Category: Baseball

His command has remained alarmingly inconsistent. His explanations are starting to sound more like excuses.

Roki Sasaki has done little this spring to inspire confidence that he will be an effective starting pitcher this season.

But he will be on the Dodgers’ opening-day roster.

“He’s going to be one of our starters,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters this week.

Asked by Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group whether Sasaki was one of the team’s 13 best pitchers, Roberts offered a revealing non-answer.

“He’s going to start the season in the rotation,” Roberts said.

In other words, no.

That doesn’t mean the Dodgers shouldn’t have the unseasoned 24-year-old on their major league roster. Just because they technically have the right to option Sasaki to the minor leagues doesn’t mean they should.

Sasaki trusted them when he chose to play for them. Regardless of whether they believe he will succeed, they now owe their second-year right-hander the same courtesy.

Doing right by Sasaki is in the best interest of everyone involved – for Sasaki, who believes he can start in the major leagues, and for the Dodgers, whose dealings with him could influence how they are viewed by the future Japanese players.

Examining the Dodgers’ position with Sasaki requires revisiting the circumstances under which he was signed. 

Because he was only 23 when the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese league made him available to major league teams before the 2025 season, he was classified as an international amateur. As such, Sasaki could only sign a minor league contract.

The bargain price made Sasaki the most desirable Japanese free agent in history outside of Shohei Ohtani.

Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka were comparable to Sasaki in stature when they moved stateside, but each cost their original major league teams more than $100 million. 

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Sasaki could have fetched $200 million on the open market. The Dodgers landed him for just a $6.5-million bonus.

Rules prohibited teams from making any promises to Sasaki about a future contract or roster spot, but the Dodgers had to know they were taking on unspoken responsibilities when they signed him. 

Here was a pitcher viewed as arguably the most talented ever produced by his home country, one pursued by other teams as a frontline starter.

The scale of the vision they sold Sasaki became evident at his introductory news conference when president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he would be part of the rotation from the start of his rookie season. There were mentions of a Cy Young Award and comparisons to Paul Skenes.

Sasaki flopped in the regular season last year. 

Maybe it was because his preparation was rushed so that he could start in the Dodgers’ season-opening series in Tokyo. Maybe it was because of the unfamiliar part of the major league game such as the pitch clock or slicker American baseball. Maybe it was the shoulder problem that ended up sidelining him for four months. 

Or maybe he just wasn’t as good as the Dodgers thought.

He managed to salvage the year by returning as a reliever in the final week of the regular season. 

He became the closer in October, his festive entrance music and 100-mph fastball transforming him into a crowd favorite. While he became less dominant with each passing round of the playoffs, he was without question a major reason why the Dodgers won the World Series.

Something else worth recalling: Sasaki agreed to pitch in relief under the condition that he be given an opportunity to start this year.

The Dodgers are honoring their arrangement, and it’s important they do so. 

The reality is that Americans are viewed as particularly untrustworthy in many parts of the world, and that perception is strengthened every time a foreign player and his major league team have entirely dissimilar interpretations of the same deal. 

In the case of Sasaki, he obviously expects to be afforded the luxury of treating spring training as a time to experiment in preparation for the regular season rather than to prove anything.

He wouldn’t be the only Japanese player to have treated the exhibition season in this way. 

Ichiro Suzuki was famously doubted by his own manager in his first major league camp. Ohtani was compared to a high school hitter in a Yahoo Sports article that quoted several scouts who broke down his miserable Cactus League performance.

Sasaki has a 13.50 earned-run average in three exhibition starts, but he hasn’t sounded concerned.

“If I’m able to pitch the entire season,” Sasaki told reporters after his most recent Cactus League game, “I don’t think anyone will remember spring training.”

The Dodgers are giving him the same chance the Angels once gave Ohtani to prove the skeptics wrong, and why not?

Sasaki is not pushing Tarik Skubal out of the rotation. 

Sasaki’s spot comes at the expense of River Ryan, whose workload the team will carefully monitor this year because he is coming back from Tommy John surgery. 

