TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 10: Ukyo Shuto #20 of Team Japan celebrates with Kaito Kozono #3 at home plate after hitting a three-run home run in the eighth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game presented by dip between Team Czech Republic and Team Japan at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
FORMER CUBS IN ROCKIES CAMP: José Quintana, Keegan Thompson, Willi Castro and Nicky Lopez. Kris Bryant is on the 60-day injured list and there’s no word on whether — or if — he’ll play this year.
OPENING DAY: We stand just 12 days away from the regular season opener at Wrigley Field against the Washington Nationals.
Here are today’s particulars.
Cubs lineup, including Carson Kelly at 1B and the return of Jonathon Long to action:
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As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 3:05 p.m. CT and 4:40 p.m. CT.
These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.
TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 06: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of Team Japan reacts in the third inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Japan and Chinese Taipei at Tokyo Dome on March 06, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The second day of the knockout stage is here. The United States and Dominican Republic—the latter of which did so in dominant fashion—claimed their spots in the semifinals. Today we find out who their opponents will be.
Game No. 1: Puerto Rico at Italy (Repubblica Italiana)
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, Texas, USA
A fun squad in their own right, the Puerto Ricans finished pool play as the second seed in Pool A with a 3-1 record (with their only loss being to Canada). Now Puerto Rico faces an uphill battle to get back to the finals like they did in 2013 and 2017.
The “Quarter-Rican” right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals will make the start. His previous outing against Colombia went well as he struck out three batters over four scoreless innings. Meanwhile, new Rockies infielder Willi Castro has been a major contributor with his glove and bat. Castro is 3-for-10 at the plate with four walks , two RBIs, and a stolen base.
The surprise darling of the tournament so far has been Team Italy, who finished the group stage as one of just three undefeated teams after an upset of Team USA and a sound drubbing of Team Mexico.
Italy has combined solid pitching with power in their bats to make it this far. They have the second most home runs in the tournament, leading to a motivated—and highly caffeinated—squad. Each home run hitter is greeted in the dugout with a shot of espresso for their efforts.
Making the start for the Italians is Los Angeles Angels lefty Sam Aldegheri. Aldegheri pitched a masterful 4 2/3 innings against Brazil during pool play, striking out eight batters while giving up just one hit and no earned runs.
First Pitch: 1:00 PM MDT
TV: FS1
Radio: MLB Audio; Sirius XM
Lineups:
RHP Seth Lugo vs LHP Sam Aldegheri
Game No. 2: Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela) vs Japan (日本)
Venue: loanDepot Park — Miami, Florida, USA
The Venezuelans may be the underdogs against Samurai Japan, but they are a formidable squad that enjoyed an excellent group stage. They only had one loss because someone had to lose their match-up with powerhouse Dominican Republic.
Venezuela’s bullpen has been a strength alongside good performances at the plate by Luis Arraez, Ronald Acuña Jr, and Ezequiel Tovar. 2024 Philadelphia Phillies All-Star lefty Ranger Suárez—now with the Boston Red Sox—will be making his second start of the tournament. During the group stage he made one two inning start, giving up one earned run on three hits with a strikeout and a walk.
Undefeated in pool play, Samurai Japan dominated Pool C and are one of the favorites for total victory in this year’s tournament. Last year’s champions will be led on the mound by Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2025 World Series MVP pitched a hitless 2 2/3 innings of shutout baseball with two strikeouts against Chinese Taipei during the group stage.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 09: Pitching coach Mark Prior #99 (C) talks to pitcher Emmet Sheehan #80 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (L) during the first inning of a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 09, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the second time this spring, the Dodgers have a split squad, and in each case both games are against the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. The home game for the Dodgers on Sunday is against the Rangers, with the away game against the Cubs in Mesa.
River Ryan gets the start against the Rangers at home, while Emmet Sheehan is on the road to start against the Cubs.
Trey Supak starts for the Rangers, with Jameson Taillon on the mound for Chicago.
Sunday split-squad info
Game 1: Dodgers vs. Rangers, Camelback Ranch
Game 2: Dodgers at Cubs, Sloan Park
Time: 1:05 p.m. PT for both
TV: vs. Rangers on SportsNet LA, at Cubs on Marquee Sports Network
Feb 23, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (25), center, has a conversation with a staff member, left, and non-roster invitee Chase Burns (81) after a pitching session during spring training, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Cincinnati Reds have somehow already navigated their way through 20 games of Cactus League play so far this spring, and it honestly feels as if they’ve played 37 of those 20 games at home in Goodyear.
Today, they’re in Goodyear again, too – this time playing host to the Texas Rangers.
