If you paid attention to Sunday’s Spring Training game (and to be honest, why would you?), you knew this was coming.

Despite the fact that the Braves are relying on him to be useful, Reynaldo Lopez is very much a wild card heading into the 2026 season, which begins in earnest this week. Lopez was a revelation as a starter in 2024. He missed over a month collectively with injury, but when he was on the hill, he threw up a 48/74/85 line that was: A) good; B) not as good as his outputs but still plenty good anyway; and, C) potentially complicated by a deliberate approach of taking it easy in situations like the bases empty, therefore attempting to directly influence stuff like strand rate and things like gaps between inputs, contact quality, and results.

Unfortunately for everyone, Lopez was basically toast for all of 2025, making just one start and otherwise sitting out the campaign with shoulder woes. Come 2026, as noted, the Braves are relying on Lopez being all systems nominal, but, well…

In 2024, Lopez sat around 95 mph with his four-seamer in Spring Training, where he ultimately convinced the Braves to give him a rotation spot. He eventually ramped up to about 96 mph over the course of the season, adding about a tick relative to him getting loose in the Grapefruit League. Whether because he was taking it easy due to the recurring shoulder issues, or because the shoulder was just not in great shape, Lopez sat only 93 mph for 2025 Spring Training; he actually aired it back out to the same fastball velocity in his one regular season start that year, but we know how things went.

Come 2026, Lopez’ Spring Training efforts were at 92, 92, 93, and 92 before Sunday’s game. Then, his velocity plummeted to around 89 mph, but there was no ostensible sign of injury, nor did the Braves cut the outing short. Lopez also looked and pitched out of sorts — it was his first truly horrid start of 2026 Spring Training, and he had pitched pretty well despite an elevated walk rate in his other four outings, even with the lower velocity.

So, the question is — is this just a blip, or an ominous sign of things to come?

On the blip side, you could argue some combination of him just getting his work in and definitely conserving energy ahead of the season actually starting soon, as well as a normal and/or post-injury-recovery dead arm period that often comes up as a valid/get-the-microphone-away-from-me excuse during Spring Training.

On the portentous side, you have the fact that Lopez did in fact miss nearly all of 2025 after missing a chunk of 2024, was already not throwing as hard this Spring Training compared to prior years, and the anecdotal-ish idea that sometimes shoulder issues in pitchers can sometimes present as loss of oomph without a blatant twinge or source of discomfort that would generally lead to an exam and a shutdown of pitching (a la what happens with elbows).

You can read the fact that the Braves didn’t remove Lopez and let him struggle with diminished stuff for inning after inning as support for the former, though we’ve seen enough weird pitcher injury (non-)management stuff from the team in recent years, too, to make this less of a slam dunk reading.

Anyway, put all that together, and the question is: how far into the season do you think Lopez makes it before hitting the shelf? It was one start last year, it was much of the season in 2024, though it ultimately happened anyway. To be clear, I’m not asking for an innings total or a start total, or whether he gets moved to the bullpen. I’m just asking: when do you expect him to hit the Injured List for the first time in 2026?

The Yankees followed up their first World Series appearance in 15 years with a season that fell far short of expectations.

Sure, injuries marred what would have been an incredible starting rotation featuring Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, but that same rotation crumbled in the postseason, and the Yanks could not even make it back to the ALCS, falling to the eventual American League winners, the Toronto Blue Jays. 

It's a tough pill to swallow for GM Brian Cashman and the rest of the organization, especially after Aaron Judge put together his second consecutive MVP season -- and his 2025 was arguably the best season he's ever had. 

But many saw the flaws in the 2025 Yanks before the ousting, disregarding key injuries to Cole and the departure of Juan Soto in free agency. To Cashman's credit, he addressed those issues at the trade deadline, and the Yankees were healthy and near-complete headed into the postseason. But they could not get it done.

Entering 2026, Cashman and the brass saw that the team that lost to Toronto in four games and essentially decided to run it back.

Whether you agree or not, this is what the Yankees are starting the season with. Don't forget, this is the team that finished tied with the Blue Jays for the most wins in the AL (94) and were 18-8 in September -- the second-best record in baseball. 

Will the "run-it-back" Yanks get over the hump this time?

With the Yankees starting the season on the road in San Francisco to take on the Giants, here are five big storylines to watch...

Returns of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon

The Yankees made it through 2025 without their ace throwing a pitch in the regular season. A big part of that was Fried's dominance and Rodon having his best season in pinstripes -- along with the emergence of some young hurlers. 

While Cole is still weeks away from returning, his recovery from Tommy John surgery is, by all accounts, going swimmingly. Cole pitched in a Grapefruit League game and was effective, showing he still has a high-90s fastball, which is very encouraging. But baseball fans know returning from TJS is always tricky.

How much can the Yanks depend on Cole, and how do they plan to limit his workload? 

Luckily for the Yankees, they have more than enough starters to perhaps even use a six-man rotation. With days off, it will be a four-man rotation to start, with Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers. The Yankees also have Luis Gil, Ryan Yarbrough and even Paul Blackburn. 

