the Phillies.

The Braves finalized their Spring Breakout roster, cutting many interesting pitchers from a staff led by Owen Murphy.

BravesVision formally announced their broadcast crew, which is largely the same crew that already existed for the local broadcast, with Paul Byrd returning to supplement the sideline coverage and Charlie Culberson joining the post-game crew.

MLB News

Blue Jays beleaguered starter Jose Berrios has a stress fracture in his elbow and will miss Opening Day.

The Reds are carrying top pitching prospects and former Wake Forest stars Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder on their Opening Day roster.

Paul DePodesta discussed his plans to turn around the Rockies with ESPN.

New York Sports+ | Joel Sherman ($): Gerrit Cole finally threw a pitch in anger. 54 weeks after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner returned to the mound with a spring start against the Red Sox yesterday. He threw just 10 pitches in a clean inning, but his fastball velo looked hot. There’s a way to go in the rehab process yet, but we got a good first step out of the way on Wednesday.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: We have two stories filed by Gary today, the first talking with Oswaldo Cabrera about the importance of Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic victory. Cabrera wasn’t on the roster for his country of course, but the meaning of such an upset win reverberates nonetheless. Hosting a watch party in Tampa, Oswaldo was openly shedding tears of joy over the accomplishment of his countrymen, and hopefully seeing that kind of international performance serves as inspiration for a player at the bubble of the Yankee 26-man roster.

Sports Info Solutions | Mark Simon: Part of SIS’ spring preview series, let’s delve into whether the Yankees are a good defensive team. The left side of the infield should be solid, with Ryan McMahon, José Caballero, and eventually Anthony Volpe all more than competent, but the steps backward that presumptive center fielder Trent Grisham took in 2025 could be a defensive vulnerability.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Carlos Lagrange has been one of the revelations out of camp, and while the massive right-hander may still need some time with Triple-A Scranton to start the year, it shouldn’t surprise any of us if he finds his way to the Bronx this year. The Yankees are already publicly admitting that he’s major-league ready, so it seems its just a matter of time before a roster slot opens and we see that 101 mph heater in pinstripes.

With the Major League spring camps winding down, the Minor Leagues will take over the training complexes for their respective teams. To begin that transition, MLB is hosting the third annual Spring Breakout Series in the spring facilities of all 30 MLB clubs. There will be eight games in both the Cactus League and Grapefruit League complexes, with 91 of the top 100 prospects on rosters for the games.

The following is the schedule, with times (ET) and TV coverage:

Thursday, March 19

• Marlins at Astros, 12:05 p.m. ET (Space City Home Network)
• Phillies at Twins, 1:05 p.m. ET (MLBN, MNNT & Amazon)
• Reds at Giants, 9:05 p.m. ET (MLBN, NBC Sports Bay Area & Amazon)
• Guardians at Angels, 1 p.m. ET (MLB App)
• Nationals at Cardinals, 4:30 p.m. ET (MLB App)
• Rays at Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET (MLBN, SNY & Amazon)

Friday, March 20

• Royals at Rangers, 4 p.m. ET (Rangers Sports Network & Amazon)
• Mariners at Brewers, 5:10 p.m. ET (MLBN)
• Red Sox at Orioles, 6:05 p.m. ET (MASN)
• Tigers at Pirates, 7:35 p.m. ET (MLBN, SNP & Amazon)

Saturday, March 21

• Blue Jays at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. ET (MLBN, NBC Sports Philadelphia & Amazon)
• White Sox at Dodgers, 6:30 p.m. ET (MLBN, CHSN & Amazon)
• Braves at Yankees, 6:35 p.m. ET (YES)
• Rockies at Diamondbacks, 8 p.m. ET (MLB App)
• Padres at Cubs, 9:05 p.m. ET (Marquee)

Sunday, March 22

• Brewers at Athletics, 4:05 p.m. ET (MLBN & Amazon)

The Padres will play the Chicago Cubs on March 21 at 6:05 p.m. PT at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. Their trimmed roster was announced today and represents many of the top prospects in the system. Top pitching prospect LHP Kruz Schoolcraft will join the 2024 draft LHP Kash Mayfield and RHP Miguel Mendez as three of the top four Padres prospects on the roster. They are joined by catcher Ethan Salas, who rounds out the top five with pitcher Humberto Cruz (No. 5) recovering from elbow surgery this season.

There are 27 prospects on the Padres roster.

