Texas Rangers at San Diego Padres, March 8, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Peoria Sports Complex – Peoria, AZ
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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In his first spring training action of 2026, Kyle Freeland faced the daunting task of pitching against Team USA in an exhibition game on March 4. He gave up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in a two-hit, one-strikeout performance in one inning.
Today, Freeland and the Rockies (8-6-1) will take part in his first Cactus League action against the White Sox (10-7) at Camelback Ranch. The Rockies are 5-2 on the road this spring vs. 3-5-1, including the showdown vs. Team USA, at Salt River Fields.
Today’s game represents a rematch of a Feb. 23 showdown where the Rockies beat the White Sox 5-4. Chicago will send Jedisxson Paez to the mound to start the game. The 22-year-old RHP will be making his third spring appearance. He’s posted a 23.14 ERA in 2 1/3 innings over two starts with six earned runs, six hits, including one homer, three strikeouts and one walk. Former Rockie Drew Romo will be starting at catcher for the White Sox.
On Sunday, four pitchers combined to throw five scoreless innings and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman each had two-hit performances in the Rockies 4-4 tie with Cleveland. Even though it’s only spring training, the Rockies offense has been much improved thus far. The Rockies rank among all Major League teams this Spring in: on-base percentage (.381, T-1st), home runs (23, T-4th), average (.287, 3rd), HBP (14, T-2nd), slugging (.492, 3rd), OPS (.871, 3rd), runs scored (98, 5th), RBI (91, 6th) and total bases (254, 6th).
Earlier on Monday, the Rockies released a new motto for the 2026 campaign: “New era. At altitude. We are here for the climb.”
First Pitch: 2:05 p.m. MDT
TV: None
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network (1:55 p.m. pregame)
Lineups:
After taking a loss to the White Sox yesterday, the Royals will play another division rival in the Cleveland Guardians today. We’ll get another look at Ryan Bergert, whose appearances thus far in Spring Training have been relatively quiet. He’s thrown only three innings of one-hit ball.
Cleveland sends Parker Messick to start. Messick is another one of those “I’ve never heard of this guy” pitchers that Cleveland seems to manufacture every year. He threw 39.2 innings across seven MLB starts last season and accumulated 1.0 fWAR with a solid 2.72 ERA and 2.98 FIP. He was the 54th overall pick in 2022 by Cleveland.
With the WBC going on, we’re definitely going to see some guys in the lineups today.
The game starts at 3:05pm US Central. You can listen on KWOD 1660.
Lineups:
The Athletics take on the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The A’s come into this game fresh off a split squad sweep of the Angels and Dodgers yesterday.
Jack Perkins will take the mound to get the A’s started today. So far this spring he’s 1-2 in two starts with a 6.75 ERA. He’s only gone 2.2 innings, so the numbers are statistically meaningless. But I imagine Mark Kotsay will try to stretch him out a bit more today. Perkins will face off against 24-year-old Rhett Lowder for the Reds. Lowder is a 2023 first round draft pick who has pitched five innings this spring in both a start and relieving appearance. He has a 1.80 ERA and seven strikeouts so far.
Lowder will go face this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s Athletics:
Perkins will face this lineup for the Reds today:
Follow the Game:
Listen:
Athletics – A’s Cast, Talk 650 KSTE
The 2025 Kansas City Royals were not bad. However, they also share a division with the Detroit Tigers (excellent in the first-half of the season) and the Cleveland Guardians (excellent in the second-half), so their 82 wins just weren’t enough to push them into the postseason.
Consider some of the details.
The good? Bobby Witt Jr. (8 fWAR), Maikel Garcia (5.6 fWAR), the pitching staff (3.80 ERA).
The bad? The outfielders couldn’t hit (like, at all, to the tune of a collective 73 wRC+), and the Royals (with the exceptions of Witt Jr. and Garcia) could not steal bases. They were ranked 26th in runs scored, so not good. Having an elite pitching staff and a terrible offense is not a combination known for postseason success. Our colleagues at Royals Review provide a nice recap here. But that’s all in the past, and now it’s time to see what the Royals could manage in 2026.
