Category: Baseball

To prepare for its quarterfinal game Friday, Team USA brought in guest speaker Robert J. O’Neill, a former SEAL Team Six member who was part of the unit that killed Osama bin Laden. 

Among the Team Dominican Republic celebratory props is a dumbbell that is wrapped with plantains, which is often lifted following home runs that turn ballparks into nightclubs. 

One team is serious. One team is, well, silly. One team is singularly focused on winning. One team wants to win but is determined to have fun along the way. 

It will be a clash not just of stars but of cultures when the Americans and Dominicans face off Sunday night in Florida for a World Baseball Classic semifinal. 

“I know the fans definitely love [the Dominican flair], but I try not to look at what other teams are doing, what other people are doing,” Aaron Judge, captain of Team USA and the Yankees and a superstar who plays with more professionalism than joy, told reporters Friday night. “I’ll focus on what we got here. We got a special group of guys that love to play this game. They’re excited to be in this room. I know how they’re all honored to be in this room. They’re not taking it for granted. 

“So it’s exciting seeing what the D.R. is doing, and it’s been fun watching those games and seeing what’s going on. I think everybody in [the clubhouse] is excited to get there and be a part of it.” 

“There” is Miami, which is located in the United States but merely technically. South Florida might not pay much attention to the Marlins or MLB, but it does love baseball and the Dominican Republic. A country on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with a population the size of Ohio and the physical size of West Virginia routinely produces many of the best baseball players in the world. 

The Americans, who played their group-stage and quarterfinal games with the fans in their corner in Houston, will be entering enemy territory. 

“I expect to be the away team, for sure, but that’s what we’re looking forward to,” Pete Crow-Armstrong told Fox Sports after knocking off Canada. “We want the electricity, the energy in the crowd. That’s why we’re throwing Mr. Skenes out there.” 

Paul Skenes might be the greatest pitcher in the world, a 6-foot-6 specimen with a triple-digit fastball and calling-card splinker — the velocity of a sinker with the drop of a splitter — that helped him become the NL Cy Young Award winner last season. Like Judge and like much of Team USA, he performs more as a surgeon than celebrity. Formerly a two-way star at the Air Force Academy, Skenes operates with discipline and a calmness. 

The hitters he will face do not. 

Against Venezuela, Juan Soto admired a home run that just kept traveling, turned to his dugout and beat his chest before beginning his trot, which finished at home plate, where his team greeted him. Fernando Tatis Jr. did not quite finish his follow-through on his swing, launching his bat down the third-base line immediately after launching the pitch. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remained at home plate until the ball cleared the left-field wall, then spiked his bat to the dirt and began gesturing to the dugout long before he broke out into a jog. Ketel Marte knew his shot would land in the seats upon impact, twirling his bat and pumping up his teammates rather than running or watching the trajectory. 

Consider an American controversy during the WBC: Cal Raleigh declining to shake hands with Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena apparently because the catcher did not want to break focus or pal around with the competition. 

The styles are poles apart. The talent level is similar. 

Each roster features nine — nine! — players who received MVP votes last season. Team USA has the AL MVP (Judge) and runner-up (Raleigh). Team D.R. has No. 3 and No. 4 (Soto and Geraldo Perdomo) in the NL. (Perdomo, by the way, batted ninth in the quarterfinal game.) 

The American lineup has yet to unleash its power and potential, but maybe a familiar opponent in Luis Severino, the Dominican starter, will help the group click. 

The Dominican lineup has played five games and scored 51 runs, a total that would be higher if not for the tournament’s mercy rules. 

The matchup — the United Staids against Plátano Power — will be fascinating.

TAMPA — Carlos Rodón does not understand it.

But as he continues his buildup from elbow surgery and experiments with a newfound range of motion in his left arm, he is finding that his velocity is ticking up when he stops trying to throw as hard.

Such was the case Saturday during his second live batting practice session of the spring, as he increased his workload to two innings and 27 pitches.

