Category: Baseball

Detroit Tigers vs. Colorado Rockies

Time/Place: 9:10 p.m., Salt River Fields – Scottsdale, AZ
SB Nation Site:Purple Row
Media:MLB.TV (Rockies broadcast), MLB+ (Rockies broadcast)

The season is upon us! Let’s do a public confidence poll. Ok a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you going into the season?

James: I would say a 5 or 8. I am supremely confident (8) that Arizona will have a largely average season. That mediocrity will likely result in a very pedestrian finish of something within spitting distance of .500 one way or the other by the end of the season.

Spencer: Solid 4. Arizona is overspending to pretend like they are contenders. I am confident we will spend the year getting the next wave developed in appropriate ways. That means Lawlar getting regular MLB reps. Waldy getting a cup of coffee. Dix, Jones, etc getting their next opportunities with affiliates. But at the major league level? Perdomo will regress to being very good instead of Ohtani level, Carroll will take time to get his power back. 

Preston: I’m going with 6. I think the offense will continue to be good; while I don’t expect Perdomo to repeat his season entirely, I think the ABS challenge system might help him turn a few more strikeouts into walks. The defense should be better. But that pitching staff? Ouch. One of us might be able to join it by midseason. (One note on my predictions: going into 2016 I was high on the rebuilt pitching staff. They rewarded my confidence with an 88 ERA+ and a FIP of 4.50.)

A note on Perdomo. In integrated baseball, there have been 64 seasons by a shortstop with an OPS+ of 135 or higher. Nine of those belong to a known PED user, and three more happened in 2020. Another was Rich Aurelia in 2001, on a team of noted PED users. It’s far more likely that Perdomo becomes a one-year wonder than that he joins Corey Seager and Bobby Witt Jr. as the best hitting shortstops in history in a single season (both posted 174 OPS+, Seager in 2023 and Witt in 2024.)

Ben: I’ll say 5.5 simply because the pitching staff as a whole could be an absolute nightmare before the All-Star Break. I think the offense could be a pure, dynamic dream to watch with an excellent balance of speed, contact, and power up and down the lineup. We have to hope that getting Puk, Justin Martinez, and Burnes back at some point will buoy the whole team 

1AZfan1: 6. I’m fairly confident we’ll play competent baseball most nights, but I think the bullpen will hold us back from being able to secure 88+ wins (target to make the playoffs). I think April will tell us a lot based on our incredibly difficult strength of schedule and not yet having our TJ arms back. If we’re close at the end of April and our bullpen isn’t a dumpster fire (or it is a dumpster fire but the starting pitching and lineup are good enough to overcome it) without Puk and J-Mart, I’ll bump that confidence level up.

Justin: 6

Dano: Yeah, I’m inclined to go with 6, especially since I just offered up my season W-L prediction and now I see that 1AZFan1 has put a value of 6/10 on broadly what my prediction was. But you know? Screw that. I do genuinely believe, for no good reason very likely, that we are going to overperform expectations this season. So let’s call it a 7!

Makakilo:  This season is unusual because of the wide range of possible wins.  My view is that the Diamondbacks will win between 81 and 89 games, depending on the health and performances of nearly all Diamondbacks players.  Therefore, my confidence that they will reach the playoffs is less than 50%.  Nevertheless, there is a realistic chance of reaching the playoffs.  My confidence is about 4.

A different perspective on Perdomo.  On Tuesday, this AZ Snake Pit article is scheduled to post.  It looks at Perdomo’s batting strengths and weaknesses.  It talks about four reasons that his 2025 breakout will continue this season.     

What’s one prediction you have for this season that you feel is actually likely to happen? 

James: Torey Lovullo is almost certain to spend a majority of the season dodging questions about bullpen usage. He really is not currently blessed with an abundance of quality options. Hopefully, as the season wears on, the team will develop and implement some relievers out of the pool of arms they acquired last summer.

Spencer: The team trades away expensive contracts midseason to save money (Gurriel, ERod, etc.). Whether this is because of a straight selloff or younger replacements with upside, I’m not sure. Maybe both. 

Preston: We hear more about a player being “this year’s Geraldo Perdomo” than we ever heard about Perdomo last year. Or this year, except in the connection of whatever Dodger or Yankee is outperforming expectations.

1AZfan1: Preston had a pretty good one. I’ll predict this is Torey’s last season with us. I don’t think it’s the right call to let him go because I think there are very few managers who actually add a significant amount of wins to their teams and we are highly unlikely to get one as a replacement, but I imagine that we’ll once again finish the season right around .500 and there will be too much pressure from ownership/public to make a change.

Makakilo:  Loaisiga will be on the opening day roster.  In January, I wrote that Jonathan Loaisiga has a chance to win a spot in the bullpen.

