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Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees open the 2026 season against the Giants in San Francisco on Wednesday...

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5 things to watch

Will Max Fried's subpar spring carry over?

Fried's performance in his first year with the Yankees was so good that the loss of Gerrit Cole didn't hurt the team much. Fried was the ace of the staff and anchored arguably the best rotation in the majors. 

Entering year two, Fried will have to shoulder that burden once again, at least in the early going. That's why his mediocre spring is a bit alarming. In three spring starts, Fried allowed seven earned runs across 14.1 innings (4.40 ERA). While his strikeouts are where they usually are, opposing teams got bat to ball for 12 hits. 

In Fried's last start, he walked four batters in his five innings, which was his worst outing this spring. While Fried didn't pay too much mind to his struggles, the Yankees want to start the season on the right foot and a return-to-form for their Opening Day starter would help. 

How will the other starters do?

With Cole and Carlos Rodon on the shelf to start the season, the other starters will need to step up behind Fried. 

Schlittler will get one of the starts in San Francisco and the Yankees will lean on their playoff hero to take the next step in 2026. It's unclear who else will take the mound over the weekend, but it's likely Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. Meanwhile, the Yankees hope Luis Gil can return to the form he had in 2024. 

Can Aaron Judge put the WBC behind him?

The captain was having a nice showing in the WBC before the knockout rounds began. But when the pressure hit, Judge didn't come through in the way many hoped he would.

In the championship game against Venezuela, Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Worse off, his at-bats came in big spots that could have flipped the game in Team USA's favor. 

For the tournament, Judge finished 6-for-27 (.222) with two home runs and five RBI. He walked six times and struck out seven. 

It should be made clear that it's still March and hitters usually take a bit to get going -- as evident with Judge's so-so production in spring games -- but this team goes as far as Judge takes them. If he's not producing, this lineup will be hard-pressed to put up enough runs.

Unless....

Offense elsewhere

The Yankees are putting a lot of stock in the development of Ben Rice and Austin Wells this season. They believe there's plenty of offensive production still there to be mined, especially with Rice.

The young first baseman will see the bulk of the time at that position, giving the Yanks a dynamic bat. Depending on how manager Aaron Boone draws up his lineup, Rice could be batting behind Judge. He'll need to prove that he can be that protection Judge needs to see hittable pitches.

As for Wells, his defense is major league ready, but he regressed offensively last season. Wells did have a very good WBC playing for the Dominican Republic, and perhaps that can carry over and lengthen this lineup. 

And then we have Trent Grisham. The Yankees' de facto leadoff man from a year ago, Grisham may not provide the same gaudy offensive numbers he gave them last season, but giving the team anything close to that will also help give Judge and this lineup opportunities to drive in runs.

New-look bullpen

The bullpen will have some returning faces, but there will be a lot of new ones as well.

Gone are Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, but David Bednar and Camilo Doval -- acquired last trade deadline -- are still here, and Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill have become mainstays. But what about the rest? This weekend should give us a clue as to how Boone will deploy his relievers, especially the new ones -- and who he trusts in which situations.

This will be especially crucial in Schlittler's start, as his oblique tightness earlier in camp set his progression back a bit. He won't be built up as much as the others, so we can expect Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn to help bridge the game for Schlittler. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Aaron Judge

Back in his home region, Judge will get off to a hot start in San Francisco.

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Max Fried

The Giants deploy a lot of left-handers, and Fried should be able to neutralize them.

Which Giants player will be a thorn in the Yankees' side?

Rafael Devers

The Yankees' old nemesis from when he was with the Red Sox. The slugger will see his first Opening Day as a Giant, but should be much more comfortable with the organization this year after being acquired midseason in 2025.

Campbell @ NC State | Tues, Mar 24 @ 6:00pm | ACCNX | Live Stats

A red-hot Campbell squad that has won 10 of their last 12 games, including back-to-back midweek victories over Duke and Coastal Carolina last week, comes to Raleigh on Tuesday evening for a 6:00pm matchup with NC State.

The Camels (14-9, 8-1 CAA, RPI #119) struggled out of the gate with a 4-7 mark, which included a pair of at-the-time nice looking victories over East Carolina and Troy, but those wins have diminished since as both the Pirates and Trojans have scuttled compared to preseason expectations. Following a series loss to Wright State and former Wolfpack pitcher Alex Sogard, Campbell has put it together and is playing excellent baseball of late.

