PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27: Felnin Celesten #93 of the Seattle Mariners throws to first during the eighth inning of the spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Peoria Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Following on the heels of Julio Rodríguez and Noelvi Marte, Felnin Celesten was supposed to be the Mariners’ next big international signing success story. The Mariners gave him $4.7M to sign Celesten out of the Dominican Republic in 2023, the largest signing bonus they’ve ever handed out in IFA. However, injuries have slowed Celesten’s development and he only just completed his first full professional season in 2025, a fine-but-not-spectacular season in Low-A with Modesto.
It’s not the incandescent rise the Mariners nor Celesten himself might have imagined for a player nicknamed “The Phoenix,” although it’s a name that’s becoming more apt as Celesten battles back from one injury after another. In a conversation with Celesten this past summer while he was at Everett for a short while, Celesten spoke about how the various physical challenges and injuries he’s gone through have taught him how to take better care of his body, prepare himself better for the demands of the season, and know himself better in a general sense.
“I know what I need now,” he said through translator Hecmart Nieves. “That’s the biggest thing. I need the training room. I need to take care of my body, to stay healthy on the field. That’s been the biggest adjustment…Injuries, it’s probably not the best way to find out what you need, but it’s definitely helped me to know myself better and what things I need to improve on.”
Part of taking care of his body was also taking care of his mind, something Celesten said the Mariners helped him with. Instead of allowing feelings of frustration to overtake him or viewing his injuries in a negative light, Celesten, who comes from a background of deep Christian faith, asked himself: what does God want me to learn from this? How can I come back better from this?
“Baseball is a hard game, and it comes with ups and downs. I’m proud of how I’ve handled myself this season, not letting the lows get too low and overcoming whatever gets in the way. Everything that has happened to me is like God giving me a message, opportunities to grow, and that’s the way I see the game and my life.”
With the WBC in action, Celesten got several opportunities to play with the big-league club this spring, getting into six games and collecting three hits. While the slight-framed shortstop doesn’t seem like he’s going to grow into a power hitter, he’s been working on putting the ball in the air more while still hitting the ball hard, and continues to hit from both sides of the plate, putting up near-identical lines against both lefties and righties.
While there’s a chance a stronger and more durable Celesten, removed from the hamstring injury and broken hamate bone that plagued him early in his career, can hit for more power, it seems like much of his prospect value will remain in his glove.
Celesten is a natural shortstop but has at times not made the routine plays, something he looked to have cleaned up during the Spring Breakout game. Playing behind a dominant Ryan Sloan, who induced groundball after groundball, Celesten ranged around the six, showcasing smooth footwork and clean mechanics.
He then went on to boot a routine ground ball in the Mariners’ final spring training game, because development isn’t linear, and Celesten is a prime example of that. His 2026 will be about, first and foremost, staying healthy; beyond that, continuing to maximize his modest power while spraying the ball all around the field and letting his plus speed do the rest. Easy to say, difficult to do, but Celesten’s early-career struggles have set him up to know just how hard, exactly, the task is ahead of him, and what he needs to do to best prepare himself to accomplish it.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have recalled forward Ville Koivunen from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Koivunen was just sent down to the AHL by Pittsburgh over the weekend. Now, with this latest news, Koivunen will be heading right back to the NHL roster.
Koivunen getting called back up comes with star forward Evgeni Malkin being sidelined day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Koivunen has appeared in 33 games this season with Pittsburgh, where he has recorded two goals, five assists, seven points, and a minus-5 rating. This is after he had seven assists in his first eight career NHL games during this past season.
While Koivunen has had some struggles at the NHL level this season, he has been continuing to show off his potential in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 29 games this season with the AHL club, he has 11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points, and a plus-7 rating.
The former England captain and head coach argues that elite stars need a proper training block to peak at 2027 World Cup – but warns even best-laid plans get ripped up
England’s legendary World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson says the current management should consider resting key players this summer to boost the chances of history being repeated in Australia next year. Johnson was among several senior squad members who did not tour Argentina in the buildup to their 2003 global triumph and suggests a similar policy could assist England’s 2027 campaign.