Ben: There will be more than two rookies in the regular starting lineup by the end of the season. I’m not sure who those rookies will be, but there are several intriguing names sitting down in Reno who could contribute at the major league-level soon.  

Dano_in_Tucson: We are going to win more games than we lose, and improved performance from our starting rotation is going to substantially be why. 

Do you have any crazy, off the wall predictions for this season?

James: I’m honestly not sure that any of my predictions for the season are that off the wall. For the league, I think we may see a record-low for the number of qualified starts in a season. Is that particularly off the wall though, given the direction the game is moving? For the team, I guess I would say my big “off the wall” prediction would relate to Paul Sewald. He was given a guaranteed MLB contract and he has no options remaining. Usually, that would all but ensure he finishes the season on a Major League roster. I am honestly not convinced Sewald manages to make it to the end of the season before being cut loose by Arizona as the youth displaces him.

Spencer: AJ Puk signs an extension. 

Preston: The Diamondbacks will have a pitcher named to the All Star Team, but Ketel Marte will not be there. How? After last year’s controversy, expect Marte to opt-out unless he’s truly having a remarkable season. That takes care of the second part of the equation. For the first part of the equation, Ryne Nelson will start the year in the rotation, and he’s pitched like an All Star in the second half of the last two seasons, plus a plethora of pitchers always opt-out. Eduardo Rodriguez looked good in the WBC so he might put together a solid first half, and Zac Gallen has name recognition. There’s also the chance that the league office will want to honor veteran players who are nearing the end of their careers in hopes of getting their support in negotiations and name Merrill Kelly to the team. He’s the best pitcher not named to an All Star team over the last few seasons, so he’s not at all undeserving on that note.

1AZfan1: Dodgers don’t win the division. Last year was closer than we all expected, with the NL West crown legitimately not being decided until the last week of the season. Injuries to the Dodgers pitching staff are a given, then all it takes are a couple poorly-timed injuries to the offense and the Dodgers are looking at a 90-win season. One of the Padres, Giants, or even Diamondbacks, could do better than 90 wins.

Makakilo:  The Diamondbacks pitcher with the most saves will not be on the opening day roster.

Ben: Zac Gallen will return to form and get Cy Young votes at the end of the season.

Dano_in_Tucson: Oh, what the heck. I’m leaning into optimism for whatever reason just now, so let me just reiterate a thought I shared after Venezuela won the 2026 World Baseball Classic: bolstered by his crucially important and utterly brilliant start in the final against the US, our favorite hologram, Eduardo Rodriguez, will have an absolute banner year for the Diamondbacks and end the season at least in the conversation regarding who actually was our de facto ace.

When it’s all said and done, which Diamondbacks get awards votes?

James: With Moreno and Carroll starting the season hurt and Marte being a year older at second, I’m not sure that anyone will get votes enough to win anything. Those three players, plus Perdomo, may all receive a few votes for Gold Glove, but I think that’s likely it.

Spencer: Ryne Nelson for Cy Young. Marte and Perdomo for MVP. 

Preston: This may be another year where the eligibility changes render someone losing votes. In 2023, Gabriel Moreno would have been a rookie had the rules not changed, and would have gotten plenty of votes. This year, that role is played by Jordan Lawlar, who I don’t predict to be at the level of Carroll in 2023, but will be good enough to get some down-ballot support if he were eligible. 

1AZfan1: Alek will get Gold Glove votes, and possibly win it, in left field. I think Lawlar will do well enough to hold things down in center and Alek will be overqualified to play a corner outfield position. 

Makakilo:  Spencer is likely correct.

Ben: I think Spencer’s predictions are the strongest candidates for awards, but I could see a scenario where Gabriel Moreno stays healthy and makes a push for a Gold Glove at catcher. He was a top-15 player there last year and that was while missing significant time with various injuries. 

Dano_in_Tucson: Yeah, I am with Spencer on both of those as well. Also, I agree with 1AZFan1 that Alek Thomas will get Gold Glove votes–assuming, of course, that he hits well enough once the regular season kicks off to keep himself in the lineup most every day.

And what’s one storyline you’re looking at in the broader MLB?

James: Labour strife and what the league does from now through the trade deadline to paint the players in as negative a light as possible. The current CBA prevents the players from scuttling the season the way they did back in 1994, or I would be starting a lottery for when in August/September the season comes crashing to a halt. I still remain firmly convinced that the league is going to miss a significant number of games in 2027. But, if things get any uglier in the early-season or if some sort of controversy develops before the break, I could see the season limping to an end as the 2027 season goes up in flames entirely.

Spencer: Skubal. His reputation was at an all time high after arbitration then hit a low when he only wanted to reap the benefits of the WBC without actually helping (read: doing anything). How he handles that stress will be important for the Mets and Yankees to watch in anticipation of his ability to survive NYC expectations. And if he hurts himself, his big payday is gone and he’ll have to “settle” for a contract beginning with 1 instead of 4. 

