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The Red Sox got an early spring scare Friday. 

During the first inning of their matchup with the Braves, Atlanta’s Jurickson Profar hit a lazy fly ball to left center field that nearly ended in disaster. 

Boston’s young stars, left fielder Roman Anthony and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela both appeared to have a beat on the ball, but there apparently wasn’t great communication between the pair. 

Anthony made the catch, allowing Ronald Acuna Jr. to score the first Atlanta run of the game from third base, but he collided on the play with Rafaela at the same exact moment — sending both players to the ground on a play that appeared to be catastrophic for a few moments.

As trainers and coaches ran out to check on the pair, Anthony remained face down on the grass while Rafaela didn’t look much better hunched over next to his teammate. 

After a minute or so, Rafaela sprung to his feet. 

A short time later, Anthony was up and standing as the Red Sox trainer appeared to be checking on his left arm. 

Both players stayed in the game, and if their next at-bats were any indication, they ended up just fine. 

“Lack of communication,” manager Alex Cora told reporters after the game. “We’ve got to be better. When [proper communication] doesn’t happen, things like that can happen … If he calls it, it’s the center fielder’s ball.”

Anthony and Rafaela added that it wasn’t too serious in the end.

“I just wanted to take a second, we got the wind knocked out of both of us I think a little bit there and hit him pretty hard and wanted to make sure he was good,” Anthony said. “Weird feeling at first but nothing too crazy.”

Anthony singled to center in his very next time at the plate.

A few pitches later, Rafaela hit a 400-foot home run to the same part of the yard. 

Scary moment as Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela collide in the outfield going after a fly ball

Both players received attention from the trainers but were able to stay in the game pic.twitter.com/CICcfsWLoi

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 27, 2026

The Red Sox are assuredly breathing a sigh of relief with so much depending on Anthony, 21, and Rafaela, 25, in 2026 and beyond. 

Anthony burst onto the scene last season, hitting .292/.396/.463 across 303 plate appearances and finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year race after widely being considered the best prospect in the sport. 

In his second full big league season in 2025, Rafaela hit 16 home runs and stole 20 bags while winning the Gold Glove award in center field.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –– Teoscar Hernández has seen Santiago Espinal at his best.

In 2022, the two were teammates with the Blue Jays. And that summer, Espinal had a breakout campaign, earning an All-Star selection as a do-everything, play-everywhere utilityman on a 92-win team that reached the playoffs.

“He’s a really good player,” Hernández said. “He understands the game. He understands every situation. And he understands everything that he has to do.”

Four years later, they were reunited with the Dodgers this spring.

Only now, Espinal is the lowest rung on the ladder, trying to resurrect his big-league career after three disappointing seasons that forced him to settle for a minor-league deal in Los Angeles this winter.

“The Dodgers told me I’d have a great opportunity here to compete,” Espinal told The California Post this week. “And as soon as I got here, they welcomed me with open arms.”

At first glance, the 31-year-old infielder may seem like a superfluous piece for the two-time defending World Series champions. Their lineup is already stacked with fellow former All-Stars. They have younger options like Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland capable of rounding out the roster. And Espinal’s underwhelming production since that 2022 season –– he has posted a minus-0.4 WAR in that time, per Fangraphs –– has put him at a career crossroads, facing a steep uphill climb for any sort of prominent MLB role.

However, at this point of the spring, there are already signs he could have an outside chance of making the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster.

To Teoscar Hernández, his potential value is clear.

“I see him as a Kiké Hernández type of player,” Teoscar said. “He can play and contribute in a lot of ways.”

Kiké Hernández will likely miss the first half of the season as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, creating an opening for a super-utility player. The Dodgers’ initial plan to replace him was also scuttled before camp, when free-agent signing Andy Ibáñez was lost on waivers amid a 40-man roster crunch.

Tommy Edman’s absence for Opening Day has opened yet another utility role on the roster.

And while Kim and Freeland are competing to help fill his void at second base, the Dodgers might consider keeping only one of them on their Opening Day roster, allowing the other to return to Triple-A and get regular at-bats rather than ride the bench at the big-league level.

This is where Espinal could come in –– providing a potential last-man-on-the-bench option who would be capable of playing all over the field, taking professional at-bats when called upon, and unfazed by the likely limited playing time he would get.

“Things bode well for him,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday, offering a hint about Espinal’s chances of breaking camp with the club. “He’s really a helpful, winning player in my opinion, (who) raises the floor.”

Even after just three weeks with the team, Espinal has already found a comfort level in the Dodgers’ organization.

Every morning, he has worked out on the main practice field at Camelback Ranch alongside the team’s big-league regulars –– and, notably, not with the other minor-league hopefuls on field No. 2 at the club’s spring facility –– taking ground balls alongside Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas and Freddie Freeman.