Collectively, the lineup is hitting .283/.397/.486, 46 2B, 30 HR, 12.1 BB%, 20.2 K%, 69-76 SB, presenting a much more aggressive approach on the bases (3.0 SB/gm) than the program has displayed in recent memory. The adjusted approach has resulted in an offensive boon of late, with the Camels posting double-digit runs in six of their last eight games. It’s a deep lineup with up to ten productive bats, led by rSR 3B Jonah Oster (.341/.386/.659, 7 2B, 6 HR, 5.9 BB%, 12.7 K%, 1-2 SB), JR SS Logan Chapman (.364/.411/.591, 4 2B, 3 HR, 4.0 BB%, 12.0 K%, 5-5 SB), rSR LF Joe Simpson (.306/.444/.361, 4 2B, 0 HR, 17.4 BB%, 23.9 K%, 23-24 SB), FR RF Carlos Lugo (.325/.386/.425, 5 2B, 1 HR, 6.8 BB%, 5.7 K%, 6-7 SB), and JR CF Mike Murphy (.315/.422/.574, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10.9 BB%, 23.4 K%, 8-9 SB).

Redshirt-sophomore RHP Cooper Clark (2-3, 5.20 ERA, 27.2 IP, 4.3 BB%, 23.1 K%) and David Rossow (4-1, 3.42 ERA, 26.1 IP, 8.5 BB%, 26.5 K%) have been relative mainstays of the weekend rotation, but settling on that Sunday arm will be key to continuing to sit atop the CAA standings. NC State transfer JR RHP Camden Wimbish (0-1, 4.26 ERA, 25.1 IP, 5.7 BB%, 25.5 K%) appears to have the current grip on the job. The staff as a whole has a 5.14 ERA with a 9.1 BB% and 24.4 K%. The ERA is higher than ideal, but this is a group that has some talented arms and can get it done. SO RHP/OF Jett Music (0-1, 3 SV, 4.35 ERA, 10.1 IP, 8.9 BB%, 33.3 K%) and rJR RHP Mason Smith (1-0, 1 SV, 5.09 ERA, 23.0 IP, 8.9 BB%, 28.7 K%) lead the bullpen.

The team has a .967 collective fielding percentage, but 14 of their 27 errors have come from two players (Oster and 2B Elijah Clayton), but Clayton has been error-free for seven straight games (Oster, not so much), so if things get better there this team is going to be hell for a CAA that is already looking up at them. Granted, the meat of the conference slate for the Camels is still to come, and while they avoid perennial CAA heavyweight Northeastern, they do have a pair of conference series each with UNCW and Charleston.

The 2026 Texas Rangers Opening Day roster appears to be set after the announcements made by the club last night. The 26 players who will start the season on the active roster are as follows:

Rotation

Nathan Eovaldi

Jacob deGrom

MacKenzie Gore

Jack Leiter

Kumar Rocker

Bullpen

Chris Martin

Robert Garcia

Jakob Junis

Jalen Beeks

Cole Winn

Tyler Alexander

Jacob Latz

Carter Baumler

Catcher

Danny Jansen

Kyle Higashioka

Infielders

Jake Burger

Josh Smith

Corey Seager

Josh Jung

Ezequiel Duran

Outfielder

Wyatt Langford

Evan Carter

Brandon Nimmo

Sam Haggerty

DH

Joc Pederson

Andrew McCutchen

This was more or less what we would have expected two weeks ago, with the only real questions being whether Kumar Rocker or Jacob Latz would be the team’s fifth starter, and who would get the final two spots in the bullpen.

The team announced prior to last night’s game that Rocker would be the fifth starter, Latz would be in the bullpen, and McCutchen and Duran would round out the position player group.

We wondered at the time why there was no announcement as to who the final spot in the bullpen was going to. Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler had an excellent spring, and seemed to have earned a job, but there was no announcement as to whether he would be making the squad, or if it would be someone else.