Preston: The Dodgers. Is it better for them to win again so the players might get frustrated and we avoid a work stoppage, or is it better for them to have a down year so every other owner/fan base can regain some hope? I don’t know the answer, I just know that I am hoping that everything from “Homer at the Bat” befalls that overpaid and overhyped roster.

1AZfan1: The upcoming CBA negotiations top the list for me. I’m hopeful those talks become the most consequential of our generation, introducing some meaningful form of salary cap. Beyond that, I want to see if baseball can capitalize on the incredible WBC and become more popular domestically. Part of that likely depends on the CBA negotiations and whether or not there is a lockout, but baseball hasn’t been this hot in a long time. Can they keep it going or was it just a flash in the pan?

Makakilo:  Possible new rules are being experimented with.  Does baseball have more rule changes next season?

Ben: It’s hard to ignore the labor situation as it will loom over nearly everything that happens this season – from standings to shadow campaigns by both sides to paint themselves in the most sympathetic light while villainizing the other. I will be most interested to see how the labor situation affects any extensions and midseason trades. I suspect most front offices have a labor stoppage of some kind baked into their projections, but it will be a factor undoubtedly. 
Dano_in_Tucson: Yeah, it’s the labor stoppage that I can’t imagine isn’t coming at the end of the 2026 season, and the maneuvering and messaging on both sides as we barrel, seemingly inexorably, toward that. I expect it will be enraging, depressing, maddening, and also probably incredibly fascinating, especially for a labor economics nerd like me.

The Dodgers play their first game at Dodger Stadium since Game 5 of last year’s World Series on Monday, hosting the Angels for the second of a three-game exhibition series.

Roki Sasaki goes for the Dodgers against left-hander Reid Detmers.

Tonight’s #FreewaySeries Dodgers lineup vs. Angels: pic.twitter.com/bXr2S4Q6bM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 23, 2026

MONDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Angels
• Stadium: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 6:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: Am 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

The Texas Rangers have optioned pitcher Luis Curvelo and outfielders Michael Helman and Alejandro Osuna to AAA Round Rock, the team announced this evening.

This leaves the team with 27 players on the 40 man roster who have not been optioned or put on the 60 day injured list. Codys Bradford and Freeman will presumably start the season on the injured list, and Texas will purchase the contract of Andrew McCutchen prior to Thursday’s game against Philadelphia, which would leave the Rangers with their 26 man roster. The Rangers will have to clear a 40 man roster spot for McCutchen.

With Curvelo going down, Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler would appear to have the inside track for the final bullpen spot. Josh Sborz is in camp on a minor league deal, and it is possible that he could make the team instead of Baumler, or Texas could make a waiver claim or deal for a reliever before Opening Day.

As a Rule 5 pick from the Baltimore Orioles, Baumler has to be on the major league roster or on the injured list, or else he would have to be put on waivers and, if he cleared, offered back to Baltimore.

Going into spring of 2026 with less uncertainty than last season, the San Diego Padres still had some questions that needed answering as well as competition for holes that needed filling.

As opposed to previous seasons, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller was able to sign multiple players that could fill those roles. None of them were over-the-hill players and most had recent success in the big leagues.

There were also some minor league invites that were in camp that needed to show what they were capable of. First baseman Romeo Sanabria started off strong and was leading all prospects in all offensive categories through the first four weeks of camp. He played solid defense at first and made loud contact with his hits. He was sent to minor league camp when it opened in earnest and has had fewer appearances since, while playing more regularly on the back fields.

Best minor league sign

Minor league signee Jase Bowen, who was with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization since being signed out of the 2019 draft, played in Triple-A most of last season but was allowed to leave as a free agent. He signed with the Padres 20 days after his free agency began. Bowen played in 25 games with 54 at-bats this spring. He hit .296/.333/.630 with a .963 OPS. His six doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI with 7-of-8 stolen bases shows off his offensive skills and speed. He is able to play all three outfield spots with a plus-arm.

Best offensive Padre

Catcher Freddie Fermin played in 15 games and had 38 at-bats while hitting .395/.425/.632 with a 1.057 OPS. He had three doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI, even attempting a stolen base but was thrown out. This will be his first season as the primary catcher, and he has shown both good contact skills as well as power this spring.

Best bench bat

Infielders Jose Miranda and Ty France were competing for the same job. With utility player Sung-Mun Song starting the season on the IL, France won the job with the Padres out of spring camp.

France finished with 19 games played with 49 at-bats with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI. He had a .306/.352/.510 line and .862 OPS. He plays first base, third base and can sub for Jake Cronenworth at second.

Miranda has played in 22 games and had 46 at-bats with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and a .304/.385/.522 line with a .907 OPS. He can also play both infield corners and left field but is a natural third baseman. Miranda has options and will start the season with Triple-A El Paso. 

