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Busy day, eh? I hope y’all are having a good evening out there. No random clip tonight, the floor is now yours.

Observations from Mets’ spring training on Tuesday:

Good hands

Bo Bichette looked like a natural at third base when he charged in and made a smooth bare-handed play and strong throw to get Zach Dezenzo at first to end the top of the third.

There have been questions about Bichette’s arm as he makes the move from shortstop to third. 

Baker’s dozen

Ten Mets pitchers combined to walk 13 batters Tuesday. Afterward, Carlos Mendoza was asked if it was too soon to start worrying about that number.

The manager said: “Way too early, but it’s not ideal, either. The message is we have to attack the zone.”

Caught my eye

Juan Soto, never known for his glove, made a shoestring catch in his new home in left field on Zach Cole’s sinking liner in the first inning. 

Wednesday’s schedule

The Mets host the Cardinals at Clover Park at 1:10 p.m. with Jonah Tong set to make his first start of the spring. 

The moment hit Mets prospect Jack Wenninger after he threw his final warm-up pitch and looked around the field ahead of Tuesday’s Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros: This is big-league camp.

“I finished my warm-ups, catching the ball from Bo [Bichette], and then looked around the defense,” Wenninger said. “Got Juan [Soto] out in left field, [Marcus] Semien at second, Ronny [Mauricio] at short. It was just great. It was cool.”

On his first pitch of the afternoon, Houston's Jeremy Peña, a World Series MVP from a few years back, coolly took the 96 mph fastball at the knees on the outside corner into center for a basehit.

After getting a loud out, Wenninger put himself into a bit of trouble with a walk, but got Joey Loperfido to chase a 1-2 letter-high 97 mph fastball for a big strikeout. Unfortunately, a second non-competitive walk loaded the bases. Wenninger escaped getting Shay Whitcomb to swing through a splitter below the zone. 

“Execution wasn’t great in the first,” the right-hander said. “I thought I was trying to be a little too fine.”

Was it a case of having a bit of butterflies? “I don’t know about butterflies, but kind of like trying to be where my feet attack the hitters, but just trying to be a little too fine and getting in trouble a little bit,”  said Wenninger, the Mets’ No. 11 prospect in Joe DeMayo’s offseason rankings.

The second frame was much less precarious as he pitched around a one-out double with another strikeout swinging on the splitter. 

Manager Carlos Mendoza praised Wenninger for battling through the early jam and finishing strong.

“Continues to execute, make pitches,” the skipper said, adding that the righty was “live on the fastball, but the splitter is as advertised.”

“It’s a pitch that when you see it in real competition, and the way he executed it to put hitters away was pretty impressive,” Mendoza continued about the splitter. “He was good overall.”

In his two innings of work, he got seven whiffs on 17 swings, with the splitter responsible for three on six offerings. The fastball, which averaged 95.3 mph on eight balls, was swung through twice on five swings.

For the youngster, it was “just good to get my feet wet, get out there and pitch.”

But the first taste of big-league camp was a great opportunity to get to know guys and “pick their brains.”

“The more I talked to people, and finding out what makes other people better, I can help myself become a better player,” he said, adding Sean Manaea has been the one he’s spoken to the most. “He’s a real friendly guy and just easy to talk to.”

The 23-year-old has also relied on Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean for advice on their experience after making their MLB debuts last season.  

Wenninger pitched to a 2.92 ERA and 1.150 WHIP in 135.2 innings over 26 starts last season at Double-A Binghampton. The tall righty had 147 strikeouts 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings) with 42 walks.

Michael Toglia smashed a grounder down the 1B line to plate Leo Balcazar in the Bottom of the 9th inning in Goodyear Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon, and doing so pushed the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

It marked the first win of Cactus League play for the Reds, who now sit 1-2 after a day off on Monday.

Here’s how things shook down:

The Good

Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suarez went back to back in the Bottom of the 5th inning, with each’s homer being their respective first of the spring.

Elly’s traveled 432 feet through the thin Arizona air.

No data from the Reds on Geno’s blast, but it sure sounded good.

Sal Stewart and Edwin Arroyo helped level the score in the Bottom of the 9th, as each singled (sandwiched around Balcazar’s single) with the latter scoring Sal from 3B. I have very high hopes for this trio this season.

Also, the Cincinnati bullpen looked a far cry better than their disastrous performance on Sunday, with the crew cobbling together five consecutive scoreless frames to finish the game, with the likes of Pierce Johnson and Sam Moll firing scoreless frames.

