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Included in the Dodgers’ 7-5 win over Mexico in Wednesday’s exhibition at Camelback Ranch were a few performances that can’t help but be viewed with an eye toward the regular season.

Each of Andy Pages’ seven previous starts this spring were in center field, so he got to stay off his feet a bit on Wednesday as the designated hitter. Pages followed the assignment to a tee with a home run and double in his first two at-bats.

Pages has five extra-base hits in 23 plate appearances this spring.

Dalton Rushing continues to hit the ball hard, and often in the air, this spring. That included a second-inning triple off the center field wall for another run, then an RBI double into the right field corner in the third inning. Baseball Savant didn’t register data for that triple, but in Rushing’s other 11 batted balls this spring have an average exit velocity of 100.3 mph, including six balls hit over 100 mph.

He has two home runs this spring to go with his two extra-base hits on Wednesday.

It’s never wise to read too much into exhibition stats, but how the Dodgers have utilized and talked about veteran non-roster infielder Santiago Espinal this spring fits the pattern of someone exceedingly likely to begin the regular season on the active roster.

Wednesday was Espinal’s seventh start this spring, getting the call at third base against Mexico. He had an RBI double in the third inning to go with his fly ball that somehow landed for a single in the second. Espinal has reached base 14 times in 21 trips to the plate so far this spring, and while you should take that .667 on-base percentage with a grain of salt, his on-roster percentage appears from my vantage point to be north of that.

On the mound

After pitching to one batter in the third inning in his first Cactus League affair last Thursday, Tyler Glasnow on Wednesday faced five batters in the third inning against Mexico. That third frame gave the right-hander the most trouble, with two singles and a run plating a run, driven in by Toronto Blue Jays catcher (and last year’s final batter) Alejandro Kirk to drive Glasnow from the game.

Glasnow left with two runners on, and both scored on a single off reliever Jacob Frost, the Dodgers’ 10th-round draft pick last season out of Kansas State. Glasnow threw 51 pitches this time around, up from 33 six days prior, staying in progression toward the opening series of the regular season with time still for three more exhibition starts to further prepare.

Emmet Sheehan got the ball to start the fourth, pitching in his first game this spring (not including some simulated action on the backfields). While there is still time enough in camp to build up his innings, Sheehan didn’t do himself any favors by recording only four outs in his nine batters faced.

Mexico got three singles and two walks off Sheehan, who didn’t strike anyone out on Wednesday. One run scored against him but it could have been worse, having left with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning. But Carlos Duran induced an inning-ending double play to strand all three runners.

Keeping options open

With Pages at DH on Wednesday, Alex Call got the start in center field, his first time at the position this spring.

Call played one inning in center field for the Dodgers after getting acquired last July, and over the last two seasons with the Washington Nationals totaled seven games, four starts, and 46 innings at the position. In his career Call has started 85 games in center, 77 of them coming in 2023.

Up next

The Dodgers wade back into the Cactus League on Thursday with their second trip to Goodyear in three days, this time to face the Cincinnati Reds (12:05 p.m. PT; SportsNet LA, ESPN). Non-roster invitee Cole Irvin gets the start for Los Angeles, in his third outing this spring.

For 24-year-old Alex Freeland, the time is now.

After the switch-hitting middle infielder enjoyed a cup of coffee in the big leagues last season, he’s trying to break camp with the Dodgers and get increased playing time at second base with veteran Tommy Edman expected to be on the injured list as he works his way back from right ankle surgery.

Freeland, who played 29 games with the Dodgers last season, and second-year utility man Hyeseong Kim, who played 71 games and was on the postseason roster, are among those vying for playing time at the start of the season, with veteran Miguel Rojas and and nonroster invite Santiago Espinal also in the mix.

Kim, who started Cactus League games at second base and center field, recently departed for the World Baseball Classic as he competes for Team South Korea, opening a door for Freeland to get more reps in the heart of the Cactus League season.

Read more:Dodgers' Roki Sasaki struggles early in second Cactus League start, then settles down

“Opportunity is present, so I’m trying to make the most of it,” Freeland said. “It sucks that Tommy’s not ready and he won’t be ready for the beginning of the season. He’s a big part of this team, so I wish him a super speedy recovery and I hope that he gets out there as quickly as possible. But yeah, with Hyeseong being gone, I am getting more reps at second and short, so I’m just trying to make the most of them.”