What happens from here is entirely up to Sasaki.

He won’t be able to point a finger at the Dodgers for demoting him right as he thought everything was about to come together.

He won’t be able to complain about how they didn’t trust him after telling him how much they believed in him.

If he fails, this will be squarely on him.

If World Baseball Classic organizers want more MLB stars in the tournament’s mix, Max Scherzer said this week he has a solution that “would get everybody to participate.”

During a sitdown interview with Foul Territory’s A.J. Pierzynski and Erik Kratz, Scherzer claimed a small schedule tweak would have players lining up for WBC uniforms.

“I wish this tournament was pushed back two weeks,” the future Hall of Famer said, before explaining 14 additional days would significantly lessen athletes’ concerns about injuries.

“Two more weeks here and in my opinion, you’d really drop the risk factor for pitchers,” he said, “and you would get everybody to participate.”

The WBC traditionally kicks off in early March, and while that’s not necessarily a problem for Big League hitters, Scherzer told Pierzynski and Kratz it’s a significant issue for pitchers.

The Blue Jays starter called throwing in high-intensity games so early in the season “a huge risk factor.”

But if the showcase started in late March, Scherzer said it’d change everything.

“Everybody wants to be out there competing for their country,” said the 42-year-old, who’s never participated in a WBC. “Full stop. There’s no argument about that. Everybody wants to. It’s just you have a risk factor to this. This is hard on your arm.”

Scherzer acknowledged that might mean the MLB season would have to drop from 162 games to 155 and there would be a financial loss, but he said the benefit for the sport would be worth it.

“The WBC is great. Everybody is watching,” Scherzer said. “Can you imagine if all the players were in it and it’s even better? You’re having even better baseball. The WBC can be even better with that regard.”

Plus, Scherzer noted April matchups are “not high-revenue games” for MLB teams.

The WBC began on March 5 and concluded on March 17. Team USA advanced to the finals, but lost, 3-2, to Venezuela.

Red, white and blue fans have pointed out that adding star pitchers like Garrett Crochett and Bryan Woo — or even getting more innings out of Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller — could have resulted in a championship, and Scherzer said his idea would have paved the way for that reality.

“Where’s the perfect slice here?” he said. “It’s right now (in late March). Start it right now and that would solve a lot of this.”

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Thursday night the Cincinnati Reds will send the best and brightest pieces of their farm system to Scottsdale to take on the best and brightest prospects from the system of the San Francisco Giants, the 2026 edition of the Spring Breakout Game.

Cincinnati won’t be sending the likes of Rhett Lowder or Sal Stewart, I should note, despite both still maintaining rookie status (and, in most cases, ‘prospect’ status). That’s because those two are going to be part of the big league Reds roster come Opening Day. Instead, the Reds will turn over the reins to the likes of Alfredo Duno, Edwin Arroyo, Tyson Lewis, Cam Collier & Co.

Right-hander Chase Petty will toe the rubber to start for Cincinnati’s young stars, and the team will lineup this way:

Of note is a middle infield of Arroyo at short and Leo Balcazar at 2B given that the likes of Steele Hall and Tyson Lewis are both on the roster (and expected to play). My best guess is that the Reds will work those two in together at some point mid-game.

Also on the roster is 2025 2nd round pick Aaron Watson, whom the Reds selected out of Trinity Christian Academy down in Jacksonville last summer. The 19 year old didn’t throw a single professional pitch last year after being drafted, and it would be cool to see him get into some pretty serious non-serious action this evening for the first time.

I say ‘see’ because this one should be able to be viewed most places thanks to televised coverage by NBC Sports Bay Area (and, therefore, MLB.tv). I’ve even seen some reports that it may be viewable via MLB.com, though I cannot guarantee that’s the case at the moment.

First pitch is set for 9:05 PM ET, so put on a pot of coffee while you watch the first round of the NCAA Tournament first.

Sports!

Jurickson Profar is officially out for the 2026 season. 

The Braves outfielder’s appeal for his performance-enhancing drug (PED), 162-game suspension was resolved.

