Category: Baseball

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.

• Recalled from Triple-A Reno: INF Jose Fernandez (No. 11)
• Placed on the 10-day injured list: INF Pavin Smith (left elbow inflammation; retro to March 29)

Hmm. This is another case where a Diamondbacks player was hurt, is initially cleared to play, and then a few days later has to go on the injured list. Seems to be rather more of a trend than I’d like. Anyway, it gives Jose Fernandez his MLB debut after an impressive spring. He had largely come out of nowhere after being added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft: at that point, Fernandez was largely unknown to casual fans. This promotion comes after precisely one (1) game at the Triple-A level for Jose, so we’ll see how the 22-year-old right-hander copes. It does leave Arizona with only two “true” lefties (Carroll and Thomas), though there are five switch-hitters.

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What should we expect from Soroka? He had a “meh” spring, with a 7.20 ERA across four starts and twelve innings. However, he did strike out 17 batters. The problem was more the 17 hits and 7 walks allowed. Last season, he had a 4.52 ERA over 22 starts between the Nationals and the Cubs, though his FIP was a little better, at 4.23. The 28-year-old right-hander is in his seventh major-league season since debuting for the Braves in 2018. He was the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up the following season, and arguably should have beaten Pete Alonso. But it has largely been downhill for him since.

After a disappointing series in Los Angeles, the Diamondbacks getting swept by the Dodgers, we return home for the home opener. It’s going to mark the official debut of Michael Soroka. He was signed as a starter over the winter, got bounced to the bullpen after the team re-signed Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, then returned to the rotation because of Kelly’s spring injury. It’s likely this will be a brief return, with potentially only two further starts needed for Soroka. Kelly is scheduled to make rehab starts on April 3rd and 8th, and all being well, would then return to the rotation. I’m thinking Soroka back to the bullpen and Joe Ross DFA’d, but we’ll figure that out when necessary.

Soroka missed almost three years between 2020 and 2023 with massive Achilles tendon issues which required surgery on a trio of separate occasions. That included a complete re-tear in June 2021, while doing nothing more strenuous than walking back to the clubhouse. Since finally recovering, he has a 4.91 ERA, which is an ERA+ of only 85. But as now the #6 starter for Arizona – and #7 when Corbin Burnes comes back – the necessary standard is not going to be very high. Last year, after Burnes/Ryne Nelson, Kelly and Zac Gallen, the rest of the Arizona rotation made 73 starts with an ERA of 5.05. So even Soroka’s post-Achilles norm would be an improvement.

The Yankees passed their first test of the regular season with flying colors, tranquilizing the Giants in a three-game sweep. Now, following an unconventional Sunday off, the Yankees will pay a visit to a popular preseason World Series pick: the Seattle Mariners.

The M’s, of course, came a game away from reaching the Fall Classic last season, but faltered late against the Blue Jays. Much like the Yankees, they’ve returned with a very similar roster from last year, and their pitching rotation is the same lethal crew we’ve gotten familiar with over the past few seasons. Luis Castillo will face the Yankee lineup, while Ryan Weathers faces a stout test in his Yankee debut.

Weathers had his share of struggles in spring training, but he also flashed the wipeout stuff which made the Yankees zero in on him as a sleeper pick for their rotation. Despite an ERA over 8 in Grapefruit League play, he ultimately made the starting rotation over Luis Gil, and tonight will be something of a referendum on whether that decision was a good one.

Castillo is somehow already entering his age-33 season. The affable righty and three-time All Star hasn’t quite been a top-flight arm in recent years, but given the Mariners’ embarrassment of riches in their staff, he doesn’t need to. All Seattle really needs out of him is another season like the ones he’s put out lately: an ERA around 3.50 and at least 30 starts. While he’s theoretically a poor matchup for the Yankees given his tendency to give up the long ball, he’s excelled against the Bombers in his career.

It’s the top-flight lineup tonight for Aaron Boone’s club. Many of the lefties have been stacked together against Castillo: Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice will hit consecutively, as will Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon, and Austin Wells. What’s more notable is an absence in Dan Wilson’s starting nine. The Mariners are giving star catcher Cal Raleigh the night off following his struggles in Seattle’s four-game opening series against Cleveland. Raleigh only went 2-for-15 with ten strikeouts against Guardians pitching. So instead Mitch Garver will catch, and lefty-smasher Rob Refsnyder will start at DH. Can the M’s recreate Raleigh’s production in the aggregate? There’s only one way to find out.