Freeland entered last season as MLB Pipeline’s No. 45 overall prospect. Though he posted a .190/.292/.310 slash line at the big league level, prospect analyst Jim Callis still has high hopes for Freeland.

“Freeland doesn't have a wow tool but he does a lot of things well,” Callis said. “His best attribute is probably his defense at shortstop and versatility to play other positions. He's a switch-hitter who draws a lot of walks and has some sneaky pop. He's just an average runner, but his instincts allow him to play quicker than that.”

As a switch-hitter, Freeland has had more success from the left side than the right. He worked on his swing from both sides of the plate over the offseason and feels he’s in a good place.

"My right-handed hitting could be better,” Freeland said. “I mean, part of my game is walking, so I felt like I wasn’t patient at the right times last year. Sometimes I was too patient, just taking pitches down the middle. Walking is a big part of my game, so I’m looking to walk, and I feel like I’ve done that this spring training.”

Freeland has drawn eight walks in 24 plate appearances in Cactus League play, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been impressed with what he has seen this spring.

"Maturity,” Roberts said. “Playing both sides of the baseball really well. The bat, right-handed looks really good. Lefty is typically his strong side, but I like the right-handed at-bats. Just playing with a lot of real confidence.”

If it weren’t for the Dodgers’ star-studded roster, Callis believes Freeland’s chances at playing time would be better.

“On a lot of teams, Freeland would be getting a chance to compete for the starting shortstop job, but he's blocked on the Dodgers,” Callis said. “He's probably looking at more of a utility role than starting in Los Angeles, and he could be attractive to other clubs in trade talks too.”

Freeland, however, is embracing his role and hopes to earn his stripes. He’s tried to soak up as much as he can from the veteran stars he’s been able to spend time with.

Read more:Shaikin: Will Klein isn't surprised he saved the Dodgers' World Series dynasty

“Miggy Ro has always got something good to say. Muncy, Freddie, I mean they’ve been around so long, they’ve seen so many different things, so it’s like whatever I have a question about, like I can easily go and talk to one of them, and they’ve got an answer for me," Freeland said of Rojas, Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman. "And it’s great to have guys like that in the clubhouse.”

Freeland grew up an Atlanta Braves fan and admired Freeman for years. Freeland never imagined he one day would share a locker room with the nine-time All-Star first baseman, who spent the first 12 years of his career in Atlanta.

“I watched Freddie growing up and Mookie,” Freeland said of Freeman and Betts. “So, I mean, it’s kind of like a full-circle moment, like I watched Freddie a lot when he was with the Braves, coming up, because I lived in Georgia, so like I’d go and watch minor league games and see him in Gwinett.”

Tyler Glasnow makes second spring start

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow made his second start of Cactus League play, pitching into the third inning of Wednesday's game against Team Mexico. After giving up two hits and striking out three over two scoreless innings, Glasnow gave up an RBI single to Alejandro Kirk, the Toronto Blue Jays catcher, and was lifted with two runners on and two outs in the third after throwing 50 pitches. Both runners came around to score.

"I still feel good," Glasnow said after his outing. "It's not going to be perfect every week. As a whole, everything's lined up and feeling good."

Right-hander Emmet Sheehan made his first appearance of the spring, pitching 1-1/3 innings and giving up one run on three hits and two walks. Left-hander Alex Vesia pitched his fourth perfect inning in as many appearances, recording two strikeouts.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Record 7-4. Change on 2025: +1.5. 5-inning record: 3-7-1.

The Diamondbacks rolled their spring winning streak to five games, with a well-pitched victory over the Athletics in Hohokam. Their pitchers held the opposition to six hits, just one (a double) for extra bases, and a pair of walks. The sole run came against former (and hopefully not future) Arizona closer Paul Sewald, who allowed two hits and a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Starter Brandon Pfaadt in his spring debut, still went 2.1 innings, allowing a hit and a walk with one K. He needed only 25 pitches for that, thanks in particular to a four-pitch first frame. Brandyn Garcia was the pick of the relievers, striking out two of the three batters faced. Isaiah Campbell pitched a clean ninth inning for the save.