He will also be ineligible to play during the postseason.

It’s the second time Profar tested positive and was suspended for PEDs after receiving an 80-game ban last year, getting popped for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) after appearing in Atlanta’s first four games of the season.

This time around, Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, per ESPN.

At the time of the first suspension, Profar proclaimed innocence, claiming he’d “never willingly take a banned substance.”

“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” Profar said in a statement last March. “There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.”

He is the sixth MLB player to receive the 162-game ban for a second PED violation since the penalty was bumped to a full season in 2014. 

Profar was set to enter the second year of a three-year, $42 million deal he signed with the Braves before the 2025 season. 

He will forfeit his entire $15 million salary for this season. 

When not suspended last season, Profar hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 80 games for Atlanta. 

The former No. 1 overall prospect had a career season in 2024 before the PED suspensions, hitting .280/.380/.459 with 24 long balls while making his first career All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger award.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Ronny Mauricio languished on the bench for the final six weeks of last season, and the Mets weren’t prepared to let that happen again.

The shortstop was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, eliminating him from a potential backup role on the Opening Day roster.

Mauricio played mainly shortstop this spring while Francisco Lindor rehabbed from hamate bone surgery in his left hand.

But Lindor returned in the last week to begin playing in the Grapefruit League, signaling his buildup toward next Thursday’s season opener at Citi Field.

It’s possible the Mets will go without a backup shortstop, instead using Bo Bichette at the position as needed during the season.

“We’re getting to those days where we have to make tough decisions and this was one of them,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But we said it from the beginning: We need Ronny Mauricio to play and for him right now with everyone — knock on wood — healthy, he needs to go down to get everyday reps.”

Mauricio, 24, produced a .313/.389/.531 slash line with one homer and five RBIs in 13 exhibition games this spring. Last season, he saw extensive action at third base, but was squeezed to the bench in mid-August. He received only 20 at-bats over the final six weeks of the season.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns later said Mauricio was kept on the major league roster to preserve his option for this season. The Mets would have otherwise lost that minor league option on Mauricio.

Mauricio missed the 2024 season while rehabbing from multiple knee surgeries.

“We’re very pleased with how he went about his business, what he showed here in camp,” Mendoza said. “Not only he’s healthy, but his ability to play shortstop. He got a lot of reps there and played pretty well, so that is exciting — the fact that he’s playing not only third base, but keeping shortstop as an option.”

Mendoza, a Venezuelan, said he was in tears watching Team Venezuela win the WBC final by beating Team USA, on Tuesday.

“This is something people don’t realize how big a deal it is, especially for a country that suffered so much for the last 20 years,” Mendoza said. “All around the world, there’s families that are feeling and celebrating this victory.”

Kodai Senga, who had a solid start Thursday against the Astros, is scheduled to remain in Port St. Lucie to pitch in a minor league game after the Mets break camp next week.

Mendoza has not announced his rotation beyond Freddy Peralta on Opening Day, but it would appear Senga won’t pitch in the first series against the Pirates.

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing, CF
2. Elian Pena, SS
3. Jacob Reimer, 3B
4. Ryan Clifford, 1B
5. Eli Serrano III, RF
6. Chris Suero, C
7. Mitch Voit, 2B
8. Nick Morabito, LF
9. Randy Guzman, DH

SP: Jack Wenninger

Rays Lineup

1. Austin Overn, LF
2. Theo Gillen, RF
3. Jacob Melton, CF
4. Xavier Isaac, DH
5. Tre’ Morgan, 1B
6. Braydon Taylor, 3B
7. Nathan Flewelling, C
8. Adrian Santana, 2B
9. Daniel Pierce, SS

SP: Jose Urbina

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:10pm EDT
TV: SNY

What more can you say about a team that has won back-to-back World Series and are the overwhelming favorites to make it a three-peat? The Dodgers have positioned themselves to become the first team since the turn-of-the-millennium Yankees to win three titles in a row, which would make them just the third team in over half a century to accomplish the feat. They have become the true evil empire of baseball, scoffing at the playoff crapshoot mentality, the envy of 29 other fan bases who wish the teams they supported were as fully invested in winning every single season.

