Process, process, process—the results of a spring training game matter most when they validate certain processes and reinforce an idea. The Dodgers scored a boatload of runs in a 14- 13 walk-off loss against the Reds; one of their expected regulars, Max Muncy, went yard, but what mattered more than anything else was the validation of Santiago Espinal’s case to make the Opening Day roster as a utility bat off the bench.

Espinal, who entered the game scorching hot this spring, having gone 8 for 14 in his first six games with a couple of extra-base hits, went yard twice, responsible for half a dozen RBI. Adding further praise to Espinal’s performance, those two home runs came against Emilio Pagán and Tony Santillan, two of the more experienced arms in the Reds bullpen.

Santiago hits his second homer of the game for the lead! #DodgersSTpic.twitter.com/UTaXqovud3

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 5, 2026

Once upon a time, an All-Star when he played for the Blue Jays in 2022, Espinal is coming off two horrendous campaigns with the Cincinnati Reds, and perhaps a change of scenery is exactly what his career needed.

Even before the game, Dave Roberts wasn’t shy about singing the praises of Espinal’s impact on and off the field.

Dave Roberts said today of Santiago Espinal: “It’d be hard to imagine him not being on the team.”

Espinal is 8-for-14 this spring, playing multiple positions defensively, and fitting in "seamlessly" in the clubhouse, Roberts added

ICYMI, from last week:https://t.co/hgSNAPIjGs

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) March 5, 2026

Equally important as his production with the bat, Espinal, who played first base in this particular affair against the Reds, earns praise for his flexibility, having experience covering second, short, third, and corner outfield. It’s worth pointing out that there is a larger need at the start of the season for this role Espinal is likely to fill, given the fact that Kiké Hernández will begin the year on the injured list. Hernández is currently recovering from elbow surgery.

On the mound, it was not a pleasant time for the veteran Cole Irvin, on the hook for six of the runs the Dodgers allowed by giving up a trio of home runs, one of them at 114.5 MPH exit velocity to the very impressive Elly De La Cruz. The Dodgers led by three in the ninth when Jordan Weems came in to close the game, but Cincinnati ambushed him for four runs, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Next on the docket, the Dodgers will play an evening game against the Royals on Friday, sending out youngster Jackson Ferris to make his third spring start. Ferris has yet to allow a run in 2.2 innings of work.

As the Yankees continue camp this spring, here are the latest moves as New York cuts their roster to 26 active players ahead of Opening Day...

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March 21, 12:10 p.m.

The Yankees are selecting veteran Randal Grichuk's contract, manager Aaron Boonetold reporters Saturday morning.

In a corresponding move, New York will option the versatile Oswaldo Cabrera to Triple-A.

Grichuk, 34, has gone 2-for-16 (.125) at the plate with a double and RBI this spring over six games. The 27-year-old Cabrera hasn't looked any better offensively, going 2-for-14 (.143) with a double and RBI as well over seven spring games.

The moves come on the heels of optioning Jasson Dominguez to Triple-A on Friday.

The team later announced that it was reassigning INF Paul DeJong and INF/OF Seth Brown to minor league camp, and optioning INF Max Schuemann to Triple-A.

March 19, 5:20 p.m.

While the Yankees assigning top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to minor league camp is making the headlines, the club also optioned right-hander Angel Chivilli to Triple-A on Thursday.

New York acquired Chivilli in a trade with the Rockies this offseason and the right-hander was in contention for a spot in the bullpen to start the season. 

In eight appearances this spring, Chivilli allowed 11 runs across 7.2 innings pitched but also struck out 10 batters and picked up a save against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

March 18, 10:28 p.m.

The New York Post's Joel Sherman reports that veteran infielder Paul DeJong does not plan to opt out of his minor league contract with the Yankees on Thursday. 

According to Sherman, DeJong is willing to begin the season in Triple-A if he doesn't make the team. 

The starting infield of Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon is set with Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario locks to fill out the bench. The Yankees would need a backup shortstop with Anthony Volpe injured, but it's unclear if that's the direction the Yankees will go. Oswaldo Cabrera is also an option for a bench role.

In 12 games this spring, DeJong is 6-for-31 with two home runs and two doubles. He's slashing .194/.306/.452 with a .758 OPS. 

He played 57 games with the Nationals last season, slashing .228/.269/.373 with six home runs and 10 doubles. 