On a similar note, Rodon will also start the season on the IL.

The southpaw has an expected return date sometime in April.

Rodon had a bone spur shaved down and loose bodies removed from his throwing arm, so it's not as intensive as Cole's recovery, but getting Rodon back and seeing if he can return to his 2025 form will be something to look out for. Don't forget, Rodon had a 3.09 ERA across a career-high 33 starts. 

Anthony Volpe's future

Volpe is another starter who will begin the season on the IL, but this is a different situation from Cole and Rodon. Those two have their spots in the rotation ready for them when they return. The same can't be said for Volpe.

Sure, the Yanks will likely give Volpe back the starting shortstop job -- barring insane production from Jose Caballero -- but that leash won't be as long as it was last season.

Volpe regressed both offensively and defensively in 2025, and although the youngster played through a shoulder injury that likely affected his play on both sides of the ball, he'll need to show something when he returns. With his shoulder fixed, Volpe will need to hit the ground running, or at least show that his Gold Glove-level defense has returned. 

A season ago, Volpe committed a career-high 19 errors, and the play of Paul Goldschmidt at first base certainly kept that number from eclipsing 20. 

In addition to Caballero, the Yankees have George Lombard Jr. lurking in the minors. The Yankees' top prospect has shown this spring that his defense is major league ready, and if he can do some damage offensively in Triple-A, his timeline could be pushed up. There's also the trade market to solve the team's shortstop problem if Volpe proves he can't be reliable as an everyday starter.

A CJ Abrams deal with the Nationals could be possible. Abrams batted .257 with an OPS of .748 to go along with 19 home runs, 60 RBI and 31 stolen bases last season. While not a perfect player, Abrams would give the Yanks lineup a lift, especially at their left-hander-friendly stadium.

Perhaps a deal for an established shortstop like Abrams or someone else at the deadline could spell the end of Volpe's tenure.

Aaron Judge MV3?

There have only been two players in MLB history to win three consecutive MVP awards, the most recent being Shohei Ohtani (2023-25). Barry Bonds (2001-04) was the first, but Judge could add his name to that illustrious list this season. 

Why not? 

Judge followed up a crazy 2024 campaign, where he launched 58 homers and drove in 144 runs, with a 2025 season that was arguably better. A year ago, Judge batted .331, winning the AL batting title, smashing 53 homers and driving in 114 runs. The captain has not shown any sign of slowing down, and with his closest peers (Ohtani, Soto, etc.) being in the National League, who could pry the MVP away from him?

Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals is an intriguing option. He was runner-up to Judge in 2024 and the young infielder could see his production increase with Kansas City bringing in its outfield walls. The Royals could also return to the postseason after missing out in 2025, and Witt would be a big reason why. And then we had Cal Raleigh in 2025. The Mariners catcher gave Judge his best shot, breaking all sorts of MLB records while hitting 60 homers as a catcher and helping Seattle capture the AL West title. 

Barring any injuries to Judge, if a record-setting performance from Raleigh couldn't knock Judge off his perch, it might take something truly special -- or voter fatigue -- to unseat him. 

Follow-ups to justify the run-back

One key factor to the "run-it-back" mantra is that a lot of young and surprise players stepped up in 2025. However, if they want to get back to the World Series, they'll need a follow-up that matches or exceeds what they did prior.

First and foremost, the rotation to start will have youngsters the club will need to keep the ship afloat until Cole and Rodon return. A lot is expected of Warren, Schlittler, and Gil, and those expectations are warranted.

Gil won the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year before injuries nearly wiped out his entire 2025. The right-hander will need to find his groove again, as spring training was not kind. Taking his last spring start out, Gil pitched to a 6.28 ERA.

Warren was the opposite of Gil, pitching the entire 2025 season without injury -- to varying degrees of success -- and the second-year starter has had a magnificent spring. Heading into his final spring start, Warren has allowed just four earned runs while striking out 16 batters across 20.1 innings.

And then we have Schlittler, the hero of the Wild Card round last year.

The electric right-hander had a setback early in spring, but since his return, he's just as advertised. He's allowed just one run and struck out 11 batters across 9.2 IP (three starts).

On the offensive side, Ben Rice will be given the reins at first base. The left-handed slugger had a great second half last year, and continues to show his plate discipline and power this spring, all while showing more comfortability playing the position. 

Austin Wells is entering his third year and took a step back in his sophomore season. While his defense behind the plate is still very good, the Yankees hope to get more out of him -- he has 20-homer power -- to lengthen the lineup. Wells showed that potential playing for Team DR in this year's WBC, hitting .267 and smashing two home runs, including a walk-off. 

And while Trent Grisham isn't a youngster, the Yanks will see if they'll get similar production out of the 29-year-old. Now, it's unreasonable to expect the 34 home runs and 74 RBI out of the leadoff spot they got from Grisham a year ago, but the Yankees hope their $22 million man can produce. If not, it'll be interesting to see how patient the team will be before Jasson Dominguez or even Spencer Jones gets a shot. 