2025 record: 93-69 (1st, NL West)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 99-63 (1st, NL West)

Employing possibly the greatest all-around player in MLB history is always a decent place to start. Shohei Ohtani is going for his fourth-straight MVP and fifth in the last six seasons, and in fairness it’s difficult to pick out a legitimate challenger for his crown in the NL. No player in the sport is projected to be more valuable in 2026 — when combining his hitting and pitching projections, Ohtani’s projected fWAR of 8.4 clocks in at over a full win more than Aaron Judge.

As all-powerful as he is, the Dodgers have created an enviable supporting cast around their unicorn talent. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts no longer at their peak? No worries, they’ll just sign the undisputed No. 1 free agent hitter for $60 million per year! And that’s not to say Freeman and Betts won’t be productive in 2026. Over the last two seasons, Freeman has settled in as roughly a four-win first baseman and can be expected to do the same this year, while Betts’ situation is slightly more murky. He is coming off a career-worst performance in a full season, ending the year marginally better than league average with the bat. All the same, 3.4 fWAR is still a borderline All-Star, it just fell short of the incredibly high standard he set in his first five seasons in LA — averaging a 146 wRC+ and roughly 6.0 fWAR/650 PA.

FanGraph Depth Charts projects a healthy rebound from Betts, he and Freeman expected to post a wRC+ somewhere in the 130s while combining to be worth between eight and nine wins. That’s still a roughly five-to-six win shortage relative to their peaks, but would you look at that, the Dodgers brought in Kyle Tucker to neatly make up that deficit. So what exactly does $60 million a year buy you these days? In King Tuck’s case, 33 home runs, a 142 wRC+, and 4.9 fWAR if Depth Charts is to be believed — all top-12 marks among hitters’ projections. Between Ohtani, Betts, and Tucker, the Dodgers should have three of the 12 most valuable players in MLB in 2026.

That doesn’t even take into account the rest of the supporting cast. Catcher Will Smith and center fielder Andy Pages are projected to be among the top-eight at their positions, ticketed to be worth more than three wins apiece. In fact, Hyeseong Kim is their only starter projected to produce less than 19 home runs, a 112 wRC+, and 2.1 fWAR.

If there’s anything that’s going to trip them up, it’s on the pitching side. Yoshinobu Yamamoto established himself as a top-ten starting pitcher in the league last year and that should remain the case in 2026. However, behind their ace lies a ton of injury and downside risk. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are walking human Band-Aids, though the Dodgers’ plan for the pair appears to be to not care about the regular season as long as they are ready for the playoffs. Who knows how many innings the Dodgers will let Ohtani pitch? And while Emmet Sheehan had something of a breakout 2025 and Roki Sasaki found some stability after moving to the bullpen, I have heavy doubts over the pair’s ability to hold up in the rotation for an entire season.

The bullpen also features pretty wide error bars after the Dodgers had to rely on several relative unknowns in 2025 to make up for the unexpected regression of their high leverage arms. I suppose this underlies the reasoning behind LA signing Edwin Díaz away from the Mets on a three-year deal, finally cementing their closer role after several failed tries. I’m certainly not as optimistic as the projections that Tanner Scott can rebound from being replacement level in 2025, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them unearth some new hidden gems as they did last campaign.

A quick look at a pair of projection systems reveals just how much the Dodgers have separated themselves from the rest of the league. FanGraphs projects the Dodgers to win the division with a 99-63 record — they don’t project any other team in baseball to reach even 90 wins. They’ve been assigned a 99-percent playoff odds — the Mets are the next highest at 80.7-percent — and a whopping 26.8-percent chance to win the World Series, their closest chasers being the Mariners at 8.6-percent. Over at PECOTA things are even more stark. With a win-loss projection of 105-57, the Dodgers are projected to win 14 more games than the next-best team in the Mariners. Their 100-percent playoff odds are more than six points higher than the Mariners, while their 20.2-percent odds to win the World Series is almost five points higher than second-best Seattle.

