Worldwide Sports News

We’re now less than two weeks away from Opening Day, and the Yankees have a few choices left to make regarding their roster. Namely, they’re whittling down who on the pitching staff is going to be heading with the team to San Francisco, and then based off of that deciding if they’re going to carry an extra infielder or not. On top of that, they’re waiting for the rest of their players to return from the World Baseball Classic, which will be wrapping up tomorrow, freeing them to start making more of the expected cuts to their spring camp.

As we approach the start of the 2026 season, it’s time to start nailing down the final pieces of the puzzle. Who will be the last handful of relievers that the Yankees carry with them to start the year? Will they opt for a shorter bullpen to give themselves an extra position player on the bench, and if they do how do they solve things once the off-days shorten up? How well do you expect the team to do in their opening month or so, and will the early standings be favorable or an uphill battle? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of March 19th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke on a number of topics prior to Monday’s game against the Nationals on SNY…

What’s left for Benge to show

Carson Benge has done everything the Mets have asked of him in his bid for an Opening Day roster spot. 

After another strong showing this weekend, the youngster is now hitting .367 with a triple, a stolen base, five RBI, and a .840 OPS over 10 games. 

He also lifted an opposite-field solo homer in a exhibition against Team Israel. 

With just a week of spring games left, the Mets are simply looking for Benge to keep doing his thing.

“A lot can happen between now and Opening Day,” Mendoza said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do -- I like how he’s playing defense, got into a couple of games in center, and I like the at-bats he’s taking -- there’s just a lot to like.

“He doesn’t need to do anything extra at this point, just continue to go out there and be himself and let us make that decision, which is not an easy situation to be in for a young player like that.”

Mixed feelings over McLean’s opportunity

Mendoza's experienced the WBC before. 

He knows when Mets righty Nolan McLean takes the mound for Team USA in the Finals on Tuesday night, it'll be unlike anything he's ever experienced.  

“I had the opportunity last WBC, and it’s nothing compared to a playoff atmosphere at the big-league level,” he said. “You’re representing your country, you have the world watching and have USA on playing with and against the best players -- it’ll definitely be different than what he experienced last year.”

Being around McLean, though, the skipper knows he'll be ready for the big moment.

Still, he can't help but to be a bit nervous seeing the Mets' young talent throw on such a big stage. 

"I have mixed feelings, I'm not going to lie," he said. "The fact that he’s going to have that experience is something unbelievable, we'll be praying, but it's awesome -- as far as him pitching in that environment, he’s wired and built for that, just based off of what we saw last year and being around him -- the moment is not too big.”

Next steps for Francisco Lindor

Lindor came in Monday and felt good after making his spring debut Sunday afternoon. 

The All-Star shortstop was a full participant during a full squad workout this afternoon, and if he comes back feeling okay again on Tuesday he’s expected to be back in the lineup against the Marlins. 

The team will continue to take things day-by-day from there. 

Following Wednesday’s off day, they’ll start talking about getting Lindor into back-to-back games before they break camp for the start of the regular season. 

Lindor played four innings in the field and got three at-bats on Sunday. 

Christian Scott's strong return

The Mets really like that they’ve seen from Scott in his return to the mound. 

While the right-hander will begin the year in Triple-A, Mendoza is confident that he is going to play a big part in the clubs success moving forward. 

Scott is expected to stretch out to four innings and around 60 pitches on Monday.

“Another exciting arm,” the manager said. “He was important for us in 2024 and we felt it last year. He had to work really hard and what we’ve seen so far with the velo -- this is a guy who isn’t afraid, he attacks and stats on the attack.

“I think the biggest thing is just keeping him healthy -- I like the way he’s bouncing back and how he’s feeling in between outings -- his stuff is electric man, when he’s healthy he can do some special things.”

Huascar Brazoban has been outstanding so far this spring.

The right-hander struck out five batters over three scoreless innings before leaving the Mets for the WBC. 

He continued that dominance pitching for the Dominican Republic, putting together more clean appearances, including his last in Sunday’s semifinal loss to the United States. 

Though it's just exhibition games, the Mets certainly like what they’ve seen. 

“I don’t know if we’re looking at the results, even though it’s a competitive environment facing some of the best hitters in the world on that stage, but it was good to see him throw the ball the way he did,” Carlos Mendoza said.