Reclaiming the AL East

The Blue Jays were a bad matchup for the 2025 Yankees, it was as simple as that. However, if the Yanks won the division and had home-field advantage, then perhaps the series could have been different.

While we can talk hypotheticals all day, the road back to the World Series is easier as a division winner and preferably as the top seed. New York used that advantage in 2024 and they should do whatever it takes for that again.

Now, the AL East is going to be more difficult than a year ago -- at least on paper. 

The Red Sox will have another year of experience for their youngsters, while they acquired Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez to build a rotation on par with the Yankees. The Blue Jays have a similar team to a year ago, but did add Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto, who could be in the Rookie of the Year conversation.

The Orioles signed Pete Alonso, are healthier and still have some of the most talented youngsters (Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday) in the league. And the Rays will also be a pest and somehow always find a way to be in the mix. 

It'll be tough, but it's imperative that the Yankees win the division. Scoreboard watching will be a daily routine this season.

Now that the roster is (unofficially) set, here is what we can find.

There are a lot of moves here that are unsurprising. Much of this team has been set for a while now, but there are still at least maybe a few eyebrow raisers here. Among them

• Dylan Moore getting to keep his 26th man spot, giving the team really only three true outfielders
• Tim Mayza getting the nod over Rule 5 pick Zack McCambley as the last member of the bullpen to be added before either Orion Kerkering or Max Lazar come off the injured list
• Rob Thomson coming to his senses and not keeping Garrett Stubbs over Rafael Marchan

I’m sure there are thoughts about this roster, so let’s share them. What thoughts do you have about this Opening Day roster right now?

Following a 2025 season where the Mets went from the team with the best record in baseball to one that missed the playoffs, president of baseball operations David Stearns overhauled the roster, which included trading or letting go of a bunch of its core players.

While the club led in part by Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil helped make New York go during its magical run to the 2024 NLCS, that group was also part of the incredibly disappointing 2025 season, the massive failure that was 2023, and the 2022 team that squandered the division lead late and was eliminated in the Wild Card Series at home to the Padres.

Also gone from the recent core is Edwin Diaz, though his departure seemed less intentional from the Mets' end and more like a negotiation gone wrong.

In any event, out are Diaz, Alonso, Nimmo, McNeil, and most of last year's bullpen. 

In are Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and others. 

With the Mets opening the regular season this week at Citi Field against the Pirates, here are five big storylines to watch...

Is the starting rotation a strength?

It was the rotation that was largely responsible for the Mets' downfall last season.

While injuries impacted things, the starting staff in 2025 was a debilitating combination of ineffective and allergic to pitching deep into games.

The group heading into 2026 has been bolstered in a big way by the addition of Peralta, and should be further transformed by getting a full season from Nolan McLean -- who made eight starts toward the end of last season in what was his first taste of the bigs. 

Back are Clay Holmes and David Peterson, with the latter's struggles late in 2025 possibly attributable to fatigue as he tossed a career-high 168.2 innings.

Also back: Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, whose campaigns last year were marred by injury and underperformance.

Senga looked terrific in spring training, with his fastball routinely reaching the high-90s, and Carlos Mendoza repeatedly said Senga simply looks like a healthy player again.

Manaea's spring was up and down, with his decreased fastball velocity (which hovered around 88 mph) being the main focus.

If you squint just a bit, you can see a staff that could have three top-of-the-rotation starters and three solid mid-rotation starters.

But it's fair to wonder how Manaea's stuff will play in the regular season and whether Senga will stay healthy. And the Mets are seemingly wondering about Manaea, too, with the lefty in a bullpen/piggyback role to start the season. 

Fortunately for the Mets, their depth is very good, including Christian Scott (who is healthy after recovering from Tommy John surgery), Jonah Tong, and Jack Wenninger.

How will Carson Benge acclimate to the majors?

While the Mets haven't announced Benge is on the team, it will be a massive shock if he doesn't come north. He has earned the right field job and is the clear best option. 

Stearns said last November that Benge would get a real chance to win a starting job out of camp, and held that position all throughout the offseason and spring training, including when Juan Soto unexpectedly shifted to left field.

And Benge, who has played just 24 games above Double-A, looked the part all spring.

It wasn't just the results (which were great). It was Benge's approach at the plate, his long at-bats, his ability to hit the ball with authority to all fields, his defense, and his demeanor.

Most of the focus has been on Benge's offense, but he's also a plus outfield defender, which includes a cannon of an arm.

While there will be pressure on Benge to perform, he should have a bit of a soft landing since he won't be viewed as a lineup anchor from the jump, with him likely hitting in the lower third of the order. 

Francisco Lindor's power

Lindor returned to game action over a week before Opening Day, as he completed his recovery from hamate surgery in his left hand.

The shortstop's presence in the lineup for the start of the season was never really in doubt, but it's fair to wonder how the surgery might impact his power -- at least in the short-term.