It’s not that the Dodgers have improved that much on paper so much as two of their divisional challengers getting worse. The Diamondbacks were one of the surprise top sellers at last year’s trade deadline, dealing away three of the team’s top contributors in Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, and Shelby Miller, downgrading to Nolan Arenado, Carlos Santana, and Paul Sewald to fill those roles. Meanwhile over in San Diego, focus is fixed on the looming team sale rather than the on-field product, which is how you get a starting rotation that could fail to feature a starter who throws 100 innings in 2026. We haven’t even played a game and yet the World Series is already the Dodgers’ to lose, and at this point I’m not sure I can spot a team that can steal their crown away from them.

Astros RP Bennett Sousa, who had a career season last year before being shut down with a pronator strain, injured his oblique during PFPs yesterday and will begin the season on IL:

Sousa has just ascended to being the top setup reliever last season when he was injured, he went down about 1 week after the Astros lost closer Josh Hader for the season.

This year, the Astros have a lot more pitching depth, and are better equipped to handle the loss of a leverage reliever than they were a year ago.

Houston will begin this season the same way they ended last season in regards to those two relievers, with both Hader and now Sousa beginning the season on IL.

The Astros are lining up their rotation for the regular season, as starters Hunter Brown and Tatsuya Imai have their final tune-ups coming:

UT Zach Dezenzo is dealing with an elbow injury after returning from the WBC:

SP J.P. France wants to show the team he can still be the effective pitcher he was during his rookie season, before a difficult shoulder capsule injury stole nearly 2 years of his career from him:

Houston’s organizational philosophy change towards being more selective at the plate was on display in the Spring Breakout game:

Astros bench coach Omar Lopez returned to the Astros a WBC Champion:

Baseball is booming and so are the ticket prices. In 2026, ticket prices depend on where you sit and which team you’re watching.

Here in California, the divide isn’t subtle. It’s as large as the Grand Canyon.

The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t just lead Major League Baseball in ticket prices this year, they honestly belong in another economic category altogether.

The average minimum ticket price at Dodger Stadium sits at $76.57, nearly double the MLB average of $34.82.

It’s also miles ahead of their California neighbors, including the nearby Angels who have the lowest ticket prices in the league.

The Dodgers ticket prices are not based on bobbleheads, premium nights, or opponents. The back-to-back World Series champions have created sustained demand.

A nightly tax to watch the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and now Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz. This isn’t just an ordinary baseball roster, it’s a traveling All-Star team, and the cost of admission reflects it.

And when the Dodgers travel, the exorbitant ticket prices come with them. Opposing ballparks swell with anticipation–and price hikes.

On average across the league, when the Dodgers come to town, the cheapest ticket in the ballpark jumps to $62.51. The only other team in that stratosphere is the rival Yankees.

If you travel a few hundred miles south, then the story changes–but not entirely.

The San Diego Padres, averaging $40.04 per game, sit comfortably in the league’s upper middle class, buoyed by a roster that still carries star power and October ambition.

Up north, the San Francisco Giants command $47.85, a blend of history, ballpark beauty, and brand equity that keeps Oracle Park buzzing, especially when the Yankees or Dodgers roll through town and send prices soaring into triple digits.

And then there are the Angels.

At $16.02 per game—the lowest in all of baseball—the Los Angeles Angels aren’t just affordable in today’s market, they are a reflection of their 11 straight years of futility.

Owner Arte Moreno recently suggested fans care more about affordability than winning, a quote that lands with the soft thud of another last-place finish.

Because in Anaheim, the barrier to entry is low, but so, too, are expectations. When the Dodgers visit, even that changes—the average ticket spikes dramatically, a reminder that demand isn’t dead, it’s just waiting for something worth chasing.

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That’s the tension running through baseball’s 2026 season. Most of the data above comes from a new report by Doc’s Sports, who analyzed 2,426 games across the league.