“I backed off and threw harder,” Rodón said. “I was like, ‘OK, that makes no sense.’ But it made it easier to command. It’s just little ins and outs of pitching, trying to find the stroke again, knowing how much effort in this pitch and the line of this pitch. It takes a little time.”

Rodón said he got up to 95 mph in the live session on a backfield, but was mainly sitting 93-94 mph.

The Yankees are hoping that one of the benefits of the surgery, which shaved down a bone spur and removed loose bodies in his left elbow, will be an uptick in velocity after Rodón lost some last season while pitching through it.

His four-seam fastball averaged 94.1 mph in 2025 — still effective enough to put together his best year as a Yankee but down from 95.6 mph in 2024 and the lowest it had been since 2020.

While Rodón still has plenty of buildup to go before he could join the Yankees in late April or early May, there is some curiosity as to where he ends up velocity-wise once he is pitching in real games.

“I’m just trying to tick up a little [before] I get there so I can close the gap of a big discrepancy in velocity,” Rodón said. “So just slowly building to get the velocity up so when I get in a game, it’s a lot more natural than just going from 90 mph to 98 mph. We’ll see what it does.”

Of course, the increased velocity would be of little use if Rodón cannot properly command it, which remains a work in progress that he hopes to straighten out the more he faces hitters.

But he should have a chance to do that every five days now as his buildup kicks into gear.

“Excited where he’s at,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s really probably not that far behind. He’s responded well to everything. We haven’t rushed anything with him. There were a lot of bullpens in there as he was kind of working through the kinks and stuff like that before we got him to lives. But he’s trending in a good way.”

Jake Bird, fighting for a bullpen spot, came into Saturday’s game with one out and a man on first in the sixth inning and promptly walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. But he rebounded to get out of the jam and toss 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings. … Ben Rice delivered a left-on-left ground-rule double against Phillies reliever Kyle Backhus.

The Yankees made another round of cuts Saturday morning, reassigning RHP Michael Arias, LHP Kyle Carr, RHP Dylan Coleman and RHP Dom Hamel to minor league camp.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Freddy Peralta is ready.

The new Mets ace is set to start Opening Day and looked crisp Saturday over four innings, allowing just one run against the Astros.

He has one more outing remaining before the regular season begins.

The right-hander’s swing-and-miss stuff was evident in an 8-2 loss to Houston at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

And even if his velocity was a tick down from normal — about 1 mph down on most of his pitches, Peralta was unconcerned.

“Everything is getting where I want it to be,’’ Peralta said. “I don’t check my speed. I know myself. I know how I work when I get into the season and the intensity of the game is when I am who I really am. I know what to do.”

That’s true, he said, whether he’s pitching every five or six days, as the Mets could use a six-man rotation.

Manager Carlos Mendoza previously stated Peralta would be the one starter not impacted by that schedule but said that could change, depending on the team’s needs.

Peralta added Saturday he would be fine with pitching with added rest, as long as it was communicated early.

“It’s no problem,” Peralta said. “I’ve been in that situation before — for years. I know I can manage.”

Peralta is passing that veteran attitude and pitching IQ on to the other Mets starters, including Christian Scott.

The 26-year-old, returning from Tommy John surgery, made his second appearance of the spring Tuesday as he works back into major league form.

With the rotation likely filled by Peralta, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, Nolan McLean, Sean Manaea and David Peterson, Scott is trying to pick up as much as he can from Peralta while they’re in camp together.

He’s not alone in that attempt, as Peralta came from the Brewers highly respected, as well as successful and willing to impart his wisdom.

And Scott believes he’s uniquely qualified to be a student of Peralta’s.

“I want to pick his brain throughout the season for whatever I can learn,’’ Scott said.

“I know he strikes out a lot of guys,” Scott said. “That’s his calling card. For me, as a pitcher, that’s what I strive to do: Strike out guys at a high level. I watch outings and his delivery is a little more funky than other guys, but to be able to go out there and do it and make every start every year and be able to stay healthy, it’s mind-blowing. I’m trying to be the same way.”

Scott has only nine major league starts to his name, but struck out eight batters in six innings in his second start with the Mets in 2024.

