Category: Baseball

The San Francisco Giants played the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, in the hot, hot Arizona heat, and it didn’t go particularly well. It was a game with minimal moments of note for the Giants, who played the evil villains of the baseball universe for the final time before their first regular season matchup in late April.

All the Spring Training caveats apply. It was just one game. It was just one meaningless preseason game. It was just one meaningless preseason game where the stats have been proven time and time again to not really mean anything. It was just one meaningless preseason game where the stats have been proven time and time again to not really mean anything that didn’t even go nine innings anyway, as the teams decided together to limit exposure to the triple-digit heat, and cut off the game after eight innings, after which the Dodgers led 5-1.

So while I’d stop well short of calling it a concerning game with concerning performances, it was certainly a game devoid of reasons for optimism in the places where we’re looking for some optimism.

Let’s start with the pitching. Landen Roupp made his final Cactus League start, though I would assume that he’ll pitch one of the team’s exhibitions at Oracle Park on Monday and Tuesday. Facing a potent Dodgers offense playing a handful of regulars, Roupp was not at his sharpest.

He got into trouble immediately, ceding singles to the first three batters of the game, Miguel Rojas, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts. After performing his civic duty by striking out Max Muncy, Roupp then gave up a fourth single to Teoscar Hernández. A double play ball followed, mercifully ending the inning before it became ugly, but still, LA had scored two runs, a total that the Giants wouldn’t match all day.

In Roupp’s defense, two of those singles were fairly soft contact: Rojas’ inning-opener was a mild-mannered 63.7-mph ground ball, while Hernández’s RBI was a looping 73.1-mph line drive. So it’s not like he was getting battered out there.

The second inning went much better, a featured a pair of strikeouts. The third inning did not go better, as the second pitch he threw blistered into the bleachers grass by Freeman. In all, Roupp went four innings and gave up five hits, three walks, and three runs. He did strike out five batters, but just 46 of his 81 pitches were strikes. He wasn’t sharp, but he wasn’t awful, either.

Later in the game, someone attempting to follow Roupp’s career path entered the game: Trevor McDonald. It’s been a great spring for McDonald, who looks to have pole position on earning a spot in what is suddenly a fairly crowded bullpen and, whether or not he accomplishes that particular goal, does seem to be first in line for a starting assignment when someone in the rotation invariably gets injured.

The Giants do seem to be prepping him for a bullpen role though, as he entered in the seventh inning of this game. Facing the replacement hitters, McDonald was done in by a pair of non-roster invitees: Ryan Fitzgerald, who drilled a one-out double (which put him on second base, where he got to mingle with Tyler Fitzgerald [no relation]), and Nick Senzel, who smoked a 108.4-mph dinger.

Despite that, McDonald needed just 16 pitches to get through the inning. Sometimes you just get got, and on this day, he — and Roupp — got got.

Offensively, it was mostly a mediocre day all around, but it was particularly mediocre for the players who are on the periphery of the roster, trying to earn Opening Day assignments. Jerar Encarnación started at first base, and hit 0-2; Bryce Eldridge replaced him, and went 0-1. Will Brennan started in center field and had an 0-2 game with a strikeout; Grant McCray replaced him and drew a walk, then promptly got caught in a rundown. Luis Matos went 0-1 as the designated hitter, though he was hit by a pitch and his out was a 105-mph liner. Tyler Fitzgerald meekly flew out in his lone at-bat as the backup second baseman.

Not really a good day for anyone in need of a good day to have a good day.

There were two hitters who shined, though. Heliot Ramos made his return following a run with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, and in his first at-bat, facing off against Shohei Ohtani, Ramos smoked a double into the corner, one-hopping the wall. Ramos would end the day 1-3, and he’s now 8-14 in Spring Training, with five extra-base hits … and all five home come against right-handed pitchers (and some extremely good right-handed pitchers, at that). He certainly doesn’t need a good spring to make the team — all he needs is to be halfway healthy on March 25 — but his performance is certainly inspiring optimism that another All-Star level performance could be around the corner. T

As for the other great day in the box? Well, it belonged to the breakout star of camp, Victor Bericoto.

Bericoto is, notably, still in camp as a non-roster invitee, even though the Giants have now made five rounds of cuts, including optioning a position player, Jesús Rodríguez. And his lone at-bat, subbing in for Jung Hoo Lee in right field, showed why.

Facing a former All-Star closer in Tanner Scott — who is putting his disastrous 2025 behind him with a sensational spring — Bericoto took on dead center and won easily.

Bericoto smashed a 1-1 pitch at 112.6 mph, and god knows how far. Statcast says the home run traveled 406 feet, but given that it easily cleared the tall batter’s eye in center field — and that center field is 410 feet at Camelback Ranch — I am deeply suspicious. The math, as the youths say, ain’t mathing.

Either way, it was majestic, and it gave Bericoto his team-leading third home run of the spring. He’s 16-37 with five extra-base hits, and while this is the part in the exercise where I normally remind you of all the great springs of the past — remember Ismael Munguia just two years ago? — I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to say that the Giants do not have a clear fourth outfielder, let alone fifth outfielder, and while Bericoto is still an exceedingly long shot to earn either of those roles this month, he won’t have to hit like this in Sacramento for long before the opportunity is given to him.