As it turns out, that’s because the team was doing something special with Baumler, who came into last night’s exhibition game to start the fifth inning. After recording the first two outs of the inning, manager Skip Schumaker came out to the mound, along with catcher Danny Jansen and the infielders. Schumaker told Baumler then that he had made the team:

A pretty neat moment for Baumler, a 2020 5th round pick of the Baltimore Orioles who due to injuries had pitched just 88 innings over 49 appearances, with just six games above A ball, prior to the Rangers acquiring him as a Rule 5 selection this winter. Baumler understandably got a little emotional talking about it during the broadcast.

Procedurally, the Rangers will need to place Cody Freeman and Cody Bradford on the injured list before Thursday’s season opener in Philadelphia, and will need to create a 40 man roster spot for Andrew McCutchen. Its possible Bradford will go on the 60 day injured list, but he is expected to start a rehab assignment soon after Round Rock’s season starts on March 27, but given the organization has said they hope to have Bradford back in May, it seems more likely that Bradford would be placed on the 15 day injured list. Dairon Blanco and Michel Otanez would appear to be the guys on the 40 man bubble.

Meet the Mets

The Mets finally announced that Carson Benge will be on the team’s Opening Day roster, which felt like an inevitability after his incredible spring training performance.

Anthony DiComo offered some predictions for the team heading into the season.

Writing for SNY, John Harper made his predictions for the Mets’ season.

Tim Britton talked about the Mets’ easy early season schedule, which he says the team should not waste.

Craig Kimbrel will remain with the Mets after missing out on the Opening Day roster, saying, “I am going to stay down here in Florida and stay ready.”

Around the National League East

Todd Zolecki made his predictions for the Phillies’ season.

Spencer Strider will begin the season on the IL with an oblique injury.

Spencer Nusbaum took us inside the Nationals’ vision for fans and the future.

Around Major League Baseball

The MLB.com staff highlighted the most important thing we learned from each team’s camp this spring.

Will Leitch shared the Power Rankings heading into Opening Day.

Experts predicted the stats leaders across MLB this season.

Theo DeRosa explored who might be the top award winners in MLB in 2026.

Sarah Langs identified some players how are on the precipice of reaching career milestones during the upcoming MLB season.

A jersey Shohei Ohtani worn during the WBC sold for a boat load of money.

The Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong have agreed to a contract extension.

The Blue Jays and GM Ross Adkins have also agreed on a five-year extension.

Ben Rice has landed an endorsement deal with…Ben’s Rice, the endorsement deal he was born to have.

Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt made the Opening Day roster.

Andrew McCutchen made the Opening Day roster for the Rangers as he prepares for his 18th season.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker let reliever Carter Baumler know he had made the major league roster during a mound visit.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Grace Carbone explained why 2026 is of the utmost importance for David Peterson in her season preview.

Thomas Henderson previewed Bo Bichette’s 2026 campaign, which could see the Mets and Bichette turning a marriage of convenience into something special.

Chris McShane looked at how Sean Manaea may be able to bounce back during the 2026 season as he previewed what is hopefully a comeback season for the left-hander.

Linus Lawrence brought us Mets Madness: Elite Eight.

This Date in Mets History

You can trace the birth of Shea Stadium back to this date in 1961, when the New York State Senate approved $55 million in funding to build what would become the new home of the Mets in Queens, New York.

Heading into the spring, Jasson Domínguez was the consensus pick for the Yankees’ fourth outfielder spot, as the former top prospect, now headed into his sophomore season, would be the team’s number one option in the event one of Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Giancarlo Stanton, or — baseball gods forbid — Aaron Judge had to miss significant time. As the roster currently stands, the Martian, despite being optioned to Triple-A Scranton, remains in that role, and in truth, it would be very surprising if he did not receive a call to the Show at for some extended run at some point this year; injuries are just a fact of life in baseball, after all.

But, as our very own Estevão wrote earlier this month, “Organizational depth and a quality bench…don’t necessarily mean the same thing.” Ever since the Yankees signed Randal Grichuk to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training late last month, it immediately became the expectation that he would be given the fourth outfielder job out of spring training, and that the Martian would return to Scranton to start the season — an expectation that became reality this week.

