here’s the lineup:

Martinez LF

DeLauter RF

Ramirez 3B

Manzardo 1B

Hoskins DH

Rocchio 2B

Arias SS

Hedges C

Halpin CF

Today the Texas Rangers have divvied up the squad and sent half to Goodyear, AZ to take on the Cincinnati Reds while the rest remain in Surprise, AZ for a Cactus League tussle against the San Diego Padres.

In Surprise, RHP Nathan Eovaldi will take the bump for Texas opposite LHP Marco Gonzales for San Diego. In Goodyear, it will be LHP Austin Gomber for Texas against RHP Rhett Lowder for Cincinnati.

Here are the lineups for the home game against the Padres:

Here are the lineups for the away game against the Reds:

You can watch the Surprise game on the Rangers Sports Network, listen via 105.3 The Fan, or follow along on Gameday. Alternatively, if you want to catch the game from Goodyear, the Reds have a radio feed but you can also follow along on Gameday.

First pitch for both games today are scheduled for 3:05 pm CT.

Go Rangers!

Entering 2026, the consensus around the Athletics was that the team would be led by its talented group of hitters, who may have to outscore opponents to compensate for the team’s average pitching staff. While spring training stats rarely matter and often do not influence how the season will go, the fact that the A’s have scored more runs than every other MLB team shows that their offense is already living up to expectations. The team scored 22 runs across yesterday’s split-squad doubleheader, with one squad putting up 13 against the Milwaukee Brewers and the other scoring nine against the San Diego Padres.

On the other hand, A’s pitchers have struggled this spring, giving up the third-most runs in the league. That is not a good look for a team that needs improved pitching if it wants to win more games this season.

Today marks another opportunity for the team to get its pitchers on the right track before Opening Day. This afternoon, the A’s will host the Royals, looking to get revenge for the Royals winning 7-6 in their first matchup earlier this spring. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will make his second start of the spring. Following a gradual post-injury ramp-up, Lopez made his first Cactus League appearance last Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing three runs in two innings pitched.

Now that he has shaken off some rust, look for Lopez to pitch a little deeper in today’s game with hopefully better results. If the A’s can get Lopez to pitch for a full season as well as he did during his 25-inning scoreless streak last summer, then that dramatically changes the outlook on this team’s rotation. The team will be watching his performance today closely to see if he is ready to be in the rotation by the beginning of the season. An alternative, if he is not yet built up to start, would be to put him in the bullpen as an option in later innings, long relief or as someone ready to slide into the rotation if another pitcher gets hurt.

Here’s how the A’s lineup versus the Royals looks this afternoon:

Once again, the A’s lineup looks very close to how it will be for regular season games. First baseman Nick Kurtz seems locked into the leadoff spot until a more traditional leadoff table-setter hitter emerges for this team. Right fielder Lawrence Butler, who started several games last year hitting first, has the speed and athleticism typically seen among leadoff hitters. However, he has yet to play in a Cactus League game and A’s manager Mark Kotsay seems to appreciate having Kurtz’s power and on-base ability atop his lineup.

Andy Ibàñez, who will play several positions for the A’s this season, gets the start at third base today. In the outfield, starting left fielder Tyler Soderstrom is joined by two guys performing well at camp. Henry Bolte, the club’s top outfield prospect, may have sped up his MLB arrival with his impressive spring. His three-run home run to right field off right-hander Michael King, one of the Padres’ best pitchers, started the A’s seven-run, four-homer inning that gave them the lead yesterday. Last but not least, non-roster invitee Cade Marlowe has also made the most of his playing time.

That lineup will be facing Royals right-hander Ryan Berget, who will be making his fourth Cactus League start. Berget, who is vying for a spot in his team’s rotation, has performed well so far, going 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA over six innings pitched.

Here’s how the Royals stack up:

With so many of Kansas City’s stars — Bobby Witt Jr, Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez —still playing for their respective counties in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Royals’ lineup today is full of non-roster invitees and players like Nick Loftin and Josh Rojas who are looking to make the team. As a result, it should not be too difficult a matchup for Lopez and the Athletics this afternoon.