A few other highlights from a lowlight of a game:

• Righty Keaton Winn, and southpaws Joey Lucchesi and Erik Miller each pitched scoreless frames. For Miller, whose inning was perfect, it marked his second appearance after a delayed start to Spring Training. It’s looking like he might be healthy enough to make the Opening Day roster after all, and that’s great. The Giants very much wanted to get a look at Miller, so much so that after the teams agreed to end the game after eight innings, they played the bottom of the eighth so that Miller could get some time, despite the Giants losing 5-1.
• Patrick Bailey once again won an ABS challenge. He is very good at this, it seems.
• The five hardest-hit balls of the day for the Giants: Bericoto’s home run (112.6 mph); a Brennan groundout (106.8); Matos’ lineout (105.0); a Ramos flyout (101.2); and an Encarnación lineout (96.9).
• The Giants play two games tomorrow! Their prospects host the Cincinnati Reds’ prospects in the Spring Breakout game at 6:05 p.m. PT, on MLB Network. Five minutes later, their Cactus League squad hits the road to take on the Colorado Rockies. That game is radio only.

Ahead of tomorrow’s game, the Mets announced their Spring Breakout roster. In its third year, MLB’s Spring Breakout is a showcase for all 30 teams to highlight some of their top prospects. These games happen over four days across both the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.

Below is the list of Mets’ prospects on the roster. If they are ranked on MLB’s Pipeline list for either the club or MLB overall, it is listed next to their name.

PITCHERS (9):

Juan Arnaud, RHP

Hoss Brewer, RHP

Nicolas Carreño, LHP

Saúl García, RHP

Cristofer Gómez, RHP

Douglas Orellana, RHP

Jonathan Santucci, LHP, No. 10

Ben Simon, RHP

Jack Wenninger, RHP, No. 7

CATCHERS (3):

Daiverson Gutierrez, C, No. 26

Chris Suero, C/OF, No. 16

Julio Zayas, C

INFIELDERS (10):

Yunior Amparo, UTIL

Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF, No. 5

Randy Guzman, 1B/OF, No. 25

Yonatan Henríquez, UTIL

Antonio Jimenez, SS, No. 17

Elian Peña, SS, No. 9

Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B, No. 6

D’Andre Smith, 2B

Marco Vargas, INF, No. 21

Mitch Voit, 2B, No. 8

OUTFIELDERS (3):

A.J. Ewing, OF/2B, No. 4/MLB No. 97

Nick Morabito, OF, No. 13

Eli Serrano III, OF, No. 14

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The Mets play the Rays tomorrow evening at Clover Field at 7:10pm ET.

PHOENIX –– Shohei Ohtani said it didn’t feel like he was making his first spring training start on Wednesday.

Based on the way he pitched, it certainly didn’t look like it, either. 

In 4 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Giants at Camelback Ranch, Ohtani checked almost every possible box in his first live game action of camp –– having previously been limited only to live batting practice sessions while he was away with Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic.

The superstar right-hander was equal parts efficient, able to work past his pregame target of four innings by throwing only 61 pitches, and dominant, allowing one hit and striking out four batters. 

His fastball was crisp, averaging 97.6 mph and topping out at 99.9 mph. His splitter, sweeper and curveball all generated awkward swings-and-misses against an overmatched Giants lineup. And while Ohtani walked two batters, hit another and bemoaned a few poorly executed putaway pitches with two strikes, the overall product had manager Dave Roberts shaking his head with a smile afterward.

“I’ve learned that you don’t ever underestimate or try to make predictions on what Shohei’s gonna do,” Roberts said, admitting he expected Ohtani to look more rusty in his first spring outing. “He’s always gonna deliver.”

Before Wednesday, questions remained about exactly how Ohtani’s compressed pitching build-up would go as he hurried to get ready for the regular season.

Prior to leaving for the WBC, he had thrown a couple live BP sessions on the backfields at Dodgers camp. During his time serving as Team Japan’s designated hitter, he threw a couple more against his WBC teammates, steadily building up to four innings of stamina.

Still, the initial expectation when he returned to Arizona was that he wouldn’t pitch until next week’s exhibition Freeway Series against the Angels in Los Angeles.

Instead, he showed up feeling good enough to pitch a bullpen session Tuesday, then turned right around to take the mound Wednesday.

“This is the first time he’s going to face competition since the World Series,” Roberts said pregame. “I would expect to see an intense performance focus from Shohei.”

Such intensity, of course, is likely to define Ohtani’s entire season this year, as he returns to two-way duties full time. Never before has he shouldered such a burden on a team with World Series aspirations. Not since his final season with the Angels in 2023 has he even been able to pitch and hit without restrictions on his schedule.

Last year, Ohtani logged 47 regular-season innings in his return from a second career Tommy John surgery, then threw 20 more during the team’s postseason run to a second consecutive World Series.

But now, his workload is largely unencumbered. His full arsenal can be deployed without the limitations that came with his Tommy John recovery last year.