How to watch

Location: T-Mobile Park — Seattle, WA

First pitch: 9:40 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, Seattle Sports (710 AM)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

New Series in Seattle 👊#RepBXpic.twitter.com/ACcp7lugao

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 30, 2026

Welcoming the Yankees to town. #TridentsUppic.twitter.com/OTkFFr3KU1

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 30, 2026

The Cincinnati Reds ran their win streak to three games on Monday with a hotly contested 2-0 shutout victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series opener between the NL Central rivals in Great American Ball Park.

Of note was the manner in which the Reds won, as Chase Burns got his first start of the 2026 season and fired 5.0 IP of scoreless, one-hit ball. He struck out 7, walked 3, and generally looked like his completely dominant best self across 78 pitches, putting largely to bed the worries about the de-load outing he dealt with late in spring camp. On top of that, Jose Franco fired 1.2 IP of mostly impressive ball in his big league debut, Graham Ashcraft was electric in fanning a trio in 1.1 IP, and Connor Phillips flashed some pretty electric breaking stuff to lock down his first career save.

Not to be outdone by his fellow new Reds, Sal Stewart had another brilliant day by going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a run scored, and Will Benson chipped in with an RBI triple that plated a rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’ Eugenio Suarez all the way from 1B in the process.

Speaking of Sal…

What stood out in this one, I think, is just how much the Reds always felt firmly in command despite the game being close throughout. A quiet confidence, I’d say, which is an odd sight for a team who so obviously leaned on players who are very much still establishing themselves. Stewart entered play today as a 22 year old with 71 career big league PA, Phillips notched his first career save, Franco made his big league debut, and the win for Burns was his first as a big leaguer (and just his 8th at any level as a professional).

Other Notes

• Elly De La Cruz drew a walk and singled on a sharp liner up the middle, but he also was thrown out trying to steal 2B for his first CS of the season.
• Through four games, a Reds club that averaged dang near 200 steals a season across David Bell’s final two seasons has just 1 (one) steal as a team.
• Tyler Stephenson and Ke’Bryan Hayes both went hitless again and neither has managed a base knock yet this year. No pressure!
• Tuesday’s game between these two is also slated for a 6:40 PM ET start, and lefty Brandon Williamson will get the start for Cincinnati. Pittsburgh will send out top prospect Bubba Chandler for his first start of 2025 after he impressed in 7 G at the end of the 2025 season at age-22.

The Mariners draw a tough opponent in their quest for their first series win of 2026. The Yankees of New York, New York look every bit the force of nature they’ve been the past few years, with Aaron Judge already climbing the home run leaderboard.

In their attempt to win game one, Seattle will hand the ball to Luis Castillo for his first start of the season. It’s a compelling first opponent for Castillo, who’s pitched some gems against the Yanks, most notably his home debut after being traded to Seattle in 2022, when he pitched eight shutout innings.

His counterpart will be Ryan Weathers, who was picked directly after Jarred Kelenic in the 2018 Draft. He’s looked the part of a fifth/sixth starter when he’s been healthy, though his CSW% (called strikes plus whiffs divided by total pitches) has always run ahead of his strikeout rate, even though those stats are generally tightly correlated. Maybe there’s still more in there. FanGraphs has a write-up of his new pitch this week.

Lineups!

Facing the lefty Weathers, the Mariners will turn back to their righty platoon bats, with Rob Refsnyder and Víctor Robles getting starts at DH and right field. Cal will get his first off day, which makes sense to do today, since it means Garver will face a lefty and Cal will face the top of the Yankees’ rotation over the next couple days. Cal’s absence means we will not see the Refsnyder-Cal-Julio top three that we saw Saturday night against a lefty starter, but I’ll still plug my proposal to shuffle the top three against lefties to be Julio-Refsnyder-Cal.

Aaron Judge is having the worst season of his career with a 53.8% strikeout rate. Pathetic. The Yankees seem to feel this is just the result of only having played three games so far, so it hasn’t cost him his spot in the lineup yet. He’ll bat second tonight.