Earlier this spring, SNY spoke with Deepak Chona, MD, a Stanford and Harvard-trained orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of SportsMedAnalytics, to get insight regarding Lindor's surgery and what it could mean for his 2026 season.

"The amount of time varies," Chona said about the power aspect, "but generally projects to six weeks after returning."

In other words, while the impact to Lindor's power should not be significant, it could still be notable -- as was the case with Francisco Alvarez last season.

"Most likely, this timing correlates with the recovery of grip strength and control of the bat," Chona explained. "This dips after surgery (1) because of the generalized trauma/swelling to the muscles of the hand and (2) because the part of the bone (called the hook of the hamate) that they cut out to treat the fracture is involved in generating grip force as well."

Chona added:

"The area near the hamate sees greater force on a left hand when batting right-handed, so it’s possible – if not likely – that Lindor being a switch hitter may help him bounce back faster than other batters.

"Limited data exists, but we’d anticipate a greater effect when he bats right-handed early on in the recovery. By one-to-two months post-return, most data suggests he’d be near his baseline level from both sides of the plate."

Will Devin Williams bounce back?

The Mets' bullpen would undoubtedly be more fearsome if it had Williams and Diaz. 

But Williams' relative struggles last season should not cloud the kind of reliever he was for his entire career before that.

Over the first six seasons of his career, Williams had a 1.83 ERA (2.39 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP in 235.2 innings while striking out 375 batters -- a rate of 14.3 per nine.

While he didn't perform up to his standards in 2025, with a 4.79 ERA over 62.0 innings, pretty much all of Williams' underlying metrics suggest it was largely a fluke.

Specifically, Williams' 2.68 FIP was more indicative of how his stuff played than his top line numbers. Meanwhile, his WHIP, HR/9, BB/9, and SO/9 were all near his career rates. 

As far as the stuff? Williams' fastball remained an above average offering, and his vaunted changeup was in the 95th percentile.

Put it all together, and it's fair to expect Williams to be elite again in 2026. 

The first base plan

Jorge Polanco got lots of time at first base in spring training games as he learns a position he has yet to play in a regular season game.

And in those games, Polanco looked pretty comfortable.

However, Brett Baty also got a significant amount of burn at first base in Grapefruit League play as he also learns the position.

With Baty frozen out at third base byBo Bichette and at second base by Marcus Semien, it's fair to believe he'll be mainly at designated hitter or first base when he's in the lineup.

Add to that the mild health concerns surrounding Polanco and you get a situation where it might make sense to use Baty at first base and Polanco at DH more often than not -- if he handles the position as well or better than Polanco. 

Among decisions to be made throughout spring training, the ones that can change the most as the preseason progresses is the bullpen. Often, the low-leverage arms will be the 25th or 26th guys on an Opening Day roster, and are not immune to trips back-and-forth to the minors. For the Yankees, Cade Winquest may end up fitting the spirit of that description quite well — albeit with a catch.

Acquired this offseason, the 25-year-old righty has not pitched in The Show to this point in his career, and has worked primarily as a starter in various levels of the Cardinals’ organization. In the 2026 season, both are likely to change. Although he won’t be getting any high-leverage appearances out of the ’pen (especially early on), he’s likely to get some work, and the Yankees clearly had enough interest to bring him aboard back in December.

2025 Stats (High-A, Double-A): 25 games (23 starts), 106.0 IP, 5-7, 3.99 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 23.9% K%, 8.5 BB%, 1.36 WHIP

2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts projections: 30 appearances, 30 IP, 4.87 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 18.0% K%, 8.9% BB%, 1.33 HR/9, 1.40 WHIP, 0.0 fWAR

In the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees selected Winquest from the Cardinals. Again, he has no MLB experience as of yet, but has been a respectable run preventor between A-ball and Double-A, relying on a solid fastball-curveball combination that clearly sparked a baseline level of interest from New York in the righty, if they already considered them potentially big-league ready.

During the 2025 season between High-A and Double-A in the Cards’ system, Winquest worked easily the most innings of his professional career with 106. He did so while striking out more than a batter per inning, and did enough to warrant the Yankees taking him via the Rule 5 in December. Almost any player acquired in this fashion is a flier, but in this case, there is a good chance that Winquest will see MLB time in his first season in the Yankees organization.

New York partially rebuilt the back end of their bullpen at the trade deadline last year, when they acquired David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird. All three righties remain with the Yankees for 2026, and at least Bednar and Doval figure to get plenty of high-leverage work, not to mention the presence of Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill, who played key roles in out of the ’pen in 2025.

Winquest is the youngest pitcher projected to be a part of the Opening Day bullpen, and the only one with under three years of service time. All of that considered, along with the talent at the top of the depth chart, meaningful innings may be hard to come by for Winquest. That being said, there’s a reason bullpens run so deep, assuming he’s actually in the fold, he’ll get his opportunities.