March 6, 2:37 p.m.

The Yankees have reassigned RHP Adam Kloffenstein to minor league camp. 

The 25-year-old right-hander did not appear in a Grapefruit League game this spring. Kloffenstein has three major league appearances under his belt with the Blue Jays and Cardinals. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks across 5.0 innings pitched in the bigs.

March 5, 6:30 p.m.

The Yankees announced their second wave of cuts and it includes RHP Chase Hampton.

Hampton, the team's No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is coming off Tommy John surgery he had in February 2025. Hampton had not appeared in a Grapefruit League game this spring as he continues his recovery from elbow surgery.

In addition, the Yankees reassigned RHP Travis MacGregor and RHP Drake Fellows to minor league camp. 

Of the two, only Fellows appeared in an actual game. He threw 27 pitches, and allowed a hit and two walks in his one inning of work this spring.

Feb. 17, 4:10 p.m.

The Yankees announced they have reassigned RHP Alexander Cornielle and catcher Abrahan Gutierrez to minor league camp. This comes a day after the Yankees outrighted OF Yanquiel Fernandez off the major league roster and onto the Triple-A roster.

Fernandez had been a non-roster invitee. 

Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was slated to start Team Japan’s first game in the World Baseball Classic early Friday morning Pacific Time in Tokyo against Chinese Taipei, with the expectation that he would pitch three innings.

While the right-hander is away from Camelback Ranch, other pitchers vying for a spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation will be under the microscope — especially with health concerns yet again coming into play.

The Dodgers are no strangers to navigating pitching injuries over the course of a long season. Last year, Yamamoto was the only Dodgers starter to not miss a turn, making 30 starts before making five more during the postseason. But other than the now-retired Clayton Kershaw, who made 22 starts last year, no other Dodger hurler started more than 18 games.

Yamamoto, right-hander Shohei Ohtani and right-hander Tyler Glasnow are locks for the rotation. But with left-hander Blake Snell likely to open the season on injured list as he nurses a shoulder injury, and right-hander Gavin Stone forced to pause any throwing activities as he attempts a comeback from major shoulder surgery, where do other potential starters stand at this stage of spring training?

Read more:Dodgers work with Andrew Toles' family to continue supporting former outfielder

Hard-throwing right-hander Roki Sasaki, looking to make a return to starting after a successful run as a relief pitcher in last year's postseason, has allowed seven runs combined in two Cactus League starts while giving up a good deal of hard contact. While Sasaki is trying to work through things in live action, including honing a third pitch for his arsenal, there is also the practical matter of making sure Sasaki is built up to start games once the regular season gets underway.

Which is why Roberts said Thursday the team plans to have Sasaki pitch a simulated game on their backfields at Camelback Ranch in addition to making his next start in order to help with his buildup.

“We need to get him to build up,” Roberts said.

Sasaki said Tuesday after his last start — in which he gave up four runs without retiring a batter in the first inning before getting re-inserted to pitch two scoreless frames — that he felt that he was having mechanical issues. Roberts, however, disagreed.

“This last start, I don’t think it was a mechanical thing,” Roberts said. “He just wasn’t making pitches early and we have to get him to four innings. ... We gotta build up, all the while being good, too, right? We had to take him out of the game the other day, and so when you’re getting down the road, you can’t afford to not have him build up.”

Another rotation option is 26-year-old Emmet Sheehan, who made 12 starts and logged a 2.82 ERA for the Dodgers after returning from Tommy John surgery midway through the season.

After falling behind early in camp due to an illness, Sheehan made his first appearance in the Cactus League Wednesday against Team Mexico. Sheehan recorded four outs, allowing one run off three hits and two walks.

Read more:'Opportunity is present.' Alex Freeland trying to take advantage of reps at second base

“I felt good,” Sheehan said. “[My] body felt great, delivery felt good. I just think execution was obviously a little bit off, so go back to work this week, and try to figure it out. I was just doing stuff that I don’t usually do today. [I’ll] probably focus a little more on slider execution, fastball execution next week, and get back to that.”

Two other options for the Dodgers include right-hander River Ryan, attempting to come back from his own Tommy John surgery, and left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who became a reliable option out of the bullpen during the postseason last year after serving as a spot starter and middle reliever during the regular season.