Pre-Game Reading

• More on the Yanks in the series preview from Jake
• Max’s Minor League Roundups are back baby! We do a lot here at LL, but I think this is something you truly can’t get anywhere else.
• KING 5 (KGW in Portland, KREM in Spokane, and KTVB in Boise) will broadcast ten games this season for free on basic cable. They will still be simulcast on Mariners TV
• Kate’s recap of yesterday’s coming out party for Emerson Hancock
• The story on the Mariners new Sunday Steelhead uniforms

Game Info

First pitch: 6:40 PDT
TV: Mariners TV, which you can a subscription to online or watch on several cable networks. Kate’s got the details.
Radio: 710 KIRO, in Rick Rizzs’s final season

San Francisco Giants (0-3) at San Diego Padres (1-2), March 30, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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New series starts today. pic.twitter.com/JXND98Y2A2

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 30, 2026

New day, new series in San Diego

⌚️: 6:40 p.m. PT
📍: San Diego, CA
📺: @NBCSGiants
📻: @KNBR | KSFN#SFGiants | @CocaColapic.twitter.com/UDrVeKe5Ow

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 30, 2026

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Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Gaslamp Ball 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

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

The Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, is already underway (Max has the recap for you on Triple-A Opening Weekend here.) The Mariners’ Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers, open up their season at home in Dickey-Stephens Park on April 7. Today the Travs announced their 2026 roster, and the big news is that the Mariners’ two top pitching prospects, LHP Kade Anderson and RHP Ryan Sloan, will skip past High-A Everett and start the season directly in Double-A, often used as a launching pad for the big leagues.

Anderson, a College World Series champion with LSU, was the Mariners’ first-round choice this past draft. A polished pitcher with advanced command over a sophisticated arsenal, it’s not surprising to see Anderson assigned directly to Double-A, as that’s common practice with these kinds of experienced college pitchers. Anderson often draws comparisons to Blue Jays lefty Trey Yesavage, another college arm drafted in the first round, who jumped from A-ball to pitching in MLB by the end of the season. The Mariners are opting to skip Anderson directly to Double-A rather than jump him all over the country, but don’t be surprised to see him up with the big-league team by the end of the year, just like Yesavage.

Sloan is a bigger surprise. Sloan, who just turned 20 at the end of January, was drafted by the Mariners 55th overall out of his Chicago-area high school in 2024, with the Mariners buying him out of his college commitment to Wake Forest for $3M. After taking his draft year to learn the Mariners system and processes, Sloan started 2025 in Modesto, earning a promotion to High-A Everett by the end of the season. The Mariners invited Sloan to big-league camp this spring and he was impressive at every turn, capping off his spring with a dominant performance against the top-ranked Brewers farm in the Spring Breakout game. Sloan impressed the Mariners so much they’re being aggressive with him and sending him directly to Double-A to compete against much older and more seasoned competition. The move also keeps Sloan and Anderson, roommates and friends, together as they continue their big-league journeys.

Two other Top-1oo prospects will join Sloan and Anderson, as Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes will return to Arkansas after being promoted from Everett midseason last year. Both righty hitters suffered the “Dickey-Stephens Park” penalty last year, although Arroyo’s bat-to-ball skills helped prop him up even as his power decreased. Montes didn’t suffer quite the power penalty, still knocking 14 bombs, but he did regress as far as contact/strikeouts go, so that’s something for him to work on in a repeat tour of the level.

Here’s the complete roster:

There are a few other Top-30 prospects on this roster: Jared Sundstrom is one, returning to Arkansas after spending all of last year there. Another righty power-hitter, Sundstrom is another one suffering at the hands of the righty-power-suppressing park in Arkansas. Sundstrom got a lot of reps with the big-league club this spring, so expect his tenure to be shorter than last year.

Reliever to watch: RHP Charlie Beilenson

Beilenson was a 2024 fifth-rounder who has an interesting backstory: he grew up in SoCal (Chris Rose was his eighth grade basketball coach at Chaminade Prep, apparently) and went to Brown for his undergraduate, serving as a reliever on their baseball team, before transferring to Duke, where he picked up another pair of graduate degrees while also serving as the Blue Devils’ closer. Beilenson was a money-saver pick after the Mariners spent heavily on their first two picks in Jurrangelo Cijntje and Ryan Sloan, but he’s in a position where he could contribute to the big-league bullpen as soon as this year; he has excellent command and throws strikes, and profiles as a middle-innings reliever. Beilenson – who has eligibility to pitch for three different WBC teams – spent part of this spring with Team Israel, gaining high-level experience.

