Jarred Kelenic is running out of time to claim a White Sox roster spot. | (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
The back end of the Sox rotation is still up for grabs, but the staff in Charlotte is starting to take shape. The White Sox announced Saturday that righthander Tanner McDougal had been optioned to Triple-A, while lefty Noah Schultz was sent over to minor league camp.
They’ll presumably join David Sandlin, Duncan Davitt, and perhaps Hagen Smith in the Knights rotation to start the year.
One place there definitely won’t be any competition is at the top of the big league rotation. The team also announced earlier this afternoon that, as one probably would have expected, Shane Smith will be taking the ball on Opening Day later this month.
Smith will be the eighth different pitcher in 10 years to start the opener since Chris Sale departed the team. He joins José Quintana (2017), James Shields (2018), Carlos Rodón (2019), Lucas Giolito (2020-22), Dylan Cease (2023), Garrett Crochet (2024) and Sean Burke (2025).
If I had to be reminded that James Shields actually started an Opening Day for this team, so do you.
Anyhow, here’s the lineup the White Sox are running out in the present day against Kansas City:
Hicks has an even 6.00 ERA in two spring outings thus far, but his fastball has looked sharp, averaging a blistering 99.2 mph on the sinker — substantially up from the 97.5 mph and 94.5 mph averages it showed the last two seasons. Just 4-for-20 with seven punchouts, Jarred Kelenic is running out of time to claim any chance at a backup outfield spot, but LaMonte Wade Jr. might be making a real run at a backup 1B/corner OF spot with a homer, two doubles, and five walks to just three strikeouts in 24 spring trips to the plate.
The Sox get their second-ever look at Noah Cameron this afternoon, who finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year with a 2.90 ERA over 24 starts. A seventh round pick in 2021 out of Central Arkansas, Cameron made the record books last year when he threw at least six innings with no more than a single run allowed over the first six starts of his big league career.
First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT, and will be broadcast on CHSN and ESPN AM 1000.
Mar 3, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of Team USA pitcher Paul Skenes (30) against the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In his first two MLB seasons, Paul Skenes has won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and the NL Cy Young Award.
Not bad!
Before he embarks on his third season with the Pirates, Skenes will lead Team USA’s strong rotation in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, looking to claim the championship for the second time in tournament history.
Skenes has started the last two All-Star Games for the NL and has the potential to be one of the top pitchers of all time.
It’s a lot to put on the shoulders of a 23-year-old, but Skenes has answered every question that comes his way.
As MLB prepares for what is likely to be its last season before a considerable lockout, ESPN ranked the Top 100 players in baseball.
Skenes, of course, made the list… but the question is, where?
ESPN said that more than two dozen ESPN employees submitted their ballots that comprised the total ranking. Skenes had his number called at No. 6.
“Since May 11, 2024, the day he arrived in the big leagues, Skenes has found himself squarely in the conversation for ‘Best Pitcher in the World.’ And the numbers back Skenes’ claim to that title,” ESPN insider Jeff Passan said.
Skenes will make two starts in the WBC and is in line to pitch for the Americans in the semifinals, as long as Team USA gets there.
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick out of LSU earned a 1.97 ERA last season and struck out a Pirates right-handed pitcher record 216 batters in 187.2 innings. He only allowed 41 earned runs and earned a total 0.95 WHIP.
“I'm from America, I love America… There's no bigger stage or no greater honor than wearing USA across your chest.” 🇺🇸@Pirates ace Paul Skenes discusses the pride he takes in playing for @USABaseball. pic.twitter.com/bTl8zebd3b
“Since his debut, he has the best ERA in the sport by nearly four-tenths of a run (1.96), the fourth-lowest home run rate (0.59 per nine innings), the sixth-best strikeout rate (10.83 per nine), the hardest average fastball (98.5 mph), and, even with restrictions on his output, the 10th-most innings (320.2),” ESPN wrote.