Miranda and Bowen would likely be the first call-ups in case of injury.

Best starting pitcher

While Randy Vasquez has been great and shown tremendous improvement this camp, Walker Buehler has stepped up and shown that he is ready for the rotation and a roster spot.

In four games started and 15 innings pitched, Buehler has a 6.60 ERA and a 2-1 record. He walked five with 16 strikeouts and allowed four home runs. Until his last start, he had allowed no homers and had a 3.09 ERA. With his last appearance, he allowed seven earned runs with those four homers.

With his seven-pitch mix, he has used his 92-94 mph fastball effectively and pitched backward at times. No one knew what to expect from Buehler, who has had Tommy John surgery twice and lost a lot of velocity on his fastball. He seems to finally be healthy and able to pitch in the big leagues.

Vasquez finished with the best ERA of all the starters at 4.91 but the results in spring mean nothing. The need to work on many different aspects of pitching overrules the desire to compete and these numbers are roundly ignored within the organization.

Ironically, the one pitcher not officially named to the rotation has the best strikeout number. Germán Márquez tops the team with 23 Ks while Michael King finishes a distant second with 17 Ks.

Best bullpen pitcher

Lefty Kyle Hart has quietly pitched himself into a valuable place in the Padres organization. Whether he starts with the big-league club or not, Hart has shown how effective he can be in a swing role with the team.

In 14 innings pitched over eight appearances, Hart has a 0.64 ERA with three walks and 15 strikeouts. He came to the Padres in 2025 as a starter after three seasons with the KBO. He has been more effective as a reliever but still has six pitches in his arsenal and can go multiple innings, open a game or be a spot starter. He also has options available and could go to Triple-A so other arms could be called up as a fresh replacement during the season.

Best prospect performance

Sanabria has reportedly worked hard during the offseason to improve his conditioning, but his hitting has been what has stood out this spring. Sanabria played a lot of games to begin Spring Training and was optioned to minor league camp when it opened. He has continued to make spot appearances on the major league side and finished his major league camp appearances with eye-opening numbers.

In 20 games and 24 at-bats, Sanabria had three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI for a .333/.385/.833 line and 1.218 OPS. His 15 RBI led all players on the Padres. In his last spring game, he hit a grand slam to increase his numbers above Bowen, France and Fermin.

With the spring camp coming to a close and Opening Day just around the corner, final roster decisions are coming soon. The major league roster has to be set the morning of the first game on Thursday. The minor league season begins Friday for Triple-A El Paso.

New York Mets prospect Carson Benge, 23, has made quite the impression this spring. Despite amounting a .583 OPS in just 24 games in Triple-A a season ago, the 2024 draftee has turned his fortune around quickly, earning a spot on the Mets' 2026 Opening Day roster, per Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.

"He earned it…we are all excited to watch this kid play"

Carlos Mendoza on Carson Benge making the Mets' Opening Day roster
pic.twitter.com/gMc4PtNF48

— Milb Central (@milb_central) March 23, 2026

Benge enters the 2026 season as the Mets' No. 2 prospect (No. 16 overall) and the No. 5 overall outfield prospect, per MLB.com. And those numbers reflect just how dominant Benge has been this spring.

Benge slashed .366/.435/.874 across 41 at-bats this spring, including five runs and five RBI. Those numbers also do not include the games he played against international teams as they prepared for the World Baseball Classic. Benge hit his only home run of the spring in a game against Israel on March 4.

How did Benge earn the starting nod?

While Benge's spring success certainly played a large role, Mike Tauchmann, Benge's biggest competitor for the starting right field spot, also tore his meniscus over the weekend. Pair that with the fact that MJ Melendez was optioned to Triple-A last week, and the path had been paved.

Despite that, it was clear from the beginning of spring that Benge would have the opportunity to play his way into an Opening Day roster spot. He did exactly that. Manager Carlos Mendoza said, "He earned it. He had a hell of a camp. We are all excited to watch this kid play."

FANTASY BASEBALL: MLB rookies poised to make major impact in 2026

Benge minor league stats

While 2025 was Benge's first full professional season, he did spend some of 2024 with Single-A affiliate St. Lucie.

In total, Benge has amassed 131 minor league games, recording a .280/.389/.468 triple-slash in that span with 17 home runs and 25 stolen bases.

When do the Mets open the season?

The Mets will open the season on Thursday, March 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yes, that means Benge's first major-league action will be against reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mets prospect Benge to start on Opening Day after hot spring

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman is batting fifth for the Dodgers on Monday night in the Freeway Series against the Angels, with left-hander Reid Detmers starting on the mound. The last time Freeman was listed lower than fourth in a major league lineup was nearly a decade ago.