2025 record: 82-20 (3rd, AL Central)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 81-81 (2nd, AL Central)
The Royals shuffled things around with some modest moves to shore up an already solid team and address some problem spots, trading for Isaac Collins from Milwaukee and signing Lane Thomas away from a division rival in Cleveland on a one-year deal alongside more recently picking up Starling Marte on a $1 million deal to give their aforementioned struggling outfield some options. They traded away their main left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa in the deal for Collins, and to shore back up their bullpen the Royals flipped Jonathan Bowlan for Matt Strahm, a former Royal himself who has blossomed the last few seasons in Philadelphia.
On top of the roster changes, they also remodeled their stadium a bit, moving in the walls of Kauffman Stadium. The K has been a slighty-above average stadium offensively over the last three years, but it’s been one of the worst parks to hit one out of — now the corners will be nine-to-ten feet closer before tapering off to an unchanged center field, perhaps aiding their offense enough to kickstart them out of mediocrity.
Looking at the Royals’ infield, any team with Bobby Witt Jr. at short is already at an advantage. This year, he’ll be working with an increasingly elite Maikel Garcia as well as a servicable Vinnie Pasquantino. What happens at second remains a question: Will the Royals start Jonathan India there or use Michael Massey? Perhaps Brandon Drury has a bounce back? Stay tuned! Then there’s Salvador Perez, who is not longer young but still effective. Although he will probably give more catching days to Carter Jensen, Perez fits in at first base or DH as well. Extended for two more seasons this winter, the veteran of the clubhouse might have the deal in place to ride out the end of his career.
With Collins in the fold now, Kansas City could plug him into left field while rolling Kyle Isbel out in center and Jac Caglianone in right. Granted, Cags was not especially good in 2025, but he got important experience in his first shot at the majors after excelling in the minors, and his spring training numbers suggest he may be figuring things out.
Marte, as mentioned, was a last-minute addition, signed just a couple of weeks ago. Though often injured, Marte will bring some much-needed power and contact to the Royals (assuming he can stay on the field) and should toggle between the outfield and DH. Add into that Lane Thomas and Kameron Misner, and this looks like a better — if not awesome — outfield lineup.
The rotation remains the strongest part of this Royals core. Although ace Cole Ragans missed much of 2025 to injury, when he was in the rotation, he was good (as in 14.3 K/9 and a 2.42 FIP in 13 starts). Now he needs to replicate that for an entire season. Kris Bubic picked up his first All-Star nod last year as he moved back into the rotation, and the combination of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Noah Cameron form a fearsome top to bottom rotation that offers no easy days for opposing lineups.
In addition to pure pitching skill, the Royals rotation started working as, essentially, a “pitching workshop” when Wacha joined the team. The rotation works closely together, observing each other’s bullpens and debriefing when they leave games. Lugo and Wacha are seasoned veterans helping mentor a group of youngsters. Plus, there’s more depth in the wings. Assuming everyone stays healthy, if the Royals struggle in 2026, it won’t be because of the rotation.
The bullpen remains reliable to round out the pitching staff. Carlos Estévez will return as the closer after an All-Star campaign, tying his career-best with a 2.45 ERA and working the second-most innings of his career. Add to that Lucas Erceg, John Schneider, Bailey Falter, and Alex Lange, and it’s a solid group. Strahm returns to the team that drafted him as a revamped pitcher, now relying on a mix of fastballs having incorporated a cutter and sinker to great effect, and Nick Mears and Alex Lange can provide further depth.
Will that be enough for them to jump back into contention for their division? It’s the AL Central, so who knows — the division could go any number of ways, as what appeared to be a runaway title for the Tigers slipped away on the final day of the season last year. Kansas City was in the running in 2024, taking a shot at the Yankees in the ALDS, but 2025 just didn’t break their way. The 2026 Kansas City Royals are trying to improve on the margins with hopes it’s enough to get them back to the postseason. If Bobby Witt Jr and Cole Ragans play to their potential, their odds are good.
More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.
Much has changed since the last USA TODAY Sports NHL power rankings in early February.
There were the Olympics in which the United States picked up its first men's hockey gold medal in 46 years by defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime during the final.
There was a coaching change in Los Angeles, and most importantly, the NHL trade deadline on March 6.