2025 may have been the first of many NL Cy Young Awards for Skenes, who is under contract through 2029. Two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal finished two spots ahead of Skenes.
Skenes is in elite company, with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bobby Witt Jr. the top three players. Juan Soto ranks right ahead of Skenes at fifth.
“What’s scary is that this is just the beginning,” Passan said. “Health permitting, Skenes will be an all-time great.”
Passan expects Skenes to considerably improve his win-loss record in 2026 from his stunning 10-10 mark as the best pitcher in the NL.
He projected Skenes to finish the regular season 18-4 with 251 strikeouts and 48 walks in 206 innings. This would mark Skenes’ highest total in each category.
Passan also noted in his prediction that Skenes will record a 2.03 ERA, which would also be his highest after finishing below a 2.00 over his first two seasons. He thinks Skenes will allow 11 home runs.
Passan thinks this stat line WILL be good enough to win Skenes his second-consecutive Cy Young.
Skenes will take the ball against the New York Mets in Queens on March 26 on Opening Day. Skenes hasn’t been announced as the starting pitcher, but barring injury, will make his second-career Opening Day start.
The WBC runs until March 17. The Pirates’ home opener is set for April 3 against the Baltimore Orioles at 4:12 p.m. at PNC Park, looking for playoff baseball to return for the first time in a decade.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Trey Campbell hit six 3-pointers in scoring 23 points and Northern Iowa defeated UIC 84-69 to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and an automatic NCAA bid on Sunday.
The Panthers (23-12) won the tournament for the sixth time and earned their ninth NCAA appearance and first since 2016. Sixth-seeded UNI became to lowest seed to win the tournament and the first to win four games in four days.
Campbell was 8-of-13 shooting, including 6 of 9 from the arc, for the Panthers, who shot 63% and were 12 of 23 on 3-pointers. Ben Schwieger was 7-of-8 shooting and made three 3-pointers to finish with 18 points. Will Hornseth and Leon Bond added 10 each. Tristan Smith had a game-high eight rebounds to go with nine points.
Elijah Crawford scored 28 points on 13-of-29 shooting to lead the fifth-seeded Flames (19-15). Ahmad Henderson II added 13, and Rashund Washington Jr. and Jayce Nathaniel 10 each. UIC shot 44% against the nation's top scoring defense (61.1 ppg).
The Panthers led all the way and were ahead 48-41 at halftime. After hitting just one of its first six shots to open the second half, the Panthers made seven in row, including a pair of 3s from Campbell and another by Schwieger, to lead by 13.
The Flames rallied behind Nathaniel and Crawford who scored all the points in a 9-2 run to get within six. Campbell stopped that run with a straightaway 3-pointer to begin a 13-2 run that ended with UNI up by 17 — their largest lead — with 37 seconds left.
DENVER , CO - MARCH 5: LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers writes in pain after taking a bump from Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 120-113 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
UPDATE: The Lakers will, in fact, not have LeBron James for Sunday’s afternoon showdown with the Knicks. After head coach JJ Redick called him a gametime decision during his pregame presser, the Lakers ruled LeBron out with a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis.
LeBron James (left elbow contusion; left foot arthritis) has been downgraded to out for today’s game vs. New York, per the Lakers.
Technically, it’s not known for certain that the elbow is what is keeping him out of his this game since he’s listed with two injuries. However, the left foot arthritis has existed for most of the season while the elbow contusion is new.
The Lakers beat the Pacers without LeBron on Friday, but Sunday’s game against the Knicks will certainly be a tougher task.
The Lakers’ next game will be on Tuesday at home against the Timberwolves.
Original story follows.
It appears LeBron James’ absence from the Lakers’ lineup will be a short one.
After suffering an elbow injury against the Nuggets on Thursday, LeBron missed Friday’s game against the Pacers. On Saturday’s injury report, he was listed as questionable for the game with both a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis.