Speaking of the WBC, with Team Canada eliminated, Denzel Clarke is set to return to A’s camp. He showed off his defense in the tournament, although he did not contribute much offensively for his country. However, several A’s players are still competing. Darell Hernáiz and Carlos Cortes are in Puerto Rico’s starting lineup for its quarterfinal clash against Italy this afternoon. Tomorrow, Luis Severino will start for Team Dominican Republic in its heavyweight showdown against Team USA. It would not be a shock if fellow A’s pitcher Elvis Alvarado also appears in that game out of the Dominican Republic’s bullpen.

A lot of baseball is happening today and tomorrow! Let’s go A’s!

Tigers 6 Blue Jays 1

Another great start from Max Scherzer. He went 4.2 scoreless innings, 2 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. He threw 65 pitches. It looks like he’s already ready for the regular season. Two start and no earned runs against.

Other pitchers:

• Tommy Nance: 1.1 innings, 2 hits, 2 earned, 2 walks 1 strikeout. 6.75 ERA on the spring.
• Louis Varland: 1 inning, 1 hit, 1 earned, 1 walk and 1 strikeouts. 9.00.
• Jorge Alcala: 0.1 inning, 4 hits, 2 earned. 8.44.
• Josh Flemming: 2 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned, 2 strikeouts.

Batters, starters:

• George Springer: 0 for 3. .143.
• Davis Schneider: 0 for 3, k. .111.
• Alejandro Kirk: 0 for 3, 2 k. .214.
• Ely Jimenez: 0 for 3. k. .278.
• Daulton Varsho: 2 for 1. RBI, home run, his fourth homer of the spring. .455. He’s looked excellent this spring.
• Leo Jimenez: 0 for 2, k. .267.
• Myles Straw: 1 for 2, k. .192.
• Josh Kasevish: 0 for 2, 2 k. .300.
• Riley Tirotta: 2 for 2. .250.

Others:

• Rafael Lantigua: Walk. .393. Also threw out 2 base runners from the outfield.
• Josh Rivera: 0 for 1, k. .222.
• Robert Brooks: Walk. .286.
• Yohendrick Pinango: 0 for 1, k. .125.
• RJ Schreck: 0 for 2, k. .176.
• Arjun Nimmala: 1 for 1, walk. .261.
• Jonatan Clase: 0 for 1, walk. .272. Also made an error in the outfield.
• Charles MaAdoo: 0 for 2. .214.
• Sean Keys: 0 for 1, k. .214..

Jays are 8-11 on the spring.

The Jays travel to Port St. Lucie, Florida to play the Mets tomorrow, at 1:00 Eastern.

And the USA and Dominican Republic play at 8:00 Eastern tomorrow.

Max Fried had a decent outing for the Yankees as he prepares to start Opening Day, but the Yankees' batters failed to leave much of a mark in a 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday in Tampa during Grapefruit League action.

Here are the takeaways...

- Fried retired the first six batters he faced and appeared to hardly break a sweat, getting four groundouts and a strikeout swinging on a changeup on 19 pitches (16 strikes).

In the third, René Pinto cracked a one-out ground-rule double down the left field line (105.7 mph off the bat), Christian Cairo blooped a single into left to cover the corners, and a Baltimore chop infield single plated the first run. Philadelphia executed a double-steal to put two in scoring position, and after Fried beat EdmundoSosa for a nine-pitch strikeout, getting him to chase a 96 mph heater above the zone, a pickoff attempt at second saw the ball squirt out of Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s glove, allowing Cairo to score from third. Fried was charged with the error.

Fried left a sinker over the heart of the plate to DylanMoore, who cracked an RBI single just fair down the first base line. The lefty got Brandon Marsh looking at a sweeper to end the inning on his 31st pitch of the frame.

Fried rebounded with consecutive 1-2-3 innings, needing 12 pitches in the fourth and nine in the fifth. He allowed a single to left by Sosa before getting Moore swinging on three pitches to close his day. The Opening Day starter’s final line: 5.1 innings, five hits, three runs, four strikeouts, and no walks on 75 pitches (53 strikes).