April 25, 2016 was the last time Freeman hit this low in the lineup. He batted sixth that night for the Atlanta Braves against the Boston Red Sox, and got two hits, including a double. In four years with the Dodgers, all of Freeman’s starts have come batting second (250 starts), third (331 starts), or fourth (61 starts).

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he might deploy Freeman hitting one spot lower with a left-handed starter on the mound.

Tonight’s #FreewaySeries Dodgers lineup vs. Angels: pic.twitter.com/bXr2S4Q6bM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 23, 2026

“A lot of times when I put together a lineup, I’m trying to make it more difficult for the opposing manager to navigate,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers did a little bit of this late in the 2024 season and postseason, and throughout 2025 as well, with Freeman starting 61 times batting cleanup instead of his usual third, usually with either Teoscar Hernández or Will Smith inserted before Freeman. The idea was that if an opposing manager wants to keep their southpaw starter in the game to face both Shohei Ohtani and Freeman, say, a third time through the order, they’d first have to go through two right-handed batters to do so.

One year ago this week, Roberts called this the “Teoscar tax,” and Hernández that very day came to collect with a three-run home run off Tarik Skubal to beat the Detroit Tigers in the home opener.

Now with Kyle Tucker, the Dodgers have two dynamic left-handers at the top of the order, followed by Mookie Betts. It’s a testament to the incredible depth of the lineup that usually one of Hernández or Max Muncy is batting seventh, and now moving Freeman down a spot means him hitting fifth instead of fourth. That’s the mark of a strong lineup.

Muncy is not starting on Monday against the Angels, with Santiago Espinal at third base.

“Having the ability to sandwich Will between Mookie and Freddie, and having Espinal in the seven spot to potentially have Muncy be able to hit, it just poses threats, and not to have right- or left-handed runs,” Roberts said. “That makes our lineup tougher to navigate.”

The battle for the Pirates fifth starter spot has been solved, and it was won by a familiar face.

Manager Don Kelly joined the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast on Sunday as the Pirates faced the Red Sox.

Kelly confirmed that Carmen Mlodzinski will begin the season in the Pirates rotation.

Mlodzinski beat out left-hander Hunter Barco and righty free-agent signings Jose Urquidy and Mike Clevinger.

He will start Sunday’s series finale against the New York Mets on March 28.

Barco and Urquidy have both made the Opening Day club, but will begin the year in the bullpen. Clevinger was outrighted to the minor leagues on Sunday. 

Mlodzinski pitched well in four spring training outings (three starts). He allowed four earned runs over 12.1 innings with 14 strikeouts compared to two walks.

The 27-year-old righty delivered five innings of two-run ball in his final spring start against the Orioles on March 14, closing with a 2.92 ERA.

Urquidy allowed 11 earned runs in 10 spring training innings after being considered the favorite to land the spot. 

Primarily a reliever during his three-year career (2023-25), Mlodzinski enters the season in the rotation for the first time. 

In 34 games (12 starts) last year, Mlodzinski earned a 3.55 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, struck out 89, and walked 27 over 89 innings. 

Mlodzinski was one of the Pirates best relievers and was a little surprising to see the team attempt to make him a starter again. 

In 22 relief appearances, Mlodzinski totaled a 2.15 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and .235 opponent batting average in 50.1 innings.

The former 31st overall pick in the 2020 draft made 12 starts. It didn’t go nearly as well, registering a 4.99 ERA, .293 opponent average, 1.52 WHIP, 85 hits, 16 walks, and 36 strikeouts spanning 48.2 total frames. 

Mlodzinski was frequently removed from outings before facing the lineup a third time around. Opponents hit only .150 in the first and .239 in the second innings, but .326 and .404 in the third and fourth innings, respectively.

The Pirates are going to give Mlodzinski another chance to prove himself in the rotation after an impressive spring. 

Pittsburgh begins 2026 in New York as Paul Skenes takes the mound facing the Mets on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.

The Dodgers close out their exhibition schedule with one more Freeway Series game against the Angels at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Shohei Ohtani starts the final game of spring training, his second game on the mound this spring. He struck out four in 4 1/3 scoreless innings last Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants at Camelback Ranch, allowing one hit, two walks, and a hit batter.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Angels
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 5:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, Fan Duel Sports Network West (Angels), MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

One final look at who will be on the Opening Day Roster on March 26.

As the Houston Astros prepare for their final two exhibition games of spring with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, we take on final look at projecting the Opening Day Roster.

Starting Pitching:

1. Hunter Brown
2. Mike Burrows
3. Cristian Javier
4. Tatsuya Imai
5. Lance McCullers Jr.

The Astros announced they would begin the season with a 5-man rotation. They have also previously stated their intention to keep SP Tatsuya Imai on his traditional NPB schedule of pitching every sixth day in his first season in MLB. The Astros have 2 off days before they begin a stretch of 13 games in a row on April 10.