Deandre Ayton is off the injury report for Sunday. LeBron James is questionable. pic.twitter.com/hdHDfpsC4a
Prior to that contest against Indiana, head coach JJ Redick noted that the expectation is LeBron will be available on Sunday.
“LeBron has a contusion,” Redick said. “He’s still banged up, but we think he’ll be available for Sunday.”
The Lakers will play the Knicks in a matinee game starting at 12:30 p.m. PT. It’s a quicker-than-normal game, so it changes everyone’s routines. In some senses, it could be a positive that LeBron missed Friday’s game as that means he has a bit of extra time to recover.
“It’s pretty sore right now,” LeBron said. “What was I feeling? Feeling like one of them funny bone situations but super more intense.”
Largely because of his injury at the beginning of the season, LeBron is already ineligible for postseason awards as he will not meet the 65-game minimum. It’s been a trying year for him and the Lakers when it comes to injuries.
Ayton being off the injury report is also notable. The big man played just 4:30 against Denver and sat out against the Pacers. At this point in the year, he has dealt with soreness in both knees, so it’ll be something to monitor the rest of the season.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Kaylee Yarbrough scored 25 points, Francie Morris added 22, and their 3-point shooting was instrumental in sixth-seeded Samford's 72-67 victory over top-seed Chattanooga in the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament on Sunday.
Samford advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time, the other appearances coming in 2011 and 2012.
Samford’s three-game SoCon Tournament run included victories over Chattanooga, ETSU and Wofford — the three teams that tied for first place in the regular season. The Bulldogs, 16-18 this season, are the 12th team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with a losing record.
Samford took a 54-43 lead to the fourth quarter and saw the margin cut to two points when Chattanooga's Izzy McPherson buried three 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch, making it 60-58 with 5 1/2 minutes left.
Although the Mocs made only two shots the rest of the game, they had a chance to tie in the final minute. Caia Elisaldez made two free throws to make it 70-67 with 29 seconds left and her steal a few seconds later gave the Mocs a shot at overtime. Kalifa Ford missed from 3-point distance with eight seconds left, Samford rebounded, and Briana Rivera made two free throws to close it out.
Elisaldez scored 20 points and McPherson 17 for Chattanooga (20-10).
Sierra Godbolt scored 12 for Samford.
Chattanooga played in the SoCon Tournament title game for the 22nd time. The Mocs have played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Tariq Francis and Lino Mark combined for 34 points to lead Rutgers to a 74-62 victory over Penn State on Sunday in a Big Ten Conference regular-season finale.
Rutgers (13-18, 6-14) swept the season series against the Nittany Lions, and has won two of its last three games. Penn State (12-19, 3-17) has lost five of its last six.
Francis made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points. Mark finished with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting overall. Darren Buchanan Jr. grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points for the Scarlet Knights. Jamichael Davis added 11 points off the bench.
Ivan Juric and Freddie Dilione V scored 16 points apiece for Penn State. The Nittany Lions made just 3 of 22 from long range and 13 of 22 from the free-throw line.
Rutgers used a 16-0 run for a 37-14 lead and led 43-21 at the break. Francis scored 10 points in the first half and Mark added nine for the Scarlet Knights. Dilione scored eight first-half points for the Nittany Lions.
Back-to-back 3s from Mark and Francis pushed the lead to 26 points early in the second half. Rutgers led 58-38 after Emmanuel Ogbole's dunk with 9:36 remaining.
Up next
The Big Ten Conference Tournament starts Tuesday in Chicago.
Team Panama finally got its offense on track, scoring more than one run in a game for the first time in its exhibition and WBC schedule. It wasn’t enough, though, as Puerto Rico walked off the Panamanians.
Canada rolled over Colombia in its WBC opener and will look to keep the offensive fireworks popping against Panama, whose pitching needs help badly.
Panama vs Canada best bet: Canada -4.5 (+105 at DraftKings)
Team Canada brought its bats to the WBC.