It is theoretically not out of the question that Winquest makes a spot start here or there as well, but there are several others in the projected bullpen with starting experience, namely Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough. Tellingly, the Yankees haven’t started him once this spring, preferring to use him in relief.

The right-hander did a solid job last season, managing a 3.57 FIP in over 100 innings as a starter, though that was in the lower levels of the minors, and big league lineups could prove to be an issue for him. He features a solid curveball, with a fastball and slider that leave some room to be desired, as well as a cutter, all of which the Yankees will likely try to develop and optimize while he’s in the Bronx. His eight spring training appearances have been forgettable, as he’s allowed six runs and three homers, but it’s a small enough sample that hope hasn’t completely run out. At worst, Winquest offers immediate depth, and if they don’t like what they see when the games count, then they can just return him to the Cardinals (he will have to stick with the Yankees all year to remain in the organization past 2026). It’s a relatively low-risk endeavor, and the Yankees’ decision to roster him or not will be a signal about what they think about his stuff.

Getting any meaningful or high-leverage work will be an uphill battle for Winquest with the Yankees this season, but their acquisition of him says something of their interest. He will surely get some looks in the early part of the season; the onus will just be on him to capitalize on the rare opportunity to be an impactful Yankees Rule 5 pick.

See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

Meet the Mets

Mike Tauchman’s MRI revealed a torn meniscus that will require surgery to repair and keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.

For at least the first two go-arounds, the Mets will run with a five-man rotation where Sean Manaea will be the odd man out, piggybacking when needed.

In his time as a New York Met, Francisco Lindor takes pride in the fact that you can break his bones and still not keep him off of the field for very long, if at all.

MLB dot com’s Anthony DiComo took to the Mets subreddit for an Ask Me Anything prior to the 2026 season’s kickoff.

Craig Kimbrel, for the moment at least, will not join Jose Valverde, Jason Isringhausen 2.0, David Robertson, and countless other elder closers in the realm of “Hey, He Was A Met?”

Around the National League East

Cristopher Sanchez and the Phillies ripped up his old extension from last season and agreed to a new one, adding up to $103M in new money over six years.

The Nationals acquired infielder Jorbit Vivas from the Yankees in exchange for minor league pitcher Sean Paul Liñan.

Just as 2025 ended, Marlins All Star Kyle Stowers will start 2026 on the injured list, this time with a hamstring strain suffered earlier in camp.

Around Major League Baseball

Despite Team USA’s loss in the World Baseball Classic, the tournament was a smashing success in America and beyond.

As the Yankees open the 2026 season with a four-man rotation for the first couple of turns, former Rookie of the Year Luis Gil finds himself as the man on the outside looking in.

In one of their final roster-cutting moves before the season begins, the Dodgers demoted Hyeseong Kim to AAA and decided to keep Alex Freeland on the roster.

Reportedly, the Orioles offered infielder Gunnar Henderson an extension at some point last Spring, but he declined and it’s unknown if talks have continued since then.

This Spring was the first time ABS has been used in active major league competition and it’s safe to say that the players have learned some lessons during this time.

Old Friend Michael Conforto officially made the Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster after Seiya Suzuki’s knee injury was deemed severe enough to rule him out for the season’s first games.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Linus Lawrence took us through the Sweet Sixteen of Mets Madness.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1978, the Mets shipped Bud Harrelson off to Philadelphia.

Results were not kind to Reynaldo Lopez in his final Spring start on Sunday. His velocity was down while the Twins production at the plate was up. Lopez has seen mixed results this Spring, including less than ideal velocity on his fastball. While there are no reports of injury, it is fair to wonder how effective Lopez can be as the season starts. Hopefully results will be better once the games start to count.

Braves News

In the initial Opening Day Power Rankings from MLB.com, the Braves are ranked 13th.

The Braves and Delta Airlines ironed out a new extension to their partnership.

MLB News

Christopher Sanchez and the Phillies agreed to a new six-year contract extension.

The Blue Jays Extended both manager John Schneider and Ross Atkins.

In the third inning on Sunday night in Anaheim, the Dodgers plated 10 runs against the Angels thanks to seven walks (five in a row at one point) and four hits (Teoscar Hernández had the first two hits in the frame, including a home run).

The last time the Dodgers scored double-digit runs in an inning in a game that counted was June 2, 2021 against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, putting up 11 in the first inning.

Hyeseong Kim was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, with Alex Freeland earning the heavy side of a platoon at second base to open the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts explained the roster move on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.

“There’s no doubt that Hyeseong at some point is going to come help us out. I think the driver, as far as at the outset, is giving Hyeseong an opportunity to play every day, play all over the diamond,” Roberts said Sunday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s going to play some short, some center, some second base there. Whereas here, he wouldn’t have the runway to do that, to play more frequently.

“I think with Alex, with what he’s done in Triple-A already, he’s really played well. There’s nothing left for him to prove there. For us to give him a little bit of runway to see what we’ve got in him, to give him an opportunity to play here for us against right-handed pitching, and just kind of see where it goes.”