There had been a roster freeze during the Olympics, so it was a rush to get trades done. Big names moved, such as Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, Brayden Schenn and John Carlson.
This version of the NHL power rankings recaps trades and hands out grades.
Numbers in parentheses reflect the change from the most recent power rankings. Statistics and standings are as of March 8.
They were busy in the leadup to the deadline, adding forward Nicolas Roy and defenseman Brett Kulak. But they saved the best for the last minute, bringing back 2022 Stanley Cup winner Nazem Kadri. They gave up Victor Olofsson, Samuel Girard and draft picks in the deals, but they're deeper down the middle and grittier. Grade: A
Tyler Myers, a 6-foot-8 defenseman, is joining 6-foot-7 Lian Bichsel on the blue line. He's a right shot, too. Forward Michael Bunting will help make up for the loss of Tyler Seguin to season-ending knee surgery. Grade: A
The Quinn Hughes trade in December was the big one, and he has been a marvel. But Bill Guerin didn't stop there. He added forwards Michael McCarron, Bobby Brink and Nick Foligno (he'll join brother Marcus) and depth defenseman Jeff Petry. Vinnie Hinostroza and prospect David Jiricek were moved out. The Wild's bottom six is better and McCarron kills penalties. Grade: A
They could have used more center depth (along with the rest of the league), but their only acquisition was tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers. Still the Hurricanes are a threat to reach the Eastern Conference final again. Grade: C
The Sabres took off after Jarmo Kekalainen replaced Kevyn Adams as general manager, and the new GM rewarded the team with some moves. He added Sam Carrick to help the league's worst faceoff team. He also changed course after Colton Parayko didn't waive his no-trade clause and brought in defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, giving the Sabres a physical third pairing. Schenn and fellow newcomer Tanner Pearson are Stanley Cup winners. Grade - B
The Lightning brought back pesky forward Corey Perry, who has a recent habit of getting to the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning have lost in the first round the past three seasons, so they'll appreciate his presence even if he hasn't won a Cup since 2007. Grade: B-
Their big move was the goalie swap in December. They got out of Tristan Jarry's contract, and Stuart Skinner is doing better than he was in Edmonton. Egor Chinakhov, acquired in December, has been a great addition. Girard hasn't done much since arriving from Colorado and the Penguins also added 6-foot-8 forward Elmer Soderblom. Grade: B+
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said the Canadiens were working on something big but weren't able to pull it off. Nothing happened, and the goaltending remains inconsistent and they didn't find a taker for Patrik Laine. Grade: D
Popular David Perron, recovering from hernia surgery, has returned to the Red Wings. He totaled 41 goals in his two seasons in Detroit. Right-shot defenseman Justin Faulk, acquired from St. Louis, will move into the second pairing. Grade: B+
They added forward Brayden Schenn, moving out underperforming Jonathan Drouin in the deal. They did the same earlier by moving out Maxim Tsyplakov in the Ondrej Palat deal. Grade: B
They were relatively quiet, adding Lukas Reichel. They're sticking with a team that's in a playoff position earlier than expected after last season's sell-off. Grade: B-
Adding veteran John Carlson was a nice move for a team that appears poised to make it back to the playoffs. If they don't, they'll give their 2027 first-round pick to the Capitals rather than this year's. They also moved out Ryan Strome's $5 million cap hit, which will help with restricted free agents Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, plus unrestricted free agents Carlson and Radko Gudas, needing new contracts this summer. Grade: B+
Conor Garland was a solid deadline pickup, as was Mason Marchment earlier. Chinakhov is thriving since being dealt to Pittsburgh, but he had requested a trade. Grade: B+
The team has been beefing up its blue line since moving from Arizona and MacKenzie Weegar is the latest arrival. The right-shot defenseman will fit nicely in the top four. They didn't have to give up Tij Iginla, former Flames standout Jarome Iginla's son, or a first-round pick (three second-rounders instead) to land a player with five years left on his deal. Grade: A-
Forward Warren Foegele had only seven goals in Los Angeles, but scored in his first game in Ottawa. They also traded pending unrestricted free agent Perron. Grade: C