Because of that, he returned to the clubhouse Wednesday and voiced several hopes for this season.

Among them: Making at least 25 starts. Posting every turn through the rotation on normal, for him, 5-6 days of rest (even though, he acknowledged, he will listen if the team suggests he take longer breaks between some outings). Potentially vying for a first Cy Young Award to go along with his four MVPs. And reaching the playoffs prepared for another World Series trek.

“He’s one of our best pitchers,” Roberts said. “And for him to have a foundation, being past the surgery, with what he did last year, knowing that he can take down starts in the mid-20s, it just makes us better. And I know that’s what he’s expecting from himself.”

Next up for Ohtani will be a second spring outing against the Angels in next week’s Freeway Series. That will line up his regular-season pitching debut for the second series of the Dodgers’ opening homestand against the Guardians at the end of the month, likely for at least five innings.

At the start of spring, such a target seemed uncertain, given the quick turnaround Ohtani faced coming back from the WBC.

Instead, once again, he has erased all doubt –– getting right back on schedule for the 2026 campaign.

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Jordan Walker is a riddle wrapped up in enigma hidden inside of a 3-lock box for the St. Louis Cardinals. Since his major league debut in 2023, Walker has seen the optimism about his abilities fade into pessimism about whether he really can be fixed.

I asked the question of what you would do if you were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom regarding Jordan Walker’s future. The answers varied from letting him be the starting right fielder for the Cardinals on Opening Day because the team doesn’t have a better option, send him to the low minor leagues and make him earn his promotions back to the big club or designate him for assignment.

In case you missed our interview with St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol, here are his comments about Jordan Walker:

“This has been one that…keeps us up at night. We have to figure it out. When I say I’m committed to it, I need to think of a stronger word to make sure that this dude figures it out…with us…because there’s a real skill set there, but I do feel like we missed some time in getting to where we’re at now. I wished we would have gotten to this point sooner. What I mean by that where there’s real vulnerability of what has actually happened…how do we feel…how are we gonna get on the other side of this to create real change…not just say we’re working on something, (but) six months later it looks very similar. I feel like we’re finally at a point where that’s happening. It could be a month before we feel good about it…it could be three months before we feel good about it…I may feel good about it in 3 hours….I don’t know. I like where we’re at with what’s taking place. There’s a real responsibility on both ends here…on mine, on Brownie and that whole hitting department…to unlock what he’s capable of…and there’s real responsibility on (Jordan’s) end, too…of carrying the work that he’s doing into the game. We’re doing everything possible for that to be the case…but this is one that has not gone well and we need it to go well. All hands on deck for this one.”

This is just my speculation because Oli didn’t say it outright, but I could sense that the time for Jordan Walker to show real progress is ticking down quickly. It also felt like there is frustration from the Cardinals management that Jordan didn’t get to the point where he’s accepting coaching direction quicker. When he emphasized that he hopes that Jordan Walker figures out his problems “with us”, I got the feeling that Walker not being “with us” might be a possibility. Everyone realizes his immense talent and potential high ceiling, but I’ve heard it said that one skill he has never really displayed is a true command of the strike zone. Yes, that can be taught, but there also needs to be something built into the player’s instincts about pitch recognition as part of his approach. I’m not the only one questioning if that is something that Jordan Walker can acquire.

Jordan Walker still has one more option left and I really hope the team makes use of it and has him start the season at Triple A Memphis. Why not start Nelson Velázquez who has had an excellent Spring or Nathan Church? I don’t want to witness Jordan Walker trying to figure this out in front of a Busch Stadium crowd again because I believe the patience of the fanbase is spent. No matter if the previous St. Louis Cardinals management rushed him through the minor league system too quickly or not, the time for a solution is now. The runway for Jordan Walker is ending soon. Would be a shame for such a talented player to not see his potential realized.

Record: 12-12-1. Change on 2025: -1. 5-inning Record: 8-15-2.

Arizona stretched their unbeaten streak to five games with an emphatic victory over the Cubs at Salt River Fields. It looked unlikely, considering the D-backs were 5-1 down in the middle of the third. But scoring fifteen unanswered runs is never a bad thing. A six-run third was followed by a seven-run fourth, Arizona pounding out seventeen hits and five walks. Jordan Lawlar reached base three times on a hit and two walks, while there were two-hit days for Geraldo Perdomo, Carlos Santana and Jorge Barrosa. Good to see Corbin Carroll hitting his first post-hamate home-run. Alek Thomas (top, with Carroll) and Barrosa also went deep, and the team were 7-for-13 with RISP.

Given all of the above, what the pitchers did was almost irrelevant. Merrill Kelly’s second appearance was an improvement on his first: he went 2.2 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, with no walks or K’s. Joe Ross somehow got the W, despite an ugly outing which included allowing a grand-slam. But Juan Morillo struck out three of the four batters he faced, and there was a clean inning from Paul Sewald too. Kade Stroud’s rough spring continued in the eighth, because he allowed as many home-runs as he recorded outs (two of each). But all told, a pretty satisfactory day for the Diamondbacks.