In 2002 England beat the Pumas 26‑18 in Buenos Aires with only eight of their subsequent World Cup-winning squad involved. Johnson is fully aware that post-game recovery and conditioning techniques have moved on significantly but believes the current captain, Maro Itoje, and others require careful handling if they are to prosper in 2027.
John Calipari is quite proud of Darius Acuff Jr. and others for getting their own signature shoe. It helps that the Arkansas star is partnered with Reebok and Allen Iverson.
In addition to Acuff, Calipari mentioned that he had numerous players with mega shoe deals and worth a lot in endorsements. While speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Calipari was eager to talk about the partnership, but also get ready for Arkansas’s next game in the NCAA tournament against Arizona.
“Having a signature shoe with AI, who I coached when we were in Philadelphia. And I love him. He and I have stayed in touch,” Calipari said. “I got about 10 guys that have signature shoes. And, you know, I have them all in my office. We have 13 all-stars, two MVPs, $6 billion in salaries, I mean, and the guys I have on this team, they’re going to be NBA players because they deserve to be.
“Now, they got the challenge of their lives with Arizona. Tommy’s done an unbelievable job with his team. And so we’re going in like, let’s go, let’s see who we are. Probably have to make adjustments as the game unfolds, because of how they’re going to play, and seeing what they’ll do defensively to us, because we’re a good offensive team. We score 90 a game. And so they’ll probably do some different things. We’ll have to see.”
Acuff Jr. originally signed an NIL deal with Reebok last May, joining Tennessee freshman Nate Ament and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese on the brand’s roster. Following a stellar freshman campaign, which saw him become just the second freshman in the past 13 seasons to win SEC Player of the Year, he now earns his first signature shoe before landing on an NBA team.
The Detroit native averaged 23.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds this season for John Calipari‘s Razorback team. He has been even better in the postseason play, averaging 30.2 points in five SEC Tournament/NCAA Tournament games this season.
The announcement comes as Reebok continues to invest more in basketball after legends Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson joined the company in 2023. Angel Reese is a key part of the roster and launched her own signature shoe last September, as part of an extension with the brand. The company added other stars such as Dink Pate, Matas Buzelis and DiJonai Carrington, as well.
Port St. Lucie, Florida: New York Mets pitcher Devin Williams during a spring training workout, February 20, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images) | Newsday via Getty Images
If you still don’t know who Devin Williams is, you’ve definitely seen him pitch before. You’ve seen him throw the same pitch, in fact, over and over again—rocking back and firing a changeup on the lower-outside corner which Pete Alonso connects with the other way as the Mets’ dugout erupts and Howie Rose delivers the call of a lifetime. In the time it took for you to read that sentence, you probably could have watched the highlight another couple of times.
So, who is Devin Williams? To the Mets, he used to be the man who gave up Alonso’s iconic 2024 homer in the Wild Card Series. Now, he’s the new face of their bullpen. But to the rest of the league, Williams has simply been one of the best relievers in baseball for the better part of a decade.
The Mets signed the 31-year-old Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal, marking the first of two ex-Brewers whom president of baseball operations David Stearns would reunite with (along with Freddy Peralta) this offseason. Williams was signed in early December, back when he was expected to be the setup man to Edwin Díaz; but Díaz, of course, broke for Los Angeles to join the back-to-back champion Dodgers, leaving Williams slotted into the closer spot on the roster. It’s a role Williams has played before. Over the course of his six scintillating seasons in Milwaukee from 2019-2024, Williams oscillated between the role of setup man and closer depending on whether bullpen-mates like Josh Hader or Trevor Megill had the job at a given time. One thing that remained consistent was Williams’ spectacular performance. From 2020-2024, Williams put up a 1.70 ERA (the second-lowest among qualified relievers in that span) while posting a 14.64 K/9 rate (second only to — you guessed it — Edwin Díaz). Along the way, Williams earned two All-Star selections, two N.L. Reliever of the Year Awards, and a Rookie of the Year Award for his absurd 2020 season in which he pitched to a 0.33 ERA while striking out 53 of 100 batters faced.
Despite what the Alonso homer may have led you to believe, Williams’ calling card has always been his un-hittable changeup, better known as the “Airbender” pitch. From ’20-24, Williams’ changeup produced an incredible 46.8% Whiff rate while yielding just a .135 opponent batting average, both marks ranking the best in baseball for any pitch among right-handers (min. 2000 pitches thrown). Since 2020, no single pitch by a reliever has produced as many strikeouts (284) as Williams’ Airbender.