Sleeper prospect to watch: INF Charlie Pagliarini

Everett AquaSox fans know “Pags” well, but he got a fair amount of screentime with the big-league club this spring, too. Pagliarini isn’t a huge guy (6’0”) but he’s been a three true outcomes kind of prospect so far, albeit with less in the power department; he takes a ton of walks, but he also strikes out a ton. If the power pops at DSP like it did in lefty-friendly Funko Field and he could strike out just a little tiny itsty-bitsy less, there’s a really intriguing profile here.

Post-hype prospect to watch: OF Sammy Siani

I really liked contact-oriented Sammy Siani, who Pittsburgh took 37th overall in the 2019 Draft, but his bat-to-ball skills didn’t play out in Pittsburgh. Maybe Seattle can help unlock some of those tools.

If you have Mariners TV, you should also have access to the Mariners’ affiliates on MiLB TV and you can watch the Travs games for free. You can find the Travs schedule here.

The Houston Astros (2-2) host the Boston Red Sox (1-2) at Daikin Park in the second series of the season.

RHP Lance McCullers Jr. will make his first start of the season tonight for the Astros opposite LHP Ranger Suarez, who’s debuting for the Red Sox after signing with the club in the offseason.

ABOUT MCCULLERS: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. is making his season debut tonight in a start against the Red Sox, a team he has not faced since the 2018 season.

McCullers last pitched in an exhibition game on March 24 vs. the Astros Triple A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, tossing 4.2 innings, allowing two runs, while striking out seven.

He made his return to the mound in 2025 after missing the entire 2023-24 seasons due to a right flexor tendon injury that required surgery. He worked around four IL stints in 2025 to go 2-5 with a 6.51 ERA (40ER/55.1IP) and 9.92 SO/9IP in 16 games (13 starts).

ASTROS VS. SUAREZ: The Astros are facing LHP Ranger Suarez, who they last faced on June 24, 2025.

That game was a memorable one, as Suarez dueled with LHP Framber Valdez through 7.0 innings. In a scoreless game in the 8th, LF Cooper Hummel took Suarez deep which eventually gave the Astros a 1-0 victory over the Phillies.

RIVALRY VS. THE RED SOX: The Astros and Red Sox have developed a nice rivalry over the last 10 years, as the two clubs have seen each other in three different postseason series since the 2017 season. The Astros won two of those three series, winning the 2017 ALDS and 2021 ALCS, while the Red Sox took the 2018 ALCS.

ROSTER MOVES: After last night’s game, the Astros optioned RHP Christian Roa to Triple A Sugar Land. In corresponding moves, the Astros selected RHP Cody Bolton (#67) to the Major League roster today and transferred RHP Hayden Wesneski to the 60-day IL.

CITY CONNECT MONDAY: The Astros will wear their City Connect uniforms tonight for the first time on the young season as they welcome in the Red Sox for the first game of a three-game series.

YORDAN’S UPCOMING MILESTONES:LF Yordan Alvarez (495 RBI) is five RBI shy of reaching 500 career RBI, a mark only 14 players in franchise history have reached. Alvarez also checks in with 171 career homers, which makes him just three homers shy of matching franchise icon OF George Springer (174HR) for seventh on the Astros all-time list.

OUT ON REHAB: RHP Enyel De Los Santos made his second rehab appearance for Triple A Sugar Land yesterday, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings on 19 pitches en route to recording the win. De Los Santos is recovering from a right knee strain, which landed him on the 15-day IL to open the season.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, March 30, 7:10 p.m. CST

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

It’s City Connect Monday, y’all!

⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 102.9 HD2 #TheNextFrontier x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/cIMKL6WNaD

— Houston Astros (@astros) March 30, 2026

Up next: Ranger’s first start for the Sox. pic.twitter.com/a3bzet8fQo

— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 30, 2026

After a very positive 2-1 start to the 2026 season, the St. Louis Cardinals first homestand of the season continues Monday night as they’ll host the New York Mets. According to MLB.com, Kyle Leahy will start for the Cardinals while Clay Holmes will take the mound for the Mets.

Bo Bichette was open and honest with the media on Sunday. 

The Mets’ new third baseman took complete ownership of his early-season struggles after putting together another hitless effort in a extra-inning loss to the Pirates to close out the series.

Bichette looked nothing like himself during the opening weekend set, picking up just one hit while striking out eight times and squandering numerous opportunity with men on-base across his first 14 at-bats. 

He admitted he found himself trying too much to have a moment early on for his new club and fanbase, but it ultimately led to receiving some boos from the hometown crowd. 

