The 13 best stories on 2025 Opening Day rosters

Which player impressed you most on Opening Day? You could say Shohei Ohtani or Paul Skenes or even 51-year-old Ichiro Suzuki.

But how about Kameron Misner? The 27-year-old outfielder didn't expect to make the Rays' Opening Day roster, but a late injury in camp created a spot for him. So, Misner found himself in the Rays' dugout for their Opening Day game Friday against the Rockies. He had all of 15 MLB at-bats to his name, with 10 strikeouts and one single to show for it.

Misner got his 16th at-bat in the ninth inning of a tie game and instantly authored Major League Baseball history, becoming the first player to hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day for his first career homer, according to Stats Perform.

That makes for a pretty awesome story. Here are 12 others that stood out to us on Opening Day rosters.

• The 10 best moments from an Opening Day packed with excitement

Sandy Alcantara is so back
It usually takes some time for even the best pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery to rediscover their previous form. But Alcantara, who missed last season while recovering from his own TJ procedure, looked in Spring Training and on Opening Day like his Cy Young-winning self. He was firing at 100 mph during his first game action in nearly 18 months and then took a no-hitter into the fifth inning against the Pirates on Thursday. It was only one regular-season start, but the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner is back -- all the way back. That's a great thing for the Marlins and for baseball fans.

Kristian Campbell completes meteoric rise to Majors
Campbell began this season as the No. 7 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. About one year earlier, he was nowhere close to the Top 100. Heck, he wasn't even mentioned on the Red Sox's Top 30 list entering 2024. Few may have imagined then that he would be holding down a starting spot on a Major League roster to begin 2025.

But Campbell announced his presence with authority last season by slashing .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 steals across 430 at-bats between High-A and Triple-A. Even though he struggled at the plate this spring, Boston had already seen enough. The 22-year-old Campbell was the team's starting second baseman against the Rangers on Thursday and picked up a single and a walk in his debut.

• New season, new team: Best debut performances on Opening Day

Vinny Capra continues unlikely power surge
Time and time again, we've seen players put up huge numbers over the course of Spring Training only to fade away once the games begin to count. However, maybe Capra's Spring Training was a warning: surprise breakout season incoming.

Capra, a 28-year-old infielder, was a 20th-round Draft pick by the Blue Jays in 2018. He's hit 30 home runs through six seasons and 1,726 at-bats in the Minors. He has bounced around the league the past few years and played 20 regular-season games split between the Blue Jays, Pirates and Brewers from 2022-24. During that span, Capra batted .115 with a .399 OPS in nine games and 30 plate appearances when in the starting lineup.

But something appears to be different about Capra in 2025. No player hit more homers than him during Spring Training (six). Then he got the start at third base for the Brewers on Opening Day and drilled a homer -- his first in the Major Leagues -- in his first at-bat of the year. Will it be the summer of Vinny Bats?

J.C. Escarra goes from Uber to Yankee Stadium -- in an Uber
Escarra showed up to Yankee Stadium on Opening Day in an Uber. Naturally. A 29-year-old catcher, Escarra spent five seasons in the Orioles' Minor League system before they released him in April 2022. Out of baseball -- but knowing he still had something to give to the sport -- Escarra held numerous jobs over the next couple of years to help make ends meet. His gigs included working as an Uber driver and substitute teacher. Meanwhile, he was honing his skills in independent ball as well as in leagues in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The Yankees gave Escarra a shot in 2024. He made the most of it by registering a .930 OPS over 169 at-bats at Triple-A last season, and he earned his way onto the Yanks' roster following an award-winning performance in Spring Training.

Ryan Johnson bypasses Minor Leagues, joins Angels' bullpen
The Angels have developed a reputation as a franchise that doesn't mind putting their prospects on a fast track to The Show. Shortstop Zach Neto played in only 44 Minor League games before getting called up in 2023. Later that season, first baseman Nolan Schanuel arrived in the Majors after playing only 21 MiLB games.

Johnson, the Angels' No. 7 prospect, has them both beat. He played in exactly zero Minor League games before the Angels put him in their bullpen. A 2024 second-round Draft pick, Johnson is the 24th player to make his MLB debut without seeing any action in the Minors and the first since Garrett Crochet in 2020.

Johnson's first appearance had its ups and downs; he pitched a perfect seventh inning against the White Sox before allowing five runs in the eighth. But it was "still a fun experience" for the right-hander.

Brad Lord makes Nationals after offseason job at Home Depot
How many Major League players prepared for this season by carrying 30-pound bags of mulch and hauling around Christmas trees? We know of one.

As detailed in The Washington Post, Lord spent his mornings this winter working on his game. He then spent his afternoons working at Home Depot. All of that lifting seemingly paid off for the right-hander, who traded in his orange smock for a red Nats jersey this spring and had an impressive camp. Washington's No. 23 prospect, Lord produced a 2.43 ERA in 129 2/3 innings across three levels of its system last year. He'll try to help the Nationals build a strong bullpen.

Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker reunite in Rangers' Opening Day rotation
Leiter and Rocker were up in the Majors together last September, but this is the first time they have been in the same rotation on Opening Day.

Well, kind of. This is actually the third time that Leiter and Rocker have begun a season as rotation mates. They did the same at Vanderbilt University in 2020 and '21. In that latter year, they were the best starting pitching tandem in college baseball and guided the Commodores to the College World Series. Both were drafted inside the top 10 that year, although Rocker didn’t sign with the Mets, re-entered the Draft the following year and landed with the Rangers at No. 3 overall in 2022.

Leiter made his season debut Friday, tossing five innings of one-run ball and racking up four strikeouts versus the Red Sox to earn the first win of his career. Rocker will toe the rubber next week. At times this season, Arlington, Texas, is going to feel a little bit like Nashville, Tenn.

• Vandy boys ready to bring championship energy to Texas

MLB gets a second Max Muncy
Max Muncy, whose birthday is on Aug. 25, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Thursday night. Max Muncy, whose birthday is on Aug. 25, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Thursday night. And we swear that makes sense!

It may not seem like it, but we're talking about two separate ballplayers. You're likely more familiar with elder Max Muncy, the Dodgers' slugging infielder. But now we're kind of seeing double because the A's have their own Max Muncy -- a 2021 first-rounder who is the team's No. 7 prospect -- and he made his MLB debut on Opening Day. Although they were born on the same day of the same month, the Southern California Muncy is 12 years older. Regardless, mark your calendars for May 13-15: A's at Dodgers. It'll be maximum Muncy.

Bonus cool story: The younger Muncy is sharing the middle of the A's infield with fellow rookie Jacob Wilson, and they were double-play partners back in high school.

Chris Roycroft, undrafted Division III pitcher, comes through on first Opening Day
As the 6-for-8 Roycroft strode to the Busch Stadium mound on Thursday, he was probably thinking about all of the people he knows who would like to be in his shoes. They played baseball with him at Aurora University, a Division III program in Illinois. They were his teammates on the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League in 2021 and '22. They had visions of making it to the Majors, too. Roycroft did make it last year with the Cardinals, pitching in 27 games in relief. Now 27 years old, Roycroft entered his first MLB Opening Day game in the seventh inning and protected a one-run lead by sitting down the Twins in order, which included a strikeout of Matt Wallner on a 94 mph fastball. Roycroft has turned his vision into reality and has said it is "far greater than anything I ever imagined."

Hayden Senger goes from Whole Foods to big leagues
Senger's first Major League plate appearance didn't lack drama or pressure. He faced Astros star closer Josh Hader in the ninth inning Thursday and represented the go-ahead run for the Mets with the bases loaded. The 27-year-old struck out, but he can still call himself a Major Leaguer at the end of the day. That fact makes the past couple of years worth it.

The Mets' 24th-round Draft pick in 2018, Senger spent the previous two winters working at a Whole Foods near his Nashville-area home. He stocked shelves from 5 a.m. to noon before heading to the gym or the batting cage. This spring, Francisco Alvarez's hand injury presented an opportunity for Senger, a catcher, to make his dream come true with the Mets. He did just that.

After only 32 MiLB games, Cam Smith receives emotional callup
In a pure baseball sense, the fact that Smith was in the bigs on Opening Day is pretty amazing in itself. Drafted by the Cubs only about eight months ago, Smith was the centerpiece of the Astros' return in the Kyle Tucker trade. The 22-year-old had just 32 games of pro experience when he showed up to Spring Training this year. He smoothly handled a position switch, playing more in the outfield, and tore the cover off the ball. On Opening Day, Smith wasted no time making an impact, hitting a single on the first pitch he saw as a Major Leaguer.

But Smith's story is enhanced by the way he found out he had made the Astros. His unbridled emotion likely earned the highly touted rookie a lot more fans around the league.

Lou Trivino returns to MLB for first time in three years
Trivino has proven that he can be a valuable piece out of the bullpen. The last time we saw him on an MLB mound, he was recording a 1.66 over 25 appearances (21 2/3 innings) with the Yankees. However, it's understandable if you forgot about the right-hander because those stats are from 2022. Since then, Trivino has run into multiple injury roadblocks. He had a right elbow ailment prior to the 2023 season that eventually led to Tommy John surgery in May. He pitched in 11 Minor League games in the Yankees' system last year before elbow and shoulder problems sidelined him again.

The Giants signed the 33-year-old to a Minor League deal this offseason, and a now-healthy Trivino struck out 10 batters over 9 1/3 scoreless frames in spring. It got him a place on San Francisco's roster. Trivino was in the 'pen on Opening Day, 904 days after he last threw a pitch in a regular-season game.