Tomorrow, it’s over to Camelback Ranch for an evening game against the other residents of Chicago, the White Sox. 6:05 pm first pitch there, with Michael Soroka making his first start since coming back from the World Baseball Classic as part of Team Canada.

Wednesday was a very hot afternoon in the Phoenix area. The temperature reached 101 degrees, breaking the record for the month:

Sky Harbor Airport reached 101° at 2:59 pm MST. This sets a new record high temperature for the month of March. Stay tuned for the official high temperature post. #azwxpic.twitter.com/m2PKA9A39c

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) March 18, 2026

“Hot” also described the Cubs bats, at least early in the game. The D-backs came back, though, hitting Edward Cabrera hard, and won the game 16-8.

The D-backs scored first, off Cabrera in the first inning. The run was unearned. Corbin Carroll reached on an error by Matt Shaw, who was playing right field. Carroll then stole second and scored on a single by Geraldo Perdomo.

Carroll suffered a broken hamate bone during a BP session earlier in camp and this was just his fourth Spring Training game. Perdomo had been off at the WBC playing for the Dominican Republic and this was his first game back. So the D-backs took advantage of a couple of their good players being back in the lineup.

The Cubs took the lead in the third, when the teams combined for 11 runs. Shaw led off with a double and scored on a Miguel Amaya single. After Michael Conforto hit into a double play, the Cubs loaded the bases on a single by Kevin Alcántara and walks to Jonathon Long and BJ Murray.

Jefferson Rojas followed with a grand slam, his third homer of the spring. This kid is going to be a really good player.

That ball was a towering drive that went a long way [VIDEO].

Here’s a look at the homer [VIDEO].

The D-backs flipped the script in bottom of the third. First, on a two-run homer by Alek Thomas, another player back from the WBC. Then Cabrera walked Nolan Arenado and he was replaced by minor leaguer Grayson Moore, who gave up a single and two more walks, making it 5-4. A wild pitch tied the game and then Moore gave up a two-run double to give Arizona a 7-5 lead.

Cabrera re-entered the game in the fourth and well, maybe he shouldn’t have. He served up another homer, this one to Carroll, then D-backs hitters continued to tee off on him until the score was 10-5 Arizona. Then minor leaguer Dawson Netz, who had relieved Moore in the third, entered to relieve Cabrera. At this point you are forgiven if you think the heat has gotten to all of these men. The D-backs just kept scoring. One run was charged to Cabrera, but Arizona wound up with an eight-run inning and led 14-5 at the end of the fourth.

Here’s a look at Cabrera’s outing [VIDEO].

After all the minor leaguers were done relieving Cabrera and each other, Gavin Hollowell shut the D-backs down 1-2-3 in the fifth. Hollowell has thrown well this spring and might have an Opening Day bullpen spot.

Ben Brown entered to throw the sixth, against mostly D-backs minor leaguers. He loaded the bases on three singles, but got out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts, both swinging.

Alcántara smacked a two-run homer in the eighth, his first of the spring, and one of three hits he had on the afternoon. Long followed with another long ball, also his first home run of the spring. Alcántara’s homer went a long way [VIDEO]

Manager Craig Counsell’s son Brady, playing for the Diamondbacks, went 1-for-2 in this game and scored twice.

The Cubs have Thursday off, and then will play their only split-squad game of Spring Training 2026 on Friday. Both games were originally scheduled for Friday afternoon and both have been moved to Friday evening because of a forecast high of 106 degrees.

Against the Reds at Sloan Park Friday, Matthew Boyd will face Brandon Williamson. That game will begin at 8:05 p.m. CT. No TV for the Sloan Park game, there will be a radio broadcast on the Reds flagship station WLW 700.

Against the A’s at Hohokam Stadium Friday, Jameson Taillon will go for the Cubs. At the time of this recap the A’s didn’t have a starter listed. That game will begin at 8:10 p.m. CT and be televised on Marquee Sports Network and NBC Sports California. There will be a radio broadcast with the A’s announcers on ATH Audio.

The Dodgers continued sorting out their roster on Wednesday, sending both pitcher River Ryan and utility man Ryan Fitzgerald to minor league camp.

Ryan, who is on the 40-man, was optioned, while non-roster invitee Fitzgerald was reassigned to the minors. Earlier Wednesday, the Dodgers also optioned pitcher Kyle Hurt and selected infielder Santiago Espinal to the roster.

Ryan has been quite impressive this spring, returning after Tommy John surgery and missing all of last season. In his four appearances and 9 2/3 innings, Ryan had a 1.86 ERA with four walks and 12 strikeouts, fanning a third of his batters faced. But the Dodgers are taking the conservative route with his return, as we’ve seen in past years with Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, and others in returning from surgery.

After Hurt and Ryan were optioned, only 16 healthy non-Ohtani pitchers remain in camp, which means only three more cuts to go to finalize the pitching side of the opening day roster.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is starting opening day. Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, and Roki Sasaki are rotation locks, the latter reiterated by manager Dave Roberts on Wednesday morning despite Sasaki struggling all spring. Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski are still vying for rotation spots. Both could claim them should the Dodger use a six-man rotation out of the gate, but also one of them could make the team as a reliever, too.