Ryan also appeared in Wednesday's game, tossing two scoreless innings and registering a 0.00 ERA in two appearances. Wrobleski has also not allowed a run over three innings of work in two Cactus League appearances, including one start.

Kyle Tucker will return to Dodgers Friday

Kyle Tucker is expected to return to the team Friday after his wife, Samantha, gave birth to a boy.

“Kyle Tucker will be back tomorrow morning,” Roberts said. “He’s a daddy, so they have a healthy baby boy and so that’s been great to hear. I chatted with him briefly yesterday, so he’ll be back tomorrow morning to then hopefully be in the lineup Saturday or Sunday, so that’s great.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. –– The Dodgers’ Opening Day roster became a little clearer Thursday, with manager Dave Roberts all but assuring former All-Star and current minor-league signing Santiago Espinal of making the cut when camp breaks later this month.

“(He has fit in) seamlessly,” Roberts said. “It’d be hard to imagine him not being on the team.”

Espinal won’t have a big role, likely to be a utility option occupying the final spot on the bench.

Still, his emergence this spring has been a pleasant surprise, giving the Dodgers a Kiké Hernández-esque player capable of playing multiple positions defensively while Hernández recovers from offseason elbow surgery.

An All-Star with the Blue Jays in 2022, Espinal had regressed into one of the least productive regulars in the majors over the last couple seasons, culminating in a career-worst 2025 campaign with the Reds in which he hit .243 with a woeful 57 OPS+.

However, he has swung a hot bat this spring, improving to 12 for 19 after a two-homer, six-RBI display in Thursday’s 14-13 loss to the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.

“That would be amazing,” Espinal, 31, said of potentially making the Opening Day roster, in what would be his seventh MLB season. “I just gotta let my work talk for me. So far, that’s what I’m doing.”

Here are four other takeaways from Dodgers camp Thursday:

Muncy returns: After missing the last several days out sick, Max Muncy returned to the Dodgers’ lineup with a bang, hitting a home run an at-bat before Espinal’s first blast in the Dodgers’ four-run third inning. Thursday marked only Muncy’s fourth appearance in Cactus League play. His home run was his first extra-base hit.

Irvin gets crushed: Minor-league signing Cole Irvin has an outside shot of being on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, as either a multi-inning swingman or spot starter. But the left-handed pitcher didn’t help his case in Thursday’s start, yielding three two-run homers in his three innings.

Caught my eye: Like Espinal, Alex Call is expected to be a role player this year, likely as the fourth outfielder on the roster. But the Dodgers still value his at-bat quality –– which he put on display Thursday by going 2 for 2 with two walks and an RBI double.

Up next: The Dodgers play their first night game of the spring Friday, hosting the Royals at 5:05 p.m. PT at Camelback Ranch.

Garrett Mitchell has all the talent in the world to be a star in this league. Injuries have plagued him to this point, but he’s healthy and showing what he’s capable of. Mitchell got this game started with a bang, a 462 foot home run off Michael Lorenzen that came off the bat at 111.5 MPH.

That was then followed by a Luis Rengifo single to score Jake Bauers and the Brewers were quickly up 2-0 on the Rockies. But Colorado was able to answer back against Robert Gasser after Tyler Freeman ripped an RBI double. Then with runners on the corners, a pickoff at first was able to get Mickey Moniak in a rundown, but he stayed in long enough for the runner from 3rd to score.

But the Brewers kept putting up runs against Lorenzen. Sal Frelick had the bases loaded in the 2nd inning after three straight free passes and had an RBI groundout to take back the lead. Then in the 3rd, Brock Wilken, getting the start at first base today, ripped an RBI single to the left side.

GARRETT MITCHELL JUST HIT A BALL 462 FEET TO LEAD OFF THE GAME pic.twitter.com/8xZ70RIqsD

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 5, 2026

The Rockies answered back, after Eddys Leonard lost a pop up in the Arizona sun that could’ve ended the 3rd inning and allowed a double, Gasser walked the next batter and that was it for him. Craig Yoho came in and gave up a single, which scored a run that was charged to Gasser. Gasser finished with 2.2 IP and 3 ER with 3 BBs and 2 Ks.

Yoho was back out for the 4th inning and allowed two more runs, though just one was earned after a pair of throwing errors charged to Jeferson Quero.