The Great North scored 12 runs on 18 hits in splitting two exhibition games against the Blue Jays and Phillies. Then Canada got eight runs on eight hits in its WBC opener against Colombia.
They’re facing Panama’s Jaime Barria, who wasn’t named the starting pitcher until a few hours before game time. Since 2023, he’s posted ERAs of 5.68 with the Angels, 4.81 in Triple-A, 5.15 in Korea, and 4.80 in Mexico.
Panama’s bullpen also got torched by Puerto Rico yesterday, giving up four runs, seven hits, and 3 walks in 4 2/3 innings. It won't take much for Canada to win by a metric ton.
Both teams are starting shaky veteran starters, so don’t expect either to wait long before getting on the board. In addition to putting up runs in bunches, Canada allowed 10 runs to the Blue Jays, three to the Phillies, and two to a Colombia team that had been shut out in its WBC opener and managed just two runs in a pair of exhibition games with the Pirates and Braves.
Edmundo Sosa star player prop
Edmundo Sosa best bet: Hit a home run (+500 at DraftKings)
Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa has one of Panama’s four extra-base hits in the WBC — a double. He also had 11 home runs for Philly last season.
The Canadians will start veteran Jameson Taillon, who has given up 122 homers in the last five seasons. In three pre-WBC during spring camp, the Chicago Cubs right-hander gave up six home runs in six innings.
Panama vs Canada opening odds
Moneyline: Panama +550 | Canada -900
Run line: Panama +4.5 (-130) | Canada -4.5 (+105)
Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-120) | Under 9.5 (+100)
How to watch Panama vs Canada and game info
Location
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Date
Sunday, March 8, 2026
First pitch
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
FS2
Panama starting pitcher
Jaime Barria
Canada starting pitcher
Jameson Taillon
Panama vs Canada weather
Text
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Avalanche earned a power play just 1:20 into the game after Quinn Hughes cross-checked Valeri Nichushkin from behind, sending him crashing into the boards.
Colorado failed to capitalize on the opportunity, and when Minnesota forward Zach Bogosian was later penalized for hooking, the Avalanche were unable to convert on their second man advantage as well. As a result, Colorado went 0-for-2 on the power play to start the contest.
With under four minutes remaining in the period, Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck down the left wing on a breakaway, but Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt denied the attempt. Colorado’s depth players also showed promise late in the frame. Sam Malinski’s point shot bounced off Wallstedt’s chest protector, and the rebound presented another chance, but Kiviranta’s follow-up attempt was also stopped.
The first period ended scoreless, with Colorado holding a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Jeremy Peña #3 of the Houston Astros warms up prior to a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 28, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we hit the midpoint of Spring Training, here are some new developments and comments from Joe Espada on the current state of the Astros:
SS Jeremy Pena is fielding grounders, but not throwing yet:
RHP Jason Alexander has been optioned to minor league camp.
Espada on Alexander getting optioned:
"We got some long stretches of games, but we’re going to need a six-man rotation. Jason fits right in. The job he did last year…ncredible job. He picked us up for a few months and we know how effective he is. When he got on the mound, he…
2B Brice Matthews starting in CF today, will move to 2B later in the game.
Brice Matthews is starting in CF today and will move to 2B later in the game.
Espada: "That's something he could potentially do during a Major League game – start at second, go to center. He give you that flexibility. He’s been working hard at both positions, and I’m going to…
Each of the last two seasons, a non-roster pitcher has won a spot on the Astros Opening Day roster in the bullpen and spent the year with the team. Tayler Scott in 2024, Steven Okert in 2025.
Could Peter Lambert be this year’s version?
Peter Lambert was invited to the Astros' spring training on a minor-league contract but his 'power stuff' has 'really stood out' so far in camp. https://t.co/yz0GgbpaoP
PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 25: Logan Gillaspie #71 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the ninth inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Peoria Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cincinnati Reds at San Diego Padres, March 8, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
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SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Pedro Ramirez #75 of the Chicago Cubs at bat during the second inning of a Spring Training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cubs today announced that they have reduced their Spring Training roster down from 62 to 53 with nine players having been reassigned elsewhere in the organization.