“The biggest thing we were looking at was just the buildup -- looking at the one-plus which he ended up doing close to 30 pitches, so the fact that they lost and we’re gonna get him back, he’s coming back in a pretty good spot.”

The team will wait and see how Brazoban feels when he reports back to camp this week, but if he finishes spring training healthy, he will officially be part of the Opening Day bullpen. 

With the 36-year-old just about locked in, that leaves one spot with a week of games to play.

As long as everyone continues to stay healthy over that stretch, Mendoza expects that the difficult decision could take them right up to hours before first pitch on Opening Day.

Among the arms who are still in the mix are veterans Craig Kimbrel and Bryan Hudson, both of whom have impressed the third-year skipper with their stuff thus far in camp. 

“We’re going to take what we feel is best and is going to give us the best chance to win,” Mendoza said. “Looks, angles, pitch shapes, I’m not sure we put too much into that now -- we’ll see how things play out the next few days.”

MIAMI - The boys were pumped up in the Team USA clubhouse Sunday evening, yelling, fist-pumping, back-slapping and absolutely exhilarated.

They had just knocked off powerful Dominican Republic in the semifinals, advancing to the championship game Tuesday night (8 p.m. ET, FOX) against the winner of the Italy-Venezuela game, and are so close to the gold medal now that they could almost touch it.

USA captain Aaron Judge stood up in front of the room, and told them how proud he was with their complete team effort. He pointed everyone out from starter Paul Skenes to closer Mason Miller and the bullpen, to shortstop Bobby Witt, to the home runs by Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony.

Go ahead and enjoy the victory, Judge told them, but once they leave the clubhouse, it was time to focus on the business at hand.

They have one more game.

Win, and everything they’ve worked hard for, beginning in Phoenix four days, 10 nights in Houston, and now in Miami, will be all worth it. It has been their dream to be standing on the championship stage in center field Tuesday, with World Baseball Classic officials adorning them with gold medals, with a sellout crowd cheering.

Jays 5 Marlins 4 (Six innings, rain-shortened)

A win is a win.

Pitchers:

• Lazaro Estrada: 2.1 innings, 3 hits, home run, 2 earned. 4.50 ERA this spring.
• Connor Seabold: 1.2 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned. 6.75. He picked Otto Lopez off first base.
• Joe Mantiply: 1.0, 1 hit, home run. 4.50.
• Jesse Hahn: 0.2, 2 hits. 6.35.

Batters, starters:

• George Springer: 2 for 2, home run, RBI. .231.
• Nathan Lukes: 2 for 2, run. .296.
• Davis Schneider: 0 for 1, walk. .103.
• Addison Barger: 0 for 2, 2 k. .267.
• Daulton Varsho: 1 for 1, double, walk. .423.
• Myles Straw: 0 for 2, RBI. .179.
• C.J. Stubbs: 1 for 3, 2 k. .300.
• Riley Tirotta: 0 for 2. .233.
• Arjun Nimmala: 0 for 2. .240.

Others:

• Jesus Sanchez: Walk. .222.
• RJ Schreck: 0 for 1, k. .167. He made a great throw from right getting a running at the plate.
• Leo Jimenez: 1 for 1. .278.
• Eloy Jimenez: 1 for 1. .297.
• Jonatan Clase: 0 for 1. .261.
• Rafael Lantigua: 0 for 1, k. .261.
• Sean Keys: 0 for 1. .207.
• Josh Kasevich: 0 for 1. .290.

I hate rain shortened spring games. I want to see the young guys late him the game. I know what Springer, Lukes, Schneider and all look like at the plate.

Tomorrow the Jays have an off-day. Wednesday they host the Orioles.

This morning, San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen made it as close to official as possible that starting pitcher Joe Musgrove will begin the regular season on the injured list. To be specific, the words he used were “most likely,” and, although not an absolute verdict, they’re not comforting to the Friar Faithful.

The Padres rotation plans will shift accordingly, probably looking something like this come Opening Day:

1. Nick Pivetta
2. Michael King
3. Randy Vásquez
4. Germán Márquez
5. Walker Buehler

But the more important question is when he’ll return. Musgrove has stated multiple times that his desire is to be healthy for October. Pitching in the postseason has always been his goal, but the Padres need him if they’re going to get there at all.

With Musgrove in the rotation, the Friars have a formidable front half of their pitching staff. Without him it gets a whole lot shakier. 

