Aaron Judge showed off his defensive prowess and then had a home run taken away from him by an impressive defensive play by Julio Rodríguez.
Aaron Judge of Team United States flies out against Team Dominican Republic during the fifth inning at loanDepot park on March 15, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Getty ImagesJulio Rodriguez robbed Aaron Judge of a home run in the WBC semifinals. @
The Yankees slugger looked as though he was about to extend the Americans’ lead in the World Baseball Classic semifinal against the Dominican Republic at loadDepot Park on Sunday night.
Judge hit a blast that was headed over the center field wall before Rodríguez leaped and snagged it for the second out of the top of the fifth.
Rodríguez let out a massive celebration before sending the ball back into the infield.
Earlier in the game, Judge reminded everyone why trying to run on him just isn’t a good idea.
The Yankees star showed off his arm when Fernando Tatis Jr attempted to reach third after Ketel Marte hit a line drive into right field in the bottom of the third inning.
Judge quickly scooped the ball and launched it in an attempt to throw out Tatis, firing the ball perfectly to Gunnar Henderson to get the third out of the inning.
Julio Rodríguez of Team Dominican Republic celebrates with Juan Soto after catching a fly ball hit by Aaron Judge. Getty Images
Mar 6, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain outfielder Kristian Robinson (59) reacts during the fifth inning against Mexico at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
And finally, the outfield. Due to the sheer number of non-roster invitees this spring (34 all told), it has been quite the process. The first part of this series was published almost six weeks ago, back on February 2. As a result, a fair amount of water has gone under the bridge between now and then. Indeed, none of the four players we will be covering here, currently remain in consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. All of them have already been re-assigned to minor-league camp. However, I would bet you we’ll see one or more of them on the D-backs at some point over the next six months. So they still deserve coverage.
Druw Jones (93)
Druw’s star has certainly dimmed, since MLB Pipeline named him the number fifteen prospect in all baseball, the season after the D-backs drafted him with the second pick in the 2022 draft, paying him almost $8.2 million, still a club record. Three years later, he doesn’t even rank that high in the Arizona system, coming in at #16 on the recently released Pipeline list. He had a sub-.700 OPS in Hillboro last year: even though he was aged just 21, you’d expect better. A variety of injuries have taken their toll, and mechanical adjustments haven’t had the hoped for results. The defense is as good as you’d expect given his lineage, but the bat needs seriously to come around if he’s ever to come close to that early hype.
Kristian Robinson (62)
This will be Robinson’s ninth season in the Diamondbacks’ farm system, in part for reasons that we really do not need to rehash once again. But he still only turned 25 in December, and put up decent numbers after a mid-season promotion to Reno. Over 41 games for the Aces, he had a line of .262/.393/.469 for an OPS of .862 – not bad for his first time in Triple-A. Of course, having been part of the Great Britain roster in the WBC, I am naturally obliged to root for Robinson. But even beyond national allegiance, it would be quite the story if he were to end up patrolling the outfield at Chase Field this summer.
A.J. Vukovich (95)
A fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, Vukovich spent all of 2025 in Reno, where his 22 home-runs and 79 RBI led the team in both categories. Admittedly, so did his 111 games, nobody else reaching three figures. But at the age of 24, he was still considerably younger than average for the level. I was a bit surprised he didn’t appear on even the Fangraphs’ list, which goes down as far as the top 56 prospects for the team. The bat probably does need to be improved, but I’d not mind a long-term outfield for the Diamondbacks of Corbin Carroll, Jordan Lawlar, Vukovich and Ryan Waldschmidt. And, speaking of whom…
Ryan Waldschmidt (59)
It seems appropriate to finish off this round-up with the consensus top player in the the D-backs’ farm system, and our only widely agreed top 100 prospect. It’s remarkable that he was under serious consideration for a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster, despite having less than 150 professional games to his name – none of them above Double-A. It’s probably for the best that Lawlar seems to have slotted into center acceptably, so that will give Waldschmidt a chance to polish his skills in Reno for a bit. I would still bet we will end up seeing Ryan in a Diamondbacks uniform at some point this year, as an appetizer for 2027 and beyond.