Peralta, as Scott noted, has shown an ability to be productive and dependable.

Over the previous three seasons, the 29-year-old has made at least 30 starts, had 200-plus strikeouts and made a pair of All-Star teams.

And Scott knows it’s not simply because of talent, which is why he’s kept a close eye on Peralta all spring, even between starts, to see what he can learn.

“The first thing is that he’s the same guy every day at the field,” Scott said. “You know what you’re gonna get from him. I feel that’s underrated, especially over the course of the season. I’ve already seen how high the highs can be and how low the lows are. He’s been through it all for a bunch of seasons and been an All-Star. It’s cool to be able to see a guy like that, who stays consistent on a day-to-day basis.”

And Scott is also getting to know the work it takes to make that possible.

“His catch-play with his throwing program is very consistent,’’ Scott said. “It’s like he hits the glove with every single throw, every time he’s out there. I’ll go by and say ‘That’s beautiful’ and he laughs, but mine isn’t as good.”

He’s working on it.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — What the Mets like about Carson Benge — his bat-to-ball ability, solid defense in multiple outfield positions, and overall athleticism— was on display again Saturday, as the young prospect got his second start of the spring in center field and added a hard-hit, opposite-field single in an 8-2 loss to the Astros at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

He’s looking to win a spot on the Opening Day roster and prior to the game, manager Carlos Mendoza said he’s hoping to have to make “some tough decisions because we’ve got a lot of guys playing well and healthy.”

Benge is doing what he can to make a case for himself.

“He continues to go out there, give good at-bats, play good defense, run the bases, [hit] left-on-left,’’ Mendoza said. “He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing on his end.”

And his makeup has also impressed the manager.

“He’s quiet,’’ Mendoza said. “He’s a baseball guy. He doesn’t get too high or too low. I don’t think the moment is going to be too big for him, which is good for [him]. He goes about his business, plays baseball, goes home, comes back the next day [and] does it again. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned.”

Mets pitching depth took a blow when Justin Hagenman was placed on the 60-day injured list with a fractured rib Saturday.

The right-hander suffered the injury during his most recent Grapefruit League outing on March 5, although Mendoza said the team wasn’t sure how, exactly, it occurred.

“After his last outing, he came in and complained about soreness in that area,’’ Mendoza said. “It continued to get worse, we decided to image it and it’s a fracture, unfortunately.”

Mendoza called it “a pretty significant injury. He’s gonna be down for a while. I don’t know the timetable, but he’ll miss some time.”

Hagenman, 29, appeared in nine games for the Mets a year ago and made one start.

With the six-man rotation healthy, Tobias Myers stretched out, and prospects Jonah Tong and Christian Scott waiting in the minors, Mendoza remains comfortable with the team’s depth, though he noted the Mets will miss Hagenman’s versatility.

“You can never have enough pitching,’’ the manager said. “It hurts, losing a guy like [Hagenman] who not only can start, but pitch multiple innings out of the pen. … We’ll miss him.”

Francisco Lindor took live batting practice for a second straight day Saturday, Mendoza said, as the shortstop works his way back from undergoing left hamate bone surgery last month.

All has gone according to plan for Lindor to be able to make it back by Opening Day, although president of baseball operations David Stearns has said he’ll likely have to play in Grapefruit League games in order to be cleared.

Asked if Lindor could potentially take that step in the coming days, Mendoza said, “We’ll see.”

“He continues to feel good,’’ the manager said.

Richard Lovelady, the lefty who’s spent the offseason bouncing between the Mets and Nationals, is back with the Mets, who claimed him off waivers Saturday.

The 30-year-old made 10 appearances in the majors last season, split with the Mets and Blue Jays.

MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani is only one player.

Samurai Japan’s 8-5 loss to Venezuela on Saturday night in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic was a reminder of this reality.

Ohtani produced another moment of magic, blasting a leadoff homer in the first that countered Ronald Acuña’s in the top of the first inning, but it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t enough to overcome his team’s terror-inducing bullpen and it wasn’t enough to overcome Venezuela’s offensive firepower.