The Dodgers have four off days in the first 22 days of the regular season, including three Thursday off days in a row before a more taxing schedule kicks in.

Edwin Díaz, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, and Jack Dreyer are roster locks. Ben Casparius, Will Klein, and Edgardo Henriquez are in the mix for bullpen spots as well.

The other three still active in camp are starter Landon Knack plus non-roster relievers Chris Campos and Antoine Kelly.

Fitzgerald played in 18 games this spring, mixing time between second base, third base, and shortstop, with 17 of those games coming in reserve. Fitzgerald hit .333/.412/.533 with four doubles, a triple, and four walks, with eight runs scored and seven driven in.

Emerson Hancock had 70ish pitches to work with today and made them last for 3.2 innings – not as efficient as one would hope. He had to dance around some trouble right away, loading the bases in the first on three singles, but was able to work out of the trouble by striking out Reese McGuire, who chased after a high-and-away fastball at 96.5 mph, and getting Brock Wilken to ground into a forceout.

Brendan Donovan gave Hancock a little breathing room in the bottom of the inning with his first homer of the spring, ambushing a first-pitch fastball, poorly located, from Brewers starter Carlos Rodriguez:

Brendan GONE-OVAN! pic.twitter.com/NL3VGcWraC

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 18, 2026

But Hancock gave that run right back in the second, giving up a hard-hit single followed by a double; the runner then scored on a sacrifice fly. Hancock’s velocity was slowly climbing in the inning, working up from 94 to 95 to 96 on both his four-seamer and sinker, and he polished off the inning by dismantling Brandon Lockridge on four pitches: three straight sweepers before getting him swinging after a four-seamer away.

The Mariners built a lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a Luke Raley three-run homer that scored Brendan Donovan, who had walked, and Josh Naylor, who had singled, although some of the credit for Raley’s blast belongs to Naylor, who was an absolute pest at first base, urging Donovan into a double steal and just generally wreaking havoc with the pitcher. Rodriguez then delivered Raley a 94.5 mph fastball right in the middle of the plate and Raley, having a good spring now that he’s finally healthy and enjoying frequent playing time with so many outfielders away for the WBC…did not miss it.

Launched by Luuuuuke 🚀 pic.twitter.com/O4NmouiuVi

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 18, 2026

Hancock was on his way to a shutdown inning in the fourth, opening with back-to-back strikeouts, but then left a 94 mph fastball on the plate for Cooper Pratt, who singled and then promptly stole second. Another single on a slider that wound up in the middle of the plate moved him to third, and then both runners scored on a Tyler Black triple to shave the Mariners’ lead down to 4-3 and end Hancock’s day. It’s a shame because the triple was actually on a well-located sweeper at the bottom of the zone that Black just flicked into the wind and floated into the deepest corner of Peoria Stadium, and Hancock had made several good pitches in the at-bat, obviously emptying the tank with some 98 mph fastballs. Baseball! Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkmen, who has one of my favorite nicknames (“The Law Firm”) came in and got a groundout to end the threat there.

In the bottom of the fifth, it was Luke Raley again, this time with an RBI double as he ambushed a first pitch from former Mariner Easton McGee. He then scored on Randy Arozarena’s first homer of the spring, making the game 7-3 and helping deliver the Mariners another Cactus League win.

Randy Arozarena belts a LONG home run off the batter's eye! pic.twitter.com/fLuxdBechQ

— MLB (@MLB) March 18, 2026

Spring training doesn’t matter, but having a complete team in spring training does matter if you want to win games, it seems.

The morning belonged to cameras, photoshoots, and cover stories. 

By the afternoon, it belonged to the mound.

Shohei Ohtani was revealed as the April cover of Sports Illustrated–posed beside Aaron Judge, both men dressed like baseball’s answer to royalty in suits underneath the headline: “Super Powered.”

Hours later at Camelback Ranch, the illusion gave way to reality. The tailored suits were gone. The spotlight remained.

Ohtani made his 2026 Cactus League pitching debut against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. He dominated his rivals with 4 and 1 third scoreless innings on 61 pitches. 

Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound for the Dodgers, starting their Cactus League game against the rival Giants. Here’s the first out of the game. pic.twitter.com/FX9O7tGAFT

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) March 18, 2026

Shohei Ohtani collects his first #SpringTraining K with a 99-mph fastball pic.twitter.com/adGtN2yuQs

— MLB (@MLB) March 18, 2026

Ohtani did not hit in the game, but will be the DH in Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts lineup on Friday. 

Inside the cover story by Tom Verducci, Ohtani and Judge are leading a “new golden era of baseball.” That might be selling it short.

Ohtani and Judge have seven MVPs between them and the former can dominate you twice in the same night like he did in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

That’s more than just a golden era. That’s the dawn of a new day for a sport that is now global because of Ohtani. 

Roberts said Ohtani is expected to pitch again in the Freeway Series, setting up his 2026 regular season debut at Dodger Stadium against the Cleveland Guardians somewhere between March 30 and April 1st.

A sparse crowd braved the heat, which was approaching 100 degrees when Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani walked off the mound at Camelback Ranch. But those who did were treated to a dominant pitching performance from the four-time MVP in his first start of spring training.