Imai in the 4 spot allows the team to keep his scheduled starts outside of a normal MLB rotation schedule before they need to add a sixth starter.

The team announced earlier today that SP Spencer Arrighetti had been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, indicating he will be the 6th starter. Having Arrighetti pitch in Sugar Land the first few weeks of the season allows the team to continue building his stamina, getting him closer to being able to throw 90-100 pitches and getting him on schedule for when they intend to have him pitch once that 13 straight game stretch April 10 starts.

The Bullpen:

1. Bryan Abreu – CL
2. Bryan King
3. A.J. Blubaugh
4. Steven Okert
5. Enyel De Los Santos
6. Ryan Weiss
7. Christian Roa
8. Roddery Munoz

I have Munoz making the roster over Kai-Wei Teng because Munoz was a Rule V pick and they have to keep him on the active roster all year or offer him back to the team they selected him from (Reds) and Teng still has options.

This gives the Astros a chance to continue to look at Munoz before ultimately making a decision on him that can cause them to lose him entirely. Munoz struggled his last two appearances after a strong run, and I think the Astros want more time to look at him, so I think he will get some run as a low leverage reliever.

Christian Roa has been tremendous in spring and has earned a look in the pen to start the season, when the Astros are going to have a full 8-man pen and while Josh Hader and Bennett Sousa are on the IL. In 9.2 IP, Roa allowed one run (a solo HR) on a total of 5 hits and struck out 13 without walking a batter (he did hit 2 batters). Every team loves pen guys who don’t hand out free passes.

Teng loses out partly because he has options and partly because of the wildness he displayed in spring (6 walks in 10.2 IP). Demoting Teng lets the Astros continue to fine tune a pitcher that has the kind of stuff they like. I wouldn’t expect Teng would be down long.

If for some reason Enyel De Los Santos is deemed not to be ready for Opening Day, Teng would take that spot. De Los Santos has guaranteed money, so he will be in the pen if he’s up to speed.

Starting Lineup:

1. Jeremy Pena – SS
2. Yordan Alvarez – LF
3. Jose Altuve – 2B
4. Carlos Correa – 3B
5. Isaac Paredes – DH
6. Christian Walker – 1B
7. Yainer Diaz – C
8. Cam Smith – RF
9. Jake Meyers – CF

Jeremy Pena continues to make progress and if there is not risk of re-injury to his finger, I think it’s plausible he’s starting the season on the Opening Day roster. If he starts on IL, he will have to miss the first 10 games, and if the Astros think he will only need a day or two, I don’t think he gets IL’ed.

Games that Pena cannot play, Carlos Correa will play SS and Isaac Paredes will move to 3B, with Yordan Alvarez likely in the DH spot and one of the younger OFs in left.

The team will look to find ways to get Paredes in the lineup as much as they can, as they really like his offensive profile. Walker needs to be productive or he could find himself losing playing time, as it’s clear team prefers Paredes bat to Walker’s.

They won’t just bench Walker (unless disaster strikes) but they will ensure Paredes plays.

I can see Cam Smith leapfrogging Yainer Diaz in the lineup as well if Cam starts hot and Yainer struggles.

Bench Roles:

Backup catcher: Christian Vazquez.

The Astros didn’t sign Vazquez to stash him in the minors. I also don’t believe Vazquez would have signed if he expected to be in the minors.

Astros made it clear they have heavy reservation about Cesar Salazar being able to hit enough at the MLB level. They wanted the experience and leadership of Vazquez.

Backup SS/IF – Nick Allen.

The Astros got Allen because of his tremendous glove. Allen can play top level defensive shortstop and second base. He would be a long term play in case of significant injury. He will also see time as a late inning defensive replacement.

Backup OF: Joey Loperfido.

This presumes that Yordan Alvarez is going to see more time in LF than the Astros are letting on, and I believe it is reasonable to expect Alvarez to at least play LF twice a week on average. That number could rise depending on how the team figures out getting Paredes ABs, which is a priority for them.

Loperfido had a tremendous spring and can play all three OF spots well defensively. He’s also a left-handed bat, which the team sorely needs to help balance the lineup.

Final Bench Spot: Brice Matthews.

Matthews has shown he can play more than just 2B. Like Cam Smith a year ago, his tremendous speed and athleticism has seen him take to the OF with relative ease.

While he has had minimal time in LF, it does seem the Astros are fine with playing him there (they did play Altuve there last year after all).

Matthews has performed well offensively at Triple-A Sugar Land (.260 AG, .371 OBP, .830 OPS 17 HR 41 SB in 419 AB at AAA in 2025) and while his bat may not be fully ready for MLB just yet, his speed on the bases and extra base potential as well as his positional flexibility will earn him a look early in the season.