They added forward depth and penalty killing at the deadline with Nic Dowd and Cole Smith. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, acquired earlier, helps replace injured Alex Pietrangelo. They didn't do anything at the deadline to upgrade their goaltending. Grade: B
They moved out Skinner, who was tremendous or mediocre during two trips to the Stanley Cup Final. Jarry hasn't worked out in Edmonton. GM Stan Bowman gave up a first-round pick to move out disappointing Andrew Mangiapane. They landed Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach in that trade. Connor Murphy, acquired from Chicago in a separate trade, was a good pickup. Grade: C
They moved out 5-foot-8 forward Brink, who's a pending free agent with arbitration rights, and brought in 6-foot-4 defenseman Jiricek. Perhaps the Flyers will help with his development. Rasmus Ristolainen was in the rumor mill but didn't move. Grade: D+
Their biggest move was trading for Kiefer Sherwood earlier in the season. GM Mike Grier got him signed to an extension during trade deadline week. He also re-signed goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. Grade: B
The Kraken need more scoring. Bobby McMann, acquired from Toronto, becomes the team's second-leading scorer. They moved on earlier from Marchment, receiving a second- and fourth-round pick after giving up a third- and fourth-rounder to land him in the offseason. Seattle also signed captain Jordan Eberle to an extension. Grade: B
It was a tough week for Capitals players as they parted ways with franchise defenseman Carlson, plus Dowd, who had been with Washington since 2018-19. They received a first-round pick for pending UFA Carlson and later dealt for Timothy Liljegren and David Kampf. Not the same. Grade: D+
The back-to-back champions' run is all but over because of major injuries. But they wisely held on to their free agents, outside of Petry. If they can get Sergei Bobrovsky and others re-signed, their core remains championship material, assuming they can stay healthy and rest up from three runs to the Final and heavy representation at the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics. Grade: B-
They traded Palat, added Nick Bjugstad and held on to Dougie Hamilton. A disappointing season for the Devils, even if Jack Hughes became a national hero for his golden goal at the Olympics.
The Kings made a huge splash before the Olympic break by trading for Artemi Panarin. Then they lost Kevin Fiala to a broken leg at the Olympics. A slump after the Games cost coach Jim Hiller his job and they traded Foegele and Perry and added Scott Laughton. Grade: B-
The Maple Leafs were sellers during a disappointing season. Toronto got a third-round pick (a second if the Kings make the playoffs) for Laughton after giving up a first-rounder and a prospect to land him at last year's deadline. GM Brad Treliving did get a first-rounder in the Roy trade, plus draft picks for McMann. Grade: D
The Jets moved out pending UFA defensemen Stanley and Luke Schenn and got promising prospect Izak Rosen as part of the return. They got a seventh-round pick for Pearson. Grade: B
The Predators weren't far from a playoff spot when they decided to sell. McCarron, Cole Smith, Bunting and Nick Blankenburg were among those moved, mostly for draft picks. They didn't move Ryan O'Reilly, who had no trade protection. GM Barry Trotz is retiring and left a lot of work for his eventual successor. Grade: D
The St. Louis rumor mill featured most of the core. The trade of Parayko to the Sabres leaked out (the Blues said it wasn't them), and he exercised his right not to waive his no-trade clause. Brayden Schenn and Faulk did move and St. Louis got first-round picks and prospects in those deals. Grade: C+
They moved out Kadri, Weegar and Andersson in a rebuild. They added defensemen Olli Maatta and Zach Whitecloud, prospects Jonathan Castagna and Max Curran, plus lots of draft picks. Grade: B+
They get a first-round pick in the Dickinson/Dach deal and also moved out Murphy and team captain Foligno. That seems to set the stage to naming Connor Bedard captain next season. He has to sign first. Grade: C
Announcing a pending retool put management at a disadvantage. The return for Artemi Panarin, who had to waive a no-trade clause, was just OK. GM Chris Drury held onto Vincent Trocheck rather than get less than he wanted. Carrick was dealt and they moved out former first-round pick Brennan Othmann. Grade: C-
The return for Quinn Hughes in December (Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first-rounder) will help the team best in the long run. They added more draft picks by moving out Myers, Garland and Kampf. Grade: C
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings, grades for trade deadline moves
If it feels to you as if the Cincinnati Reds have hit a bit of a lull this spring, you aren’t alone.