Five players on the 40-man roster were reassigned. Right-handed pitchers Riley Martin and Jack Neely as well as infielders Ben Cowles and James Triantos were assigned to Triple-A Iowa’s roster. Infielder Pedro Ramirez was assigned to the roster of Double-A Knoxville.
Additionally, four right-handed non-roster invitees were reassigned to minor league camp: Grant Kipp, Connor Noland, Connor Schultz and Jaxon Wiggins.
The Cubs’ roster now consists of 28 pitchers, six of whom are non-roster invitees. Six catchers remain (three non-roster invitees), ten infielders (four non-roster players) and nine outfielders, four of whom are non-roster players.
Leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, the Vancouver Canucks made a total of five moves. Outside of the organization, five of their former players found themselves on the move.
Jason Dickinson
When the Canucks offloaded Jason Dickinson’s contract to the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2022, they couldn’t have anticipated the fact that the forward would net Chicago a first-round pick four years later. Shipped to the Edmonton Oilers alongside Colton Dach, Dickinson ended up fetching the Blackhawks Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Chicago will retain 50% of Dickinson’s $4.25M AAV deal.
Since parting ways with the Canucks, Dickinson has found some success with the Blackhawks as a middle to bottom-six forward, though he did play as their top-line centre at one point in time. The centre’s most impressive season came in 2023–24, when he scored a career-high 22 goals and finished the season with 35 points. With Curtis Lazar sidelined long-term for the Oilers, Dickinson will provide Edmonton with extra depth down the middle.
Nic Dowd
After eight seasons with the Washington Capitals, former Canuck Nic Dowd is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. Dowd managed to net the Capitals a pretty sizable package, with Washington acquiring goaltender Jesper Vikman, a second-round pick in 2029, and a third-round pick in 2028.
Dowd was only a Canuck for 40 games in 2017–18, during which he scored three goals. Vancouver acquired him in exchange for goaltender Jordan Subban back in 2017, though after that season, Dowd chose to sign with the Capitals in free-agency. Since joining Washington, Dowd has consistently put up 20+ points in all seasons except 2019–20 and 2020–21, both of which were shortened due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Mar 6, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Nic Dowd (62) skates against Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Luke Schenn
Schenn is a player that pretty much encapsulates the concept of an NHL journeyman. He has been traded a total of seven times in his NHL career and, once he dresses for the Buffalo Sabres, will have played on 10 different teams. In the trade that sent him to the Sabres this year, it was himself and Logan Stanley who were sent to Buffalo in exchange for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
A solid veteran depth defenceman, Schenn played with the Canucks on two separate occasions — for 18 games in 2018–19 and 121 games through 2021 to 2023. Despite playing in less than 20 games for Vancouver during his first stint, Schenn made an impression on fans based on his demeanour and willingness to make big hits. Vancouver parted ways with the defenceman for the second time when they traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. This pick was ultimately used to select defenceman Sawyer Mynio.
Derrick Pouliot
A member of the Canucks for two seasons, Pouliot has played for the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars since moving on from Vancouver. He was traded to the Blackhawks on trade deadline day in exchange for forward Aidan Thompson.
In his time with the Canucks, Pouliot scored six goals and 28 assists in 133 games played. He spent the entirety of the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons in the AHL, putting up seven goals and 46 assists in 70 games with the Syracuse Crunch and two goals and 26 assists in 52 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack respectively.
Tanner Pearson
Pearson was involved in the fourth trade of his NHL career on Friday, as he was flipped to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2026 seventh-round pick after spending 52 games with the Winnipeg Jets. Prior to that move, the last time Pearson was traded was when Vancouver sent him and a 2025 third-round pick to the Montréal Canadiens for goaltender Casey DeSmith in September of 2023.