But after being traded from the Brewers to the Yankees following the 2024 season, the ever-consistent Williams had a confusingly ineffective season. In 2025, he pitched to a 4.79 ERA while recording -0.3 bWAR. A look at his underlying metrics don’t reveal all too many problems — in fact, they seem to bear all the signs of a usual dominant season from Williams. His changeup still had its good break, while his Chase%, Whiff%, and K% all ranked in the 97th percentile or higher. Most perplexing of all, Williams’ xERA (expected ERA) was 3.02, almost two full runs-per-nine below his actual ERA.
So…who is Devin Williams really? Is he the dominant arm from his Milwaukee days, or the struggling Yankee trying to avoid further damage? The most likely answer does actually seem to be the most promising one, though perhaps also the least satisfying: it really was just a fluke. The baseball gods with their small sample sizes and unpredictable balls in play may have just done a number on Williams’ numbers, while the expected stats and underlying metrics tell the true story of a still-elite reliever.
There are statistical deep dives arguing the above point with far greater precision, but for a perhaps more digestible piece of evidence: Williams did put up good traditional numbers for significant stretches of the season. From May 7 through July 13, he pitched to 1.90 ERA in 23.2 IP. From September 7 on, he threw nine scoreless innings in nine appearances. That’s about three months of the season where Williams wasn’t only getting great results, but elite results — the kind he’s become accustomed to over the course of his career.
This spring, Williams gave up a solo home run to Cardinals prospect J.J. Wetherholt on the first pitch he threw: a new cutter that he’s been developing with the Mets’ coaching staff. Since that swing, he’s allowed no runs and two hits in four more spring appearances, striking out six batters and utilizing his signature changeup to record four of those (one in each appearance). It’s a hard thing to truly believe in a bounce-back season, especially after a player puts up negative WAR with an ERA near 5.00, but if there ever was a time to do so it’s now. The predictive stats are there. The not-so-cherry-picked traditional stats are there. The spring stats are there. And perhaps most importantly, Williams is here. The Mets committed to having him in their bullpen for three years — not a carefree expenditure, especially for a reliever — after seeing the numbers he put up last year. That should be a sign to any who trust Stearns’ front office that they firmly believe his 2025 season was an anomaly, and that he’ll be ready to deliver high-quality, high-stakes innings in 2026 and beyond.
So, one final time: Who is Devin Williams? He’s no longer a show-stopping rookie, but he’s not necessarily past his prime. He’s coming off an ugly season, but not a damning one. He’s not Edwin Díaz—nobody is—but he doesn’t have to be. He’s been one of the best relievers in baseball, all signs point to him continuing to be one of the best relievers in baseball, and he’s the Mets’ closer for the next three years. Even if he’ll forever be “the guy who gave up the homer to Alonso,” maybe we haven’t yet seen the most famous Williams changeup in Mets history.
But what if Perdomo’s performance regresses from last season’s highs? That could tip the Diamondbacks below 81 wins. And three of my five wagers would be losers. Let’s look at what will likely happen.
Was his 2025 breakout real?
One stat was so extraordinary, that his breakout was certainly real instead of a technical fluke. That stat was Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
Jim McLennan wrote that Geraldo Perdomo Should Have Been the MVP Runner Up. What impressed me most was the WAR table. It had three data columns: bWAR, fWAR, and the average of the two. All three columns showed Perdomo as the clear runner up to Ohtani.
Will he regress?
The argument for regression is well articulated in the following quote. “After hitting just 14 home runs in 1,420 plate appearances during his first four seasons in the big leagues, Perdomo’s home run total [20] was the most unexpected part of his elite 2025 campaign. However, his average exit velocity (16th percentile), hard-hit rate (11th percentile) and bat speed (7th percentile) raise some serious questions about the sustainability of his power surge. His defense and on-base ability still give him a 3-WAR floor, but significant regression seems likely.” — Joel Reuter, Feb 2026
My view is that it’s not valid to predict regression by looking at Perdomo’s batting weaknesses, without also looking at Perdomo’s batting strengths that resulted in his “elite 2025 campaign.” Nevertheless, regression could happen.