Cincinnati will send out righty Rhett Lowder for another start as he looks to cement a spot in the team’s starting rotation to start the season. They’ll also roll out a lineup featuring the indomitable TJ Friedl who has seemingly been in the lineup everyday already. Will Benson, Nate Lowe, and JJ Bleday will join him in a lefty-heavy lineup on the day, with each of Rece Hinds and Jose Trevino also in there for some balance.
Cam Collier, Hector Rodriguez, and Carlos Jorge are among the top prospects on the bench in this one, as the travel roster relays.
The bullpen is also loaded today with several arms who project to make the team’s Opening Day roster.
Sadly, though, this game will not be televised. You’ll have to tune in to 700 WLW’s radio feed to follow it in any capacity, though that’s accessible through MLB.com if you no longer have a radio with AM access.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 11, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals are now less than two weeks from the regular season. They’ll get one game closer as they take on the Miami Marlins in Roger Dean Stadium on Saturday, March 14, 2026. According to MLB.com, Andre Pallante will start the game for the Cardinals. The starter for the Miami Marlins is to be determined. Here’s the Cardinals lineup for today.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 16: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches live during practice at Ed Smith Stadium on February 16, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Baltimore Orioles/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles are headed a half hour down the road to Bradenton, and they’re bringing a lot of their regulars with them. Six of the players in today’s lineup are guys who will be on the Opening Day roster, and possibly seven, depending how you feel about Jeremiah Jackson’s chances. Pete Alonso, Adley Rutschman, and Taylor Ward are among the crew making the trip.
So too is Trevor Rogers, the newly anointed Opening Day starter. Rogers has pitched very well in his two Grapefruit League starts, working five scoreless innings, but he got knocked around by Team Netherlands in a WBC exhibition on March 3, giving up six runs in 2.1 innings. For whatever reason, he hasn’t pitched in a game since then.
This will be Rogers’ second-to-last exhibition start before his Opening Day assignment, though the schedule doesn’t quite line up for him to pitch on regular rest. The opener is in 12 days, so if he pitches again five days from now, he’ll have a week of rest before Opening Day. Or he’ll need extra rest after this start if he wants to be on four days’ rest for the opener. It’s probably not a big deal, just something worth keeping an eye on.
Orioles lineup:
LF Taylor Ward C Adley Rutschman 1B Pete Alonso CF Colton Cowser SS Blaze Alexander 2B Jeremiah Jackson RF Dylan Beavers DH Bryan Ramos 3B Weston Wilson
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 9: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees warms up in the bullpen during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 9, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I’m still a little let down after Canada bowed out of the World Baseball Classic yesterday, but the best (and sometimes the worst!) part about baseball is there’s another game today. This time, my attention will be taken up by an exhibition contest between the Yankees and the Phillies, from the Bombers’ spring home in Tampa.
I’m dating someone who is Gen Z, and I’m so happy he has a normal name, because whatever compelled Bryse Wilson’s parents to spell his name like that makes me shudder to imagine. He’s with his fifth organization in his career, trying to crack the Phillies roster as a swingman, but hasn’t exactly raised eyebrows in spring — at least not in the good way. His 5.14 ERA so far in Grapefruit League play is higher than his career 4.82, but when the sample sizes are this small one strong outing could change things.
The Yankees will counter with Wilson’s old Braves teammate Max Fried, who looked in midseason form in his only previous spring outing. The nominal Yankee ace has two more starts before getting the ball for Opening Day, and the key for him is going to be health. The club has a strong, if slightly battered rotation, and Fried’s left arm is a big piece of that all working the way it should. Fiveish innings and a big smile from the dugout is all we need today.
The entire starting lineup is made up of MLB regulars today, with Trent Grisham leading off exactly as he’s expected to start the season. Ben Rice hits second and is at first base, and with Austin Wells being a hero for the Dominican Republic at the WBC, J.C. Escarra is getting plenty of spring reps behind the dish.
Feb 20, 2026; North Port FL, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder (55) poses for a photo during media day at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
It’s time for more Bryce Elder, folks! I know you’re amped up to see it and I’m certainly amped up to talk about it. Yep, I totally mean that with all sincerity. In all seriousness though, let’s hope that we see Elder show some improvement after his last outing was a bit of a mess. This is also a home game so the lineup should be favorable enough for Elder to be able to hae a productive outing in this one. If not, then the race for the fifth starter spot could suddenly get a lot more interesting if he trips up against this particular lineup.
The game will be televised and you can find it on whatever channel serves as your local affiliate for Gray TV. 103.7 FM will be carrying the game locally on the radio. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET. Let’s get it!
UPDATE: Whoops! For some reason I can’t tell a “1” from a “6”. It’s spring training for everybody, I guess. We’ll see you later on then.