Ohtani flied out for the final out of the game, but the at-bat was ultimately inconsequential. The bases were empty.

Samurai Japan’s dream of a third consecutive WBC championship was over. Venezuela, not Japan, advanced to a semifinal matchup with Italy on Monday.

The game started with Acuna sending a 96.5 mph fastball by Yoshinobu Yamamoto over the right field wall. The former National League MVP screamed as he rounded the bases, and so did the fans.

The response was swift, as Ohtani golfed a breaking ball at the bottom of the zone for a leadoff home run of his own. Ohtani discarded his bat and turned to the Samurai Japan bench, pushing his palms down as if to tell his team to calm down.

Nevertheless, the inning ended disastrously for Samurai Japan. Caught stealing second base for the third out, Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki injured his right knee on the slide.

Japan’s second-best hitter was removed from the game.

The situation was about to become worse, as Yamamoto resembled a rocket launcher more than he did a World Series hero. The Dodgers right-hander gave up back-to-back doubles to Ezequiel Tovar and Gleyber Torres that produced another run for Venezuela.

The game flipped again in the third inning. With one out and a runner on second base, Ohtani was walked intentionally. That brought up outfielder Teruaki Sato, who struck out 163 times last season with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese league and struck out again in the first inning of this game. Sato managed to get his bat on the ball this time, lining a ball down the right-field line for a run-scoring double that leveled the game at 2-2.

The next batter was Sato’s teammate on the Tigers, Shota Morishita, who entered the contest as Suzuki’s replacement. Morishita reached out for a changeup by Venezuela starter Ranger Suarez and redirected the pitch into the seats behind Samurai Japan bullpen in left field.

Suarez was knocked out of the game, and Japan was leading 5-2. The two-time defending tournament champions were on their way.

The dynamic of the game shifted when Yamamoto came out of the game. Some of the pitchers who followed him out of the bullpen were as small as he was physically, only they didn’t have his ability.

Standing only 5-foot-9, left-hander Chihiro Sumida served up a two-run homer to Maikel Garcia in the fifth inning that reduced Japan’s lead to 5-4. What remained of that lead vanished entirely in the next inning when another 5-foot-9 pitcher, right-hander Hiromi Itoh, gave up a three-run blast to Wilyer Abreu.

Suddenly, Samurai Japan was down, 7-5.

Venezuela’s lead extended to 8-5 in the seventh inning when 6-foot right-hander Atsuki Taneichi tried to pick off Tovar at second base and tossed the ball into center field. Tovar scored on the error.

In a World Baseball Classic already filled with cinematic moments, with epic home run celebrations and moments capturing the magnitude of these games on the international stage, Wilyer Abreu just added another one to the list.

Abreu, a Red Sox outfielder playing for Venezuela, took a 2-1 pitch from Japan pitcher Hiromi Itoh and crushed it 409 feet over the right-field fence in the sixth inning, giving Venezuela the lead for good with a three-run blast during its eventual 8-5 upset in the quarterfinals on Saturday night loanDepot Park in Miami.

After Abreu swung, he watched his ball’s flight trajectory for a moment.

Then, another moment.

He turned toward the Venezuela dugout, already erupting with cheers, and pumped his bat once before launching it high in the air and beginning to shuffle down the first base line.

“That was an exciting moment,” Abreu said in a postgame television interview. “I tried to at least tie the game with a sac fly. He gave me a really good pitch to hit. I made good contact. I’m very excited for this win. Now in the semifinals I hope I can do the same thing I did today.”

It was a stunning moment, one that meant Japan — and Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani — failed to defend their WBC title after winning it in 2023.

Abreu, 26, was hitting seventh in a batting order that already includes Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. — who homered in the first inning off Yoshinobu Yamamoto — and Royals star Maikel Garcia, whose two-run homer in the fifth inning trimmed Japan’s lead to one.

Then, Abreu uncorked the swing for the ages.

Ezequiel Tovar added another homer in the eighth inning that extended Venezuela’s lead, while former Yankee Gleyber Torres also flew out to the wall in that same frame.