I looked at eight projections for Perdomo homers in 2026. Each projection had its own PAs and homers. It’s a big assumption, but assuming the same PAs as last season, and no change in the homers per PA of the projections, then with 720 PAs, the projections ranged from 12.2 to 15.7 homers. My wager of Perdomo hitting 18 or more homers is equivalent to roughly 15% more homers than the most optimistic projection. However, my wager was based on more than just raw optimism. Read on!
How can I understand his 2025 breakout in context of his batting weaknesses?
The following graph (courtesy of Baseball Savant) shows his below-average bat speed (68.3) and his above-average squared up per swing (32.3%). Perdomo is circled in red and a red arrow points to him.
Also, Perdomo was above-average in launch angle sweet spot percentage (36.2%). With his below average bat speed and his below average hard-hit percentage (31.9%), his 20 homers were exactly in the middle of the 145 qualified batters. That shatters the preconception that high bat speed and a high percentage of hard hits are ‘the only way’ to hit homers.
Another shattered idea was that batters who hit homers were focused on hitting homers. Geraldo Perdomo said the following about his focus: “I know I had a little bit of pop. I don’t try to hit for homers. I just try to hit more line drives. If it happens sometimes on accident, I take it. I think it’s going to come with time.” — Geraldo Perdomo, February 2025
Another important idea is that Perdomo has two types of swings; homer swings and non-homer swings; each with its own swing speed.
“…Perdomo dramatically increased his swing speed on home run swings. Each of the first 2 seasons, we see that the split in swing speed from home run to non-home run was right around 2-2.5 MPH. This season, those splits grew to 4-5 MPH. How rare is that? The league average swing speed split between homers and non-homers in 2025 was 2.8, basically right where Perdomo has been for the last 2 seasons. In 2025, his overall split of 4.3 MPH was 12th-highest out of over 140 qualified hitters in MLB.” — 1AZfan1, February 2026
The graph shows that in 2025, Caleb Durbin was most like Perdomo in bat speed and squared up per swing. It was Durbin’s rookie season. Remarkably he earned 2.8 WAR. Durbin and Perdomo were born exactly 4 months apart. It will be interesting to compare them at the end of this season.
In 2026, will his breakout continue?
His batting strengths have existed since 2022, when he was a rookie in the Majors. In December of 2023, my player review included the following table that compared Perdomo to the other Diamondbacks batters.
“Thus the combination of bat control along with a faster swing is producing a marked increase in the quality of contact, making his [Perdomo’s] above average batting line appear much more sustainable than in the past.” —Jack Sommers, April 2025
In 2023 and 2024, one stat (created by 1AZfan1) showed Geraldo Perdomo was top-two in the Majors. That stat is Peskiness; a combination of many pitches per PA, few swings outside the strike zone, and few whiffs. In short, pitchers see him as the most Pesky batter in the Majors. My view is that the most important part of Peskiness is that he gets more pitches per PA, which gives pitchers more chances to make a mistake pitch that allows Perdomo to hit a homer.
Three consecutive years as the best in the Majors shows consistency that argues that his breakout will continue.
Perdomo has gone beyond Pesky. He improved his batting. Details are in the following quote.
“Perdomo has gotten bigger and stronger. He’s changed his mechanics from both sides of the plate. He’s somehow chasing and whiffing even less than he did last season, and he’s somehow doing so while lifting the ball more, swinging a bit harder, and hitting the ball a bit harder.” — Davy Andrews, September 2025
All things considered, I’m confident his breakout will continue.
Two Very Positive Projections for 2026.
In his Positional Power Ranking for Shortstop, Dan Szymborski ranked the Diamondbacks as number 6. “He [Perdomo] might even still be underrated; I’m surprised at how little attention was given nationally to his elite performance in 2025.” — Dan Szymborski, March 2026
“It wouldn’t surprise me if … Geraldo Perdomo becomes a top-three shortstop in baseball this year. … Either way, Perdomo’s skill set — more walks than strikeouts, power, speed, glove — puts him in a position to lock up the spot in 2026.“— Jeff Passan, Mar 13, 2026
Summary.