It was always apparent that he would be ramped up into the regular season but starting on the injured list isn’t a great place to be. It’s unfortunate but not unforeseen for the pitching staff, as Musgrove struggled to rehab after pitching against Great Britain in a WBC exhibition game on March 4. 

If he can continue to rehab and work on his recovery process, he could emerge mid-season as a viable starter. Until then, he’ll have to be used sparingly. 

A rocky career in San Diego

Musgrove’s tenure with the Padres has been marred by injury almost every year. Despite being highly durable from 2021-22 (and throwing the first no-hitter in San Diego history), the downturn since has been rough. He hasn’t made 20-plus starts since 2022.

If Musgrove can at least show flashes of dominance this season for San Diego, it’ll be enough. But suddenly the Padres are banking on a lot of their bargain hunting to turn out well for them. If it doesn’t, the rotation will be caught between a rock and a hard place fast, and who knows what moves General Manager A.J. Preller might make then. 

It’s possible that he orchestrates a last-minute trade for starting depth or signs a few more reclamation projects like Buehler and Griffin Canning. Whatever the case may be, Musgrove starting on the IL brings a lot of attention back to the San Diego pitching staff.

Musgrove needs to come back healthy and consistent when he does. The on-again, off-again relationship he’s had with the IL only hurts the Friars’ chances more and more. Until he can consistently pitch and recover from his starts he needs to stay on the rehab track.

But the worries from earlier this year about the starting rotation are now renewed, and faith in San Diego starters is low. If they can beat those low expectations, they’ll claw their way into contention this year. Otherwise, the Padres might be relegated to baseball purgatory: mediocrity.

The San Francisco Giants have now sent out 9 players from their 19 Spring Training invitees following today’s cuts of catcher Logan Porter, infielder Nate Furman, and lefty Nick Margevicius. They join Friday’s cuts of lefty reliever Juan Sanchez, righty Wilkin Ramos, and Thursday’s cuts of relievers Will Bednar and Trent Harris, catcher Diego Cartaya, and outfielder Bo Davidson.

If you’ve been following Brady’s researchon the topic, it’s clear why all of these players have been sent out from camp, as their performances have been okay in some instances against similar invitees, but none have stood out enough to warrant additional consideration just 9 days from Opening Night and with the return of players who were at the WBC. The 24-year old Furman highlights this point. As Alex Pavlovic notes, “he ended up getting a lot of plate appearances with Luis Arraez gone.” He wound up going 2-for-17 and hitless in his last 9 plate appearances.

I’d like to feel a little bit bad for Logan Porter because he seems like a guy who has been yo-yo’d by the organization. The Giants traded for him, released him, re-signed him after he was cut by the Mets, landed on the major league team last June for a grand total of 7 days before optioning him down to Triple-A Sacramento only to DFA him two and a half weeks later. They re-signed him when he cleared waivers and elected free agency, invited him to this year’s Spring Training, and now they’ve sent him back to Triple-A. On the other hand, he hasn’t forced the issue. He went 0-for-7 and didn’t get much of a look from Tony Vitello and his staff.

The pitching situation ought to be self-evident. A lot of roles ought to be up for grabs and not much of this group made a lot of noise. Will Bednar had another good camp velocity-wise, but it’s clear the organization wants him to improve against better competition as he didn’t face any MLB regulars and just 1 hitter on a 40-man roster in his 4 innings of work.

The 10 remaining NRIs: Outfielders Victor Bericoto and Jared Oliva; infielders Osleivis Basabe, Parks Harber, Jake Holton, and Buddy Kennedy; catcher Eric Haase; pitchers Michael Fulmer, Caleb Killian and Gregory Santos (and, if you want to throw late addition Joey Lucchesi onto the list, go right ahead).

Of this group, Fulmer and Santos would seem to be closest to getting roster spots, but even they don’t have a 100% clear path to become bullpenners. Still, all the position players are right-handed, which puts them squarely in competition with Luis Matos, Casey Schmitt, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Jerar Encarnacion. Grant McCray would seem to have the edge because of the handedness and the defense, which basically relegates all of these NRI hitters to roster filler until the exhibition season starts. Unless there really is a battle going on between Eric Haase and Daniel Susac for the role of Patrick Bailey’s backup.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani expressed regret Monday for his "shortcomings" following Japan's early exit from the World Baseball Classic.