The starting pitching – the bedrock on which this franchise is built – has seen some hiccups of late, chief among them the elbow issue that Hunter Greene is dealing with and the ripple effect that’s had through the entire team. Chase Burns got knocked around just yesterday, Nick Lodolo allowed 8 baserunners (and a Jonathan India homer) in just 3.0 IP over the weekend, and Brady Singer still boasts a 9.00 ERA despite yesterday’s scoreless trio of frames.
Eugenio Suárez is off at the World Baseball Classic, as is top prospect Edwin Arroyo. The event itself has so far been magical to watch, and perhaps that’s taken a lot of the spotlight off what’s going on in Cactus and Grapefruit League play, respective.
There have also been some notable cuts, with Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Chase Petty shipped over to minor league camp just yesterday.
It’s truly the dog days of spring training at the moment. Players are trying to actively get better and into regular season shape without overdoing it in games that don’t matter, trying to perform well while not giving away any of their tips or tweaks or secrets until the games actually matter. Players are also doing their best to simply stay healthy and get to Opening Day at 100%, and sometimes that doesn’t make for the best on-field product when paired with daily exhibition games.
Still, this is a Reds club with ample players trying to prove themselves, and Rhett Lowder is chief among them. He’ll take the mound on Monday afternoon at home in Goodyear opposite the Athletics, and will do so a leader in the clubhouse for one of the opening(s) at the end of the team’s starting rotation. He’s looked brilliant so far this spring, fully removed from the dual injuries that cost him almost all of 2025, and is poised to be a key part of the team from the outset in 2026.
First pitch on Monday is set for 4:05 PM ET, though sadly there is no televised coverage of the game. You can listen in via 1360 WSAI, however.
Here’s how the Reds will line up for the day (just a day removed from split-squad action where everyone in camp played at least a bit).
The first rule of spring training is not to get too excited about spring training stats. That being said, Alan Roden is maybe making the Louis Varland trade look like a better deal, as he has eight hits in 22 at-bats, with one homer and a steal. For sure, a positive after he finished last season with a .191/.261/.294 slash line with two home runs and one steal in 153 plate appearances. Mick Abel is also doing his best to take the sting out of the Jhoan Duran trade, as through three starts, he has a 39% strikeout rate and a 0% walk rate and has yet to give up a single run through 10 innings. Of course, he did finish last season with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP through 39 innings, so let’s not get too excited. But hope does somewhat spring right now, and we’re going to need all the positivity we can get for this long season.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
Elsewhere in Twins Territory:
In the World of Baseball:
All three of the St. Louis Blues first-round picks from the 2023 NHL Draft are now in the NHL.
The Blues recalled forward Otto Stenberg and defenseman Theo Lindstein from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Monday, joining Dalibor Dvorsky.
Dvorsky has spent the majority of the season in St. Louis, playing in 53 games (15 points; nine goals, six assists), and Stenberg had his first NHL stint in St. Louis prior to the Olympic break playing in 18 games (eight points; one goal, seven assists).
This will be Lindstein's first call-up and first stint in the NHL having played in 56 games for the Thunderbirds (14 points; six goals, eight assists).
Dvorsky was the No. 10 pick in the draft, Stenberg was the 25th pick and Lindstein was selected at No. 29.
Stenberg has also played in 33 games with Springfield (15 points; four goals, 11 assists).
Rosters may now be unlimited after the NHL Trade Deadline and with the Blues making trades to ship out Brayden Schenn (New York Islanders) and Justin Faulk (Detroit Red Wings), as long as a team is cap-compliant, rosters can be unlimited.
Observations From Blues' 4-0 Win Vs. DucksTeam continues to build momentum in sweeping road trip of four or more games for third time in franchise history; Hofer gets fifth shutout; Drouin, Holl make immediate impacts; Blues take game over in second perio
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Today we look at the Cubs’right-handed relief pitcher, who is diminutive in baseball terms.
Ethan Michael Roberts, 5’10”, 180 lbs, was born in Sparta, Tennessee 28 years ago, and has been in the Cubs’ system for quite some time, first surfacing in 2022 for a small coffee. He got into five games and picked up a hold and a save in 5.1 innings. He was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round in 2018.
