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When you think about the Red Sox as a team, as a collection players, as a drama, you have to think about Triston Casas. In the story of Tristan and Iseult, the knight, Tristan, is on a quest to bring the princess, Iseult, from Ireland to England to marry the king of Cornwall, his uncle. The tale, dating back centuries, is set even further in the past: Arthurian times. They eventually fall in love but, crucially, never marry and the two die apart. So too, in a way, have Triston Casas and the Red Sox.

In 2023, Casas, who made his MLB debut the prior season, was something of a revelation at first base. Over 132 games Casas hit .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs. That’s an .856 OPS and 2.2 bWAR and earned him a 3rd place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year race. When you look at FanGraphs’ 2026 home run projections for Boston, that 24 seems mighty nice to think about. Of course, part of the reason he only hit 24 was that he ended the season on September 14th due to injury.

Casas took a bit of a step back in 2024. In his sophomore season, the first baseman slashed .241/.337/.462 With 13 homers. His season lasted just 63 games after another injury. I don’t know whether it’s proper to use “fluke” for this type of injury (tearing rib cartilage), but swinging so hard your body tears itself apart isn’t great. Hopefully with the swing mechanics team and training regimens this isn’t something that happens again.

In 2025 there wasn’t much to write home about at all. In just 32 games Casas hit (if you can call it that) .182/.277/.303 with 3 home runs. It was an absolutely dreadful start before another season-ending injury, thsi time rupturing his patella. What’s worse is that he was starting to have a better run: in his last 9 games of the season he was hitting .222/.364/.444 with 2 home runs, 5 walks, and 7 strikeouts. There might have been a turnaround in May that we were robbed from experiencing.

Over three seasons Casas went from 132, to 63, to 32 games played. He went from a home run every 5.5 games, to every 4.8 games, to every 10.6 games (that one barely means anything with only 1 homer in his first 23 games).

After the season, Craig Breslow wouldn’t commit to Casas as his first baseman. He spoke of acquiring multiple bats to upgrade the offense and the biggest, most notable bat acquired was Willson Contreras who plays first base. Casas is in his age-26 season, he’s played under a hundred games in two years, and he was coming off a devastating injury as Spring Training kicked off. In addition to having to battle for playing time he’s battling his own body.

His most notable moment since 2023 is the legendary interview in which he turned the tables on ESPN with a mid-game filibuster on Father’s Day 2025.

He’s just weird sometimes.

Alex Speier reported that Casas was taking some ground balls at third base in camp to help Isiah Kiner-Falefa get in some time at first.

Obviously the Sox aren’t carrying Casas as a backup first baseman (that’s IKF, Romy, etc.). Which sends him, most likely, to the minors. Until and unless Masataka Yoshida can’t hit well enough as the DH or something happens to Contreras. Or he’s traded.

But either way, the Red Sox Triston, like the Tristan of old, wants to be with the team he loves. And it just hasn’t worked out.

There's no way you can frame a range ball, right?

As a proud New Englander, it’s hard for me to write anything positive about New York, let alone the Yankees. But this is pretty cool.

On Monday, Yanks second baseman Jazz Chisholm posted a video to social to show off his improbable hole-in-one on a 328-yard par 4. The best part—well, maybe the worst part—is that he did it with a range ball.

Not a bad day off during spring training. Chisholm’s going to have some serious bragging rights in the dugout. The PGA TOUR even reposted the video noting that Chisholm's feat hasn't even happened on TOUR in 25 years. We'll have to do some extra digging to see if there is any data on how many baseball players in the MLB 30-30 club, like Chisholm, also have aced a Par-4—or use range balls in play.

But there’s only one way I’m going to end this: Go Sox!

MESA, Arizona — Tuesday notes…

• FORMER CUBS ON THE ITALY ROSTER: Jon Berti and Miles Mastrobuoni. Alex Maestri, a former Cubs prospect who was actually born in Italy, is one of two pitching coaches for the team (Dave Righetti is the other).
• CUBS 40-MAN PLAYERS ON WBC ROSTERS: Alex Bregman, Matthew Boyd, Pete Crow-Armstrong (USA); Javier Assad (Mexico); Miguel Amaya (Panama); Daniel Palencia (Venezuela); Seiya Suzuki (Japan); Jameson Taillon (Canada).
• OTHER WBC EXHIBITIONS: There are 14 other exhibition games today between WBC teams and MLB squads. Here’s the complete schedule.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

The Italy lineup:amd starting pitcher were not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Italy information.