Then in the 5th inning, the Brewers offense exploded. Wilken and Quero had back-to-back singles, then Cooper Pratt walked, loading the bases for Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell ripped a double to the opposite field to bring home all three runners and re-take the lead at 7-5. Mitchell went 2-for-3 with a double, homer, a walk, and four RBIs.

Garrett Mitchell is having a monster day pic.twitter.com/qnrr03GEoL

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 5, 2026

After that, Sal Frelick singled to score Mitchell and Jake Bauers homered to put the Brewers up 10-5 and give them a six-spot in the 5th inning.

Sammy Peralta and Jacob Waguespack both had scoreless innings. Coleman Crow pitched the final three innings and gave up a pair of runs but continued to spin some 3,000 RPM curveballs and cutters.

The Brewers will be back in Cactus League action tomorrow against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Chad Patrick is the scheduled starter for the Crew while Mitch Bratt starts for the D-Backs.

Between 1986 and 2006 15 different Red Sox players made at least 50 appearances at second base in one season: Marty Barrett, Jody Reed, Scott Fletcher, Luis Alicea, Jeff Frye, John Valentin, Donnie Sadler, Mike Benjamin,José Offerman, Lou Merloni, Rey Sánchez, Todd Walker, Mark Bellhorn, Tony Graffanino, and Mark Loretta. Barrett would also cross the threshold in 1984 and 1985 as the primary second baseman, giving us 22 years for the sample. Like “generations” of birth (Boomer, X, Millennial etc.) there is a little fuzziness here on the 20 years but, suffice it to say, Barrett pulled of this feat 5 times, Reed 4, Frye and Offerman 3, Fletcher and Bellhorn 2 times apiece, and all the rest only crossed 50 games played once.

The last man to do it in this sample was Mark Loretta. Loretta, acquired from the San Diego Padres for backup catcher and knuckleball specialist Doug Mirabelli, played 138 games at second and made the All-Star Game. A pending free agent, Loretta was a veteran placeholder to buy one more year of development for the future. The year was 2006. The future was a guy drafted in 2004 named Dustin Pedroia.

Boston was off on the actual day of the draft, June 7th, 2004, but on the 6th, the starting lineup included the very memorable starting second baseman César Crespo while Pokey Reese played shortstop.

Dustin Pedroia would make his major league debut on August 23, 2006 and play in 31 games – 27 as a second baseman and 6 more as the shortstop. He would then play for eleven seasons as the primary second baseman. In 2018 and 2019, Pedroia was definitely supposed to man the second base position, but due to injuries sustained through an unfortunate collision, he played in only a handful of games either year. Which means we need to take another look at the position after 2017.

Here are the players who recorded 50 or more games at second base over the last eight years: Brock Holt, Eduardo Núñez, Christian Arroyo, Trevor Story, Enmanuel Valdéz, Kristian Campbell, and David Hamilton. Holt and Arroyo pulled it off two times each, the others just once. All the other seasons since 2007 only Pedroia qualifies for the list.

It’s sort of telling that Holt and Núñez split 2018 and Campbell and Hamilton split 2025, whereas 2019-2024 was just a revolving door.

But 20 years after Dustin Pedroia emerged, and almost a decade since his keystone reign came to an end, there’s a new contender: Marcelo Mayer.

You may have seen his slick defense this week:

While it’s still possible, maybe likely, Mayer starts the season in Triple-A he’s an exciting player who can possibly bring some of what Pedroia did to second base this year: stability. That’s not to say that Mayer will be the player that Laser Show was. That’s for the future to reveal. But his time at third base covering for Alex Bregman last year was stabilizing.

Of course we don’t know for sure where he’ll play this year. He is a natural shortstop. He’ll probably the second baseman but, again, Alex Cora might like him at third. Or maybe he man both spots in some kind of defensive platoon. That are a lot of moving parts so who knows. But he’s mostly been starting at second base since beginning his Spring Training games.

Pedroia was the type of player who comes once in a generation. We already have a taste of that type of player in Roman Anthony. But Marcelo Mayer could still be the second base solution for four or five years (or more! But we’re starting small). The Red Sox haven’t had that guy in the post-Pedroia era. Penciling in a surefire starter, whether as the manger or a fan imagining the lineups, is a nice feeling. Let’s root for the kid to start that clock in 2026.

Record 7-5. Change on 2025: +1.5. 5-inning record: 3-8-1.