Gameday Roster (Padres Top 30 Prospects list):

PITCHERS (13)
Jaxon Dalena, RHP, No. 30
Clay Edmondson, RHP, NR
Harry Gustin, LHP, NR
Luis Gutierrez, LHP, No. 20
Garrett Hawkins, RHP, No. 14
Kannon Kemp, RHP, No. 19
Josh Mallitz, RHP, NR
Kash Mayfield, LHP, No. 4
Miguel Mendez, RHP, No. 3
Johan Moreno, RHP, NR
Kleiber Olmedo, RHP, NR
Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, No. 1/MLB No. 88
Lan-Hong Su, RHP, No. 18

CATCHERS (4)
Brendan Durfee, C, NR
Ty Harvey, C, No. 8
Truitt Madonna, C, No. 24
Ethan Salas, C, No. 2

INFIELDERS (6)
Kale Fountain, 1B/3B, No. 10
Dylan Grego, SS, NR
Ryan Jackson, SS, NR
Jorge Quintana, SS/3B, No. 7
Romeo Sanabria, 1B, No. 28
Jose Verdugo, SS, NR

OUTFIELDERS (4)
Braedon Karpathios, OF, No. 12
Kavares Tears, OF, No. 27
Kasen Wells, OF, NR
Ryan Wideman, OF, No. 9

Tune in on Padres.TV/MLB.com, MLB app and SDPA for the Padres coverage. Marquee will carry the game for the Cubs.

Other notable prospects

Taiwanese pitcher Lan-Hong Su has been added to the prospects in Arizona. He will begin his US career on a minor league team or with the Arizona Complex League this summer. At 19, there is still growth that needs to occur before the organization gets a real feel for who he will become but his promise is significant.

When the Padres traded Brandon Lockridge to Milwaukee for Nestor Cortes, shortstop Jorge Quintana and cash. The majority of Padres fans probably didn’t realize the prize of that trade is Quintana. Currently ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the system, Quintana is 18 and has raw skills. If unable to stick at shortstop he could move to third and still be a valuable player in the system.

Catcher Ethan Salas needs to step forward this year in order to maintain any prospect status but the Padres remain high on the 19-year-old. He is joined on this roster by two other catchers drafted in the 2025 draft who could become average to above-average backstops in time, Ty Harvey and Truitt Madonna.

First baseman Romeo Sanabria has distinguished himself in Padres camp with his bat and solid defense. Infielder Kale Fountain is the other bat to watch in the lineup, his power potential is still to develop but was the reason he was drafted by the organization.

This will be the final year for this format as the new approach next year, if there is a spring training next year, will be totally different. This information was covered in the preview post on Gaslamp Ball.

The Red Sox re-negotiated a deal with lefty Danny Coulombe after an issue with his physical popped up. 

Multiple outlets reported that the veteran pitcher and the organization had originally agreed to a one-year deal for $2.25 million that included $750,000 in incentives. 

The reworked deal now pays him $1 million, along with an active roster bonus that gets Coulombe to $2.25 million as well as the $750,000 related to incentives, The Athletic reported. 

Coulombe, 36, is coming off a 2025 season where he pitched for the Rangers and Twins. 

He registered a 2.30 ERA while striking out 43 batters in as many innings. 

Neither the club nor the player’s representative has addressed the issue publicly. The initial reports did not indicate what was flagged in the physical to lead to the contract change.

Coulombe was out for three months in 2024 after he had surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow, and in 2025, he was out a month early in the season due to a forearm extensor strain. 

He also missed a part of the end of the year due to shoulder fatigue. 

When he arrived at camp this spring, he told reporters that he was healthy. 

“As you get older, it just gets a little harder to get warm in the morning,” Coulombe said. “But I feel good now. I feel healthy, and this is a good [Red Sox] bullpen.”

Coulombe has pitched 11 years in the major leagues, spending time with the Dodgers, A’s, Twins, Orioles and Rangers.

You hate when speculation becomes reality, as San Diego Padres Joe Musgrove will begin the 2026 season on the injured list. Not good news with Opening Day being a week away. 

The Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, A.J. Preller is in a bind with his starting rotation needing an immediate reinforcement. Suddenly, the Friars have concerns about where the innings will come from the rotation besides Michael King, Nick Pivetta and Randy Vasquez. Unfortunately, the free agent market has dwindled to one intriguing option… Lucas Giolito.