Cade Horton will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Jeff Brigham, Gavin Hollowell, Jack Neely, Ethan Roberts and Jacob Webb.

No TV or radio today.

MLB.com Gameday

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Here’s the complete Italy roster, and here’s a link to all the WBC team rosters.

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 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 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.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

It’s no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals were one of the most active teams during the offseason unloading multiple veterans and their contracts, but have you checked in on how these former Cardinals players are performing for their new teams? Let’s catch up with how they’re doing in their new uniforms.

Let’s be clear that I’m not trying to draw some premature conclusions about how these players will perform over the long haul. The sample size of limited appearances during Spring Training isn’t meant to be a deep dive, but I do find it interesting that at least 3 of the former Cardinals seem to be benefiting from their change of scenery.

Nolan Arenado – Arizona Diamondbacks

It’s a small sample size since he’s only seen limited action so far, but Nolan Arenado is off to a good start with the Arizona Diamondbacks. As of this writing, Nolan has a .375 average with a couple of doubles and a home run in his first 8 at-bats with the Diamondbacks.

Brendan Donovan – Seattle Mariners

Brendan Donovan is off to a fast start with the Seattle Mariners as he’s batting .625 over his 3 games played with 5 hits and 1 RBI.

Sonny Gray – Boston Red Sox

Sonny Gray has only pitched 1.1 innings so far during the Red Sox spring training schedule, but he got rocked a bit giving up 2 runs and 3 hits in that short start against the Toronto Blue Jays. After the game, Sonny said he’s not historically very good in Spring Training.

Willson Contreras – Boston Red Sox

Willson Contreras is off to a scorching start for Boston as he’s had plenty of game time so far batting .462 in 13 at-bats with a couple of Spring Training home runs already.

It won’t be long before the St. Louis Cardinals see Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras as they will host the Red Sox at Busch Stadium the weekend of April 10-12. Brendan Donovan and the Mariners will be in Busch Stadium the weekend of April 24-26. Finally, Nolan Arenado and the Diamondbacks will roll into St. Louis on June 22-24.

And the winner is…Bryce Harper!

Last month, with the free agency period winding down, I looked at the Phillies’ free agent signings from years past to see if they had brought in any impact players later in the offseason. From there, the idea of a user-judged tournament began.

While I had some hope that Ricardo Pinto might make a Cinderella run, Harper was always the odds-on favorite to win. Since signing with the Phillies, Harper has taken on the mantle of franchise player during one of the best periods in franchise history. He’s largely performed at an All-Star level, including an MVP performance in 2021. And he also delivered one of the most iconic moments in franchise history.

Now that we’re in the back half of his contract, we’ll see how the signing holds up. You may not have heard this, but there has been some talk that he is no longer elite! Regardless of how the next few seasons go, I don’t think the Phillies have any regrets in signing him.

Thanks to everyone who voted!

Jurickson Profar upended his career and the Atlanta Braves' season for a second consecutive year after testing positive for a banned substance, a second offense that will result in a 162-game ban for the 2026 season, ESPN first reported March 3.

Profar, 33, was entering the first season of a three-year, $42 million contract when he was suspended March 31 after a positive test for a fertility drug classified as a performing-enhancing substance. He was suspended 80 games and returned July 2, hitting 14 homers with a .787 OPS over the remaining 80 games.

This suspension, which The Athletic reported will be appealed by the MLBPA, will be far more costly.

Profar will lose his entire 2026 salary of $15 million, bringing his docked pay for his two positive tests to $18 million over two seasons. He's also ineligible to represent the Netherlands in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

And you thought the Jays were Team Canada.

This is a 1:00 Eastern start and it is on Sportsnets

The Jays lineup has a bunch of the regulars:

1. Springer, DH
2. Lukes, RF
3. Varsho, CF
4. Barger, 3B
5. Schneider, 2B
6. Sanchez, LF
7. Valenzuela, C
8. Nimmala, SS
9. Keys, 1B

And Kevin Gausman is starting.

Hazel Mae posted the Team Canada lineup:

Team USA is playing the Giants at 3:00 Eastern. I don’t think that one is on TV. And Vlad and his fellow Dominicans are playing the Tigers at 6:00 Eastern. That will be on the MLB Network.