Bichette wasn’t surprised, if anything he thought it took too long.

“I get it,” he said. “I thought the at-bats were terrible, too.” 

Fair or not, Bichette handled things about as perfectly as he could’ve. 

Though they haven’t been together for too long, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza certainly wasn’t surprised to see how the 28-year-old went about things. 

“He’s a total pro,” the skipper said. “This is a guy that grew up in the game. He understands the meaning of every pitch, every at-bat, every game -- he understands the big stage. 

“When he signed here, he knew right away what he was signed up for and he was like I love it, I can’t wait. This was way back to the days of the press conference, and then watching him yesterday handle the whole situation, I wasn’t surprised — he’s just a total pro.”

Being that it’s just three games, Mendoza isn’t concerned about Bichette yet. 

The two-time All-Star slugger was a career .294 hitter during his seven years in Toronto, and he was particularly brought in to help provide a boost with runner in scoring position. 

Bichette will look to find his groove during the Mets’ seven-game roadtrip, which kicks off Monday night against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy. 

Go Rays and also singles!

On a surprisingly newsy Monday for the Milwaukee Brewers, we have a baseball game to play as the Brewers look to keep their winning streak to begin the season going as they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town.

Making his first start for the Brewers will be left-hander Kyle Harrison. The Brewers acquired him from the Red Sox along with David Hamilton and Shane Drohan right before spring training started.

“What impresses me is that [Harrison]’s capable. He’s done it before. He’s very capable of getting right-handed hitters out as well as lefties, and his stuff is, at times, very good. He’s got to learn to mature and become a major league starter. This is the land of opportunity. You know, we give those young people the chance, we bet on those young people, we put them through the car wash, and usually after [Chris] Hooky and [Jim] Henderson get their hands on them, they come out better,” manager Pat Murphy said.

As far as the lineup goes for the Brewers, Joey Ortiz gets a day off today against Nick Martinez, and David Hamilton is in there at shortstop. That’s certainly conspicuous considering news broke today that the Brewers signed shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year extension. Still, Pratt is not here, and neither is Luis Matos, who was acquired earlier on Monday. Matos is expected to arrive in Milwaukee tomorrow.

Brice Turang, William Contreras, and Christian Yelich fill out the top of the order; that’s pretty standard. Luis Rengifo is batting cleanup tonight, which is interesting. Then it’s a trio of lefties with Jake Bauers, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell. Hamilton and Brandon Lockridge round out the bottom of the order.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. and, as usual, this one will be on Brewers TV and 620 WTMJ, along with the rest of the Brewers Radio Network.

Kyle Harrison makes his Brewers debut

📺: https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm
📻: WTMJ

→ https://t.co/mvGXoRMTFSpic.twitter.com/A3OCGMSxhf

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 30, 2026

Monday night in Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/25ljMuNGm9

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 30, 2026

The MiLB season got underway last week, the Yankees’ Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, kicking off their season in Buffalo. The rest of the team’s full-season affiliates will get started this week, and with the season about to start, the Yankees announced the rosters for the Double-A Somerset Patriots, the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades, and the Low-A Tampa Tarpons.

Here’s the full roster for Somerset:

Announcing the 2026 @SOMPatriots Break Camp Roster 👇 pic.twitter.com/Y8KfoTiQRo

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) March 30, 2026

The Patriots will be one of the most interesting Yankee affiliates to follow this year, at least at the beginning of the season. All eyes will be on the club’s consensus top prospect, shortstop George Lombard Jr., who starts the season in Somerset but surely with hopes of quickly climbing the ladder this summer. Lombard scorched High-A last year to the tune of a .329/.495/.488 slash line in 24 games, before hitting .215/.337/.358 in Double-A.

Lombard is the headliner, though there’s intrigue elsewhere on the roster, particularly on the pitching staff. Ben Hess, the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2024, is the highest-upside arm here, having posted a 3.22 ERA across two levels last year. Lefty Kyle Carr also merits a mention, his 2.64 ERA between Hudson Valley and Somerset among the best marks in the system in 2025. Chase Hampton, the team’s top pitching prospect two years ago before undergoing Tommy John surgery, will be worth watching here too as he tries to rebuild his stock post-injury.