- Jake Bird was the first man out of the ‘pen and he issued a four-pitch walk to the first man he saw to put two men on base. The righty got Liover Peguero swinging and a grounder to third to strand the runners. Bird added a strikeout in the seventh, finishing his four-out day on 21 pitches (12 strikes).

- Phillies starter Bryse Wilson, a non-roster invitee to camp who pitched with the Chicago White Sox the last two years, allowed three base runners (two walks, reached on error) but no hits in three scoreless innings against the Yanks’ starters, who didn't have a great day at the plate.

- Cody Bellinger reached on an error in his first at-bat on a grounder that ate up the Phillies’ first baseman on a wild bounce. He drilled a triple into the right-center gap on a center-cut 96 mph fastball from Jonathan Bowlan with one out in the fourth, taking third on a bit of lackadaisical relay work. He finished 1-for-3 with a strikeout.

- Ben Rice, playing first base as he hasn’t caught a game during spring, cracked a ground-rule double in the left-center gap to start the sixth against left-hander Kyle Backhus’ side-arm delivery. 

- Chisholm walked and stole second to start off the second inning, but he was then picked off second base. He finished 0-for-1 with two walks and a non-competitive, three-pitch strikeout looking against the lefty in the sixth.

- Jasson Domínguez walked his first time up and, after Chisholm was picked off, tried to steal second on the next pitch, but was erased on a good throw and tag.

Domínguez, who is on the roster bubble, cracked a two-out RBI single to put the Yanks on the board in the fourth, muscling a 96 mph fastball on the inside corner up the middle. He then stole second to put two in scoring position, but was stranded there. He bounced an infield hit to third to start the seventh and later came around to score, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk, a steal, and a caught stealing.

- Ryan McMahon made a fine play at third base to open the game by retiring Justin Crawford, son of former MLBer Carl, by charging a slow roller and making a running throw to get the Phillies speedster on a bang-bang play. 

He struck out looking in his first at-bat before popping out to left with two men on to end the fourth, and finished 0-for-3. McMahon is 3-for-30 this spring.

- Giancarlo Stanton lined out to left to end the first, and went down swinging at a slider well outside the zone in the fourth before swinging through a sinker over the heart of the plate in the sixth to go 0-for-3.

- Trent Grisham popped out in foul territory with Sosa ranging over to make a nice back-handed grab by the tarp down the line in his second at-bat. He finished 0-for-3.

- José Caballero lined out to center to start the third inning and grounded out to first to start the fifth, going 0-for-2.

- J.C. Escarra had a base hit up the middle on a sharply hit grounder (104.7 mph) taken away by Sosa and lined out on a hard shot to center (103.2 mph). He went 0-for-2.

- Paul DeJong, vying for a roster spot, cracked a ground-rule double into the right-center gap in the seventh in his first at-bat and later came around to score, tying the game.

Highlights

A triple for Belli! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/jQpyofNSBe

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 14, 2026

Jasson Domínguez with an RBI single to put the Yanks on the board pic.twitter.com/BiUjgWghW1

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 14, 2026

What's next

A split-squad day on Sunday sees the Yanks host the Detroit Tigers in Tampa with Luis Gil getting the start for the 1:05 p.m. first pitch and Paul Blackburn toeing the rubber for those traveling to Sarasota to face the Baltimore Orioles at 6:05 p.m.

The Mets have once again acquired left-handed relief pitcher Richard Lovelady, as the team has claimed him on waivers from the Nationals and placed right-handed pitcher Justin Hagenman on the 60-day injured list with a rib fracture.

Since signing with the Mets in late June last year, Lovelady has been designated for assignment by the team four times. But he kept going unclaimed on waivers and returning until the most recent DFA in late January, which came to make room for the Mets’ signing of Vidal Bruján.

Since Lovelady is out of options, it’s entirely possible—likely, even—that he’ll be DFA’d again sometime in the near future. There are several left-handed relievers other than Brooks Raley in Mets camp, some of whom have a shot at making the Opening Day roster. And if Raley stays healthy, he figures to be joined by left-handed reliever A.J. Minter so long as his return from injury runs on time.