Giolito is a dependable starter

Giolito posted a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts with the Boston Red Sox last season. He can pick up the slack, but the Padres better act fast because Giolito’s market should heat up before Spring Training ends. Several teams are expected to pursue him.

The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves have been identified as potential destinations for Giolito. Both teams, like the Friars, are searching for starting pitching depth. His addition would be a tremendous depth piece to any team’s 40-man roster.

Adding a proven starter like Giolito will keep the rotation stable until the injured starters can return. His pitching style does fit the confines of Petco Park. He is a fly-ball pitcher who struggles with giving up home runs. However, the marine layer off the bay during night games should keep those drives inside the ballpark. 

Padres have been searching for SP depth all offseason

It does not hurt to add more depth to the organization, as the Padres signed experienced starter Griffin Canning before the start of Spring Training. He will not be available until May, as Canning is recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon suffered last June. 

The right-hander has been recently throwing off the mound and fully participating in fielding drills. Canning has confirmed no discomfort, but the recovery process is in the early stages. 

Also, the Friars brought in other starting pitching candidates on minor league deals. German Marquez and Marco Gonzales had trouble finding consistency on the mound in Spring Training games. Marquez has a 12.15 ERA in three outings, while Gonzales was hit hard in a recent appearance against the Texas Rangers. 

Arm injuries are part of baseball; adding a proven starter like Giolito could be the difference in keeping the Padres in playoff contention.

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo put the wraps on the World Baseball Classic, welcome Nolan McLean back to the Mets, and dive into the team's final roster decisions. 

Leading off, Connor and Joe look back at the WBC and toward what it can be in the future, then turn their full focus back to the Mets and the battles for the final bullpen and bench spots. 

The guys also study the state of Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, and the starting rotation, go Down on the Farm to preview this year's Spring Breakout Game, and answer Mailbag questions about Ryan Clifford, Mark Vientos, and prospect Zach Thornton.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here’s a question: Which Colorado Rockie (or Rockies) do we appreciate that should receive more attention?

Look, we’re the Colorado Rockies Sickos [complimentary]. We knew that Brenton Doyle was an elite outfielder before most of baseball figured it out.

But who are some of the players on the roster (or on the farm) that you think more people should be talking about?

Me, I’m going with Ezequiel Tovar. We’ve been aware of his game since he was called up, but after having a stellar World Baseball Classic — including being named to the 2026 Classic All-Tournament Team — more fans are becoming aware of just how good he is (if he’ll stop chasing those outside breaking balls).

Let us know in the comments, Purple Row Night Owls!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Introduction:

Continuing our NL West offseason reviews, having already looked at the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres in prior weeks, we turn our attention today to the San Francisco Giants.

2025 Season Overview/Recap

On June 13th, the San Francisco Giants were 41-29 and tied for first place in the NL West with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two days later, GM Buster Posey swung a trade with the Boston Red Sox for the disgruntled Rafael Devers to bolster their roster. However, the Giants would do so badly over the course of the next month and half that they’d pivot to being sellers at the trade deadline. Ultimately the Giants would finish with an 81-81 record in 2025, finishing third in the NL West. Although they got off to a promising start through the first half of the season, this proved to be a very mediocre Giants squad, especially compared to the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. They weren’t as bad the last place Colorado Rockies, but they also weren’t particularly good either, much like the 2025 Arizona Diamondbacks, who they finished two games ahead of.

Notable acquisitions:
OF Harrison Bader (2 yr, $20.5M) 
1B/2B Luis Arraez (1 yr, $12M) 
SP Tyler Mahle (1 yr, $10M) 
SP Adrian Houser (2 yr, $22M, 2028 option) 
RP Sam Hentges (1 yr, $1.4M) 
RP Jason Foley (1 yr, $2M) 
OF Will Brennan (Split Contract 400k in MILB, 900k in MLB. ) 

Notable subtractions:
SP Justin Verlander (Tigers)
C Andrew Knizner (Mariners)

Offseason Summary and Review

Let me put this as politely as possible, I am not a fan of the Giants offseason. This was a mediocre roster to begin with entering the offseason, and I don’t think any of these moves improve the team enough to push them into serious contention. Harrison Bader has only been an above average hitter in four out of the nine seasons he’s played at the MLB level. His baserunning has declined into the negative the last two season, while his defense is only slightly above average at best.