Dominican Republic center fielder Julio Rodriguez made a stunning catch to rob Aaron Judge of a home run in the fifth inning of the World Baseball Classic semifinal.
Judge, the New York Yankees' three-time MVP and captain of Team USA, drove a pitch from Juan Mejia to center at loanDepot Park in Miami and Rodriguez timed his leap perfectly at the wall to make the play.
An All-Star three times in four MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Rodriguez popped up to celebrate and immediately while Judge could only smile after being robbed of extra bases.
In his penultimate start of the spring, Gil had a game to forget Sunday, getting tagged for three home runs, nine hits and seven runs across three innings against the Tigers.
The former AL Rookie of the Year needed 68 pitches to get nine outs, and while his velocity took another slight tick up, he lacked command and overall crispness, making for a rough afternoon.
“I feel like we’re closer right now [to Gil’s 2024 version] than we were last year, but ultimately these next steps are the big ones — really capturing the life on the fastball and then creating some space for the secondary,” pitching coach Matt Blake said after a 12-1 loss to the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field.
Asked if Gil is a lock for the rotation, Aaron Boone described him as “one of the five guys.”
Luis Gil pitches during the Yankees-Tigers spring training game on March 15, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But the Yankees have four off-days before their 10th game of the season, so they are still trying to figure out how to best manage the rotation in the first two weeks to keep everyone sharp.
Gil has a minor league option remaining, but the Yankees could also piggyback one starter with another if they decide to carry all five on the Opening Day roster (and that is before they eventually have to make space in the rotation once Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return from the IL).
That places some extra significance on Gil’s final start of the spring later this week, when he will have another chance to prove he is still capable of getting back to his 2024 form, when he was one of the more dominant pitchers in the first half of the season.
Luis Gil is still trying to cement his spot in the Yankees rotation. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“At the end of the day, I got to concentrate on what I need to do,” Gil said through an interpreter. “For me, [being consistent] is the focus and that’s the key, to control what I can control and work on my craft and be as consistent as possible. … It takes time to get there, to be at 100 percent, and I think that’s what’s important.”
Gil, who missed four months last year with a lat strain, averaged 95.8 mph with his fastball Sunday (up from 95.3 in 2025) and topped out at 97.5.
But he only got two whiffs on 19 swings against the fastball, after not generating any on 18 swings against it in his last outing.
“That’s definitely something we’re looking into,” Blake said. “The profile from ’24 to now is slightly different. There’s a little bit less ride to it from a little bit slower slot. Sometimes that’ll play into the visibility of the pitch, the life above the barrel, those type of things. But the velos started to trend up as the spring’s gone on, so you feel like it’s improving.
“Ultimately, the batters will tell you, so we got to find a way to get some miss and stay off the barrel with it.”
Of the three home runs Gil gave up Sunday, one came on a changeup down the middle to Spencer Torkelson, one came on a slider on the inner third of the plate to Matt Vierling, and the last came on a 95 mph fastball on the inner third to Riley Greene.
He came away from the outing encouraged by the uptick on his fastball but displeased with his changeup.
Boone, who acknowledged earlier this spring that he still wanted to see more from Gil, was asked if he has seen enough with a week left in camp.
“I’ve seen a lot of good from Luis and again, it’s ticked up every time,” Boone said. “I want him to get back to where that first half of ’24, that next level of electricity with the heater. He’s still having trouble right now getting swing-and-miss with the heater. But it’s the whole package. But I also don’t want to ignore a lot of the good that’s gone on in some of the starts he’s had as well. So this was a rough one today, without question, but we got to get back and keep working on it.”
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 11: Tyler Fitzgerald #49 of the San Francisco Giants hits a single against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning of the spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 11, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Is this an omen? Like Benny the Jet knocking the cover off a ball in “The Sandlot” — is Gregory Santos botching a perfect game with two outs in the 9th a sign of terrible things to come? Is this 2026 bullpen going to be the death of the San Francisco Giants? Did not the soothsayer warn Julius Caesar to “beware the ides of March” before his assassination by the Roman senate? And here the Giants are, on the 15th, smack dab in March’s ides, bringing the Scottsdale faithful to their feet in the 9th only to have them slump down in their seats as a walk, followed by an RBI double claimed perfection, a no-hitter, and a shut-out in quick, successive stabs.