Arizona certainly had chances to score more than three, but went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position – and one of those hits didn’t even bring across a run. The Diamondbacks got two in the fourth as Jacob Amaya’s first home-run of spring scored him and Luken Baker. The pair were also responsible for the D-backs’ third and final run in the fifth, Baker being driven in by an Amaya sacrifice fly. Jacob singled in addition to his home-run, and drove in all three Arizona runs. Tommy Troy went 3-for-4 and got his spring average up to .524, while also stealing his first base; Baker walked in addition to his hit.

ABS challenges went 2-for-3 on the day, and the D-backs will be on the road again tomorrow. They will face the Cubs at Sloan Park: first pitch is at 1:05 pm, with Ryne Nelson scheduled to start for Arizona.

The Cubs got some good pitching performances Wednesday afternoon against the Brewers, but a potentially even bigger story was four ABS challenges made by Moisés Ballesteros, all of which he got right!

That’s a skill that can definitely translate to MLB regular season games. Perhaps there’s hope for Ballesteros to do some MLB catching after all.

The Cubs won the game 4-1. Let’s first look at the Ballesteros challenges. Two of them were on the same at-bat to Luis Lara:

Here’s the first call, and you can see how close it was [VIDEO].

Here’s a call made while Jesús Made was at bat, also in the second [VIDEO].

And one more, with David Hamilton at bat in the fourth [VIDEO].

Good work by Ballesteros, who’s getting a bit more catching time with Miguel Amaya away at the World Baseball Classic. He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Edward Cabrera threw efficiently in 2.2 innings and 45 pitches, striking out a pair. Here are the two K’s [VIDEO].

James Triantos went 2-for-3 and drove in a run with this single [VIDEO].

Cubs prospect Jefferson Rojas, who’s been impressive this spring, homered in the sixth, his second [VIDEO].

Non-roster outfielders Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick both went 1-for-3 in this game.

Jaxon Wiggins, who got lit up in his first spring outing over the weekend, looked much better in this game, throwing two scoreless innings, also with two strikeouts. Vince Velasquez, a late NRI add, threw for the first time this spring and also put together two scoreless innings, with three strikeouts.

So overall, a lot of small things were done well by the Cubs in this game. I was especially impressed by Ballesteros’ strike zone judgment.

The Cubs return to Sloan Park Thursday to face the Diamondbacks. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs and Ryne Nelson will go for Arizona. Game time is 2:05 p.m. CT. No TV or radio for Thursday’s game.

Does trading a player like Sam Carrick make sense for the New York Rangers ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline?

Carrick has exceeded all expectations since the Rangers signed him to a three-year, $3 million contract in the summer of 2024. 

In a limited bottom-six role, Carrick has still been able to etch his mark with the Rangers, making his money off of playing a scrappy, physical brand of hockey. 

Despite standing at about 6’0’’, Carrick has stepped up as the Rangers’ primary enforcer. 

“I think it's certainly needed. It's a necessary role in this league,” Carrick said of the enforcer role.“You're not going to have your A game every night. Sometimes you're looking for other ways to get a spark and get either the crowd into it, or get your team into it, or get yourself into it, whatever it is. There's different situations, a lot of the time that's (fighting) an easy way to do it, and sometimes it sparks the team.”

Through Carrick’s fearless attitude on the ice, he’s gained the recognition of both the team’s coaching staff and his teammates. 

“I think he's an important part of this team with the role he plays,” Sullivan said of Carrick. “He gets defensive zone starts, he's conscientious defensively, he's part of the penalty kill. He's a huge momentum guy for us, whether it be his physicality and sticking up for his teammates, or just by nature, how he plays the game with the line that he's on.”

With More Trust Comes More Responsibility For Gabe PerreaultThe emergence of Gabe Perreault is something for New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> fans to be excited about.&nbsp;

While Carrick’s physical style of play and hard-nose persona fit what Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury is attempting to build, he doesn't exactly fit the franchise’s current timeline. 

Drury’s Jan. 16 letter issued to fans outlining the Rangers’ plan to retool the roster indicates that the team will be looking to trade veteran players with the goal of getting younger. 

Contending teams certainly covet what Carrick brings to the table in terms of his two-way abilities, while his physical nature perfectly translates to playoff hockey. 

If the Rangers make Carrick available, he’ll be a desirable candidate on the trade market and could garner a hefty return. 

He still has one year remaining on his current contract after the 2025-26 campaign and a reasonable $1 million cap hit. 