Behind the scenes, he feels he’s made promising improvements, too. 

Espinal and Dodgers hitting coaches have dug through film of his old swing, trying to shift his line-drive approach back to the big part of the field as it was early in his career (when he batted .280 and amassed 4.6 WAR between 2020 and his All-Star 2022 campaign). So far in Cactus League play, it has helped him start 4 for 9 at the plate, including a hard-hit RBI single in Friday’s game against the Giants.

Espinal has also been soaking up the experience of being around such a star-laden roster, drawing inspiration from Freeman, Rojas and Betts most of all.

“Like, one thing in the cage, I never see Mookie pull the ball. It’s always right-center,” Espinal said. “That’s something that’s a very little detail, but to me it’s like, ‘Hey, let me try that, too. Let me see how my swing path can change by doing that.’”

Still, Espinal’s most important skill is his versatility with the glove. 

He could spell Muncy at third base on occasion against left-handed pitching. He can factor into the mix at second and play the corner outfield spots when needed. And though regular at-bats, even as a pinch hitter, might be hard to come by, he’ll be eager for any opportunity that comes his way –– trying to show that his 2022 form is still in there as he chases down a potential Opening Day roster spot.

“I’m happy that he has a chance to show what he’s capable of,” Teoscar Hernández said. “He can be really big for this team this year.”

Just officially a month away from the Atlanta Braves’ opening day, the team’s offense is showing glimpses of high intensity and promise that fans are hoping will carry over into the regular season. Taking the win (15-8) against Boston, they’re ending the first full Spring Training week on a high note and ready to build on their momentum.

The headlines speak for themselves. Not missing a beat, Ronald Acuña Jr., going 2-for-3 in his plate appearance, not only showed consistent quickness as he picked back up on his base-stealing, but he also collected his first homer of the spring that resulted in a grand slam to bring in Michael Harris II, Jonah Heim and Jorge Mateo, extending the Braves’ lead by nine runs (12-3) in the bottom of the third.

A force that continued to make noise in the Braves’ offense was Mike Yastremski, also going 3-for-3 and collecting two homers and three RBI’s of his own. This piece seems to be a smart move for the Braves’ front office, as his offensive prowess could help move the needle for the team as a whole and continue to put runs on the board to extend their campaign.

On the pitching side, Chris Sale is coming off just two innings with electric movement on the mound in his first appearance this past Sunday. In today’s matchup, it seems it wasn’t as strong a performance, only staying out for 2.2 innings; he gave up three earned runs that included two homers; however, he also collected three strikeouts to end the day. Though fans would like to see Sale out longer and more power in his arsenal that he’s displayed just last weekend, it’s still early enough in Spring Training to deem these innings as warmups to allow just enough of a feel against the competition.

Was this Sale’s best start? Not even close, but is it time to panic? Not at all. The impactful lefty is taking each opportunity as it comes and making adjustments when needed. It was after a two-run homer from Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela that relief pitcher Darius Vine subbed in to take the mound.

One of the arguably most exciting additions to the team, Robert Suárez, also made his spring debut in today’s game. The former Padres’ closer reached 100 mph multiple times on the radar gun and almost struck out the side if not for giving up a single from a Red Sox outfielder (Braiden Ward) before reaching 100.1 mph on a four-seamer to end the inning and his stint on the mound (1 IP/ 1 H/ 0 ER/ 0 BB/ 1 K). Aaron Bummer came in to replace him at the top of the sixth.

Braves country, if there’s one thing to take away from this game, it’s that the offense as a whole would’ve made you beyond proud, and building excitement going into the regular season if they keep up with this momentum. Could this be a sneak peak on what we should expect in exactly one month from today?

Tomorrow, the fun continues as the Braves take on the Orioles with Spencer Strider taking the mound.

The Yankees’ team-wide hitting philosophy in the Aaron Boone Era has been plate discipline and power, and that was certainly on display this afternoon against the Twins. They scored five in the first for the second straight Grapefruit League game after drawing four walks in the frame, while Jasson Domínguez, J.C Escarra, Spencer Jones, Paul DeJong, and Duke Ellis all went yard in the subsequent innings. Luis Gil was wild but effective while Carlos Lagrange turned in three of the most dominant innings you are likely to see this spring as the Yankees steamrolled the Twins, 17-5.

The Yankees wasted no time generating traffic against Twins starter Marco Raya. The righty pitched to a 6.02 ERA in 30 Triple-A appearances in 2025 as he struggled with the free pass, and that was immediately apparent in the top of the first. Ben Rice drew a leadoff walk, Domínguez singled up the middle, and DeJong walked to load the bases with no outs. Escarra then won a ten-pitch battle fouling off multiple breaking balls to draw the Yankees’ third walk in four batters and plate the opening run of the contest. Max Schuemann struck out on three pitches to offer a temporary reprieve, but the command issues came right back with a six-pitch free pass to Jones to walk in the second run of the inning and keep the bases loaded. That spelled the end of the outing for Raya, who departed having thrown 32 pitches and recorded just one out.