Disappointment in Spring Training, as Bryan points out, is never a good look… but so is getting carried away by Spring Training one-offs.
The perfect game would’ve definitely improved vibes in the moment, but losing the achievement on the 27th man hardly takes away from how well the Giants are playing as a whole. If Santos had sealed the deal, I doubt teammates would’ve flooded out of the dugout into a celebratory dogpile at the mound. The crowd in attendance would’ve cheered, strangers would’ve exchanged hi-fives, guffawed incredulously, and that would’ve been the extent of it. Fans at home would’ve checked the box score and smirked at the five-pitcher perfect-o. That’s kind of neat, some would think to themselves before seeking out more substantial things to sink their teeth into, like Robbie Ray’s 8-strikeout performance over 5 innings pitched, or Grant McCray’s beautifully caressed bunt up the third base line, or Jerar Encarnacion’s lumberjack cut in the 2nd.
Nearly ten days ago, on March 6th, I wrote about how Encarnacion’s slow start meant “the big man was in serious danger of getting left behind” in San Francisco’s developing outfield race. The next day, after reading my post and resolving to prove me wrong, Encarnacion went 3-for-3 with a double and 2 runs batted-in in a game against Texas. Including those results and his mash from this afternoon, he’s now collected 9 hits over his last 20 at-bats, including 4 extra baggers, 9 RBIs and just 3 strikeouts.
Luis Matos, who was the hot hand a week-and-a-half ago, has cooled considerably. He’s gone 2-for-18 with no extra baggers, no RBIs, and has now seen his no-strikeout-spring blemished by two K’s, including one today. While Matos and Encarnacion are not mutually exclusive options for the Opening Day roster, their option-less inflexibility, as well as their right-handedness, puts them at odds with each other for many. While the Giants did beat the Brewers 7-1 today, the real competition of Spring Training are these internal battles. Matos had his moments with runners on base today and didn’t do much. He struck out with Matt Chapman on 2nd in the 1st, then rolled weakly to short with the bases loaded in the 2nd and can’t really take credit for David Hamilton’s two-run throwing error.
Meanwhile Encarnacion made a cutter disappear in a puff of smoke and won the day. Things are getting interesting.
And on the mound, Robbie Ray looked regular-season ready in his fifth start of the Cactus League. He threw 64 pitches over 5 perfect innings while striking out 8 Milwaukee batters. The approach was simple and to the point: Heavy on the four-seamer with the hard slider peppered in just enough to keep hitters on their toes. He snuck a dozen fastballs by hitters for called strikes. 6 of his K’s came on the slider and 6 of the 8 swings taken at the pitch were whiffed. What made his outing so successful was not the swing-and-miss stuff, it was his efficiency. He fought back into counts and kept balls in play grounded, which are not necessarily well-established aspects of his game.
Perfection was out of reach in today’s 7-1 win. But that’s okay. Ten days out from Opening Day, fans aren’t picky right now. Entertaining works, so does promising, or intriguing — descriptors that fit the Giants’ Cactus League performance so far.
Other things of note:
Matt Chapman’s 3-for-3 day, including two more doubles, improved his Spring Training totals to 13-for-29 with 8 extra base hits (6 2Bs, 2 HR). He frankly looks bored at the plate.
Grant McCray singled twice with two stolen bases, before he was picked off from second attempting to swipe a third. That being said, the outfielder continues to put on a pointed display for Tony Vitello and the coaching staff. The Giants don’t need him to be a power-threat, they need him to be fast. So far, McCray has matured into this understanding: He’s walked more (7 BB) than he’s struck-out (6) so far, he’s bunting, he’s being aggressive on the bases. If he can show he can consistently get on base and turn dinky singles into scoring threats with his speed, he’s going to find his way onto the big league roster.
PORT ST. LUCIE — For anyone paying attention to Yankees spring training over in Tampa, you know the danger of expecting too much too soon from young prospects, regardless of how high they were drafted or, in Jasson Domínguez’s case, how much money they signed for.
Nearly seven years after getting a $5.1 million bonus from the Yankees, as well as the nickname “The Martian,” the switch-hitter is still trying to establish himself as a major leaguer.