He was injured and spent 2023 rehabbing, surfacing again in 2024 when he had a decent season, throwing in 21 games (26.2 IP), earning a 3.71 ERA, averaging a strikeout an inning, and not giving up an alarming number of home runs or bases on balls.
He’s still underwater lifetime, having amassed a grand 0.2 bWAR ( 0.5 fWAR) despite positive WAR in both cases in 2024. And so it’s kind of a mixed bag. We don’t know for sure where he’ll end up but I’d say the strongest likelihood is Iowa, though projections think he’ll do some time in The Show as well.
He throws a sweeper, cutter, and sinker. Once in a very great while he throws a four-seam. In 2022 he had a curve, but has since abandoned it. A break-glass arm, it looks like to me. His track record isn’t so great. His sweeper does have the highest horizontal break, so there you go.
It remains to be seen how Ethan Roberts will impact the Chicago Cubs bullpen.
The Texas Rangers have optioned outfielder Dairon Blanco and pitcher Michel Otanez to AAA Round Rock yesterday, the team announced today. In addition, the MLB transaction logs are showing that pitchers David Davalillo and Leandro Lopez were optioned to AA Frisco yesterday, though that transaction apparently hasn’t been officially announced by the Rangers.
Blanco and Otanez are both claimed on waivers this offseason by the Rangers — Blanco was claimed yesterday, and Otanez was claimed in early November. Both seem to be guys who the Rangers are taking a look at while they have 40 man roster spots available, and who would seem to be candidates to be dropped from the 40 man roster once the team needs a 40 man spot for someone like Andrew McCutchen.
Davalillo and Lopez, meanwhile, are guys who were added to the 40 man roster this winter. Neither was a serious candidate to be on the Opening Day roster, and both will likely start the year in the rotation for Frisco.
At some point, the Houston Astros need to stop overthinking this and simply accept reality.
Yordan Alvarez can play left field. And more importantly, if the Astros are serious about maximizing their championship window, they should let him.
For years now, the organization has treated Alvarez with extreme caution defensively. The reasoning is obvious: he’s one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, and keeping him healthy is a top priority. The safest place for him, in theory, is at designated hitter.
But here’s the problem with that logic, the cautious approach hasn’t exactly worked.
Despite limiting his time in the field, Alvarez has still missed large stretches of games over the past several seasons. Injuries happen in baseball. They always have, and they always will. Trying to eliminate that risk entirely is a losing battle. So if the Astros are going to face that reality anyway, they might as well put their best possible team on the field when Alvarez is healthy enough to play.
That includes letting him play left field.
This idea isn’t as radical as it might sound. Alvarez has said himself on multiple occasions that he actually prefers playing the field. He’s talked about how it helps him stay engaged in the game and keeps him mentally sharp between at-bats. For a hitter of his caliber, feeling locked into the rhythm of the game matters.
If your best hitter is telling you he performs better when he’s involved defensively, that should carry some weight.
There’s also a practical reason this makes sense for the Astros right now. The roster construction leaves them juggling pieces in the lineup almost every night. With a crowded infield mix and questions still lingering in the outfield, Alvarez playing left field would give manager Joe Espada far more flexibility when building his lineup.
Simply put, it allows Houston to put its most dangerous offensive lineup on the field more often.
Even if Alvarez doesn’t play left field every single game, making it a regular part of the plan, especially at home at Daikin Park, would help solve some lineup puzzles. Think about it, the talk is, it’s easier to play left in front of the Crawford Boxes. I mean, Jose Altuve was given the opportunity whole heartedly by throwing caution to the wind. Why not Yordan? On days when the Astros want to give him a partial break, he can slide right back into the designated hitter spot.
It’s about creating options instead of limiting them.
And let’s be honest: Alvarez doesn’t need to be a Gold Glove defender. He just needs to be serviceable. Plenty of elite hitters across baseball play the outfield despite not being defensive standouts. Aaron Judge patrols the outfield for the Yankees regularly, and while Alvarez is built differently, there’s no reason he can’t handle left field well enough to make it work.