A Canuck for a total of 221 games, Pearson was first acquired by Vancouver back in February of 2019 in exchange for Erik Gudbranson. In his first full season with Vancouver, he scored 21 goals and 24 assists for a career-high 45 points in 69 games. While he did put up 34 points in 2021–22, Pearson has yet to repeat a similar offensive output.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 06: Bryce Eldridge #8 of the San Francisco Giants bats during a spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds at Scottsdale Stadium on March 06, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s another season of change for Major League Baseball. For the first time ever, hitters and catchers will have the chance to overturn called balls and strikes in official games. Are the days of ejections for arguing balls and strikes over? How do Major League Baseball fans feel about the game’s evolution?
Bryce Eldridge drew a walk in his first plate appearance of yesterday’s 7-5 Cactus League win over the Texas Rangers thanks to the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System that will be in the major leagues this season. Home plate umpire Charlie Welling had called this pitch, some 1.9” off the bottom of the zone, a strike:
Eldridge put his right hand to his batting helmet immediately, signaling for the challenge, which overturned the called strike. It was his second successful challenge in two tries this spring.
If you’re one of those optimistic Giants fans, then you saw the team’s top prospect flash strike zone awareness that could only fuel that perpetual optimism. He’s got raw power, the well-timed inside out swing, not embarrassing defense at first base, and a Brandon Beltesque awareness of the strike zone? And just 21 years old? Is he too good to be true?
Of course, he challenged a called first strike pitch a couple of innings later and the call was upheld, giving him his first lost challenge of Spring Training, but that’s insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The comedy of manners that has so often been required of hitters and catchers towards umpires falls away to a degree. Rather than indignant players showing up umps or emotionally fragile umpires feeling slighted by even the slightest slump of a shoulder or creak of a catcher’s gear, everybody gets to turn their heads towards The Computer to temporarily outsource their frustrations. It’s a chance for everybody to chill out and, at worst, get the call right.
And the added benefit is that not only do hitters with excellent strike zone judgment now have the chance to right the wrongs of umpiring, the best catchers in the world get to show off how rarely their framing “steals” strikes.
With catchers having the opportunity to challenge calls, Patrick Bailey’s preternatural pitch framing ability might just be supercharged by technology. There were some fears that he’d lose the whole stealing strikes ability, but getting to prove to the umpire that the strike he setup to catch was, indeed, a strike even if the umpire was flummoxed by his positioning or whatever makes the potential loss of a genuine “stolen strike” in a critical moment about a wash. As Andrew Baggarly reports, “Bailey is confident his success rate [for using the ABS Challenge System] will be much higher than the 56 percent overturn rate for catchers who participated in testing last spring.”
It’s not difficult to imagine an early season scenario where an opposing team is in disbelief that Bailey has been able to catch certain pitches as strikes, be wrong enough to lose their challenges (both teams start with two challenges), and then be vulnerable to the late-game “stolen strike” as a result (though, teams out of challenges are refreshed with one new challenge in extra innings).
But what about you, MLB fans? This fundamentally changes the game. The sanctity of umpire (mis)judgment has been eroding for some time thanks to the disruption provided by technology, and that loss of the human element to what is a very human game is sure to ruffle some feathers of the stodgiest and hardiest of die hards. Are you looking forward to hitters and catchers having the chance to show up the umps or swing at bats — and games — in your team’s favor with a simple challenge? SB Nation took an MLB Reacts poll to get a sense of the mood.
That’s an overwhelming result, but it makes a lot of sense. Getting the call right is a widely held belief and in a game that can be as cruel as baseball, the ABS Challenge System might just be a sorely needed pain reliever.