Access the Mets beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.
Now 18, Peña is in his first spring training not only in Port St. Lucie but in the United States.
He spent last season in the Dominican Summer League, where he began his professional career by going 0-for-26.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Peña rebounded with a solid two-plus months in the DSL and has spent much of this spring playing minor league games on the backfields behind Clover Park — where he was at shortstop Sunday.
The lefty-swinging Peña will get his first chance on a bigger stage Thursday in the Mets Spring Breakout game at Clover Park. As Andy Green, the Mets senior vice president of player development, said Sunday, “That will be the first opportunity to see him in a sanctioned game atmosphere, but we’ve seen some of the things he can do against pretty high competition already.”
That includes when Carlos Mendoza saw Peña deliver immediately in a minor league game.
“He homered as soon as I saw him, left-on-left,” the manager said. “It was a good first impression.”
Elian Peña (L.) is in his first spring training not only in Port St. Lucie but in the United States. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
But as Domínguez and the Yankees know, it takes more than a few good swings to get to the majors and stay there.
And the franchise record bonus Peña received — which nearly doubled the previous high of $2.7 million that Francisco Alvarez received in 2018 — will add some challenges.
Domínguez became aware of Peña last July, when Peña broke out with a three-homer game in the DSL and Domínguez saw the clips on social media.
He had two pieces of advice for Peña: “I hope he has someone to tell him what to do with his money. Just leave it alone like I did.”
And secondly, Domínguez added, “Don’t worry about expectations from other people and be careful with social media. It’s good when you get hits and everyone says you’re great, but if you strike out four times, it’s, ‘I hope you die and your family dies.’ You get used to it, but that can be a lot when you’re young if you pay attention to it.”
That startling reality will be among the things Peña will have to contend with as he works his way up the system.
“I think that’s part of being in New York and high expectations,” Mendoza said. “There are gonna be a lot of eyes on him. He’s mature and I think he’s built for it, but you’ve got to go through it and learn. Our job as an organization is to guide him and get him locked in on things he can control.”
There have been promising signs, according to Green, especially with how he recovered after his rough start to his pro career.
“The resilience he showed after going 0-for-26 and bouncing back is important,” Green said. “This game is going to smack every player around at some point, and you have to be tough.”
The Mets are also confident Peña can be a shortstop despite some questions there.
But with just 55 professional games under his belt, not even the Mets can predict where Peña will wind up.
He could be with the team’s Florida Complex League affiliate this season, as they try to forge a path for him to Queens.
Green, though, has seen plenty of examples of young players exceeding expectations and falling short. He managed the Padres when Fernando Tatis Jr. debuted with San Diego as a 20-year-old in 2019. That was a year after he watched Juan Soto hit his second major league homer with Washington at age 19.
“Those guys are extreme examples,’’ Green said. “There are a ton of really successful outcomes that show up in the big leagues at 22, 23 or 24. I have no idea what his timeline will be. Nobody does. It’ll take the amount of time it takes.”
In a must-win game for Team USA, Yankees star Aaron Judge is doing all he can.
With the Dominican Republic up 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning of the World Baseball Classic semifinal, Judge showed off his arm strength with an incredible throw from right field to third base to get Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. out.
It's the second time in a week that Judge has thrown out a runner trying to go from first to third base on a single, as he nabbed Mexico's Joey Ortiz inpool play.
Judge's clutch play seemed to spark life into the US bats as they hit two homers in the top of the fourth inning, with Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony going deep to give them all the runs they needed.
Judge's defense came to the rescue again in the fourth, robbing Juan Soto of a leadoff base hit with a diving catch.
The Americans hung on – thanks to a great escape in the seventh from Yankee teammate David Bednar – as the Dominicans got the tying run to third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, thanks to a questionable strike three call to end it. The 2-1 win means they will head to the Championship Game on Tuesday against the winner of Monday's Venezuela-Italy game.
Hagen Smith was simply phenomenal in his brief and final Cactus League start. | (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
There is exactly one baseball game truly worth watching today, and it isn’t from Spring Training. If nothing outside of tonight’s drool-worthy WBC semifinal matchup between the United States and the Dominican Republic is of interest to you, I wouldn’t be able to place any fault. Because from afar, there is exactly one thing and one thing only you need to take away from the Spring Training action that took place today, and it’s that Hagen Smith looks like he’s figured it out.