Now on to Hudson Valley:

Here's your 2026 @HVRenegades Break Camp Roster 🙌 pic.twitter.com/suxO1l7Oby

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) March 30, 2026

There’s probably more to watch on the position-player side here than on the pitching staff. Core Jackson and Kaeden Kent form a nice infield combo to keep an eye on, ranked back-to-back at #12 and #13, respectively, on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Yankees prospects list. Outfielder Wilson Rodriguez, a 17th-round pick in 2023, is also a name to watch. Bryce Cunningham, the team’s 2024 second-rounder, isn’t listed here after getting a slow ramp-up in spring training, but likely will start his season with Hudson Valley and will look to move up from there.

And now a look at Tampa:

Presenting the 2026 @TampaTarpons Break Camp Roster 👏 pic.twitter.com/nnPLCwMgTZ

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) March 30, 2026

Henry Lalane is the biggest player listed here, literally and figuratively; if you’re looking for someone to take a Carlos Lagrange-esque jump in the Yankee system this year, you could do worse than the 6-foot-6 lefty. Otherwize, there isn’t too much to get super excited about here, at least not yet, with pitcher Allen Facundo the only other player ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30. That said, 2025 top pick Dax Kilby, who announced himself with a stellar run in short-season ball last year, will likely head to Tampa once he gets over the hamstring issue that plagued him in spring training and forced him to miss the Spring Breakout.

I did NOT have that on my bingo card.

In the game preview for today’s home opener, I wrote that the unusually warm March weather, pushed-in fences, and fly-ball prone Twins pitcher could result in a little fun for the fans. I did not expect that fun to come from Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins. (Maybe it was just the wind, it was a windy day, but … I don’t care).

The 2025 much-maligned outfield needs to improve this year, and if this keeps up, it’ll do just fine. After a Jonathan India single to lead off the bottom of the second, Isbel came to the plate with two outs. Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave him a hanging slider that stayed up just enough for Isbel to get it at the bottom of the zone. He knocked it into the right field bullpen for the first Royals homer of the year at the new K. He did not, however, need the new fences to hit that homer. At least according to the booth.

The Royals offense was pretty quiet until the seventh inning, when Collins came up to bat with one out and nobody on. He got a changeup inside and managed to turn on it and deposit it into the left field bullpen off the State Farm sign. Readers, he ALSO did not need the new fences for that ball to be gone. How about that for his first hit as a Royal?

These guys combined for 13 home runs last year. Isbel with four, Collins with nine. How cool would it be if they found a little power? I won’t hold my breath or anything but this is the time of the year to *dream*.

The starter, Kris Bubic, labored a bit through the early innings. He gave up a big homer to Twins bopper Matt Wallner, who also did not need the new fences for that ball to be gone. However, Bubic gave up only one other hit, which allowed him to limit the damage of the three walks he issued. He got *very* short innings in the fourth and fifth innings, throwing only 13 pitches combined. That allowed him to keep a low pitch count and finish out the sixth inning.

Bubic’s line – 6 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.

Daniel Lynch IV, Nick Mears, and John Schreiber combined for three relatively easy innings to close out the win. Mears managed to induce one of the easiest double plays I have ever seen on a weak liner up the middle that Bobby Witt Jr was perfectly positioned to field. He just stepped on second himself and threw to first for the double play. There was some debate over whether or not to have Schreiber, a righty, pitch to Wallner, a lefty. They decided to proceed, and Schreiber got an easy grounder to India to end the game.

Fun note – Maikel Garcia challenged using ABS and turned a 2-2 count into 3-1. He got a hittable pitch and smoked it for a double. Too bad Bobby Witt Jr lined out for a double play right after. The Royals seem to have a good sense of when to challenge using ABS. Something to keep an eye on.

The Royals move to 2-2 in this nascent season. They have an off day Tuesday and return to action on Wednesday against the Twins at 6:40pm US Central time.

The second series of the season.

We should be in Hakodate, Japan, when this goes up. It will be Cherry Blossom time when we are there, which, I’m told is a very busy tourist time. I remember a line in a book by Warren Cromartie who went over there to play ball after his playing days in Montreal were over and wrote a book about it. He said that the Japanese had tried their very best to pave every inch of the country (maybe he should have left the cities occasionally).

Cromartie played seven seasons for Yomiuri and showed a lot more power there than he had over here. I really enjoyed the book, but I gave it to someone and it never found it’s way back to me. I ought to download it before we go.

Go Jays Go.

[Tom M]: Here are the lineups:

Our lineup for today ⤵️#Rockiespic.twitter.com/h1qo6BLIsH

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 30, 2026