Venezuela will now face Italy in the semifinals on Monday.

The United States and the Dominican Republic will square off in the other semifinal on Sunday night.

— with AP

For the first time in the history of the World Baseball Classic, Japan won’t be in the semifinals. They were out-slugged by Venezuela 8-5 on Saturday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. Venezuela is into the semifinals of the WBC for the first time since 2009, and with the win clinched a berth into the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Maikel Garcia hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, and Wilyer Abreu hit the go-ahead three-run shot in the sixth to give Venezuela the lead for good. Of the 17 total hits in the game, 10 were for extra bases, including five home runs.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggled at the start, needing 57 pitches to record his first nine outs. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the second pitch of the night out for a leadoff home run, but Shohei Ohtani answered the call in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff blast of his own.

Sarah Langs at MLB.com noted that no major league game has ever featured two former league MVPs each hitting a leadoff home run, which made this WBC quarterfinal quite the rarity.

Venezuela hit consecutive doubles for another run in the second inning, driven in by Ezequiel Tovar, who has Yamamoto’s number at this point. The Rockies shortstop has eight hits in 12 at-bats against Yamamoto, with two home runs and two doubles. But lukily for Yamamoto, one of those outs was a strikeout to end the third inning, when Venezuela stranded a leadoff double.

With three doubles and a home run on Saturday, Yamamoto allowed four extra-base hits in a start for just the second time in 60 starts since joining the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. The other time came last June 13 against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

But after Japan scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning, including a three-run home run by Shota Morishita for a 5-2 lead, Yamamoto remained in and pitched a perfect fourth inning, retiring his final six batters faced. Yamamoto allowed those two early runs but nothing else in his four innings, with five strikeouts and a walk in his 69-pitch effort.

Japan did not score after the third inning, at one point held hitless for 13 straight at-bats by Emmanuel De Jesus, José Buttó, Angel Zerpa, and Andrés Machado, including two strikeouts of Ohtani. Those were the only times Ohtani struck out in five games in this tournament. In all, he had six hits, including three home runs and a double, in 12 at-bats plus five walks, three of them intentional, hitting .500/.647/1.333 with six runs scored and seven RBI.

Japan reached the semifinal round in the first five World Baseball Classics, including tournament wins in 2006, 2009, and 2023.

Earlier in Saturday quarterfinals action in Houston, Italy remained undefeated, this time holding on to beat Puerto Rico 8-6.

Edwin Díaz hit a batter, walked another, and threw a wild pitch, but pitched a scoreless ninth inning, with two strikeouts. In three appearances during the WBC, the Dodgers right-hander pitched three scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, one hit batter, and allowed two steals, but also struck out seven of his 12 batters faced.

Catcher Will Smith is the only Dodgers player still active in the World Baseball Classic.

Remaining WBC schedule

• Sunday semifinal: USA vs. Dominican Republic, 5 p.m. PT (FS1)
• Monday semifinal: Italy vs. Venezuela, 5 p.m. (FS1)
• Tuesday championship game, 5 p.m. (Fox)

NJ.com | Randy Miller: The Yankees reassigned four pitchers from spring training camp Saturday morning. The four non-roster invitees — Michael Arias, Kyle Carr, Dylan Coleman, and Dom Hamel — will continue to ramp up at the team’s minor-league complex. Carr, MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 Yankees prospect, is the most touted of the bunch and allowed one run in four innings while punching out four in big-league camp. The transaction leaves the club with 54 players on their spring training roster, not including 11-year veteran Rafael Montero, a non-roster invitee who has been unable to join camp due to visa issues.

MLB.com | Paul Casella: Carlos Rodón threw 30 pitches against live batters Saturday morning, an encouraging sign as he works back from elbow surgery. “I feel like I had more, like I could have gone more, but obviously can’t do that yet,” he said after the session.