Dan Szymborski at FanGraphs last week identified potential booms and busts for 2026 based on his ZiPS projection system, with first baseman Freddie Freeman in the latter at age 36:

While his stats haven’t really reflected it yet, his contact rate took a big dip in 2025, and a change in contact rate is one of those Statcast indicators that is predictive of big downside risk. I’m hoping this isn’t how things play out, but I think this might be the first year in a long time in which Freeman won’t have a case for being the NL’s best first baseman. Either way, I look forward to checking his name on a Hall of Fame ballot sometime in the 2030s.

Freeman walked twice and doubled in Sunday night’s win in Anaheim, his first game this spring not played at Camelback Ranch. He’s up to 44 total plate appearances this spring, for those of you keeping track of Project 47.

With Opening Day less than a week away, the Orioles appear poised to keep Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle all on the active roster. Mouncastle and Mayo quickly emerged as trade candidates after the team signed Alonso, but a deal never materialized. Mayo returned to third base once Jordan Westburg went down with an injury, and Mountcastle will enter the season as a bench bat with some pop.

Injuries to Westburg and Jackson Holliday reduced the crowd in the infield. Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo will frequent the starting lineup early in the season, and the team appears to have room for another utility player in addition to Mountcastle. That’s great for those guys, but Mountcastle will only play first base at this point in his career. His path to playing time involves a day off for Alonso or a spot start as the designated hitter.

• ZiPS: .260/.305/.432. 111 games, 17 home runs, 107 wRC+
• ZiPS DC: .260/.305/.432. 34 games, 5 home runs, 107 wRC+
• Baseball Reference: .261/.309/.414. 429 plate appearances, 12 home runs

Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference anticipate Mountcastle to bat around .260 and get on base three out of 10 times. The ZiPS projection that factors in playing time expects Mountcastle to appear in only 34 games this season. Mike Elias said over the weekend that he expects the team to find a place for the 29-year-old.

“Mounty has historically been great against left-handed pitching, so I think he’s going to be a front-line player for us,” Elias said. “We’ll figure out a way to help him impact games for us.”

Every team has bench players. Mountcastle features significantly more offensive upside than guys like Tony Kemp, Emmanuel Rivera, or Daniel Johnson. Mounty has failed to reach his full potential over the last few seasons, but the team still believes in his ability to make an impact at the dish. There’s a reason they didn’t deal him for a low-leverage reliever or a scratch-off lottery ticket prospect.

I’m sure he’d like to play every day, but Mountcastle is used to a part-time role. He platooned with Ryan O’Hearn for a few years and yielded a large amount of starts to Mayo last September. He’s handled any uncertainty with class, and he looked loose throughout camp.

Good morning.

• With Opening Day just three days away, Buster Olney has seven things he’s learned in Spring Training.
• The MLB dot com beat writers have the most important thing each team has learned in Spring Training.
• Jared Greenspan has four things that players have learned about the Automatic Ball/Strike (ABS) system this Spring.
• Umpire Bill Miller learned to be sure his microphone was off before he wished to be overruled by the ABS system. Unfortunately for Bill, he’s too good of an umpire.

• Thomas Harrington has ten players who could seize the opportunity after others getting injured in Spring Training.
• Davy Andrews looks at the weird collection of players who have hit more home runs in Spring Training than the regular season.
• Chad Jennings writes that players returning from World Baseball Classic duty are trying hard to catch up on the time they missed in Spring Training. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Team USA captain Aaron Judge defended his team from charges that they didn’t have any fun during the WBC. (The Athletic sub. req.) Judge also said he’d play for Team USA anytime they asked, including the 2028 Olympics.
• Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena said he apologized to teammate Cal Raleigh after Arozarena’s angry tirade after Raleigh wouldn’t shake his hand during a WBC game.
• Dayn Perry builds his “Dream Team” USA for the 2030 World Baseball Classic.
• Maria Guardado speaks with Will Clark about his memories of playing for Team USA in the 1984 Olympics.
• J.J. Cooper writes that the WBC has always been great, but now that everyone else has realized that, the WBC has gone mainstream.
• The Phillies and Cristopher Sánchez have agreed to a new six-year contract extension.
• Phillies reliever Daniel Robert is “stable and alert” after suffering a “cardiac event” while throwing a bullpen on Sunday.
• The Pirates announced that top prospect Konnor Griffin will start the season in the minor leagues.
• Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon explain why the Pirates decided to send Griffin to the minor leagues. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Last year, Dean Kremer led the Orioles in innings pitched and strikeouts. Baltimore just sent Kremer down to Triple-A to start the season.
• The Yankees sent outfielder Jasson Dominguez down to Triple-A, despite a strong Spring Training.
• Instead, veteran Randal Grichuk will make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. Bryan Hoch reports.
• Reliever Craig Kimbrel will not make the Mets Opening Day roster. Anthony DiComo with the story, and he writes that it’s unclear if Kimbrel is willing to remain in the organization.
• Ten teams still do not have distribution deals for the broadcasts of their games this year.
• Eno Sarris has ten bold predictions for the 2026 season. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• The MLB dot com writers have their predictions for who will end up on top of the big statistical categories in each league.
• Mike Axisa has some sleeper candidates for breakout seasons in 2026.
• Mike Petriello has seven hitters who could break out this year.
• Bradford Doolittle explains why Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford is his sleeper pick for American League Most Valuable Player this season.
• A preview of the AL East.
• Paige Leckie reports on the “friendly rivalry” between two close friends, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz and Nationals manager Blake Butera.
• Andy McCullough, Will Sammon and Sahadev Sharma break down a survey of experts on who are the top aces in MLB and who are just back-end guys. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• The Mariners are back with their humorous ads for the new season. The first one this year, with all the new fathers on the team, is “TriDads Up,” with the players balancing their duties as ballplayers and fathers.