2025 Stats (Arizona, Kansas City): 113 games, 293 plate appearances, .228/.273/.401, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 18 doubles, 82 wRC+, 20.8 K%, 5.8 BB%, -2 Defensive Runs Saved, -2 Outs Above Average, -0.4 fWAR, -0.8 rWAR

2026 Projections: 32 games, 140 plate appearances, .242/.295/.419, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 98 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR

Just a few short weeks ago, Estevão broke down the decision to sign Grichuk, and in the process of that piece he discussed reasons to both be optimistic about the veteran this season (such as his 92.4 mph exit velo last season) and to be, well, not so optimistic about him (such as his “predictable unpredictability”). Rather than treading over that same ground again, I’d instead like to talk about what the thought process behind the decision is, what the exact role Grichuk is expected to fill, and what are the possible ways his time in pinstripes may go.

The decision to option Domínguez and roster Grichuk has been met with skepticism around the Yankees online community, and for good reason. The organization has, in recent years, oscillated between playing the kids too much (see: Volpe, Anthony) and running out clearly washed veterans in lieu of letting the kids play (see: Verdugo, Alex and Kiner-Falefa, Isiah). Viewed from that vantage point, this move seems to be just the latest in a long line of overcorrections by the front office.

In this instance, though, there’s one variable that separates Grichuk from Verdugo and IKF: Grichuk is not in line to start, and is a platoon bat at best. Unlike Oswald Peraza and Volpe in 2022 and Domínguez himself in 2024, the young kid is not being blocked; there isn’t a starting job available. A much better comparandum would be 2012, when the Yankees optioned Francisco Cervelli to the minors and had Chris Stewart serve as their backup catcher, in order to have the young catcher receive regular reps. Had starting catcher Russell Martin been injured for an extended period of time, however, it would have been Cervelli filling in as the starter, not the career backup in Stewart. When/if an outfield or DH spot opens up due to injury, Domínguez is certainly slotting into that spot in the lineup.

So why is Grichuk here, rather than having the #NextManUp on the active roster to begin with? Because Grichuk, at least in theory, brings something that Domínguez has not yet shown in practice: the ability to hit left-handed pitching. As of today, the FanGraphs Depth Chart lists Trent Grisham as the Yankees’ starting center fielder, putting him in a platoon with Grichuk. According to their projection, against left-handed pitching, Grisham will sit, Bellinger will slide over to center, and Grichuk will man left. This tracks with the Yankees’ stated intention to factor in platoon matchups more this season — and it is something that, the way this roster is currently constructed, does not benefit Domínguez, as his platoon splits to date are comparable with Grisham’s. Grichuk, at least in theory, brings something different to the Yankees’ bench and gives Aaron Boone some flexibility.

Of course, what if it doesn’t work out? At this stage, it’s hard to say for certain, as despite having a reputation for holding onto aging vets for too long (e.g., DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks), the Yankees have in recent years been willing to pull the plug on an experiment that clearly wasn’t working (e.g., Jay Bruce, Opening Day first baseman, and Enyel De Los Santos, trade deadline bullpen acquisition). The Yankees only have $2.5 million invested in Grichuk, and no sentimental attachments (in fact, given his performance against the Yankees over his career, they might have negative sentimentality). If Father Time has indeed caught up to the 34-year-old, it shouldn’t be too painful for the Bombers to move on.

Hopefully, though, it won’t come to that, and Grichuk quiets those disappointed in his arrival.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

Once again, the Braves were dealt some bad news Monday. Spencer Strider will be out to the start the season with an oblique injury. While the Braves hope he misses just a few weeks, oblique injuries could take a month or more to come back from plus rehab time. Jose Suarez and Martin Perez could he options to internally fill Strider’s role. Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie are other obvious candidates.

The unfortunate is now injuries have clearly impacted the start of the Braves season. “Weathering the Storm” successfully is certainly an option if the offense starts off strong. But the quality of the rotation has significantly decreased before the season has even begun.

Braves News

The Braves bested the Pirates, as Matt Olson hit home runs 5 and 6 on the Spring, showing that he is locked in to start the season. Fuentes also delivered another strong outing on the mound.

Mark Bowman looked closer at what Strider’s injury means for the Braves.

MLB News

The Cubs and Pete Crow Armstrong agreed to a long-term contract.

MLB.com looks at Spring Training stats that have some meaning, including some positive takes on Drake Baldwin.

JJ Weatherholt will make the Cardinals Opening Day roster.

Carson Benge will make the Mets Opening Day roster.

Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the IL for the Cubs.