With a host of other pitching options in spring camp, the Yankees plan to slow-play the Rodón’s recovery, ensuring he has plenty of time to ramp up. Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers appear poised to open the season behind ace Max Fried in the rotation, with swingman Ryan Yarbrough and prospects Elmer Rodríguez, Carlos Lagrange, and Ben Hess waiting in the wings.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: With Rodón and Gerrit Cole slated to begin the season on the IL, Fried is leaning into his role as the unquestioned ace of the Yankees’ staff. “He loves the craft of pitching,” said Aaron Boone. “He loves all that being on a team is about. He’s similar to [Aaron Judge] in that way, where it’s team above him, is how he kind of embodies it. Super accountable. Demands a lot of himself and his teammates.”

The four-time Gold Glover has been hands-on this spring, including helping provide focus to a bunt defense drill. “He drives a lot of the conversation, too,” Boone said. “A lot of the drill stuff that we’ve done, fundamental stuff, he’s a big voice and is pushing guys and is asking questions. He’s kind of setting the tone and setting the standard.” 

SNY | SNY Newsdesk: Several Yankees continued to leave their mark on the world stage during World Baseball Classic quarterfinal action the past couple days. Aaron Judge notched a double and a walk for Team USA in its victory over Canada, with his teammate David Bednar working out of a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh. Austin Wells hit a three-run homer off the bench for Team Dominican Republic, staking the team to a three-run lead that walked off Korea via mercy rule.

There weren’t as many Yankees in action yesterday for Puerto Rico vs. Italy and Japan vs. Venezuela. Fernando Cruz went four-up/four-down with a pair of strikeouts in relief, but Puerto Rico’s WBC run came to an end against old friend Francisco Cervelli’s Italy club. So Cruz will soon return to Yankees camp, as will pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez, who threw three scoreless innings of one-hit ball against Cuba in pool play.

Venezuela and Japan are battling it out in a high-scoring World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game.

Japan had a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning, before Wilyer Abreu hit a 3-run home run to right field to give Venezuela a 7-5 lead.

Abreu did not hide his emotions, throwing his bat high in the air after the home run. Abreu’s teammates shared in his excitement, streaming out of the dugout to celebrate.

Venezuela carried the 7-5 lead into the eighth inning, tacking on another run.

Check out Abreu's epic home run, bat flip and the Venezuela celebration:

Watch Wilyer Abreu bat flip, celebration

BALL SENT
BAT TOSSED

WHEN THEY BOTH CAME DOWN TEAM VENEZUELA HAD THE LEAD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/m95schd34K

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 15, 2026

WILYER ABREU GIVES VENEZUELA THE LEAD!!!! pic.twitter.com/NsAbD1a7y0

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 15, 2026

"That's a bat THROW. That thing might hit the roof!" 🔥🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/049O8bMdOW

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 15, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Wilyer Abreu bat flip, celebration after WBC homer vs Japan

It’s been a tough spring thus far for Mark Vientos. 

Competing for his share of playing time in camp, the right-handed hitting infielder got off to about as rough a start you could see before leaving the Mets for the World Baseball Classic. 

Vientos went hitless over his first 12 Grapefruit League at-bats before lining an opposite-field double off the fence in his final game with the club. 

He recorded a knock in an exhibition against the Mets, but wasn’t able to carry the success over to pool play, going just 2-for-15 with six strikeouts in Nicaragua’s four games. 

And after another hitless showing on Saturday night against the Astros, the slugger is now a combined 0-for-8 with two strikeouts since rejoining the team.  

Put together both stat lines, and Vientos is just 3-for-36 on the spring. 

While the results haven’t been there, Carlos Mendoza actually likes he’s seen, as he feels Vientos has been hitting the ball hard just into some tough luck. 

“Yesterday he had an 0-for with two balls hit at 100 mph, the first at-bat today it was 105 off the bat -- I think he’s in a good place, he’s just not getting the results,” the skipper said postgame Saturday. 

While he has been mashing the ball, this is getting to be an familiar picture for Vientos and the Mets. 

The former first-round pick homered 27 times and shined during the playoffs in his first full year with the club, but he ultimately saw his numbers drop off last season.

Vientos hit just .233 with 17 homers, a .289 OBP, and a .702 OPS. 