They repaid the favor with a standing ovation.

"I've learned that you don't ever underestimate or try to make predictions on what Shohei's going to do,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He's always going to deliver. Yeah, I thought he would be a little bit more rusty than he was today. The breaking ball was good, got some swing and miss. The fastball command, he was working ahead in the count today. So across the board, really good."

Ohtani limited the San Francisco Giants to one hit and overshot the innings goal Roberts laid out Wednesday morning by pitching to one batter in the fifth inning. Ohtani didn’t give up a run in those 4 ⅓ innings, and the only other blemishes on the performance were a pair of walks and a hit batter.

“I was pretty happy with the pitch count today,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “In terms of the next outing, I do want to be better at executing in two-strike counts. I just didn’t finish off hitters as much as I wanted to.”

Read more:Shaikin: The big hit? The WBC. Still looking for that big hit? Team USA.

Ohtani is scheduled to make a start in the Freeway Series against the Angels before his first start of the season. If the rest of spring training goes smoothly, Roberts said he expects Ohtani to be ready to throw about five innings in his first regular-season start.

At that length, the Dodgers won’t need to designate long relievers to piggyback Ohtani's starts. But Roberts stressed the importance of still carrying relievers who can throw multiple innings as the starters continue to build up early in the season.

“Once the season starts you’ve got to see how he’s feeling, how his stuff looks, how he’s throwing the baseball,” Roberts said after the Dodgers' 5-1 win that was stopped after the eighth inning due to the heat.

Most of Ohtani’s build-up has taken place outside of competition, as he balanced playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan as a position player, and addressing pitching on the side. By last week, he’d ramped up to a four-inning live batting practice session against his teammates on the national team in Miami.

“It actually didn’t feel like it was my first spring training outing,” Ohtani said. “I do see this as more of an extension of a live BP situation. So it didn't feel too bad going into this game.”

Ohtani didn’t hit on Wednesday. With the heat and his unique spring, the team wanted to let him focus on pitching. He’s expected to be the designated hitter in Cactus League play Friday.

“In terms of the hitting, it did help that I played in an atmosphere that was pretty intense and competitive,” Ohtani said. “So the fact that I had to get things going earlier in the offseason maybe was the only thing that really affected my preparation. But I think it helped me more so than it hurt me, as I played through these meaningful games in the World Baseball Classic.”

Ohtani used a wide range of his arsenal Friday, landing an especially effective curveball for a called third strike against Heliot Ramos in the fourth inning.

“Never really surprised with him,” catcher Dalton Rushing said. “Everyone knows what he's capable of. Everyone knows his main goal when he goes out there. He expects perfection every single time. And I think he was very, very close to it today.”

Roki Sasaki erratic in latest Cactus League start

Right-hander Roki Sasaki’s command issues, a theme this spring, returned in his start Tuesday evening against the Royals. But Roberts doubled down Wednesday morning on the team’s plan for Sasaki.

“He’s going to be one of our starters,” Roberts said. “I’ve been very consistent in the sense of, we don’t solely evaluate spring training in its entirety alone. So with that, he’s obviously got things to prove — consistency of getting guys out, consistency of strike-throwing. But he’s going to get that opportunity to start the season and we’ll see where we go from there.”

Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto's lead-up to Dodgers opening day 'hard to put into words'

Sasaki pitched in parts of five innings Tuesday, for a total of 3 ⅓ innings of work. Along with the four hits and three runs he surrendered, Sasaki issued four walks. Three consecutive free passes in the third inning prompted Roberts to temporarily pull Sasaki from the game.

"The first two innings I actually felt pretty good, intensity-wise,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “It was OK. But the third inning I threw a lot of two-seamers that kind of threw my mechanics a little off."

Roberts also used a mound visit in the fourth inning when Sasaki said his calves were close to cramping up.

Roster moves

The Dodgers officially selected the contract of utility player Santiago Espinal, as expected. They also optioned right-hander Kyle Hurt, after he recorded a 3.68 ERA in seven Cactus League appearances this spring.

“He’s had a great spring,” Roberts said. “But I think for Kyle it’s the thought of, he hasn’t pitched a whole lot the last couple years. We realize how talented he is. But to get him to get a foundation this year — be able to go back-to-back, pitch two innings in a night then see how he is on the third day to go out and pitch and see how he responds. Those are things that are just kind of getting some tread, some wear on his tires for an analogy. That’s what he needs to do.”

Hurt was sidelined for much of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and finished with triple-A Oklahoma City.

The Dodgers also optioned right-handed pitcher River Ryan and reassigned infielder Ryan Fitzgerald to minor league camp.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

While the spotlight was on the spring return of Gerrit Cole, another right-hander made waves in the Yankees' win on Wednesday afternoon.

Pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange shut out the Red Sox for four innings, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out four. He extended his scoreless streak to 11 innings and lowered his spring ERA to a minuscule 0.66.

The 22-year-old entered the preseason as the team's No. 2 prospect and continues to show why. And while his status for the Opening Day roster is still up in the air -- albeit very unlikely -- his teammates continue to take notice.