• Finally, Charlotte Varnes has the story of Rockies outfield prospect Braylen Wimmer, who is back in Spring Training just four months after having a cancerous brain tumor removed. (The Athletic sub. req.) The story covers the problems that Wimmer had to overcome, like being temporarily unable to speak, and how baseball is coming back to him.

Our contributors at Brew Crew Ball are excited to get the 2026 season underway after an offseason that featured a few big moves, including trading away Freddy Peralta and several others to reload with a younger roster. Here are our team award predictions for the Brewers in 2026.

Team MVP

Paul Dietrich: Brice Turang

I’m tempted to go with Jackson Chourio here, because it does feel like a leap is coming soon. But Turang has been one of the team’s most valuable players for two straight years, he was just named the best second baseman of the World Baseball Classic, and he was killing the ball in spring training before he took off to play for Team USA. Ever since Turang’s power breakout last August, we’ve had to consider what could happen if he’s a guy with 30 homer potential who could steal 30 bases and play Gold-Glove-level defense. I don’t know if he’ll put all of that together this season, but I think he might end up as Milwaukee’s best player.

Harrison Freuck: Brice Turang

I don’t think Turang is the best offensive player for Milwaukee (that title probably belongs to William Contreras, or, if 2026 is finally the breakout, Jackson Chourio), but Turang’s combination of strong defense and offense makes him the most valuable player for this team. Coming off an impressive season that garnered him some MVP votes, followed by a great performance in the World Baseball Classic, Turang is poised to take another step forward this year.

Dave Gasper: Brice Turang

During the World Baseball Classic, John Smoltz declared he thought Brice Turang was the MVP of Team USA. If Turang can be the MVP on a team filled with actual MVPs, then he certainly can be the MVP of the Milwaukee Brewers this year. Turang has some of the best raw power at this time, and he has finally learned how to tap into it in games. He’s improved every year in the major leagues, and heading into his age-26 season, he’s primed to be even better and could even be a 30/30 threat.

Pair that power/speed combo with still being able to hit for a high average and Platinum Glove defense at second base, and you have a star that will get plenty of MVP votes.

Jason Paczkowski: Brice Turang

The rise of Brice Turang is going to continue in 2026. After leading the team in WAR (both bWAR and fWAR) in 2025, Turang is still improving. He’s starting the season well with a strong performance in the World Baseball Classic, and he’s on track to continue that into the regular season. With just a little more power, as well as a return to his strong defense from 2024, he could easily be a top 10 candidate in the NL MVP vote after finishing 14th last season.

Adam Zimmer: Brice Turang

I’m buying into the hype. Turang played well enough down the stretch last season to earn himself some down-ballot MVP votes. He hit 13 home runs post-July 1 and finished the season with 5.6 bWAR. In this month’s World Baseball Classic, he posted a.936 OPS in 22 at-bats. 

I already wrote an article last November detailing why I think the new version of Turang is here to stay.  If Turang can indeed carry his late-season form into 2026, he could very well end up hitting 30-plus home runs. He already posted almost 6 WAR last season with an OPS under .800. Improvement over a full season would make him a legitimate MVP candidate, especially when you consider his stellar defense at second. 

Most Improved Player

Paul Dietrich: Jacob Misiorowski

Is this cheating? I’m not sure. Miz only threw 66 innings in the big leagues during last year’s regular season, and then 12 more in the postseason, and at times — especially in the postseason — he looked like the Brewers’ best pitcher. But it’s easy to forget how much of a roller coaster his regular season was; he actually finished with a below-league-average ERA at 4.36, and while his walks are trending in the right direction, he still walked guys at a rate higher than all but two of the qualifying starting pitchers last season. I think he’s going to keep improving that walk rate, and I think experience is going to make him a little better at handling pitching with guys on base, and I suspect he’ll be well above average this year. I’m not going to predict full-blown stardom, but I’m also not going to NOT predict that.