Luis Arraez may have once won the batting title back in 2023 his .354 batting average, but that appears to have been the peak of his career. The career high 3.4 fWAR he posted that season fell to 1.1 fWAR in 2024, and then fell even further down to just 0.9 fWAR in 2025. Arraez has never brought much else to the table other than an empty batting average, and that lofty .354 average from 2023 fell to .324 in 2024, then it catered even further to a career low of .289 in 2025. $12m would be a great deal for a 3.5 WAR player, but Arraez clearly isn’t that guy and he’s unlikely to replicate that success again. (There’s also the question of how good of a fit Arraez is for Oracle Park, but I digress…)

I like the Tyler Mahle signing the most out of all the deals the Giants made over the winter. Mahle seems to be healthy for the first time in years after having his 2023 season end in Tommy John Surgery. While I don’t think he’s going to return to form and match the 180 IP and 4.9 bWAR he put up in 2021, I do think he is a definite upgrade to the Giants rotation if he can stay healthy.

Adrian Houser is coming off a career best 3.3 bWAR, with his previous career high being the 2.0 bWAR back in 2019. In between those two seasons Houser has been maddeningly inconsistent, putting up negative WAR just as often as he has been able to provide positive WAR. Needless to say, I like this signing a lot less than I like the Mahle signing

Neither Sam Hentges nor Jason Foley have pitched in the Major Leagues since 2024, and both are currently on the Giants Injured List. Hentges is currently working his way back and has just now began throwing against live batters, while Foley likely won’t be coming off the IL until June at the earliest. Both are low risk deals with decent upside, though I think Foley is unlikely to provide much value to the Giants at all.

Will Brennan is coming off of TJ surgery AND a groin surgery, with the latter being a lingering issue apparently. Brennan hasn’t proven himself to be an everyday player, but if he manages to figure it out and breakout with the Giants, he’s under team control until the 2030 season.

This may not seem that different from what the Padres or Dodgers did, but neither the Dodgers nor Padres needed to move the needle as much as the Giants this offseason. The upside offered by each of these players seems very limited even in the best case scenarios, though there is some upside with all of these players. The two things that keeps this slipping any lower than a D+ grade is that these are all reasonable contracts, with no egregious overpays, and at least they did something.

Observations from Yankees spring training on Wednesday.

Cruz-ing On Back

Fernando Cruz made his return from pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

Head-y Stuff

Lefty Brent Headrick worked himself into a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning with two singles and a walk, but got out of it unscathed with a ground ball on his 30th pitch of the frame.

Caught My Eye

Giancarlo Stanton shook off a foul ball that bounced into his gut to stay in the box and smoke a 112.4 mph bullet that died on the warning track (the wind was blowing in).

The veteran DH also lined out at 104.1 mph earlier in the game but picked up his only hit on a chopper that squeezed through the open right side.

Thursday’s Schedule

The Yankees have split-squad action, with Max Fried getting the start at home against the Orioles and Ryan Weathers heading on the road to face the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Austin Barnes has 11 years in the majors and a pair of World Series rings from his days with the Dodgers.

So what is he doing at spring training with the Mets, who have Francisco Alvarez behind the plate and Luis Torrens as a solid backup?

“I just want to play baseball,” Barnes said. “I’m gonna go out there and see what happens. I think I still have some ball left in me, so I just want to keep going.”

The 36-year-old’s time with the Dodgers ended last May, when he was released.

A month later, Barnes signed with the Giants and spent about a month with Triple-A Sacramento before being released again.

Now, he’s giving it another shot with the Mets, who signed Barnes to a minor league deal in January.

He’s unsure how much longer he wants to keep playing, or whether he’d be willing to play in the minors again, but with a week left until Opening Day, Barnes insisted he’s not done yet and hopes to get a shot in Queens.

“This is a really good group,” Barnes said recently. “They’ve got a chance to do something special.”

Barnes has a unique perspective, having been a key part of the Dodgers’ title in 2020 and then serving in a backup role in 2024, when Los Angeles knocked off the Yankees in five games.

“You never know how a team is gonna come together, but the talent is here,” Barnes said. “This roster is as talented as any team in the major leagues. It just has to come together organically.”

And Barnes hopes he’s a part of it.

“I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had and I’m trying to make the most of them,” he said. “I came here because I like winning. I don’t like not being competitive, and they have aspirations of winning here.”

Whether that will include Barnes remains to be seen, and he’s not sure how much longer he’ll play.