“I don’t have any doubts he could help us right now,” catcher Austin Wells told reporters, including Bryan Hoch, in Tampa after the game. “I don’t know what the process is or what that’s going to look like, but the way he pitched today, he could definitely get a lot of outs for us.”

When asked if he believes he's ready for the big leagues, the 6-foot-7 Lagrange simply said, "yeah."

“Attacking the zone, being able to execute with two strikes more consistently, staying calm on the mound regardless of the situation,” Lagrange said through an interpreter. “I think doing that gives me a good idea that I’m ready to compete.”

What could impede Lagrange's promotion is the stacked rotation the Yankees have and the experienced bullpen arms they expect to bring with them to San Francisco when the season begins March 25. 

The organization will likely want Lagrange to get more seasoning in the minors to start -- he has yet to pitch in Triple-A in his career -- and he was solid with High-A and Double-A a year ago. In 24 games, Lagrange pitched to a 3.53 ERA and struck out 168 batters across 120.0 innings. 

New York could surprise folks and bring the youngster on to start the season, but as manager Aaron Boone said during Wednesday's game, he and the organization are thinking about Lagrange's long-term.

"Carlos has been so impressive," Boone said. "You see the stuff, but the makeup matches it. We’re really excited about his future. We not only feel like he has a chance to impact us in the long haul, but it could be sooner than anyone expects to. He’s really close to being ready and he has a bright career in front of him."

Lights out @LagranCarlos 🔥

4 IP // 2 H // 0 ER // 1 BB // 4 K pic.twitter.com/Sn7lqH49xn

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 18, 2026

Box Score vs. Angels, Box Score @ Mariners

The Brewers dropped both ends of split-squad action today. At home, the “varsity” squad faced the Los Angeles Angels with Kyle Harrison the first guy on the mound. Harrison had to leave early because of a blister, but got beat up a little bit to the tune of four runs — only one earned — in 2 2/3 innings. The bullpen did their job, and the Brewer offense nearly fought all the way back, but they couldn’t quite complete the comeback and lost 4-3. In Peoria, the “JV” team faced the Seattle Mariners behind starting pitcher Carlos Rodriguez. For the first few innings, it was a see-saw affair, but Seattle scored three in the fifth to take a 7-3 lead, and the score didn’t change after that.

Today wasn’t a great outing for Harrison, a guy trying to make an impression on the folks who make the roster decisions; his fastball sat 92-93 (down a little bit from usual) and while he was still missing bats (10 whiffs, three strikeouts) he gave up four hits and four runs in his outing, though only one of those runs was earned — three of them came when Jeimer Candelario popped a three-run homer immediately following a two-out fielding error by Luis Rengifo. I would assume the blister that forced him from the game early will not be a lingering issue.

The rest of the Brewer pitching staff fared better against the Angels. After Jesús Broca finished the third, Garrett Stallings was fortunate to not allow more runs in the fourth: Denzer Guzman and Randy De Jesus led off the inning with a double and single, respectively, but Guzman was retired on a fielder’s choice, Candelario struck out, and with two outs De Jesus was gunned down at home by Garrett Mitchell after a Donovan Walton single. So Stallings allowed three hits in the inning but no runs.

As for offensive notables in the Angels game, Jake Bauers was 2-for-4 with a double and his fourth spring homer (110 mph and 432 feet, no cheapie), Luis Rengifo was 1-for-3 with a solo homer (his second), and Andrew Vaughn was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Against Seattle, Tyler Black, Blake Perkins, Cooper Pratt, and Marco Dinges all had multiple hits; Black had a two-RBI triple and a sac fly, giving him three RBIs on the day. Dinges had the team’s only other extra-base hit, a double.

The other “headliner” pitchers in this game performed quite well. Aaron Ashby pitched two hitless innings, allowing only a walk while striking out two. His spring training ERA is down to 1.35, and his fastball reached 97.7 mph in this one. DL Hall also threw two scoreless innings; he allowed a two-out double in his second inning, but retired the side on the next batter. Hall struck out three, didn’t walk anyone, and his fastball topped out at an encouraging 95.1 mph, though most of his fastballs were in the 93-94 range. Brian Fitzpatrick finished things off by striking out the side in the ninth after the leadoff hitter reached on an error.

In the Seattle game, Rodriguez got beat up a bit, as he allowed four earned runs on three hits and three walks in four innings, including homers given up to Brendan Donovan and Luke Raley. Easton McGee also got banged around to the tune of three runs on two hits and a walk (and some bad sequencing) in his one inning; Randy Arozarena hit a two-out, two-run homer after Raley had already doubled in a run. Sammy Peralta, Drew Rom, and Peter Strzelecki all pitched scoreless innings after that.

Not exactly a day to write home about. The Brewers have a rare spring training night game tomorrow, when they’ll take on the Rangers at 8:10 p.m. CT. Brandon Woodruff is expected to start that game, his second outing of the spring.

Pretty much since the day he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, Santiago Espinal was talked about in camp as someone very much in the mix for making the opening day roster. On Wednesday, the Dodgers made it official, selecting the contract of the veteran infielder.