As for Hagenman, the injury news comes as something of a surprise. He had thrown 8.1 innings in spring training games with a 5.40 ERA and a 5.57 FIP. In his time in the big leagues with the Mets last year, he threw 23.2 innings with a 4.56 ERA and a 3.77 FIP. He has options remaining and very well could’ve started this year in Triple-A Syracuse anyway, but he won’t be eligible to return to major league action for a couple of months.

The White Sox have the best chance of beating the Dodgers in the calendar year in today’s last Camelback Ranch duel before the prospect game next week. Seeking their first win against the Dodgers since March 8, 2025, and first Spring Training win against the reigning 2025 World Series Champions, the deck is slightly stacked towards the South Siders for once.

Mike Vasil takes the mound against reliever Justin Wrobleski in what will be another rotation tryout for Vasil. His first Spring Training game and start in February was bumpy, allowing three hits and a run in 1 ⅓ innings. Fueled by his recent three-inning, one-hit relief appearance against the lowly Rockies, Vasil should give the Dodgers and Wrobleski, who has had three quality appearances with only three hits and zero runs allowed, a challenge early in the game.

Several South Siders in the lineup will be looking to make a good impression to secure their spot on the roster before the next round of roster cuts. Luisangel Acuña is getting a few extra reps with the hopes of beating out a banged-up Brooks Baldwin for center field, while Derek Hill is just hoping to stay on the 40-man. And Tristan Peters and Curtis Mead aim to remain reliable utility bench players.  

The Dodgers come in with a weaker lineup than usual. Without fixtures Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Will Smith and newly-signed Edwin Díaz (all are representing their countries in the WBC), the Sox have the clearest path to splitting their Glendale series.

Catch the game on CHSN or MLB.TV at 3:10 PM CT.

In one week, the Royals will play their final Cactus League game of 2026. In two weeks, the Royals will be preparing to play their second game of the season. If we can hang on just a little bit longer, we can make it all the way to Regular Season 2026 Baseball! But until then, the Royals have another lackluster Spring game to play against the Athletics. Here is your lineup:

I count one guy in that lineup who has a real chance of being on the big league roster at the beginning of the season – Nick Loftin. There are no probable starters. Carson Roccaforte is there, but he’s likely ticketed for AA to start the season and wouldn’t be promoted until late in the year. Elias Díaz has had a very interesting spring after Luke Maile had to back out of his RSVP to Royals camp, but I just don’t think the Royals will carry a third catcher to start the year, and I don’t know if he’ll be willing to play in Omaha until they need him.

The most exciting member of this group is probably the starting pitcher, Ryan Bergert. Bergert is also likely to start the year in the minors, but he and Noah Cameron have made it interesting for the final rotation spot even if it’s almost certainly not been interesting enough to cost the local kid his job. Cameron’s velocity and whiffs are still a bit down from last season, but they’re close enough to normal to think he’s probably fine. Add in that he mentioned during a mid-game interview yesterday that the coaching staff had specifically asked him to ramp up a bit slower this year, and everything seems fine. Still, Bergert’s stuff, chases, and whiffs have all been well above average this spring. He might not make the opening day roster, but we’ll definitely see him make multiple starts throughout the season.

After Bergert, the Royals plan to use Daniel Lynch IV, Nick Mears, Jose Cuas, and Hunter Patteson. Mears has a bullpen job all but locked up and Lynch likely has a bead on another. Cuas seemed like a sentimental reunion signing, but his stuff looks significantly better now than when the Royals last saw him so perhaps there’s a future for him with this team, yet. Patteson is ticketed for the minors.

Andrew Pérez and Ben Sears were also included on the roster and we might see them if anyone struggles over-much.

As for me? I’ll probably be watching Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone take on Seth Lugo in the World Baseball Classic. Today’s contests seem likely to be quite a bit more competitive than the unfortunate Dominican Republic vs Korea match from yesterday.

“I’m trying to make more contact, strikeout a little bit less and just hit for more power, a little bit.”