I cannot emphasize enough how much it does not matter that the White Sox (13-10-1) lost to the Royals (8-14). It doesn’t matter that Erick Fedde got shelled to the tune of seven hits and three earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. Fedde may be likely to open the year in the Sox rotation, but that likeliness remains true for exactly as long as it takes Getz to decide that one of Smith, Tanner McDougal or Noah Schultz is ready for the big leagues.
It does not matter that if it wasn’t clear that Rule 5 draft pick Alexander Alberto isn’t going to be this year’s version of Shane Smith, the four runs (two earned) in just an inning of work today ought to have all but punched his ticket back to Tampa Bay’s minor league system. He’s an intriguing prospect, for sure, but even for a team that hasn’t quite emerged from the devastation of a multi-year rebuild, there are just too many other pitchers who deserve a shot at the big league bullpen to justify rostering Alberto beyond Opening Day. Similarly, while the innings he soaked up last season are greatly appreciated, Brandon Eisert is close enough to the bullpen bubble that I simply am not terribly concerned about the four hits and three runs he gave up in his inning-and-a-third of work.
So, back to the point. There is exactly one takeaway from today, and it’s that Hagen Smith was absolutely filthy. He only threw two innings, but recorded five of those six outs via strikeout, with nothing but a single walk to blemish the final statline.
Hagen Smith’s stuff looked ELECTRIC this afternoon.
The 22-year-old struck out five over two scoreless innings, flashing the kind of arsenal that reminds you why people are so excited about his future. pic.twitter.com/jvqjhDraKO
Between Jac Caglianone, J.J. Wetherholt, and current consensus top overall prospect Konor Griffin, the Sox passed up on a LOT of talent to take Hagen Smith with the fifth overall pick of the 2024 draft. I’m not going to make a sunk-cost argument that the Sox need to get plus value out of Smith for this entire experiment to work, but it’s pretty tough to wonder what might have happened if Riley Greene or C.J. Abrams had gotten the South Side pinstripes instead of Andrew Vaughn, and goodness knows we don’t want to have those conversations again. If the Sox see any success in the late 2020s, it’s probably going to be at least in some part because Hagen Smith turned into the bonafide top-of-the-rotation pitcher that we all hoped for as recently as a year ago. Amid a frustratingly inconsistent start to his pro career, this is the most promising step forward we’ve seen in quite some time.
What else happened in this game? The Royals scored a lot of runs, and the Sox scored few. On the bright side, Miguel Vargas’ absolutely torrid spring continued with two doubles and two walks. Edgar Quero was responsible for the first RBI of the game on a single, and was successful on all three of his pitch challenges from behind the plate.
The less bright side is that the Sox other runs came courtesy of Dustin Harris and Tanner Murray, two players unlikely to have much bearing on the future of the franchise.
Similarly, the large majority of Kansas City’s damage came off of bats that are unlikely to be much of a factor at Kauffman Stadium this season. Spring Training legend Brandon Drury hit a homer for the Royals, and we sincerely hope that he finds the regular season success this year that he may have been robbed of with the White Sox after an injury spoiled his white-hot March last year.
Outfielder Lane Thomas was responsible for a pair of ribeyes via a third inning sacrifice fly that got KC on the board, as well as a run-scoring single that gave them a 3-2 lead they’d never relinquish. Thomas is likely to play a substantial role on the Royals this year, but the same can’t be said for the sources of the rest of their runs, including a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double from up-and-down infielder Gavin Cross, a dinger from second baseman Peyton Wilson, and another smash in the late innings from backup catcher candidate Luca Tresh.
That was all she wrote for this one, as the Sox prepare to take the field against the Rangers tomorrow behind Sean Burke, who will face off with Texas’ top offseason acquisition in lefthander Mackenzie Gore. First pitch is at 7 p.m. CT in some rare March evening action, and we’ll see you there!
10/07/06 new york mets vs la dodgers @ dodgers stadium, chavez ravine, neil miller: nlds game #3/ overhead shot of dodger stadium
Dodger Stadium’s name isn’t changing.