If the Rangers want to make room for some of the young talent for the remainder of this season and into next year, on top of accumulating more draft picks, trading Carrick would be a decision worth considering.

In the cage match known as the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays stand apart — and not for a good reason. After more than half a decade as regular contenders in the Junior Circuit, including two AL East titles and a trip to the 2020 World Series, the Rays have fallen to the wayside over the past two years. Only unexpected disaster seasons from the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 and the Baltimore Orioles in 2025 have saved them from the division basement the last two years, as the Rays finished these seasons with just 80 and 77 wins, respectively.

That being said, this is the Rays we’re talking about, and even if they hadn’t finished the 2025 season with a run differential giving a projected record of 84-78, only a fool would truly count them out.

2025 record: 77-85 (4th, AL East)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 81-81 (5th, AL East)

The Tampa Bay Rays run the organization like they’re playing Out of the Park Baseball, shipping out established Major League vets for prospects right at the moment they’re about to start costing money, all in the effort to keep the payroll down and keep the farm system stocked. This winter was absolutely no different, as they flipped Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum and Shane Baz, a quartet of players who were major contributors to last year’s squad. Meanwhile, their three major free agent acquisitions — Steven Matz, Cedric Mullins, and Jake Fraley — don’t exactly break the bank financially. Furthermore, they inserted themselves into a pair of three-team trades in January, reeling in Gavin Lux from the Reds to play second base and Ben Williamson from the Mariners to back up Junior Caminero at the hot corner.

As it currently stands, the Rays lineup depends on three players: the 22-year-old Caminero (128 projected wRC+), the 27-year-old Jonathan Aranda (119 projected wRC+), and the 35-year-old Yandy Diaz (128 projected wRC+). Besides this trio, FanGraphs only expects Lux to have an above-average bat, and even there, he’s projected to only have a 101 wRC+; the rest of the lineup is filled out with players who have their best baseball in the rearview mirror (e.g., Mullins) or those who have made Anthony Volpe look like a dominant hitter (e.g., shortstop Taylor Walls).

Of course, the Rays have never been built on offensive prowess, but on pitching, and that remains the same this year. Even after trading Baz to the Orioles, Tampa Bay has quite a bit of depth here, as Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot give them a pair of quality starters atop the rotation. If Shane McClanahan is healthy—something which hasn’t been the case since August 2, 2023—that ostensibly gives the team a trio of quality starters 30 years of age or younger — something that few teams would say no to. Behind them, Nick Martinez and Matz should be quality depth. And despite losing Pete Fairbanks in free agency, the bullpen — headlined by Griffin Jax — has considerable veteran depth, albeit no truly dominant relievers.

All in all, the Tampa Bay Rays are a solid team, and in any other division, would likely be in a position to win enough games to challenge for a Wild Card spot. But as Dan Szymborski said back in January, “this is a tough division,” and because of that, the Rays “need some good fortune” to sneak into the playoffs.

At least this year, they’ll be able to play in their own stadium, and not the Yankees’ minor league complex.

More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.

Tonight, the Nationals are taking part in an exciting and unique exhibition. They are facing Team Venezuela as they get ready for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The Venezuelans have a stacked roster, especially offensively. Tonight will be a good test for the young Nats, who are rolling out a strong lineup.

Speaking of that lineup, it is the closest thing we have seen to a potential Opening Day lineup. I don’t think it will look exactly like this, but it will be close. James Wood, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile and Brady House all feature. Interestingly, Luis Garcia Jr. will be playing first base for the first time this spring. We will also get to see Foster Griffin for the first time. The crafty lefty signed with the Nats after three highly successful seasons in Japan.

The Venezuelan lineup is loaded with well-known names. Ronald Acuna Jr., Salvador Perez and Luis Arraez are just a few notable names in this star studded lineup. While Jose Altuve will not be playing this WBC, the Venezuelans have more than enough fire power to make a surprise run in the competition. On the mound, Venezuela will be featuring Eduardo Rodriguez. The veteran lefty has not been the same since signing a big contract in Arizona, but he is still a serviceable big league innings eater.

Game Info:

Stadium: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches

Time: 6:05 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: N/A

This is a really exciting game that I am really looking forward to. It will be interesting to see how Foster Griffin fares against such a strong lineup. I am also interested to see how the boys can match up with a really solid Venezuela team. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!