The Bad

Let’s preface it with this – Brandon Williamson returned to a mound in a competitive game, and that’s way more good than bad. If anything, I pulled him out for this section to highlight what went well for him despite the fact that he was tagged for a pair of ER on 3 hits in 2.0 IP.

He didn’t walk anyone, which kicks tail. He also struck out 4 in his pair of frames, and the stuff that’s reportedly looked so good early in camp definitely had its perks.

Williamson wasn’t bad, truly. The only thing that was ‘bad’ was that Jac Caglianone tagged him for a 460 foot moonshot, and that kinda stings.

The Ugly

Only that it ended, really. I suppose Andrew Abbott, who allowed 2 ER on a dinger in his second frame of the day, would’ve liked to have been a bit better, though he did look excellent in the Top of the 1st in his first inning of the season.

What’s Next

Nick Lodolo will start tomorrow as the Reds hit the road for Camelback Ranch to face the Chicago White Sox. First pitch is once again set for 3:05 PM ET, and it once again won’t be televised anywhere.

You’ll be able to follow along the Reds radio feed via 700 WLW, however.

Record: 2-3. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record: 1-4.

That was satisfactory – and it didn’t look like it would be initially. Michael Soroka, in his debut for Arizona, pitched his team into a deficit before he recorded an out, opening up by allowing a triple and RBI single. But he gave up just a walk thereafter, getting through two innings while allowing the one run, with three strikeouts. The middle innings were solid, with scoreless frames from Brandyn Garcia, Andrew Hoffmann, Philip Abner and Isiaiah Campbell. Texas did chip away down the stretch, getting single runs off Taylor Rashi, Bryce Jarvis and John Curtiss, but all of them avoided giving up a crooked number, to close out the win. Three ABS challenges, but in a win for home-plate umpire Sean Sparling, all three were confirmed!

Meanwhile, a three-run fifth inning saw Arizona take the lead for good. A Jorge Barrosa single was followed by A.J. Vukovich’s first home-run of spring, and Ketel Marte following him in going deep later in the inning. Two more runs followed in the seventh, on an Alek Thomas triple and Ben McLaughlin single. Both those men had two hits on the day, as did Carlos Santana and LuJames Groover, although nobody on the team drew a walk this afternoon. Small sample size, plus the usual meaningless nature of spring training – but Alek is 4-for-7 with three extra-base hits, and has also walked more than he has struck out. Given he has changed his swing, perhaps this is meaningful.

We’ll get to see tomorrow. No, we’ll really get to see, with the game against the Dodgers being available for free on a dbacks.com live-stream. That will be our first chance to see Zac Gallen, with Dylan Ray and Drew Jameson among those scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen. 1:10 pm start at Salt River Fields for that.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Carson Benge could be the Mets right fielder this year, and on Tuesday, he shook hands with the best right fielder in franchise history. Darryl Strawberry greeted him before the Mets played Houston at Clover Park.

“It was cool to meet him,’’ Benge said. “I know what he means to this org. I know what a great player he was and all the home runs he hit.”

The two also have an unlikely connection.

“He said he almost went to Oklahoma State,’’ Benge said.

Strawberry signed a letter of intent to play at the school before he was drafted first overall by the Mets in 1980.

“I don’t know much about the young man, but I hear great things about him,’’ Strawberry said. “I think this organization has really done a great job developing the younger players again, as you will see, a lot of them are starting to really click.”

Strawberry made his MLB debut with the Mets just after he turned 21 in 1983.

Benge turned 23 in January.

“I think looking at him, he’s probably a kid that’s got a chance to flourish here,” Strawberry said of Benge. “Sometimes you’ve got to put the young players out there. You’ve got to let them learn. It’s hard lessons, but they’ll figure it out, just like I did.”

Jack Wenninger made the first Grapefruit League start of his career and the sixth-round pick out of the University of Illinois in 2023 made an immediate realization.

“I finished my warmups and caught the ball from Bo [Bichette] and saw Juan [Soto] in right and Ronny [Mauricio at shortstop] and [Marcus] Semien [at second],” said Wenninger, who spent all of 2025 at Double-A Binghamton. “It was pretty cool.”

Wenninger, who turns 24 next month, pitched two scoreless innings as he tries to become one of the next wave of starting pitchers to make it to Queens in the near future.