His 2025 breakout was real.
Perdomo has batting weaknesses that could lead to regression. But it’s not valid to look at his batting weaknesses without also considering his batting strengths that caused his breakout.
Perdomo’s batting strengths include squared up per swing and launch angle sweet spot percentage.
My wager of Perdomo hitting 18 or more homers is equivalent (with 720 PAs) to roughly 15% more homers than the most optimistic projection.
Thoughtful ideas included:
High bat speed and a high percentage of hard hits are not the only way to hit homers.
With a focus on hitting line drives, Perdomo hit 20 homers.
Perdomo has two types of swings; homer swings and non-homer swings; each with its own swing speed.
His breakout will likely continue.
His batting strengths have existed since 2022, when he was still a rookie in the Majors.
Bat control and a faster swing increased the sustainability of his breakout.
For three years, pitchers have found Geraldo Perdomo the most Pesky batter in the Majors because of his many pitches per PA, his few swings outside the strike zone, and his few whiffs.
Beyond being Pesky, last season Perdomo improved his batting with more strength, better mechanics, more lift of the baseball, swinging a bit faster, and hitting the baseball a bit harder.
Two writers have projected that this season Perdomo will be the third and sixth best shortstop in the Majors.
I’m confident that Perdomo’s performance will exceed .275 BA and 17.5 homers, helping the Diamondbacks win more than 81 games.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 19: An aerial view of AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Park and Globe Life Field on December 19, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers bid farewell to spring training with a final exhibition matchup against the Kansas City Royals this afternoon in Arlington.
RHP Jack Leiter will take the mound for his final warmup before the games begin for real on Thursday. Meanwhile, KC will counter with RHP Seth Lugo.
Today’s Lineups
ROYALS
RANGERS
Maikel Garcia – 3B
Brandon Nimmo – RF
Bobby Witt – SS
Wyatt Langford – LF
Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B
Corey Seager – SS
Salvador Perez – C
Jake Burger – DH
Lane Thomas – DH
Josh Smith – 2B
Jac Caglianone – RF
Josh Jung – 3B
Jonathan India – 2B
Joc Pederson – 1B
Isaac Collins – LF
Evan Carter – CF
Kyle Isbel – CF
Kyle Higashioka – C
Seth Lugo – RHP
Jack Leiter – RHP
You can catch the telecast on CW33, listen to the radio broadcast via 105.3 The Fan, or you can follow along on Gameday. First pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:05 pm CT.
Our NBA player prop projections are locked in for tonight’s clash between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, with the model highlighting several standout opportunities.
After digging into the data and lining it up against current market prices, we’ve identified the bets with the strongest value.
If you’re putting together your card, these are the model’s top NBA picks for Tuesday, March 24.
Nuggets vs Suns computer picks for March 24
Nuggets
Suns
Murray o23.5 points -115
Booker o25.5 points -115
Jokic o13.5 rebounds -110
Gillespie u4.5 assists -140
Hardaway Jr. u2.5 3-pointers -150
Ighodaro o6.5 rebounds -130
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Nuggets computer picks
Jamal Murray Over 23.5 points (-115)
Projection: 23.8 points
From an offensive standpoint, the Denver Nuggets lead the league with an impressive 120.8 points per game this season.
This matchup against the Phoenix Suns sets up favorably, as they’ve allowed a league-high 29.2 points per game to opposing starting point guards over their last five contests.
That trend creates a strong opportunity for Jamal Murray to clear his 23.5-point line, especially after going Over in four of his last 10 games.
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Nikola Jokic Over 13.5 rebounds (-110)
Projection: 13.7 rebounds
The Nuggets have pushed the fastest pace in the league over their last 10 road games, and Nikola Jokić continues to pile up rebounds with ease, clearing the 13.5 line in five of his last 10 outings.
Expect him to get Over that number again tonight.
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Tim Hardaway Jr. Under 2.5 3-pointers (-150)
Projection: 2.3 3-pointers
Tim Hardaway Jr. has gone Under his 2.5 three-pointers line in six of his last 10 games, and this matchup suggests that trend is likely to continue against the Suns.
Against Phoenix, that concern is amplified. The Suns have done a solid job of running shooters off the line and forcing opposing wings into mid-range looks or drives into traffic.