Well, that five-game winning streak sure was nice while it lasted. It ended in no uncertain fashion this afternoon at Sloan Park, both sides of the game leaving room for improvement. The D-backs found themselves held to fewer than three runs for the first time this spring, managing only six hits and three walks. Their sole run came courtesy of Pavin Smith’s second home-run of spring, which got them on the board in the fourth inning. Cristofer Torin – and I am really going to have to work on my spelling of his first name – got two hits. Brady Counsell, son of Cubs manager Craig, walked to lead off the eighth inning for Arizona. So that’s nice.

On the mound, Ryne Nelson fell behind before recording an out, starting the game off by allowing a double and then a triple. The latter then scored on a groundout, but he then steadied the ship. Nelson went 2.2 innings, allowing those two runs on three hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Unfortunately, the next three pitchers Arizona used also got tagged, and they included Kevin Ginkel (a run on two hits with one K) and Ryan Thompson (two runs on two hits, also with one K). Nobody worked a clean inning for the D-backs this afternoon. Shawn Dubin, with a walk but also two strikeouts, probably came the closest.

Not a good day for ABS and Gabriel Montero. He cost the team both their challenges – the first behind the plate, the second at it. Home-plate umpire Trevor Dannegger had a good afternoon, being proven correct all four times his calls were challenged. Tomorrow is the first split-squad game of the spring, with half the team (including Daniel Eagan) hosting the White Sox at Salt River Fields, while the other half, led by Mitch Bratt, go to Maryvale and take on the Brewers there.

It may have only been for five innings, and he may have only had one ball hit in his direction, but Brett Baty made his right field debut in the Mets' 7-4 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.

And while he wasn't exactly tested out there like he's been in a couple of games at first base -- another position he's learning this spring -- it's still good to see Baty trying new things, having a positive attitude and most of all, having fun.

"It’s feeling more and more normal," Baty said about the outfield, adding that getting live reps during batting practice the last few days has helped. "It’s like when I played at Double-A, so I’m having a lot of fun out there."

Baty clarified that he was never asked to play right field in Double-A, just left field, but that the two positions are very similar, just flipped. 

So even though he didn't get a chance on Thursday to show off everything he's learned in the outfield, he'll certainly get more chances in the future, which is something Baty revels in.

"I'll play wherever," he said.

For Baty, who also learned second base last year after coming up as a third baseman, that's not just something he says. He means it.

As for the Mets, they'll take Baty's continued versatility if it means it keeps his bat in the lineup. 

The 26-year-old had a good day at the plate against Washington, going 1-for-3, including a two-run opposite-field homer in the first inning. It was Baty's first hit of the spring after he had a breakout 2025 season in which he slashed .254/.313/.435 with 18 home runs.

After a rough first few seasons in the league, Baty turned it on in the second half last year and has looked like a different player since -- one that is more mature, self-assured and confident in himself.

"You see the way he’s going about it on and off the field, the interactions, the questions he’s asking pretty much every coach," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "… Just the confidence, not only defensively but offensively. He knows he’s a really good big league player and he will continue to get opportunities here."

Another player learning a new position for New York during camp is Jorge Polanco, who saw his first game action this spring at first base on Thursday. The veteran infielder has mostly played second base and shortstop, with some third base, in his career went 1-for-2 with a walk and felt good being back on the field.

"I’m used to taking ground balls," he said when asked about playing first base. "It felt pretty good... Every time we go out there, we gotta prepare and we gotta be ready to make plays. Every time we’re out there playing, we want the ball to [be] hit to us so we can make a play."

Polanco was also asked if he's starting to feel like a first baseman and he quickly and emphatically said "yes" twice, adding that getting his reps there is helping him be more comfortable.

In fact, he and Baty have been doing a lot of work together at first base during practice, learning from one another and helping each other the best they can.

"There’s no ego with him," Baty said about Polanco. "He wants to play and he’ll play wherever, and he was ready to do that from Day 1, so I think it’s awesome. And I think we’re both bouncing ideas off of each other and working on the footwork and just like what feels good, what works.

"So it’s good to have us both over there helping each other out. And Mark [Vientos] too, when he was here."

With some official innings at both first base and right field now under his belt, does Baty feel more natural at one or the other?

"I think it’s too early to tell," he said. "I’ve only played first base in two games and I’ve only played right [field] for five innings, so I’m just enjoying the process and having fun at both positions."