Carlos Mendoza said Wenninger’s splitter was “as advertised.”

For now, he’s soaking up as much knowledge as possible at major league camp, leaning heavily on Sean Manaea.

Kodai Senga threw live batting practice on a back field Tuesday and Mendoza has been encouraged by his increased velocity this spring. 

“In my experience with him, we haven’t seen that kind of intensity this early in camp,’’ Mendoza said. “He’s healthy. We’ve got to keep it that way.’’ 

After it appeared Mauricio might have forgotten the number of outs in the top of the third — when he didn’t play a ground ball aggressively at shortstop — Mendoza said Mauricio just sat back on the ball more than he should have.

Luis Torrens challenged two pitches behind the plate and lost both, a day after Hayden Senger successfully challenged a called ball with Clay Holmes on the mound… Nolan McLean is slated to start Thursday, with Freddy Peralta going Friday, according to Mendoza.

Following the Mets' 6-6 tie with the Astros in spring training action on Tuesday, manager Carlos Mendoza and the players spoke on a number of topics...

Spring debuts announced

After prospect Jack Wenninger got the start in Tuesday's game, Mendoza was asked who would be taking the mound on Wednesday. The third-year skipper answered that question and offered up his roadmap of starters for Thursday and Friday.

• Jonah Tong will start Wednesday
• Nolan McLean will start Thursday
• Freddy Peralta will start Friday

All three pitchers will get their first live action against another team this spring. Tong is coming off a season where he dominated the minors, but had uneven performances once he was called up late last season.

McLean was arguably the Mets' best pitcher for the final month of the season, and is, by man, projected to be the front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year honors this season. He'll also see his first action with the Mets this spring before eventually joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, which starts in March.

And finally, Peralta was the big acquisition by president of baseball operations David Stearns this offseason. He'll make his Mets debut on Friday in what could be a preview of what's to come for the ace. 

Bo learning from the best?

When Bo Bichette signed with the Mets, he was asked to shift from a SS/2B to third base, a position he's never played professionally before. He's looked solid and has improved in each of the spring games he's played in. 

Speaking with SNY's Michelle Margaux on Tuesday, he was asked about how he hopes to get adjusted to the hot corner. 

"The game reps are very important. I'm lucky enough to have a personal relationship with some really great third basemen, some of the best to ever do it. Had a lot of conversations with them and see what works for them, and try to figure out what that means for me."

When asked who he has spoken to specifically, Bichette name-dropped Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and the Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado. That's 15 Gold Gloves between Chapman and Arenado that Bichette has begun to pick the brains of. Bichette said that his father Dante coached Arenado and Chapman was his former teammate in Toronto, so it's been easy to talk to them. The best piece of advice they gave him?

"Make it your own, get low. Don't make it too complicated, just be an athlete," Bichette said. "There's defintely something to that and I'll figure out what every play means to me." 

Bo Bichette tells @mmargaux8 that he's chatted with Matt Chapman and Nolan Arenado as he's transitioning to play third base pic.twitter.com/Zct0GSjUd5

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 24, 2026

Mike Tauchman getting an opportunity this spring

One of the few roster battles this spring is who will man right field for the Mets when the season begins.

A lot of hype surrounds prospect Carson Benge, but the Mets have signed and invited a few veteran outfielders to fight for the spot, including MJ Melendez and Mike Tauchman.

Tauchman made his case to make the roster on Tuesday, smashing a three-run home run to give the Mets an early 3-0 lead.

After coming out of game, Tauchman was asked why he signed with the Mets.

"David Stearns and Mendy were very honest and straightforward with me and I appreciate that," Tauchman said. "They said there was an opportunity and also talked about the opportunity to have a normal spring in terms of having at-bats and a chance to get into rhythm with starts and move around a little bit in the outfield….it’s been great. They’ve been true to their word."

"There’s real opportunity to win a spot on our roster for opening day," Mendoza said of Tauchman. "We value what he brings to the table. The defensive versatility, as well as his ability to play all three [outfield positions], his ability to control the strike zone, hit the ball out of the ballpark. We were pretty honest with him…he’s getting a real chance here and we’ll see what happens at the end of camp."

Tauchman is entering his ninth season in the big leagues and has proven to be a solid outfield bat. A season ago, he batted .263 with a .356 OBP to go along with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 93 games playing for the White Sox.