But for the first time in the ballpark’s 64-year history, the playing surface will have an official sponsor.
A source confirmed that the team is striking a sponsorship agreement with the clothing brand Uniqlo that will make the Japanese company the presenting sponsor of the stadium’s field.
Dodger Stadium will have an official sponsor for its playing field for the first time in its 64-year history. Neil Miller
The official branding will likely be along the lines of “Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.” The Athletic earlier reported the news.
Dodger Stadium is one of eight ballparks in Major League Baseball that has not sold its naming rights, along with Angel Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Kauffman Stadium, Nationals Park and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Known as the “Cathedral of Baseball,” it is the third-oldest venue in the league, and one of the most historic, having hosted two All-Star Games and 12 World Series.
In 2028, it will be the baseball host site during the Summer Olympics, as well.
With all that history, plus the Dodgers’ internationally recognizable team brand that has been supercharged by the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, the stadium has long had great appeal to potential sponsors.
And now, the Dodgers have found a way to cash in on that without sacrificing the building’s official name — marking just the latest way the club has capitalized upon a prime marketing opportunity (especially with a Japanese sponsor) as it continues to establish itself as the biggest revenue-driving team in baseball.
MESA, Ariz. — Hyeseong Kim called his time at the World Baseball Classic with Team South Korea a “great experience.”
Too bad that wasn’t reflected in the way he swung the bat.
In four WBC games this month, Kim had just one hit in 12 at-bats for a Korean team that was knocked out in the quarterfinals by the Dominican Republic earlier this week.
Team South Korea’s Hyeseong Kim celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against Team Japan. Getty Images
The lone hit was memorable, a score-tying two-run home run against Team Japan at the Tokyo Dome in a rivalry game Korea lost 8-6.
And after returning to Dodgers camp, he felt some inefficiencies in his swing were to blame.
“After watching some of the videos [of my games], we noticed that there were some changes [compared to] before I left,” Kim said through an interpreter, specifically pointing to the movement of his lower half and bat path through the zone. “It’s been on and off each game. So just trying to focus on those things and make sure they smooth out.”
Kim’s swing remained a work in progress Sunday, when he had just one hit — a softly lined single, followed by a stolen base and run scored — in four at-bats in a spring training game against the Cubs.
Now, he has just a week remaining in spring training to try to find a fix; hoping to show the Dodgers enough to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.
“I’m focused on the things I’m good at, such as baserunning and defense; I want to make sure I perfect those categories,” he said. “But my WBC numbers weren’t great. So I want to make sure this last week, I focus on my hitting also.”
Kim has been competing for a spot primarily at second base, where a platoon role opposite of Miguel Rojas is open while Tommy Edman recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
Before leaving for the WBC, he seemed to have the inside track for the job over fellow second-year infielder Alex Freeland — who hasn’t helped his case much by batting .118 in the Cactus League this spring.
Besides his home run, Hyeseong Kim did not provide much offense for Team South Korea during the WBC. Getty Images
However, Kim’s renewed struggles have seemingly altered the calculus, leaving the competition open with the regular season less than two weeks away.
“Right now, he seems out of sync with his swing,” manager Dave Roberts said of Kim, who also missed a WBC game after jamming his finger on a base but said the injury was completely healed.
“He obviously makes sense on our roster,” Roberts added. “But he also has to get into a good place where he feels confident that he can conduct at-bats and be productive. That’s the same thing with Alex Freeland as well. At least we still have time to figure some things out.”
Here are four other takeaways from the Dodgers on Sunday:
Tucker tanks: Kyle Tucker uncorked another long ball in the home half of the Dodgers’ split-squad game Sunday, launching a two-run blast 390 feet to right in a 5-3 win over the Rangers. It was his second homer of the spring.
Double-duty Mook: In the Dodgers’ 14-8 win against the Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa, Mookie Betts had highlights on both sides of the ball: His first spring home run, on a 414-foot drive to center; and a web gem at shortstop, when he went deep into the hole to his right to stop a grounder before firing a strong and accurate throw across the diamond.