Meanwhile, Houston’s roster is still taking shape. Jake Meyers seems like the frontrunner to once again handle center field duties alhough others are getting an opportunity to challenge him. While right field remains somewhat unsettled, whether that role goes to Cam Smith or someone the Astros acquire before the season gets too far along, there is still potential and plenty of time to figure out the other two spots in the outfield.
Defensively, there will likely be some growing pains. But offensively, this team has the pieces to compete with anyone in the American League.
That’s especially true if the Astros keep Isaac Paredes, something I’ve been very vocal about supporting.
The bigger picture here is simple. The Astros are still operating within a championship window. That window doesn’t stay open forever, even for organizations as consistently successful as Houston has been during this golden era of Astros baseball.
When you have a generational hitter like Yordan Alvarez in the middle of your lineup, your job as an organization is to maximize what he brings to the field.
Right now, that might mean trusting him with a glove in left field more often.
Some fans will disagree and prefer the cautious route. That’s understandable. Protecting a superstar always feels like the safer choice.
But playing it safe doesn’t necessarily mean playing it smart.
At some point, the Astros need to stop worrying so much about what might happen and focus on giving themselves the best chance to win tonight.
And that might start with letting Yordan Alvarez jog out to left field.
Texas Rangers lineup for March 9, 2026 against the San Diego Padres.
Texas plays at the Padres this afternoon, though it isn’t a full-blown “away game spring lineup” from Texas, even though Trey Supak is starting on the mound.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Pederson — 1B
McCutchen — DH
Carter — CF
Haggerty — 2B
Duran — SS
Canha — LF
Wade — 3B
MacIver — C
3:10 p.m. Central start time.
Which Guardians will make the 26-man roster to open this season, as things currently stand in Guardians’ camp?
It has been two months since our last roster projection, and we have had a chance to see players begin hitting and pitching and hear what manager Stephen Vogt has to say about them. The Guardians have to make it a few more weeks injury-free to make Spring Training a success, but, the second week of March is USUALLY when you start seeing managers begin to play their “A-lineup” together for the purpose of repetitions. Today’s (3/9/2026) lineup, then, looks like a pretty decent clue as to what we should expect on Opening Day:
Kwan CF
Rocchio 2B
Ramirez 3B
Manzardo 1B
Arias SS
Valera RF
Hoskins DH
Hedges C
Halpin LF
Chase DeLauter played yesterday, as did Angel Martinez, and Stuart Fairchild and Bo Naylor are in the World Baseball Classic, so those are some factors to consider. Nolan Jones has a guaranteed major league contract, but, as we’ve been saying for a while now, since it is unlikely a team will pick him up on waivers and Jones is short of his 5 years of major league service time to refuse a minor-league assignment, I think we will see Cleveland designate him for assignment and, essentially, get an extra option year on him, leaving him as hopefully useful depth in Columbus for a while.
We know David Fry is making this team. You and I might question if that is the right move, if maybe an option to Columbus might be a better call, but he’s making this team if he’s healthy. We also have seen Daniel Schneemann play tons of positions this spring and I think it’s clear he is the team’s choice for super utility as the year opens. With those pieces of knowledge in mind, here’s how I think the Opening Day roster LIKELY sorts out at the moment:
Catcher – Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges and David Fry
Notes: Fry will probably also be in the mix at first base as needed, and I assume the team will try to work him into right field reps during the year. It’s possible Fry will DH but I’d much prefer to have him in the field so he can be available to sub in for Bo against tough lefty relievers and for Hedges when anything notable is on the line during a Hedgey plate appearance. That would seem to be his best path for adding significant value to this roster.
First Base – Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins
Notes: Hoskins is no Gold Glover at first, but Manzardo has looked borderline unplayable there this Spring. I’d like to see the Guardians give Manzardo no more than one start at first a week, and that’s still a lot. But, in any case, I am optimistic that these two will provide valuable presences in the middle of the order as hitters, most days with one of them as DH and the other as the first baseman.
Second Base – Brayan Rocchio
Notes: Today’s lineup makes it clear to me that Rocchio will start out at second base and move to shortstop whenever the team eventually decides to promote Juan Brito and/or Travis Bazzana. Grieve, rage, accept.
Third Base – Jose Ramirez
Notes: None. He’s the GOAT.