It is unclear what those shortcomings might have been. Over four games during this year's tournament, Ohtani led Japan with a .462 batting average, three home runs and seven RBI in 13 at-bats.

Those stats are even better than the ones he posted as the MVP of the last WBC. Over seven games in 2023, Ohtani hit .435 with one home run and eight home runs in 23 at-bats to lead Japan to its third WBC championship.

Overall, however, Japan finished with a .284 batting average, down from a .299 average three years ago. Ohtani did account for his team's final out of the 2026 tournament — an infield popup to seal an 8-5 quarterfinal loss to Venezuela on Saturday — and took to Instagram two days later.

"Thank you to all the fans for your support. Your cheers pushed us forward every day," Ohtani wrote in Japanese. "We didn't achieve the results we hoped for, and I deeply regret my own shortcomings."

The two-way superstar did not pitch in this year's WBC, after famously striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout of the United States for the final out of the 2023 championship game and going 2-0 with one save and a 1.86 ERA in that tournament.

Ohtani had his second Tommy John surgery in September 2023 and did not pitch again until last June with the Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts revealed in January that Ohtani had decided not to pitch in the WBC.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers’ final road game of the Arizona portion of spring training comes Tuesday night in Surprise, taking on the Kansas City Royals.

Roki Sasaki gets the start, looking for his first successful outing against major league competition this spring. He last pitched four innings on the backfields at Camelback Ranch, striking out nine Chicago White Sox minor leaguers last Tuesday.

Aaron Sanchez starts for the Royals.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Royals
• Ballpark: Surprise Stadium
• Time: 6:05 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: KFNZ 96.5 (Royals broadcast)

Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers are favored to cruise to their fifth consecutive National League West title. The majority of preseason win-loss projections select them to be the lone Major League Baseball team to reach 100 wins during the 2026 campaign.

The battle for second place is shaping up to be a tight three-team race between the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. Each club has the potential to play better than last season’s results, and with a little luck, all could challenge for a postseason berth.

The key factor for the Padres remaining in contention is keeping their core players healthy all season. 

Preller does what it takes to remain a contender

Most of the television analysts believe the Friars will take a step back after a very lackluster offseason and concerns about their starting rotation’s ability to avoid time on the injured list in 2026. 

However, the Padres have one advantage over their competitors: team President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller, who has a reputation for doing whatever it takes to improve his team at the trade deadline. 

He has the knack of quickly recognizing his roster’s weaknesses and striking a deal to fix those holes. Often, the deadline deals set the Friars on a course to the playoffs.

It is hard to say whether the Giants or D-Backs will emerge as contenders. Both teams have incomplete rosters that will force their front offices to make trades for reinforcements. A deal of this nature will include the organization’s top prospects to acquire a difference-maker.

The message is more powerful than you would expect. It shows the organization is all-in on making the postseason. 

The Padres cannot worry about the media’s opinion of the state of their roster. Instead, they must create some space between themselves and their NL West foes. Hopefully, the lead can grow as the season progresses.

Injuries and a lack of depth could derail the season

San Diego’s front office understands the team cannot take a significant step backward this season. They responded to the media criticism by reshaping their roster with a flurry of free agent signings before the start of Spring Training. The moves give hope to the Friar Faithful that the organization wants to contend in 2026. 

Still, the upcoming season brings an intriguing storyline to San Diego. In addition to integrating the newcomers into the lineup, first-year manager Craig Stammen must take a cautious approach to Joe Musgrove’s workload, as he returns from Tommy John surgery.

The big right-hander is slated to be part of the starting rotation, but his arm has been slow in the recovery process from throwing sessions. It is unlikely Musgrove will be ready to be on the Opening Day roster according to Stammen. He wants to slow everything down and let Musgrove get healthy before deciding when he pitches in meaningful games again. 

Injuries could throw a wrench into the best-laid plans. The Padres could have two new starting pitchers in the 2026 rotation. However, the lack of major league depth on the 40-man roster limits the options available. It could provide an opportunity for the Giants and D-Backs to move up in the standings if the Friars have issues with their starting pitching. 

Preseason expectations can be cruel sometimes, especially if none of the experts believe your team has a chance to compete for a division title. Granted, the odds are high, but the Padres believe they’re the only legitimate threat to spoil a Dodger’s NL West coronation at season’s end.

While clinching a postseason berth is the priority, upending the reigning champs would give the Friars the momentum they need to play October baseball.