Beyond that, there isn’t much for Jays’ news. They have officially announced the Max Scherzer signing, which means he passed the physical.

So much for the “I would never knowingly” cheat claim from Jurickson Profar.

The Braves outfielder/designated hitter is facing a 162-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED) for the second time and in back-to-back years, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.

The 33-year-old is set to be the sixth player to receive the 162-game ban for a second PED violation since the penalty for a second-time violator got bumped to a full season in 2014, per ESPN, and is now ineligible for the 2026 season and the World Baseball Classic, where the Curacao native was set to play for the Netherlands.

While testing positive once is bad enough, Profar doing so twice in two years is a stunning development, especially when he claimed innocence last time around.

Profar received an 80-game ban last year after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) after appearing in the Braves’ first four games.

“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” he said in a statement released by the union last March. “There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it. I have been tested my entire career, including eight times last season alone, and have never tested positive. I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”

Profar returned to slash .245/.353/.434 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs for the Braves in the first year of a three-season, $42 million deal, and will be forfeiting his $15 million salary for the 2026 campaign due to this violation. He still has one year and $15 million remaining on that contract.

Losing Profar is a tough blow for an Atlanta team that did little in the offseason following an injury-filled 76-86 season. He had been slated to shift to designated hitter this upcoming season, per ESPN.

Profar began his career in 2012 with the Rangers, and also spent time with the A’s, Padres and Rockies.

He’s a career .245 hitter with a .731 OPS, and made one All-Star team in 2024 with the Padres.

Profar is the first player to receive a 162-game ban since then-Brewers catcher J.C. Mejia in 2023.

The World Baseball Classic is almost upon us. As the international tournament gets ready to upstage spring training, their teams will play in exhibition games against MLB teams today and tomorrow before the Classic begins later in the week. The Yankees will host Team Panama this afternoon at Steinbrenner Field. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear this game will be televised; not even on the Gotham App.* With that said, let’s discuss the matchup ahead, which you’ll seemingly have to follow live on social media.

*If you’re curious, Aaron Judge and Team USA will square off with the Giants on ESPN at 3:08pm ET, while Austin Wells and the Dominican Republic face the Tigers on MLB Network at 6:05pm ET.

Panama will play their games in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a member of Pool A. Their opponents in pool play will be Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and the hosts, Puerto Rico. It’s a fairly wide open group, especially compared to the others—you can read our preview of Pool A here. Indeed, there is a familiar face donning Panama’s colors: José Caballero will be leading off for them today.

Max Fried will make his first start of the spring against an unconventional spring training opponent. Pitching has been the hot topic of camp for the Yankees, with impressive performances from Will Warren and Luis Gil inviting optimism about the rotation even with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón sidelined to begin. That doesn’t make Fried any less vital to this ballclub; and health will obviously be the top priority.

Of course, there’s one notable absence in the Yankees’ lineup today: Aaron Judge has joined Team USA, who are set to play the Giants in an exhibition matchup later this afternoon. There’s still a good representation of starters here today. Trent Grisham will lead off, Ben Rice will follow, and Jasson Domínguez, hitting well in camp as he bids to make the roster, hits third. Giancarlo Stanton has had some worrying stories around him this spring but will bat cleanup today for his first in-game appearance of camp.

Interestingly, Ryan McMahon is listed as starting at shortstop in Caballero’s place, with Paul DeJong sliding to third base (perhaps a test of McMahon’s ability to partially back up at the six with Oswaldo Cabrera unlikely to be active at the start of 2026). J.C. Escarra will catch and bat seventh, followed by second baseman Max Schuemann and right fielder Yanquiel Fernández.

Panama’s starter will be righty Jorge Garcia, a former Giants prospect who most rcently pitched in the Mexican League and Venezuelan Winter League in 2025 and 2026. The 23-year-old had a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts for Durango and a 4.01 mark in 11 for Margarita, and both were better than league average — though he does not get many strikeouts. Panama’s lineup contains a gaggle of current and former big leaguers, as well as a promising prospect. As mentioned, Caballero will hit leadoff; Johan Camargo, a former teammate of Fried in Atlanta, will bat fifth. Enrique Bradfield Jr., a top prospect and Orioles first round pick, rounds out the starting nine. This is a speedy crew without a ton of power (where have you gone, El Caballo?), so a more ’80s style of baseball should be their identity.

How to watch

Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL

First pitch: 1:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: N/A

Radio broadcast: N/A

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