With defenders closing out aggressively on the perimeter, Hardaway may struggle to find clean catch-and-shoot opportunities, which is usually his bread and butter.
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Suns computer picks
Devin Booker Over 25.5 points (-115)
Projection: 26.3 points
Devin Booker has averaged 29.8 points Over his last 10 games, about 5.4 more than his season-long average.
With the Suns set to face the Nuggets, who’ve played at the fastest road pace in the league over that span, this matchup should create an uptick in scoring opportunities.
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Collin Gillespie Under 4.5 assists (-140)
Projection: 4.4 assists
The Suns have played at the slowest home pace in the NBA over their last 20 games, which could limit playmaking opportunities for Collin Gillespie.
With that tempo working against him — and having gone Under this 4.5 assists line in four of his last 10 games — he’s at risk of falling short of the mark again.
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Oso Ighodaro Over 6.5 rebounds (-130)
Projection: 7.2 rebounds
The Suns rank as the top offensive rebounding team in the NBA over their last 10 home games, creating extra opportunities on the glass.
That sets up well for Oso Ighodaro to see an uptick in rebounds, especially after clearing the 6.5 line in three of his last 10 outings.
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How to watch Nuggets vs Suns tonight
Location
Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
Date
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Tip-off
11:00 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
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Tonight's Coast 2 Coast Tuesday starts at 8:00 PM ET, with an Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers showdown, followed by the Denver Nuggets vs. the Phoenix Suns at 11 PM ET. Live coverage begins with NBA Showtime at 7:00 PM on Peacock. See below for additional information on how to watch both games.
Follow all of the NBA action on NBCSN and Peacock. Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the course of the 2025-2026 season.
Tonight's game marks the final meeting of the season between the two teams. Denver won the first two matchups and holds the potential head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Nuggets have won five of their last seven games, including back-to-back victories against the Raptors and Trail Blazers. Denver currently sits fourth in the Western Conference.
Nikola Jokic leads the NBA in both rebounds (12.6 rpg) and assists (10.6 apg), and he is the only player in the league averaging a triple-double.
The Suns snapped their five-game losing streak on Sunday with a 120-98 victory over the Raptors. Phoenix is currently seventh in the West, 3.5 games behind Houston for the sixth and final secured playoff spot.
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Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. Sunday Night Basketball coverage will also be available on NBC and Peacock. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 12: Seth Halvorsen #54 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the sixth inning of the Spring Training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 12, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Much of the Colorado Rockies 2026 roster came into focus over the weekend in terms of position players and the starting rotation. This morning, they began crafting the bullpen into its final form.
Kevin Henry reported that reliever Seth Halvorsen will start the season in Triple-A Albuquerque.
Official word from #Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer …
Reliever Seth Halvorsen sent to Triple-A
Tyler Freeman will start the year on the IL (lower back inflammation). Troy Johnston has made the team.
According to Henry, manager Warren Schaeffer added this: “Coming off injury, high walk rate in spring. He needs to go down there and get right because we know what kind of pitcher he can be for us in leverage situations.”
Currently, Halvorsen has a 21.60 ERA in 5.0 innings pitched, allowing eight hits that resulted in 12 runs.
The news that Tyler Freeman will begin the season on the Injured List is not a surprise given the nagging back issues he has struggled with throughout spring training.
Troy Johnston, then, will be on the team as a first baseman and outfielder. In spring training, he has slashed .358/.426/.547 in 22 games and hit his first spring homer last night against the Detroit Tigers.
When Cam Thomas was waived by the Brooklyn Nets just after the trade deadline, Milwaukee swooped in to sign him, looking for some bench scoring for a team that was looking to make a push into the postseason. With those dreams all but dead — the Bucks are eight games out of the last play-in spot with 11 games remaining in their season — Milwaukee decided to pivot.
The Bucks have waived Thomas, opening up a roster spot so they could convert two-way player Pete Nance to a standard NBA contract.
In his 18 games with the Bucks, Thomas averaged 10.7 points per game, shooting 43.1% from the floor. Because he was waived after March 1, Thomas is not eligible to be on another team's postseason roster.