Detroit Tigers catching coach Ryan Sienko, left, and pitching coach Chris Fetter watch practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
We’re pretty excited about Lucas Elissalt. Right now he doesn’t really have the stuff of a frontline starter, but there are a lot of traits that point toward a very advanced young pitcher who repeats everything well with good command. As we keep noting in these reports, the Tigers have had a lot of success plucking undervalued college and JUCO pitchers beyond the top few rounds of the draft. In Elissalt they may have landed a real steal.
The Miami native wasn’t a very notable college name in the hotbed of competition that is the Florida baseball scene. He went to Coastal Alabama JC as a freshman, and transferred as a sophomore to one of the top JUCO baseball programs in the country at Chipola College. A good season got the Tigers’ interest, and they snapped him up in the 13th round with seemingly no one else paying attention to the young right-hander. They only had to pay him $187,500 to sign, just a little over the minimum, though there were D1 programs interested in picking him up for his junior season. As a result, Elissalt was still a week shy of his 20th birthday when he signed with the Tigers.
The traits that made Elissalt intriguing to the Tigers were his cutting fourseam shape, extension, and advanced command. The lanky 6’4” right-hander gets way down the mound, producing nearly seven feet of extension. That low angle to the strike zone helps his riding fourseamer play up, and yet he’s able to repeat well and spot a deep pitch mix that includes a kick change the Tigers taught him in 2024 during his work in Lakeland after the draft.
The reason Elissalt didn’t attract much attention on draft day is the fact that his velocity sits in the low-90’s. The Tigers bet that he had plenty of room on his frame to build muscle without sacrificing that easy delivery and great extension. His brother, Frank Elissalt, was drafted in the 2024 draft by the Cardinals in the 19th round as a college junior, and had a similar build and low 90’s fastball on draft day. He has since built himself up to throw in the mid-90’s, touching as high as 98 mph and so the hope is that Lucas, who is about a year and a half younger, will follow that example.
The Tigers sent Elissalt to Single-A Lakeland last spring to begin his pro career, and he quickly opened a lot of eyes after going fairly unnoticed on draft day. As a JUCO pick and still younger than most college pitchers in his draft, he struck out 28.8 percent of hitters faced over 65 1/3 innings for the Flying Tigers, with a walk rate of 7.5 percent. The strikeouts, advanced control, and his 2.48 ERA/3.09 FIP combination got our attention, and the Tigers promoted him to West Michigan in August after the trade deadline. He made six starts there, and though he walked a bunch of hitters for the first time in a couple of those starts, his strikeout rate held up and he didn’t allow a home run, producing very similar ERA/FIP numbers. By season’s end, he had the highest strikeout rate of any Tigers prospect who worked full-time as a starter last year.
Elissalt doesn’t pop crazy IVB numbers, sitting at 17 inches of vertical break last year, but that can be improved somewhat. It also matters less because that huge stride and his arm angle produce a lower release point and a really good attack angle to the upper parts of the strike zone. He was still generally around 92 mph, touching as high as 94 mph, and if that velocity starts to tick up, the late cutting action, ride, and extension will produce a very good major league heater.
He backs the fourseamer with a pretty good slider after ditching the harder cutter he had in college. It’s a pretty classic gyro spin slider from 83-85 mph and Elissalt took to it quickly and was pretty consistent with the break and location all year. His best pitch is an above average curveball with really good depth in the 78-79 mph range that got whiffs and stole strikes for him consistently last year. He can tilt it away on the outer edge against right-handers and showed some feel for adding depth when hunting for chase swings. Like the fastball, the breaking balls could use a touch more velocity to help them bite a bit later. The Tigers helped him develop a kick changeup post-draft and that pitch has really good deception, though it too would benefit if the fastball was firmer.
The big selling points for Elissalt are his extension, smooth, easy delivery, and advanced command of a pretty deep pitch mix. He’s already got a year of pro ball under his belt and handled two A-ball levels pretty well despite being the age of most 2025 college draft picks. He shows a good understanding of how to work his fastball around the zone and set hitters up for his secondaries, and took to some minor mechanical adjustments the Tigers made with him after the draft pretty quickly, while also refining the new changeup nicely over the course of the 2025 season.
Right now, if Elissalt had a couple more ticks on his heater consistently, he’d already look like a upper level starter closing in on the big leagues. As things stand, he does need that bump in stuff to take him from a future depth starter into more of a future mid-rotation type with the potential for more. While his delivery is smoother and lower effort than his older brother, Elissalt knows he needs that velocity bump and trained for it this offseason. We’ll be looking for that to arrive, with some positive reports in camp already indicating that he’s been throwing harder this spring. The feel and adaptability he’s shown bodes well for a major league career in a starting rotation. He should start the season with the Whitecaps again, but we expect him to move to Double-A pretty quickly if things go well.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Baltimore Orioles looking to grab a win in Spring Training.
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Mar 10, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Fans take advantage of the shade as temperatures reach near record highs during the spring training game between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