Espinal takes the 40-man-roster vacancy created when outfielder Jack Suwinski was sent outright to the minors on March 2.

Espinal signed with the Dodgers on February 16, the same day manager Dave Roberts confirmed the expected news that Tommy Edman would not be ready for opening day, still recovering from right ankle surgery in November. Edman’s absence opened up not only a potential roster spot but also playing time at second base, and Roberts mentioned Espinal as very much in the mix along with Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland, and veteran Miguel Rojas.

Two and a half weeks later, Roberts told reporters in Arizona, “It’s hard to imagine [Espinal] not being on the team.”

Espinal later that night hit two home runs, and has been getting fantastic results in spring training, with 16 hits in 39 at-bats, including four doubles, and five walks, hitting .410/.447/.667.

But his making the roster doesn’t feel like an overreaction to spring stats, but rather seeing proof of concept of someone who was signed for a specific role. After all, he was used all spring like a veteran getting ready for the season, not necessarily in a dogged fight for a job. He started all 16 of his games thus far, mostly at third base, with a little bit of second base, first base, designated hitter, and right field.

For his career Espinal has played mostly second and third base, with a smattering of corner outfield. A career .291/.344/.409 hitter with a 107 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, Espinal figures to face a lot of southpaws, much like the perceived role intended for fellow right-handed-hitting infielder Andy Ibáñez, who signed a one-year deal in January but was designated for assignment a few weeks later before getting claimed by the A’s.

Now Espinal has a spot on the roster.

The Mets announced their roster of prospects for the 2026 Spring Breakout game ahead of Thursday's exhibition.

The 25-man roster is filled with growing stars, including seven of SNY contributor Joe DeMayo's top 10 in the system, per his updated top 30 prospect list that was released earlier in March.

A.J. Ewing, Ryan Clifford, Elian Peña, and 2025 draft pick Mitch Voit are some of the position players, while Jack Wenninger and Jonathan Santucci headline the group of pitchers.

New York's prospects will take on the Tampa Bay Rays' prospects on Thursday, March 19, at 7:10 p.m. from Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Here is the full roster, with SNY's Mets top 30 ranking in parentheses:

PITCHERS (9)

RHP Juan Arnaud

RHP Hoss Brewer

LHP Nicolas Carreño

RHP Saúl García

RHP Cristofer Gómez

RHP Douglas Orellana

LHP Jonathan Santucci (No. 9)

RHP Ben Simon

RHP Jack Wenninger (No. 8)

POSITION PLAYERS (16)

INF Yunior Amparo

INF Ryan Clifford (No. 6)

OF A.J. Ewing (No. 3)

C Daiverson Gutierrez (No. 27)

INF Randy Guzman (No. 19)

INF Yonatan Henríquez

INF Antonio Jimenez (No. 20)

OF Nick Morabito (No. 11)

INF Elian Peña (No. 7)

INF Jacob Reimer (No. 5)

OF Eli Serrano III (No. 17)

OF D'Andre Smith

C Chris Suero (No. 14)

INF Marco Vargas

INF Mitch Voit (No. 10)

C Julio Sayas

It was all about Shohei Ohtani today, making his first start this spring and showcasing the stuff that makes him one of the filthiest pitchers in the game—Ohtani pitched into the fifth inning when he was relieved by Edgardo Henríquez, helping Los Angeles on their way to a 5-1 win over the Giants. Possessing one of the more vast arsenals in the game, Ohtani sat roughly a mile per hour slower on his two fastballs (sinker and four-seamer), which is to be expected. The more surprising bit was that all of his off-speed pitches came significantly slower than usual, not that it had any negative effect on his performance. For instance, the sweeper came in at an average of 82.8 MPH, 2.2 lower than his average last season.

Other than a couple of free passes, not finding the zone quite so frequently with his four-seam fastball, Ohtani didn’t give the Giants much of a chance, allowing only a hit in his 4.1 innings of work. Keeping track of his workload, Ohtani left the game on 61 pitches, pretty much ready for the start of the regular season.

It’s only spring training, but don’t tell Freddie Freeman that. The Dodgers’ star first baseman has been on fire this spring and managed his first long shot, going down below the zone to connect on a curveball against Landon Roupp. Reaching base safely twice against Roupp, Freeman is now hitting .423 in 28 at-bats, the second-highest mark among Dodger regulars. Freeman only trails Teoscar Hernández, whose outstanding spring offers a bit more hope that he can turn the page on what was a disappointing regular season in 2025. The Dodgers’ starting left fielder was responsible for one of the five RBI from the Dodgers.

Maybe it was Freeman who was hot, or perhaps just his spot in the lineup, given that his replacement proceeded to hit the second Dodger home run of the game. Former Red Nick Senzel went yard, thus raising his OPS this spring above 1.000.

The Giants’ sole run of the game came on a solo shot allowed by Tanner Scott in the eighth inning. The latest victim of Victor Bericoto, one of the standout performers for the Giants this spring.

Up next

The Dodgers are off on Thursday, returning to action against another divisional opponent on Friday as Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start against the San Diego Padres, his last start before the beginning of the regular season. The first pitch is at 6:05 PM Pacific time.