Zach Cole’s propensity for striking out really burned his chances of starting the season with the big league club. He hits the ball very hard, generates terrific exit velos, but the swing-and-miss is highly concerning and he can clearly do with more ABs at Triple-A (Cole only has 51 career AB at AAA). Cole will be back once he gets his swing right.

Matthews can act as the RH side of a platoon with Loperfido in the early part of the season, which should see the Astros face at least 4 LH starters early. His basestealing ability can also make him a late inning weapon on the basepaths.

I am interested to see if Matthews can get any run in CF is Meyers is poor at the plate. Meyers hit .152 with a .389 OPS in spring, while Matthews hit .250 with a .400 OBP and .817 OPS as well as 8 SB. Matthews has far more upside than Meyers offensively, much more power, and his speed translates on the bases much better.

I think it is likely that the Astros continue to work on finding a taker for Meyers so they can make Matthews the new CF before the trade deadline. Matthews has the chance to be a dynamic player with league leading SB totals. Cole getting his swing right at AAA would also encourage the Astros to find a taker for Meyers.

While Meyers is a terrific defensive player, his offensive limitations are significant and he is highly likely to regress closer to his norms this season at the plate.

With cacti and canyons behind them for another spring, the Texas Rangers begin their annual tune-up back in Arlington with a two-day exhibition slate against their Surprise roommates from KC.

LHP MacKenzie Gore will take the mound in home whites for the first time for Texas opposite RHP Michael Wacha for the Royals.

You can catch the telecast locally on CW33 or nationally out of market on MLB Network, listen to the radio broadcast via 105.3 The Fan, or you can follow along on Gameday. First pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT.

Go Rangers!

The Mariners lost the final game of spring training to their complex-mates the Padres today, 10-3, but that is not important. Here’s what’s important:

Luis Castillo strong in final appearance of spring

Castillo went five innings and gave up just one run on four hits with five strikeouts. He got the Padres hitters to put the ball on the ground a bunch for easy outs, got whiffs on his four-seamer, and threw 51 of his 76 pitches for strikes. It was a comfortingly familiar performance from Castillo that it’s not hard to imagine him repeating at T-Mobile Park in about a week.

Cal and Julio team up for an early run

As much fun as the WBC was, seeing Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez combine to knock in a run in the first inning reminded us all of how much we didn’t get to see that this spring. Brendan Donovan, who is allergic to not getting on base, was hit by a pitch to start the game, then moved to third on a Raleigh double (114 off the bat!). Julio followed that up with a hard-hit (106 mph) single of his own to knock in Donovan. Unfortunately, Cal was left standing on third as the next three hitters all made outs, which is an issue I very much hope gets left in Peoria – too many times this spring it’s felt like the Mariners failed to add on when they had good opportunities to do so. One final note on Donovan: he ends spring as the Mariners hits leader, with 19. Cole Young, who didn’t play this game, ends up the leader for home runs, with six, and the RBI leader, with 18, just as we all predicted.

Randy Arozarena continues to heat up

The Mariners got their second run of the game off actual-starter Germán Márquez, who thought he could sneak an elevated fastball past Randy Arozarena. That was just his second homer of the spring, with his first coming five days ago in the game against the Brewers. Arozarena has been historically somewhat of a streaky player, so hopefully he’s headed back to Seattle on one of his heaters.

Leo Rivas: likely Opening Day shortstop

Leo Rivas made another start at shortstop today and it feels like that’s what the Mariners will be rolling out on Opening Day. There’s been no official update on J.P. Crawford’s status but he still wasn’t playing catch yesterday, per Daniel Kramer, so it feels like Rivas is being primed for an Opening Day start. It would be the first Opening Day start of Rivas’s career and his first time being on an Opening Day roster, so make sure to pack an extra tissue or two if you’re headed to the game.

Brash continues to search for command

It’s not Matt Brash’s fault there were two errors committed behind him in the infield that led to a run scoring, but there were some yellow flags in his performance beyond that. Brash, whose start to spring was slowed by a dental issue, still doesn’t quite seem like he’s got his command dialed in; the sinker and slider were both all over the place today, and he got lucky with some pitches that wound up way too much on the plate, including an inning-ending run-saving double play on a slider that came off the bat of Ethan Salas at 105 mph. The box score will tell you that Brash threw just nine of his 18 pitches for strikes; I will tell you that just because a Padres hitter swung doesn’t necessarily mean the pitch was a strike. Anyway, color me lightly concerned over Brash’s readiness for the regular season. I feel like that color is yellow.