Jackson Merrill outlined his goals for his spring camp during an interview at his clubhouse locker when camp began in February.

He noted that although he weighed about the same, he had made changes to his diet and workout routine in order to get stronger. His goal was to hit the ball harder but not decrease his speed in the outfield or on the base paths. Stealing more bases is his goal in not gaining weight and slowing down.

Earlier this month, ESPN released a list of their top 100 MLB players. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the top ranked player on the San Diego Padres at No. 14, but Merrill was second at No. 43 with Manny Machado at No. 47.

David Schoenfield of ESPN noted that the staff involved in the rankings believe Merrill will have a return to form after suffering multiple injuries in 2025 that contributed to a “sophomore slump” for the centerfielder. They believe his key to achieving superstardom as a player is to decrease his chase rate.

Almost the top rookie in 2024

Merrill finished second to starting pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburg Pirates in the 2024 Rookie of the Year voting. He was the top position player in the voting by far and only lost out to a once-in-a-generation talent in the 21-year-old pitcher. Scenes posted a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings pitched. Although Merrill lost in that competition, he had the best season for a Padres rookie ever.

Promise for 2025

Expectations were high for 2025, despite Merrill only going into his age 22 season. Unfortunately, a series of injuries derailed what could have been another step toward superstardom for the converted shortstop. In early April, Merrill injured his hamstring and was placed on the IL. That injury kept him out until early May, and he was playing well until a concussion sent him back to the IL on June 15. He returned a week later but struggled at the plate, seeing his batting average steadily drop through the rest of June and July. On Aug. 14, he suffered an ankle sprain and bone bruise which put him back on the IL until Sept. 1.

After his return in September, Merrill hit .275/.320/.626 with seven home runs and 16 RBI. He had seven doubles and two triples for a .946 OPS. Fully recovered from all his injuries, Merrill showed what he was capable of.

Despite all these injuries and struggling with his effectiveness after the concussion, Merrill still managed a 112 OPS+ (12 percent better than the average player) and a 3.0 fWAR. He had 16 home runs and 67 RBI total for the year.

What can 2026 become?

FanGraphs, in their 2026 projections, see a 25-homer season with 75 RBI. For his brief career, Merrill has a 35.9% chase rate which puts him in the lower 10 percent of MLB players. He was in the 14 percent in 2024 and the seven percent in 2025, chasing much more last season than in his rookie year.

In his ESPN rankings, Schoenfield believes 30 home runs is in the cards for Merrill, if he can stay healthy this year. His own words tell us that he is aware of his areas for improvement and will be working to add to his game. Merrill is a free swinger, that probably won’t change much but being more selective about what he swing at is the goal.

Padres players have looked much more disciplined this spring, swinging more at pitches in the zone and not chasing outside the zone as much as in the past. Merrill ranks highly amongst MLB players in barrel% at 82 in 2025 but his bat speed and hard-hit percentage are in the middle of the field. His BB% was at 31 last season and eight in 2024 so he has improved his walk rate somewhat.

The statement he made at the start of spring camp reflects his awareness of his weaknesses. His 2026 spring numbers only reflect 30 at-bats so far. He has two home runs and four RBI with four doubles. His BABIP is .300 which suggests that his .267 batting average reflects some poor luck. His OBP is .313, something he needs to improve as the team gets closer to the start of the season. He is slugging .600, with six extra-base hits among his eight hits but has eight strikeouts for a 25% K-rate.

Next steps to superstar status

Results are not what is focused on in spring, process is. That is not something we can measure, and the regular season will show if Merrill is able to reign in his aggressiveness enough to bring down his strikeouts and increase his OBP. His power is going to come with his maturity as a player. He turns 23 in April and is not yet in his prime. It is commonly accepted that players enter their prime between 26-29, with their year 27 playing season being their peak as a hitter.

Merrill has the potential to be an MLB superstar. He has already shown he is among the best at his position, being ranked No. 4 by MLB.

He still has plenty of time to reach his potential but indicators show that 2026 should be an important step in that progression. If he can stay healthy, Merrill can regain the momentum he showed in his rookie season and rocket up the ranks of the best players in the game.