“I have kids now and I always thought I’d play till they ripped the jersey off,” Barnes said. “But that decision gets a little harder now than when you’re young.”

His attitude, though, still hasn’t changed.

“I feel I can go do it, so why not?” Barnes said. “I love baseball. It hasn’t always been easy. I feel this is something I owe to myself to go out there. And I’d like my son to see me play more, too. He’s 5 now and been around, but he’s starting to understand more. So yeah, I’ll probably play till they rip the jersey off.”

But even if Barnes doesn’t get back to the majors with the Mets, the veteran backstop has had an impact this spring by working with the team’s other catchers.

“He’s very intelligent with knowing pitchers and running a team, really,” Hayden Senger said. “He’s been doing it so long. He knows how to approach at-bats [as a catcher] and that you have to know a pitcher’s strength for a Plan A, but that you always have to have a Plan B and C to navigate big league hitters. It’s great having him around.”

Tonight the Texas Rangers are the home team in Surprise against the Kansas City Royals as the complex-mates square off under the lights.

RHP Kumar Rocker continues his quest to earn a spot in the rotation for Texas while veteran righty Michael Wacha will pitch for KC.

You can catch a telecast via CW33, listen to the game via 105.3 The Fan, or follow along on Gameday. First pitch from Surprise Stadium is scheduled for 8:05 pm CT.

Go Rangers!

 In the 355th all-time face-off between the Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks, a rivalry that stands as Mizzou’s most played matchup, the Tigers could not find their footing. Kansas came out swinging early and never let up, cruising to a 10-0 run-rule victory.

It was a tough outing for Missouri, as Kansas jumped out on top and did not look back, securing a 9–0 score through six innings.

Kansas did all its damage in the first three innings, as it put up three runs in the first inning and broke things open with a five-run third inning. That early surge gave them a commanding lead they comfortably maintained.

Missouri’s offense struggled to get anything going, although they managed to get three hits across 19 at-bats in the first six innings. A few players, Cameron Benson, Pierre Seals, and Jase Woita, each had hits that anticipated Tiger fans, but none of them were timely enough to bring those runners home.

On the mound, Missouri’s freshman starter Luke Sullivan allowed eight runs, three of them earned on eight hits over 2.2 innings, including two home runs. Their defensive issues did not offer much help, with two errors from Sullivan and Keegan Knutson, which contributed to those big inning let downs.

The bullpen for the Tigers settled things down nicely, as Isaiah Salas, Eli Skidmore and Jackson Sobel combined for 2.2 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit which kept Kansas off the board after the third, until the sixth inning, when a run was scored through a one-out run after a sacrifice groundout.

Slight Hope for Missouri

Starting off the seventh inning strong for Mizzou, Kam Durnin smacked a double out to right field. Tyler Macon took a walk, which brought the Tigers to the corners of the diamond. Kansas brought out their fifth arm of the day, Carter Fink. However, the Jayhawks made a shocking double play to end the inning for the Tigers.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers brought in Luke Fricker to the mound, although another run came home to end the game in a walk-off victory for the Jayhawks.

Game Statistics: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=632493&vislive=miss

What’s Next

The Tigers will head to the University of Tennessee for a three-game SEC showdown beginning at 5:30 p.m., on Friday, March 20, in Knoxville, Tenn. This will be a quick turnaround, but it will also give Mizzou a chance to respond after their rivalry loss against the Tony Vitello-less Vols.

Tennessee currently holds the same 15-6 record as Mizzou, so it will be interesting to see which team will break that record with a victory.

To follow along with Missouri Baseball, follow @Rock MNation, @SophBleedsLa and @Henry_Chappell on twitter/X.

This evening in Surprise, the Royals will face the Texas Rangers.

Michael Wacha takes the mound in front of a lineup that still looks a bit bareboned as Royals trickle back to the team after participating in the World Baseball Classic. None of those involved in that tournament’s semi-finals are in the lineup. Instead, Isaac Collins leads off while Rookie of the Year hopeful Carter Jensen starts behind the plate and bats third.

The Rangers, winners of six of their last eight, will start on the mound Kumar Rocker, who went 4-5 in 2025 with an ugly ERA near 6. The lineup features plenty of regulars, such as Corey Seager and Josh Jung, please one intriguing new name—Andrew McCutchen, the longtime Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder who signed a minor-league deal just about two weeks ago.

Starting lineups for March 18, 2026