Nance, 26, is a 6'9" big man, and the brother of long-time NBA veteran Larry Nance Jr., and the son of former NBA player Larry Nance. Doc Rivers has leaned more and more into Pete Nance as a backup big man of late, he played 30 minutes in the loss to the Clippers on Monday.
Joel Embiid looks to be on the verge of making his March debut.
The Sixers on Tuesday night officially listed Embiid as questionable ahead of their Wednesday matchup with the Bulls. Embiid’s appeared to be nearing a return from his right oblique strain in recent days. He participated in the Sixers’ shootaround Monday and also did a post-shootaround workout on the Xfinity Mobile Arena floor.
A loss Monday night to the Thunder dropped the Sixers to 6-7 in their past 13 games without Embiid. They may very well receive two major reinforcements against Chicago, since Paul George is set to come back from his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
When available, Embiid’s often played at a superb level this season. He’s averaged 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists over 33 games.
The 39-33 Sixers will still be without Tyrese Maxey (right pinky finger injury), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left elbow sprain) and Johni Broome (right knee surgery recovery). Quentin Grimes was listed as questionable with an illness.
The 29-42 Bulls’ absences include Jaden Ivey, Zach Collins and Noa Essengue. Isaac Okoro, Anfernee Simons and Guerschon Yabusele were all listed as doubtful.
With a little more than 24 hours before first pitch of Opening Day, the Yankees are putting the final touches on their active roster. The latest move saw the team select the contract of right-handed reliever Cade Winquest to the big-league roster; Jon Heyman was the first to report the news.
The Yankees selected Winquest from the Cardinals in the Rule 5 Draft, just the ninth player they’ve selected since the inception of the modern Rule 5 Draft in 1965 and their first since Brad Meyers in 2011. He becomes the first Rule 5 Draft pick to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster since first baseman Josh Phelps was selected from the Orioles in 2006 (he played 36 games in 2007 before being designated for assignment and claimed by the Pirates). Per the rules of the Draft, the Yankees must keep Winquest on the active roster for the whole season — he cannot be optioned or DFA’d — otherwise they are required to place him on waivers and offer him back to St. Louis should he clear waivers.
The 25-year-old righty was used mostly as a starter in his three seasons between Low-A and Double-A in the Cardinals organization, but the Yankees feel he can best help the team coming out of the bullpen this season. He throws a mid-90s fastball that’s gotten hit pretty hard in his minor league career, but the real weapon in his arsenal is an upper-70s curveball that induced a 46-percent whiff rate in 2025. To the Yankees, that’s fairly worth a back-of-the-bullpen flyer.
The Yankees are hoping Winquest can bounce back from a rocky spring, where he pitched to a 7.20 ERA and 7.45 FIP in nine relief outings lasting ten innings. Fortunately, exhibition play is exhibition play for a reason, and players who appear shaky on the surface often have more to offer when the games actually count and they’re not just working on particular preseason tinkerings. Winquest is the second auditioning player to break camp with the big-league team after the Yankees selected the contract of non-roster invitee Randal Grichuk. Winquest joins Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn as the low-leverage swingmen in the Yankees bullpen, all three capable of making a spot start in an emergency.
The 26-man roster is now almost full with Winquest’s addition, though they could open another spot by optioning Luis Gil as they use a four-man rotation for the first two weeks of the season. As it stands, Brent Headrick and Jake Bird appear to be competing for the last spot.* One of those two could be the 26th man, or perhaps they could both be in if Gil is sent down. Maybe there’s a mysterious other contender on another team! We’ll find out soon enough. [Update: Both indeed made the team with Gil going to Triple-A. Jake has more here.]
*Osvaldo Bido was mentioned in an earlier version of this post as a possible contender as well, but he has since been claimed off waivers by Atlanta.
Well, I don’t think the Royals are going to end up with the Cactus League Crown this year.
At 9-20, the Royals have not exactly played great during Spring Training. The good news is twofold: first, that all of Kansas City’s best players were playing in the World Baseball Classic. Two, that Spring Training doesn’t matter.
Nevertheless, the tuneups continue, and the Royals will face their compound buddies the Rangers—but in Globe Life Park in Texas. A nice opportunity to play in a big league stadium.
Nuggets
Suns
Kurt Helin