Caught my eye: After being claimed off waivers, then outrighted to the minors, earlier this spring, outfielder Jack Suwinski rang in his Cactus League debut with the Dodgers by also hitting a home run against the Cubs. Suwinski, 27, is a four-year MLB veteran with the Pirates who had strong numbers (.314 average, five home runs) against the Dodgers in his career.
Up next: Tyler Glasnow will make what is likely his last start in Cactus League play, when the Dodgers host the Brewers on Monday afternoon at Camelback Ranch.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: A general view of the rain coming down at Ed Smith Stadium after a rain delay ended a 11-4 Tampa Bay Rays win over the Baltimore Orioles on February 26, 2019 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Given the forecast in Sarasota, it was always going to be a squeeze to get this Yankees/Orioles game in on Sunday night. Indeed, the heavens opened in the third inning and the rain never stopped. Rather than mill around waiting for a break in the weather that may never have come, both teams decided to call this one after two-plus, with no makeup game scheduled.
Tonight's game between the Orioles and Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium has been canceled due to inclement weather. There will be no makeup date.
The wet conditions played their part from the get-go, Yankees starter Paul Blackburn appearing to have trouble with his grip. He issued a two-out walk to Pete Alonso in the first and then a single to top prospect Samuel Basallo. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance to scoring position, and a Tyler O’Neill single plated the pair to make it 2-0, Baltimore.*
*Those runs will not count toward Blackburn’s spring training ERA due to the game’s cancellation, so lucky for him, I suppose.
Zach Eflin set the side down in order in the first and second, striking out a pair in each frame. Spencer Jones may have been optioned to minor-league camp, but it hasn’t affected his performances in spring including a home run in the first game after receiving the news. The two issues holding him back have been production against the fastball and pitches in the zone. Leading off the third, he got a belt-high four-seamer at 93 and did what you would expect a big league player to do with a pitch like that, lashing a line drive single to right as he continues to do everything he can this spring to convince the Yankees that he has earned an opportunity. That would be the Yankees’ only hit in this very limited nightcap.
That was where the game ended as the rain really started to fall at that point. It’s a somewhat fitting end to a dreary split-squad day, the first game ending in a 12-1 drubbing by the Tigers. At least it frees up all of our evenings to watch Aaron Judge and Team USA take on the Dominican Republic in the first semifinal of the World Baseball Classic. (Join us back in the game thread to talk about that one!)
The Yankees’ next Grapefruit League game is Tuesday at the Rays. Will Warren looks to continue his strong spring showing against Ryan Pepiot. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT with the broadcast on the Gotham Sports App.
MIAMI — Major League Baseball players have made their voices heard throughout the World Baseball Classic, expressing their desire to play in the 2028 Olympics, and it’s possible that the players union could reach a deal with MLB permitting players to participate, independent of a new collective bargaining agreement.
Bruce Meyer, executive director of the players association, fully believes that MLB will impose a lockout when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1, but said Sunday that a deal could be reached before Dec. 1 permitting MLB players to be in the Summer Olympics - being held in Los Angeles – for the first time.
Then again, everything changes if a lockout wipes out the entire 2027 season.
“If we don’t have a season," Meyer said before the USA-Dominican Republic WBC semifina at loanDepot Park, “we’re not going to play in the Olympics."
Time is of the essence and Meyer realizes that the Olympics would like to have a decision this summer, if possible.
“It can be on a separate track," Meyer said. “Theoretically, it can be done anytime. It doesn’t have to be at the same time as everything else is negotiated. I mean, it’s been kind of on a separate track, the discussions that we’ve had to date with the league. So it could be discussed on the course of bargaining, but it doesn’t have to be tied to bargaining."
There still are logistical problems to overcome with the Olympics following the All-Star Game, which would be a 10-day layoff. What do the other players do during the break? Would they play exhibition games against their minor-league affiliates? Who pays their expenses? Who pays for the Olympians’ insurance?
There are a myriad of potential problems, but both sides are optimistic a solution can be reached.
“There are a lot of issues that still need to be worked out," Meyer said. “So, I don’t know about before the CBA, which is likely to not be until over a year from now, but theoretically it can be done."
Providing, of course, the 2027 season stays largely intact.
“If we’re in a situation where games are being missed, and in ’27, that could have an impact on playing the Olympics after that,’’ Meyer said. “But for now, it’s on a separate track."