On the other hand, as great as technology can be, the ABS Challenge System isn’t flawless. It will change the aesthetics of the game in a way that longtime fans might not ever get used to in their (okay, our) lifetimes. And it’s not like fan opinion gets it right every time. Most fans want a salary cap, for instance. But anyway, here’s an example of this changed aesthetic:
We’ll have a lot more games ended on challenged pitches, and it’s unclear at the moment what side comes out ahead. Last March, Baseball Prospectus looked at situations similar to the video embedded above, where walk-off walks might’ve been overturned and changed to a called third strike. The fact remains that “the human element” of the game does get lost as technology suffuses it, and it’s not really a question of a tradeoff because, again, decision-making is being outsourced to a machine. We’ll probably see fewer no hitters or perfect games and fewer wild swings with stellar results just as the humans paid to play and call the game conform their behaviors to the system established by ABS. What do we gain from that beyond “getting the call right”? I think that’s a philosophical question meant to be answered in an internet comment section.
That said, the commentariat have spoken to an extent, and would seem to have a gut instinct that leads them in the opposite direction of the game-ending examples cited above:
This makes a lot of sense. Fans think players get dinged for falsely called strikes a lot of the time. They’re probably going to be surprised by how many times that’s not the case and how often umpires miss strikes, but generally speaking, this is sound. It’s always been two against one with a pitcher and catcher ganging up on the hitter and so ABS would seem to be a solution to that problem by making technology a hitter’s partner.
But you can bet the Giants are one of the few teams already in position to benefit from the rule change, not just because Bryce Eldridge has excellent strike zone judgment but because their lineup core of Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and (to a lesser extent) Willy Adames have a combined career OBP of .333 (the league average the past four seasons is around .315) and Patrick Bailey’s catching ability is already the best in the world. Now he gets to enhance it with technology while leading a staff that doesn’t need strikeouts to be effective, but will certainly be even better with more called strikes added to the mix.
It has been said that the Giants’ dynasty of the 2010s came to a quick and painful end once Statcast was installed in all 30 stadiums and it has felt like the franchise has been playing catchup with technology ever since. Their roster was never — and still mostly isn’t — setup to take advantage of the recent changes that enhance stolen bases, either. The ABS Challenge System would seem to be the first new industry standard they’re setup to gain from at the outset and that’s a very exciting proposition, whether you’re a diehard “human element” fan or a fan who would pay to see androids play.
FORMER CUBS IN GIANTS CAMP: Michael Fulmer, Caleb Kilian. Rowan Wick was signed by the Giants but is on the 60-day injured list.
TIME CHANGE: If you haven’t already done so, and you are in the USA outside Arizona and Hawaii, you should turn your clocks ahead an hour for Daylight Saving time. This means most remaining Cubs spring games will start in the 3 p.m. hour, Central time.
Caleb Thielbar will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey and Hoby Milner will also throw in what will be a bullpen game.
Landon Roupp will start for the Giants. Other Giants pitchers scheduled today: Blade Tidwell and Keaton Winn.
Today’s game will be televised by Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs market territory). There will be a radio broadcast on The Score as well as on the Giants flagship station, KNBR 104.5.
Please visit our SB Nation Giants site McCovey Chronicles. If you do go there to interact with Giants fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 3 p.m. CT and 4:30 p.m. CT.
These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 4: Emmet Sheehan #80 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during a World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Mexico at Camelback Ranch on March 4, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers travel to the Maryvale section of Phoenix on Monday afternoon to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.
Emmet Sheehan makes his second appearance in an exhibition game this spring, after needing 34 pitches to record only four outs last Wednesday against Mexico at Camelback Ranch, with five of his nine batters reaching base and no strikeouts. With just under three weeks before opening day, there is at least some concern of the timing for some starters being able to be fully built up for the regular season.
But there is also more to the incremental climb than game action itself. Oftentimes, pitchers will continue to throw for an extra simulated inning in the bullpen after they are removed from a spring game to ease the build-up. Also, Sheehan pitched two simulated innings against Dodgers hitters on the backfields on February 27. But still, an extended outing on Monday would do well for Sheehan’s path toward the regular season.