Shortstop – Gabriel Arias
Notes: Time to pivot from absolutely hating this idea to hoping that Arias has the late stage breakout of a Gio Urshela or Ernie Clement. Why not.
Utility – Daniel Schneemann
Notes: He can play every position well. That’s basically all you need out of this role, but hopefully, he’ll be able to also be a league average hitter against RHP. Not probable, but possible.
Left Field – George Valera and Angel Martinez
Notes: It’s not a clear thing if Steven Kwan will become the team’s centerfielder or not. Today, I’m going to guess that they end up being comfortable moving him there. If not, I’d expect either Angel Martinez or Stuart Fairchild to be your primary centerfielder, with Schneemann giving them a day off there now and then. Is that good? No, no, it’s not. So, I assume Steven Kwan will be in center. The murky rules of MLB make me unclear if the Guardians can option Fairchild to Columbus or not, but I believe they can. With Angel’s positive spring, I then expect him to get the first look in that centerfield (if Kwan is in left)/fourth outfielder role. And that’s more than fine.
Center Field – Steven Kwan
Notes: No one should ever complain about Kwan ever again if he bites the bullet and takes on the challenge of playing center for this team.
Right Field – Chase DeLauter (and Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, eventually David Fry)
Notes: I hope it is clear to everyone that the team is going to play DeLauter like a maximum of three days a week in the field to start the season. He will also take some DH days and push Hoskins or Manzardo to the bench. It’s the way it’s gonna be. If Kwan is in left, Valera will get significant time in right to spell Chase, at least for a month or two. I am not sure how well Angel’s arm plays in right field, but, until Fry is ready to try it out there, we are about to find out.
Projected lineup vs. RHP
Kwan CF
DeLauter RF
Ramirez 3B
Manzardo DH
Valera LF
Hoskins 1B
Bo C
Arias SS
Rocchio 2B
Projected lineup vs. LHP
Kwan CF
Martinez LF
Ramirez 3B
Hoskins DH
Fry 1B
Arias SS
Valera/DeLauter/Schneemann RF
Bo/Hedges C
Rocchio 2B
Notes: The bottom of the LHP lineup is horrendous because DeLauter can’t play everyday. Just gotta hope the top of the lineup comes through.
Rotation:
Gavin Williams
Tanner Bibee
Joey Cantillo
Slade Cecconi
Logan Allen
Notes: I’ve decided to give up the hope that they start Messick in Cleveland. They will slow play his innings and wait for an injury or an Allen-implosion to bring him up. Do I like that? No, Allen should be the one demoted. But, I have to be an adult and accept reality.
Bullpen:
Peyton Pallette, RHP
Tim Herrin, LHP
Matt Festa, RHP
Connor Brogdon, RHP
Colin Holderman, RHP
Erik Sabrowski, LHP
Shawn Armstrong, RHP
Cade Smith, RHP
Notes: So far, Hunter Gaddis’s forearm tightness has been the worst news of the Spring. Hopefully, he will be ok to start the season… but I think the safer guess is that he will not be (may I have just jinxed myself and we find he is pitching today). That could open up the possibility of having Logan Allen be the long-relief option in the pen, but I suspect they use it to get a longer look at Holderman (who has an option) and Brogdon (who does not).
Overall, the biggest issue for me about this projection is that I badly want the team to put Rocchio at shortstop and have Juan Brito get his chance at second base, while Arias and Schneemann compete for that super utlity role. However, after Stephen Vogt said Arias would play around the infield this spring, Gabby has only been a shortstop (perhaps affected by his brief time on the injury report). I think we need to face the facts that he’s the shortstop… for at least a month… and root for him to put it all together.
What do you think? Whom do you think makes the roster that I’m overlooking.
The Dodgers on Tuesday host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch, their 18th consecutive day of playing at least one game, before Wednesday’s first scheduled off day of the spring.
Tyler Glasnow makes his third start of the spring, progressing nicely toward what will likely be a start in the Dodgers’ opening series of the regular season from March 26-28 against the Cleveland Guardians. Glasnow threw 51 pitches in 2 2/3 innings last Wednesday in an exhibition against Mexico at Camelback Ranch, and will presumably be stretched into the fourth inning on Tuesday.
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt starts for Arizona.