Still, after watching the popularity of the WBC, and the players’ enthusiasm for the tournament, Meyer hopes the WBC becomes a permanent fixture in MLB, where it likely will be played every four years.
“The WBC is fantastic," Meyer said. “The fan engagement has been terrific. I mean, that’s obvious. It’s great baseball. Great players. It’s a great thing for the sport, and its been a tremendous success.
“The players that I’ve spoken to are thrilled to be here, thrilled to be representing their countries, and having a good time. It’s a great thing for the league, and in this market in Miami, you can see the fan interest in baseball, which unfortunately is perhaps not maximized by the franchise here.
MESA, Arizona — I know most of you are focused on the USA/Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic semi-final this evening, and the Cubs’ 14-8 loss to the Dodgers ran real long largely because of a ridiculous ninth inning that I’ll get to in a bit.
The most important story of this game was Jameson Taillon, just back from the WBC and now with only a couple of spring starts left before he opens his 2026 season.
This was not a good outing for Jamo. He allowed eight hits in less than four innings, including two home runs (one by Mookie Betts, which pleased the very large contingent of Dodger fans at Sloan Park). More concerning was the four walks he issued. One of Taillon’s best features, when he’s on, is that he pounds the zone and doesn’t walk guys. Four walks in 3.2 innings is not good. He walked only 27 batters in 129.2 innings all of last year. Ten of the Dodgers’ 14 runs scored off Taillon, making the score 10-2 at the time he departed. His spring ERA is now 22.18, yikes.
The other homer off Taillon was by Jack Suwinski, who used to wear Cubs pitching out when he was with the Pirates. Maybe he has Taillon’s number — of his 57 career homers, three are off Jamo.
The good news from this game, such as it is, is that four relievers who will be important parts of this year’s Cubs bullpen all did well. Hoby Milner, Caleb Thielbar, Phil Maton and Jacob Webb combined for four shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk, striking out three. That’s a good sign, I think.
Then there was that ridiculous ninth inning I mentioned, in which the teams combined for seven walks and nine runs. Devin Ortiz, who the Cubs got over the winter from the Padres system, hit a grand slam in that inning [VIDEO].
For whatever that’s worth.
It was nice to see Jonathon Long back in action in the field. At the plate he was hit by a pitch and walked twice. Hopefully he’ll see some more MLB spring action before camp breaks.
Attendance watch: A sellout of 15,788 attended Sunday afternoon’s contest, as I mentioned, a large number were Dodgers fans. The boxscore says 13,788 but I clearly heard 15,788 announced. Presuming the larger figure is correct, that makes the season total for 13 games at Sloan Park 163,519, or 12,578 per date.
The Cubs travel west Monday to face the Guardians at Goodyear. Cade Horton will start for the Cubs and Gavin Williams goes for Cleveland. Game time Monday is 8:05 p.m. CT, one hour after the WBC semi-final between Venezuela and Italy starts. We’ll have game threads here for both. Monday’s Cubs game will be televised on Guardians TV, with a radio broadcast from the Cleveland flagship station WTAM 1100.
HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 13: Will Smith #16 of Team USA stands on the field for the national anthem prior to the 2026 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals game presented by Capital One between Team USA and Team Canada at Daikin Park on Friday, March 13, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The first semifinal matchup of the World Baseball Classic is upon is, with Team USA and The Dominican Republic facing off.
Paul Skenes starts on the mound for The United States, with Luis Severino going for The Dominican Republic.
Will Smith starts at catcher, continuing the every-other-game timeshare behind the plate with Cal Raleigh.
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 13: Juan Soto #22 of the Dominican Republic slides home during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals game presented by Capital One between Team Korea and Team Dominican Republic at loanDepot park on Friday, March 13, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
I’m not going to pretend to be impartial: GO DR GO
DR is in tough against starting pitcher Paul Skenes. Luis Severino starts for DR.
DR has their lineup out.
Tatis, RF
Marte, 2B
Soto, LF
Vlad, 1B
Machado, 3B
Caminero, DH
Rodriguez, CF
Wells, C
Perdomo, SS
As I type this, the US doesn’t have a lineup posted.