That brought George Lombard Jr. to the plate with the bases loaded facing High-A pitcher Nick Trabacchi, and after three straight balls, the Yankees’ top prospect got the green light 3-0 and ripped a two-run single to left, his second two-run hit in as many games. Yanquiel Fernández then drew a full count, and though he struck out, Alex Jackson threw the ball into center field on a steal attempt from Lombard, allowing him to advance to third and Jones to walk home for the fifth run of the frame.

Gil’s command was noticeably dulled relative to his first spring start, but it wasn’t an issue given the way his offense was swinging the bat. He was sailing his four-seamer high and spraying his changeup to both sides of the plate, and even burned the Yankees’ final ABS challenge on a ball above the zone, reaffirming that only the catcher and not the pitcher should be the one initiating ABS challenges. The Twins got themselves on the board on a missile solo shot by Trevor Larnach off a 2-1 fastball down the middle, though Gil did retire the next two batters to limit the damage to one in the first.

After sending nine batters to the plate in the first, the lineup turned over to face Cole Sands in the second and picked things up right where they were left off. Rice lined a leadoff single to center, and Domínguez fouled off several close pitches before he got an elevated 2-2 splitter, which he lasered 111 mph just inside the right-foul pole for a two-run homer to extend their lead, 7-1.

After a soft groundout from DeJong, Escarra demolished a 1-0 fastball for the hardest-hit ball of his career at 109.6 mph, leaving the yard for the Yankees’ second dinger of the inning to make it 8-1.

Gil got himself into a spot of bother in the second, walking Brooks Lee and surrendering an Austin Martin single with one out, but extracted himself without yielding a run. He retired Buxton to open the third and that would spend the end of his outing having given up a run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout on 52 pitches. Two of the biggest issues for Gil when he returned from a four-month lat injury absence in 2025 was reduced fastball velocity and a lack of swing and miss. That persisted in this outing, Gil’s four-seamer averaging 94.7 mph while Gil recorded only four whiffs on 30 swings for just a 13-percent whiff rate.

The Twins pitchers managed to settle things down for a spell, facing the minimum in the third and fourth, but it was only delaying the inevitable. Schuemann drew a walk to leadoff the fifth, bringing the red-hot Jones to the plate. Sporting his new Ohtani-esque toe tap in place of a leg kick, Jones demolished his third home run this spring, a two-run shot off the batter’s eye in center that traveled 427 feet.

Lombard followed with a walk and advanced to third on a ground ball single from Fernández, allowing him to jog home on Domínguez single — Jasson’s third RBI of the contest. Up stepped DeJong, and the one-time Cardinals All-Star got all of a hanging 0-1 curveball for his first home run of the spring, a two run shot to left to make it 14-1.

This initiated the wholesale changes to the lineup all of the starting nine except Marco Luciano subbed out, but that didn’t mean an end to the fireworks. Speed specialist Ellis came to bat with one out in the sixth and got in on the fun, lining a solo shot to right-center off a cement mixer 1-0 sweeper from reliever Andrew Bash.

In the meantime, the Yankees’ second-ranked pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange made his second Grapefruit League appearance and looked pretty much untouchable for three innings. He surrendered just a lone single while striking out four on 41 pitches. His fastball averaged 100.1 mph and topped out at 102.1, garnering six whiffs on 14 swings for a gaudy 43-percent whiff rate. He also exhibited impressive command of the cutter, inducing a further pair of whiffs as hitters were way out in front expecting the heater.

Minnesota tallied a pair of consolation runs in the eighth on a two-run homer from former Baby Bomber Eric Wagaman off bullpen contender Brent Headrick. The Yankees subs responded with a pair of their own in the ninth, Tyler Hardman and Kenedy Corona getting things started with a hit-by-pitch and walk to put a pair on with no outs. Twins reliever Kyle Bischoff struck out a pair to get within an out of snuffing out the threat, but Kaeden Kent — son of now-Hall of Famer Jeff Kent — clubbed a two-run double to make it two touchdowns and a field goal for the Yankees. Lefty reliever Geoffrey Gilbert prolonged things unnecessarily at the very end, surrendering a pair of runs on two singles, a double, and a sac fly, but he eventually recorded the final out of this 17-5 rout.

We’ll see if the Yankees offense can keep it rolling tomorrow after noon against the Blue Jays. Paul Blackburn takes the mound as the Yankees return home to GMS, facing off against José Berríos. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm ET with the broadcast returning to YES.

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