With much more competition for at-bats this time around, he’ll have to start finding grass over the next few weeks to carveout a regular role. 

The 26-year-old is aware, and he isn't too concerned.

"This isn't anything new," Vientos recently told Max Goodman of NJ.com. "Coming into the league, it was an earn your stripes type of situation -- I earned them, I was playing every day. I feel like this year might be the same thing -- it’s just earn at-bats and that’s fine, I’ll earn them, I’m ready."

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

German Marquez did not look good his last time on the mound and Marco Gonzales followed today with a tough showing when the San Diego Padres took on the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz. Both pitchers are vying for the fifth and final rotation spot, which could be two spots with the latest news about Joe Musgrove, who is having difficulties recovering from throwing with the intensity that comes from competing on an MLB field – even in Spring Training.

The remaining potential starters after Marquez and Gonzales are Walker Buehler, JP Sears, Matt Waldron and Triston McKenzie. Buehler appears to be the most consistent of the group, while Sears continues to struggle allowing home runs, Waldron just resumed throwing after hemorrhoid surgery and McKenzie, despite his most recent outing, has had trouble locating his pitches.

The Padres Reacts Survey on Gaslamp Ball this week asked respondents to select who they thought would win the final spot in the rotation and the overwhelming majority said Buehler. He has been the most consistent of the group competing for the job and his track record, despite multiple arm surgeries, says he knows how to pitch in the big leagues and can be successful.

When Buehler came into MLB he was known as a fastball pitcher, who could reach the mid- to high-90s. Since the surgeries, his velocity has dropped to the low- to mid-90s as we have seen him touch 94 mph in his spring outings to this point. Buehler is having to learn how to use his pitch-mix to keep hitters off balance and get outs. With Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla as a resource, there is no reason to think Buehler cannot have success. He seems to be the front runner for the job, and the Friar Faithful expect him to be in the rotation on Opening Day.

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Observations from Mets spring training on Saturday:

Pache of cake

Cristian Pache, known for his glove in center, made a fine running catch in left-center to rob Jake Meyers of a hit.

Marked man

Mark Vientos went hitless and is 1-for-21 in Grapefruit League games.

He also struggled in the WBC, but manager Carlos Mendoza cited hard-hit balls as a reason for encouragement.

Caught my eye

Last year’s first-round pick, Mitch Voit, got his first Grapefruit League hit.

Filling in for the injured Jackson Cluff, the 38th overall selection started at second and singled.

The Naples, Fla., native made a name for himself at the University of Michigan last season when he imitated snorting a line of cocaine along the third base line after a triple.

“He looks like a hitter,” Mendoza said.

Sunday’s schedule

Zach Thornton will start for the Mets against Toronto at Clover Park at 1:10 p.m.

Observations from Yankees spring training on Saturday:

Ring the Bell’

Cody Bellinger drilled a triple to the gap in right-center field off right-hander Jonathan Bowlan and is now batting .320 through nine exhibition games.

Brutal on basepaths

After drawing a walk and stealing second base with no outs in the second inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was promptly picked off by right-hander Bryse Wilson.

On the very next pitch, Jasson Domínguez was caught attempting to steal second base.

Caught my eye

Kervin Castro made his sixth appearance of the spring, throwing 1 ¹/₃ innings of relief Saturday, and has yet to give up an earned run.

The righty, who was added to the 40-man roster in November, has a chance to claim one of the last two bullpen spots.

“Kervin’s gotten my attention,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Sunday’s schedule

The Yankees have their first split-squad doubleheader of camp, with Luis Gil starting at home against the Tigers at 1:05 p.m. and Paul Blackburn starting the nightcap against the Orioles in Sarasota at 6:05 p.m.

Sitting here on March 14th before a single inning of regular season ball has been played — exactly four months out from the Midsummer Classic on July 14th — feels like the perfect time to make some bold predictions and dream some big dreams for the 2026 MLB All Star Game.

Let’s start with the regulars.

The 2025 rosters were loaded with every-year locks (like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Freddie Freeman) as well as a handful of first timers (Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cal Raleigh, and Ryan O’Hearn).