The median ticket price sits at $29.00. A number that suggests accessibility. But the average creeps higher, dragged upward by a select few franchises that have turned their brand into currency.

The Dodgers are the clearest example of that transformation. They’ve monetized excellence, leveraged stardom, and built a product fans are willing to pay a premium to experience. The Angels, by contrast, have discounted hope.

Somewhere between Chavez Ravine and The Big A, between $76.57 and $16.02, lies the true state of baseball’s economy—where winning doesn’t just lift banners. It raises prices significantly.

TAMPA - Here are some observations and notes from the Yankees' spring training action on Thursday...

Max Fried fine to still be fine-tuning

Fried, the Yankees' most crucial starter entering the season, struggled in his final start before taking the mound for the regular season opener against the Giants next week. The lefty allowed three runs on five hits and walked four, but seemed earnestly grateful for the chance to stumble before the games count.

“Definitely not sharp, but also the perfect amount of being able to make that adjustment,” said Fried, who said he valued the chance to work on some different sequencing and pitch with runners on base against a Baltimore Orioles lineup that looked similar to what it will be during the regular season.

“I would rather, in this situation, have a little bit more traffic on the bases, taking the chances,” Fried said. “Something maybe I would not do during the regular season to push those boundaries and get feedback in a not completely results-based game.”

Carlos Lagrange sent down

Aaron Boone announced after the game that the Yankees reassigned the young right-hander to minor league camp. A month ago, that announcement would have felt like mere formality: At 22 years old, with 16 Double-A appearances to his name, Lagrange did not begin this spring as a candidate to break camp with a team that views itself as a World Series contender.

But after four impressive Grapefruit League outings in which he combined his 100-plus mph fastball with more consistent strike-throwing and in-zone command of his change-up and slider, Lagrange pitched his way into the Yankees' plans for 2026.

“He made it a difficult decision, which coming into this wouldn’t have even thought there was a decision,” Boone said. “He definitely caught everyone’s attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season. I don’t know. But I can just tell you we’re all very excited about his continued development and what he could mean to our team at some point.”

All spring, the Yankees handled Lagrange like a starter. He has a varied enough arsenal to stick as a starter in the majors, as long as he commands his secondary pitches like he did this spring. At the moment, the Yankees have major league starting pitching depth with reinforcements on the way. But Lagrange has pushed his way into their plans once already, and there are only so many 102 mph fastballs to be found.

With Opening Day inching closer and closer, the Yankees are gradually dealing with some roster question marks, the latest of moves involving Angel Chivilli and Carlos Lagrange. The former was optioned to Triple-A while the latter was sent to minor-league camp.

Specializing in finding hidden gems with which to build their bullpen in recent seasons, the Yankees acquired Angel Chivilli from the Rockies via trade this offseason. The young right-hander who is coming off an atrocious 2025 campaign got knocked around enough in spring training to begin the year in the minors. On a positive note, he did strike out 10 batters in 6.2 innings of work, so something to keep an eye on. Chivilli was always going to be a bit of a relief project, so he’ll have time to polish his craft at Triple-A rather than potentially costing games in the process.

Despite impressing in spring, Lagrange, who’s never pitched above Double-A, was always likely to require more seasoning in the minors. The 22-year-old allowed just one run across 9.2 innings in three appearances, one of them a start. Lagrange’s last appearance was an incredibly exciting one, holding the Red Sox scoreless through four innings, sitting 99+ mph on his heater, and generating 11 whiffs on 29 swings. His presence and impact on the major-league team seem to be only a matter of time.

Excitement is building for the San Francisco Giants, as Opening Day creeps ever closer … we’re just six days away, now. But unfortunately, the news on Thursday is anything but exciting: a few hours before the Giants play one of their final Cactus League games and their Spring Breakout contest, the Giants announced that right-handed pitcher Hayden Birdsong will undergo Tommy John surgery.