Harrison Freuck: Jake Bauers

I’m not one to read too much into spring training results, but Jake Bauers has been playing great for longer than just spring training. In 22 games (16 starts) in the final month of the season, Bauers hit .360/.458/.560 with a pair of homers, nine RBIs, 11 runs, and three steals across 59 plate appearances. He’s been even better this spring, hitting .471/.581/1.147 with six homers, five doubles, eight RBIs, 11 runs, and three steals in just 13 games (43 plate appearances). While he’ll split time with Andrew Vaughn at first base, it isn’t out of the question for him to turn in his best season yet, as last year’s 0.7 bWAR is his career-high.

Dave Gasper: Garrett Mitchell

I’m hoping and praying this is the year we get to see a fully healthy Garrett Mitchell. He has played in parts of four MLB seasons but has just 390 ABs over 141 games played. The best way to improve is to get reps, and getting a full season of reps should help Mitchell improve tremendously as he goes along. When he had that healthy three-month stretch in the second half of 2024, Mitchell posted a 124 OPS+ and a 2.0 bWAR. A full season at that pace would make him a 4 WAR player. The upside is tremendous; he just needs the ABs to get there.

Jason Paczkowski: Robert Gasser

This is a tricky pick after a 2026 season where most of the Brewers had a strong season. As a result, I’m going to go with a player who missed most of the season due to injury. Robert Gasser had a great start to his major league career in 2024, but elbow surgery ended his season and took most of 2025 as well. He made it back on the roster late in the season and even pitched in a couple of postseason games. As he enters 2026 healthy, he’s looking good and ready to contribute in the majors. Even if he does begin the season in the minor leagues, he should still have a strong impact on the Brewers this season.

Adam Zimmer: Joey Ortiz

Call me delusional, call me ignorant, call me what you want. I’m choosing to be an optimist here. For one, Ortiz quite literally cannot get worse at the plate than the numbers he put up last season. He had the worst OPS in baseball last season, and his Statcast data, by and large, supported his numbers. The bar is the floor. Ortiz is also playing for his job, as the Brewers have a few uber-talented middle-infield prospects breathing down his neck. 

However, there remain signs that Ortiz could still become a serviceable hitter. Over the last 92 games of the season (from June 1 onward), he hit .261. Ortiz would need to show improved plate discipline while maintaining his contact rates, but that could push his OPS into normal, albeit below‑average, territory. In that case, he’ll have improved more than any other Brewer compared to last season.

Newcomer of the Year

Paul Dietrich: Ángel Zerpa

The choices here are basically Luis Rengifo, David Hamilton, or a bunch of young pitchers who we’re not totally sure when they’ll be on the big-league roster… or Zerpa, who I’m going to go with after he looked good in the WBC. His numbers weren’t great last season, but if the Brewers gave up both Isaac Collins and Nick Mears for him, they obviously saw something they liked. And I like it when the Brewers’ front office and pitching gurus see something they like.

Harrison Freuck: Luis Rengifo

Entering 2026, it seemed like the Brewers had found their third base solution in the form of Caleb Durbin. But Matt Arnold and Co. did what they do best, surprising everyone and shipping Durbin (as well as the rest of the third base depth chart) to Boston in February. A week later, they added Luis Rengifo in free agency.

Rengifo, who turned 29 last month, was a solid major leaguer just a few seasons ago, and he can also hold his own defensively. While he may not be the flashiest player, if he can replicate his 2022/2023 seasons — when he hit 33 homers and drove in 103 over 253 games — he’ll provide the Brewers with a solid stopgap as they wait for their infield prospects to develop.

Dave Gasper: Ángel Zerpa

While the acquisition of Ángel Zerpa from the Royals may have gone under the radar, especially after the Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin trades, Zerpa could have a big impact on this bullpen. The Brewers traded two very productive players from last year’s squad, Nick Mears and Isaac Collins, in order to get Zerpa, who has a career 3.97 ERA. While his ERA hasn’t been overly impressive, the Brewers see untapped potential in him and believe they can tap into it.

Zerpa pitched for Venezuela in the WBC, and in their path to the title, he struck out Shohei Ohtani looking by painting 97 mph on the outside corner. Zerpa opened some eyes with his WBC performance, including mine. It may not be long before he’s a trusted high-leverage option for Pat Murphy.

Jason Paczkowski: Kyle Harrison

Though his Opening Day status is up in the air after he left his last spring start with a blister, Kyle Harrison is going to be in the Brewers’ starting rotation. The Brewers believed in him enough to acquire him from the Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin trade. The overall spring numbers don’t look great, but his strikeout rate is strong. The Brewers grabbed a gem from the Red Sox last season with Quinn Priester. Have they done it again with Harrison?

Adam Zimmer: Kyle Harrison

As I wrote about last month, Harrison can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter — or better — if he develops an effective secondary pitch (or two). His fastball will always be a plus pitch, but his changeup has been quite effective this spring after he tweaked it over the offseason. Expect him to show fans why he was once a top prospect in all of baseball. 

I almost chose Ángel Zerpa, who looked electric in the WBC and is a prime candidate to benefit from the Brewers’ famed “pitching lab.”