• Are there any surprise players you’re expecting to find their way into the game this year?

• Any ASG regulars that miss the team?

The Colorado Rockies will have at least one league-required team representative in July. In 2025, that honor went to Hunter Goodman, and it was well-earned. While the Rockies work to get back to a place where they’re sending more than one All Star, that could be a challenge in the near-future with how stacked the NL is and how little love the Rockies’ still-improving roster gets in the fan vote.

• Will Goodman be a repeat All Star?
• Will the Rockies be fun enough to send more than one player?
• Which player(s) do you think will represent the Rockies in 2026?

Finally, outside of the game itself.

It’s been five years since Colorado was represented in the Home Run Derby, last sending Trevor Story in 2021. Maybe things will be different in 2026.

• Will the Rockies flash enough power in the first half of the season to send someone to the slugfest?
• Which Rockie might compete?

Look into your crystal ball to the All-Star Break, and give us your bold predictions!

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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.

Our previous poll ended up a fairly one-horse race, with Ryne Nelson our chosen man for Opening Day starter. That… did not turn out to be the case. We’ll see if Torey Lovullo takes our advice any better when it comes to the role at the other end of the game. For we asked who you wanted to see close games out for the D-backs, in the absence (for now) of Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk. They filled the role in 2025, before succumbing to the epidemic of elbow-itis which plagued baseball last year. There are certainly no shortage of possible candidates – albeit none you perhaps might want pitching to save your life.

This was reflect in results which weren’t exactly a ringing endorsement of any particular candidate. None of the five candidates (plus the long-serving veteran, “Other”) received even thirty percent of the vote. It was close at the top with the leading three all receiving between 20% and 26%. But just about everyone received a reasonable amount of support. I’d also like to thank Mrs. Jameson for showing up. Here are the full results.

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It’s perhaps a little surprising, to see Loasiga – a non-roster invitee to spring training, who isn’t on the 40-man roster or a major-league contract – top of the heap. But, of course, neither of those are a prohibition on pitching in high-leverage situations and doing it well. We only have to look back to last spring, where Shelby Miller was in exactly the same situation, roster-wise. After Puk and Martinez went down, he ended up becoming the closer, and at the end of the year, led the Diamondbacks in saves. Of particular note, Miller came into the 2025 campaign with just three saves over 103 appearances out of the bullpen, since becoming a full-time reliever post-COVID.

I figured it might be worth putting together a little chart of the stats for the five contenders. So, below you will find for each man, their number of relief appearances at the MLB level, the saves recorded there, their career ERA+ (to indicate overall level of effectiveness), and the ERA+ they posted last year. Obviously, the amount of work involved in determining the last varies dramatically, from Ryan Thompson’s 41.1 innings, all the way down to Drey Jameson’s… three. So bear this in mind, especially with regard to Jameson, whose total experience in MLB is still only 68 innings, and half of that came as a starter. That may be a factor in why he ranked so badly in our poll.

I’d kinda forgotten how long Ginkel has been around. This will be his eighth season in the majors, which will actually tie the franchise record (Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are also going to be in their eighth, matching the mark of Randy Johnson and Andrew Chafin). In relief appearances and saves, he ranks second among the candidates, though is obviously quite a distance behind Paul Sewald in both. The problem with Sewald is, he hasn’t actually been a very good pitcher, judging by ERA+. Experienced or not, he was below average both last year, and for his career as a whole. On the other hand, his velo is up this spring, for what that’s worth.

I’ve a feeling it’s going to be that crafty journeyman, A.N. Other who is going to end up taking the role, with Lovullo using the dreaded (by fans, at least) closer by committee. However, all of these pitchers are right-handers, which is going to limit the scope for the manager to play late-inning match-ups. They do have somewhat different approaches, to be fair. The advantage of such an approach is it might be less susceptible to the equally dreaded (by fans, at least) Lovullo loyalty, where he sticks with “his guy” beyond what feels rational. If there is no single “his guy”, then he should be willing to switch out at the drop of a blown save or two. We shall see.