That seemed likely ever since the Giants revealed that Birdsong was sidelined with a UCL injury. Birdsong and the staff were openly weighing surgery against a lengthy rehab treatment, and opted for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister. From there, the decision for surgery was made, and Meister will perform Tommy John on the team’s young starter next week.

It’s a huge blow for Birdsong, who was hoping to rebound from his brutal second half of 2025, and has as much talent as any pitcher in the Giants organization. And it’s quite a hit for a Giants team that is desperately hoping some of their young starting pitchers will step up and be able to fill in when the rotation needs it, while also bolstering the bullpen. They still have Trevor McDonald, Carson Whisenhunt, Blade Tidwell, and Carson Seymour, but after designating Mason Black for assignment, trading Kai-Wei Teng, and now losing Birdsong to injury, that depth has taken quite a hit.

On the bright side, Tommy John surgery is not the death sentence it once was for pitchers. These days, nearly every hard-throwing pitcher has to have TJ at least once in their career, and the vast majority return to pitch at their previous levels. If Birdsong needs reason to feel optimistic, he need just talk to the two pitchers at the top of the team’s rotation, Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. They’ve both been through it, and emerged with excellence on the other side.

But it will take a while. The surgery means that Birdsong won’t pitch at all this season, and is likely to miss the first few months of the 2027 season, as well. Given that his spot on the active roster is no sure thing, and that it could take him a while of rehab appearances to shake off the rust, it wouldn’t be surprising if Birdsong doesn’t pitch in the Majors again until 2028.

The Houston Astros (10-11-3) host the New York Mets (11-9-2) in Grapefruit League play.

RHP Peter Lambert (1-0) will make his second start and fifth appearance of the Spring tonight as he takes on Mets RHP Kodai Senga.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Peter Lambert gets his second start and fifth overall appearance of the Spring tonight. He has been solid this Spring, allowing just one run in 9.0 innings of work for a 1.00 ERA.

Lambert, who was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, spent the 2025 season playing in Japan for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the NPB. In 23 appearances (22 GS) for the Swallows, he posted a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP).

Prior to his season in Japan, Lambert had been in the Rockies organization since being selected in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft. While with the Rockies, he spent parts of four different seasons in the Major Leagues with stints in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024. On June 6, 2019, Lambert had a record-setting ML debut, tallying nine K’s to set a franchise record for strikeouts in a debut.

TONIGHT’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: LHP Bryan King, LHP Steven Okert, RHP Bryan Abreu, RHP Wilmy Sanchez, RHP Jose Guedez, RHP Trey McLoughlin.

BREAKOUT WALKOFF: The Astros earned a 7-6, come-from-behind, walk-off win over the Marlins in today’s Breakout Game at CACTI Park.

TRIUMPHANT RETURN: Astros bench coach Omar Lopez rejoined the club this afternoon, fresh off of managing Team Venezuela to its first WBC championship.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, March 19, 5:05 p.m. CST

Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL

TV: none

Streaming: none

Radio: none

Very unique lineup for Astros tonight, with Paredes at 1B, Yordan in LF, Correa at SS, Whitcomb at 3B.

Astros SP Peter Lambert will face what Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said was “pretty close” to his Opening Day lineup:

Mets lineup

Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Jorge Polanco – 1B
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Mark Vientos – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Kodai Senga – RHP

Astros lineup

Jose Altuve – 2B
Isaac Paredes – 1B
Yordan Alvarez – LF
Carlos Correa – SS
Cam Smith – RF
Zach Cole – CF
Christian Walker – DH
Yainer Diaz – C
Shay Whitcomb – 3B

SP: Peter Lambert – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 6:05 PM EDT
TV: Not this time
Radio: Sorry, no

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles, March 19, 2026, 6:05 p.m. ET

Location: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL

How to Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7

The Pittsburgh Pirates are back on the field against the Baltimore Orioles looking to grab a win in Spring Training.

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Bucs Dugout is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
• The commenting system was updated during the summer. They’re still working on optimizing it for Game Day Threads like ours. If you don’t like clicking “Load More Comments”, remember that the “Z” key can be your friend. It loads up the latest comments automatically.

BD community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!