However, with so many eyes on Benge this spring, Mendoza was asked if Tauchman's presence will push the young outfielder and the skipper agreed.

"It’s part of the competition that we have. Not just with Carson but with MJ Melendezin the mix as well. [Tyrone] Taylor, we know the player he can be. It adds to that competition," Mendoza said. "We have a lot of good players there. With Carson, like we said in the beginning of camp, he’ll get a real opportunity, but we’ll see what happens by the end of camp."

I had to listen to the game on the radio for a little bit today, and no, the Cleveland broadcasters aren’t bitter. In the 10 minutes I was listening, they mentioned the Dodgers’ $414M payroll three times. It is six times the payroll of the Guardians. The Dodgers have ONE BILLION DOLLARS in deferred monies. They also spent some time opining about how when you play baseball at Harvard, you DO have to go to class, and you CAN’T play for seven years. The disgust was seeping through the airwaves. They obviously rolled in on the bitter bus.

On the field, the Dodgers looked like a team that has six times the payroll of their opponents across the field. They beat the Guardians 11-3, with Cleveland’s runs all coming off a three-run homer given up by Edgardo Henriquez in the second inning.

The Dodgers are a perfect 4-0 so far this spring, allowing only six runs total, while scoring 34.

What was important in this game was the return of Gavin Stone to the mound – and boy, did he look good.

Stone has not seen a Major League mound since August 2024, when he was sidelined needing shoulder reconstruction surgery. While he pitched only one inning, his 15 pitches were dominate. His changeup looked nasty, and he struck out two of the three batters he faced, setting them down in order.

“That’s my bread and butter, so if I don’t have that I’m screwed”, Stone told reporters after the game. “Seeing the results today was really uplifting”.

SportsnetLA’s Kirsten Watson had a nice interview with Stone after his outing.

I am here for a Dodgers band. I feel like maybe Kike’ Hernandez would be a good lead singer.

Justin Wrobleski got the win, and including Wrobleski, the remaining seven Dodger pitchers that appeared in the game combined to allow only four more hits for the rest of the game.

Freddie Freeman also appeared in his first game this spring. He popped out his first at bat and then roped a patented Freeman double in his next at bat, scoring two.

Max Muncy and Mookie Betts remain the only two regular starters that haven’t appeared in a Spring Training game so far but should do so by the end of the week. Roki Sasaki will make his first start tomorrow, and Tyler Glasnow will start on Thursday. The Dodgers will be at Salt River Fields against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and home against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday although they will be the away team.

The term most associated with the top prospect in baseball regarding his chances to make the big league club out of spring training is to leave “no doubt.”

On Tuesday afternoon in Fort Myers, Konnor Griffin left no doubt on two baseballs.

In fact, they left the entire ballpark.

Facing All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez and the Boston Red Sox in the second inning of his third spring training game, Griffin smashed a two-run home run over the left field wall.

The ball traveled 374 feet and left the bat at a 104.8 mph exit velocity. 

If you thought that was fun to watch, you’d better have been seated for his second.

Facing veteran right-handed reliever Seth Martinez in the fourth, Griffin hit a tape-measure shot to left center field. 

The measurements? 440 feet and 111 mph exit velocity for the consensus best player in the minor leagues.

Griffin hit an RBI groundout to third base in his third time up, finishing the day with two home runs and four RBIs. He also committed one error at short.

Only 19 years old, Griffin played his first full season in 2025 after being selected No. 9 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Griffin was the first high school player taken and rapidly rose up the charts by mid-season.

In 122 games between three different levels, Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 with a .942 OPS. He combined for 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a whopping 65 stolen bases.

Griffin won’t turn 20 until April 24. Despite moving up from Single-A, to High-A and finally Double-A, Griffin hit .325 or better in all three leagues. 

In 21 games with Double-A Altoona, Griffin recorded a .337 average and .960 OPS, increasing his OPS total each level. During that span, Griffin hit five home runs and drove in 22.

He didn’t play a single game of pro ball after being drafted in 2024, bursting onto the scene as a star that prospect analyst Keith Law called “Willie Mays at shortstop.”

The pressure and expectations on Griffin to be a key solution to the Pirates’ offensive woes are immense.

Ben Cherington and Don Kelly may refrain from making Griffin a member of the Opening Day roster if they don’t feel he’s ready or for a number of other reasons, but Griffin is already doing his part to ensure that one of the best prospects this century leaves “no doubt.”