Vargas sharp again

At the opposite end of the command spectrum we have Carlos Vargas, which is a weird sentence to type considering his history of wandering command. But Vargas again set down his assigned hitters 1-2-3, although he did have to battle with the lone major leaguer of the crew, fighting Ramón Laureano for eight pitches before getting him to go after an elevated sinker for a strikeout. I am still baffled as to why Vargas insists on throwing just the sinker-slider combo and essentially abandoning his cutter, a pitch I always thought was a good weapon for weak contact, but maybe the Mariners are having him edit his arsenal to try to tame the command issues. It doesn’t feel like the leash on Vargas is particularly long considering all the good depth they have squirreled away in Tacoma, but for now it seems pretty clear he’s been given a spot in the bullpen – and having José Ferrer around to slide Vargas into lower-leverage spots is definitely improvement.

But wait, Kate, if Castillo only gave up one run and Brash only gave up one run and Vargas went 1-2-3, how did the Padres win 10-3?

I feel very badly for Casey Hintz for getting saddled with the eighth inning in this one. Hintz was a 2025 draftee out of Arizona in the 16th round and from what I hear, the team likes him and thinks he’ll be a quick mover. Unfortunately being a polished collegiate who is also a recent draftee sometimes means you get thrown into situations like these, playing one of your early professional games in front of the biggest crowd you’ve ever been in front of with a shaky infield behind you and sometimes an outing just goes sideways, which is what happened to Hintz. He’ll bounce back. (The other fistful of runs was given up by Reese Lumpkin, who I am sorry to say I don’t know anything about other than he was signed as an UDFA this past July.)

A final thank you

If you’ve been reading these spring training recaps and participating in game threads, thank you so much. Spring training is always a tough one to talk about seriously with the radio-only delayed games and the parade of NRIs and the ridiculous desert conditions coloring performances, but this year was particularly rough with the wave of regulars out for the WBC and the general lack of position battles and the kind of spicy spring storylines that generate conversation. So if this is your first or your thirtieth spring training game of the year, thanks for being along for the ride.

Cactus League play has wrapped up, so the Royals begin their seemingly-annual exhibition trip to Dallas to play the Rangers at Globe Life in advance of Opening Day. It’s not spring training, it’s not the regular season, it’s…baseball purgatory I guess. I’ve heard you don’t want to be flying around Atlanta right now anyway. Huge lines.

For this exhibition game, the Royals will start Michael Wacha. We all know this guy and what he’s done.

The Rangers will start Mackenzie Gore, who is still somehow just 27 years old. I feel like he’s been talked about forever. He is on his third MLB team in his fifth season, and it’s the first with the Rangers, who gave up a ton of prospects to get him. Gore’s a good pitcher but has generally been worse than Michael Wacha the past few years. He’s just younger.

The game starts at 7:05pm US Central time. You can watch the game on MLB Network, though possibly only out-of-market. I’m a little confused as to what’s listed on MLB Gameday, which says “MLBN, MLBN (out of network)”. If you happen to live in the Rangers viewing area, you can watch on CW33. You can listen on 96.5 the Fan or the Royals Radio Network.

Lineups:

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

Last week, I asked you to think about how many games the Orioles will win this season. The majority of people who responded see the team ending up in a win range that will get them back into the postseason after missing out last year. For this week, the question is more specific. How far do you think that the Orioles will get?

Much to the ongoing disappointment of Orioles fans, the team has not won a postseason game in more than a decade now. Neither the 101-61 AL East champions from 2023 or the 91-71 wild card team from 2024 proved to have enough juice to snap this streak. Then last year’s ongoing failure happened and they didn’t even get a third bite at the apple. Sheesh.

The team already has some challenges to contend with before the 2026 season has even begun with early spring injuries to Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg. It’s still unclear when or even if Westburg will be able to play this year. There are also things that look to be going much better for the Orioles, with a starting rotation that’s heavily revamped compared to the mess of last season. If you believe in some bounce-backs and some strong years from younger players, it’s not hard to picture better things.

Vote in the survey above and let us know what you feel in the comments below. Results will be posted later in the week.

As the St. Louis Cardinals make their way toward Busch Stadium for Opening Day Thursday, they make a stop in Springfield for a game against the minor league Cardinals at Hammons Field starting at 6:05pm. According to the Cardinals, it will be Dustin May pitching for the big league Cardinals while Brycen Mautz will start for the baby birds.

St. Louis Cardinals starting lineup:

1. JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B
2. Masyn Winn (R) SS
3. Alec Burleson (L) 1B
4. Thomas Saggese (R) 3B
5. Jordan Walker (R) RF
6. Yohel Pozo (R) DH
7. Nathan Church (L) LF
8. Pedro Pagés (R) C
9. Victor Scott II (L) CF

Springfield Cardinals starting lineup:

1. Bryan Torres (L) 2B
2. César Prieto (L) SS
3. Joshua Báez (R) CF
4. Nelson Velázquez (R) RF
5. Jimmy Crooks (L) C
6. Blaze Jordan (R) 3B
7. Leo Bernal (S) 1B
8. Colton Ledbetter (L) LF
9. Bligh Madris (L) DH