With Spring Training underway, discussions about who will make Opening Day rosters are in full swing. While a majority of 26-man rosters are generally set, plenty of clubs will be evaluating battles for a final spot on the bench or bullpen or pitchers deking it out for the last opening

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For the Red Sox, Sunday’s Grapefruit League home opener at JetBlue Park was a day to show off their shiny new toys. And what a day it was. Start with Alex Bregman. The team’s prized free-agent acquisition made himself right at home in his Spring Training

Identify your weaknesses and do what you can to fix them. That's what every MLB club tries to do during the offseason. The nine teams below did it better than most via free agency and the trade market. Their FanGraphs WAR was lacking at a certain position last year, but

TAMPA, Fla. -- There were no tickets available for Sunday’s power vs. power showdown of Aaron Judge against Gerrit Cole, because none were sold. With the Yankees stars under long-term contracts and expected to play the rest of their careers in pinstripes, it was a matchup that could only transpire

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Shohei Ohtani is back on the attack, and Roki Sasaki is getting close. Ohtani, the unanimous 2024 National League MVP after the first 50-homer/50-stolen base season in Major League history, took his first live batting practice of the spring Sunday.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- “El Caballo” is back. Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara took the mound for the first time in 521 days, maxing out at 99.3 mph on the radar gun and tossing a scoreless inning in Sunday afternoon’s 1-1 Grapefruit League tie with the Mets at Clover Park.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Welcome to the Cactus League, Jac Caglianone. The top Royals prospect, and No. 22 in baseball on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, demolished a baseball for his first home run of the spring on Sunday, and the numbers speak for themselves: 115.4 mph exit velocity, 435 feet.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- From the day the D-backs surprised the baseball world by signing right-hander Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million contract, Arizona fans have wondered who would start Opening Day. Would it be Zac Gallen, who has pitched for the D-backs since coming over at the Trade Deadline

TAMPA, Fla. -- Several members of the Yankees may look different as they sport “well-groomed beards” this season, following this week’s alteration of the organization’s longstanding facial hair policy. Some of their games will sound different, too. The Yankees will no longer play Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dustin May took a hop and a skip, pointed skyward and spoke into his glove as he left the mound. He was met by a Dodgers dugout full of handshakes and high fives, teammates well aware of the moment. May was back where he belonged. Back where

Alex Rodriguez is still showing athletic prowess in his post-playing days. While speaking at a Bucknell Forum special event on Sunday, Rodriguez had the chance to win $10,000 for a Bucknell student by making a half-court shot. Sure enough, Rodriguez did just that, banking a shot in and sending the

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In a scary moment at Camelback Ranch on Sunday, Padres right-hander Cole Paplham was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Dodgers first baseman Aaron Bracho. Paplham was evaluated on the field for several minutes but remained conscious and alert, according to

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets’ bench competition experienced some early upheaval on Sunday, when infielder Nick Madrigal dislocated his left shoulder. The Mets are sending Madrigal for an MRI and won’t know more about his status until that test is complete. “We have to wait to see what

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In their ongoing quest to create more options in the bullpen, the Red Sox on Sunday signed veteran left-hander Matt Moore to a Minor League deal that includes an invite to Spring Training. Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson, two offseason acquisitions via free agency, are the

TAMPA, Fla. -- Each ball hit in Jasson Domínguez's direction represents a learning opportunity for the Yankees' top prospect, who is continuing a crash course in left field. No doubt, there is work to be done, from tracking drives off the bat to taking better routes. They believe he can

Nicaragua has earned a berth in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with a 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei on Sunday morning capping a 3-0 run through the Classic Qualifier in Taiwan. They join 16 teams that had already secured their places in the Classic next spring.

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This story was excerpted from Matthew Leach's Twins Beat newsletter. MLB.com reporter Bill Ladson is filling in for Leach for this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Samuel Basallo is getting comfortable. MLB's No. 13 prospect arrived at Spring Training this year fully healthy and eager to learn. After a stress fracture in his right elbow limited his 2024 Spring Training, Basallo hopes to make up for lost time. "I feel like last spring,

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Brewers are moving quickly to address the absence of injured outfielder Blake Perkins, finalizing a Minor League contract with veteran center fielder Manuel Margot on Sunday while putting the finishing touches on a similar deal to bring back Mark Canha to compete for a spot as

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros have renewed their interest in trading for Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, multiple sources told MLB.com on Saturday. Arenado, who nixed a trade to the Astros in December, could now be willing to waive his no-trade clause and join a Houston team that

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A few days before Johan Santana arrived at Mets camp, manager Carlos Mendoza learned that one of the team’s top starting pitchers, Sean Manaea, had grown up idolizing him. So Mendoza plotted with Santana, sequestering him away until Manaea arrived at Clover Park on Saturday.

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Broadly speaking, there are three types of players in every Spring Training camp: 1. The established players who know they have a spot on a Major League roster and are trying to build up for the 162-game season that lies ahead. 2. The up-and-coming youngsters who may be experiencing their

Walter Iooss Jr. has been called the "photo laureate of sports." Just take a look through his collection over the last 50 years. He's captured nearly every major athlete and moment in the last half century: Michael Jordan dunking from the free-throw line, a young Kelly Slater catching a wave,

JUPITER, Fla. -- Possessing an insatiable desire to try and learn from every situation -- good or bad -- Cardinals’ rookie shortstop JJ Wetherholt ends each night by crafting a hand-written journal so detailed that he even includes how many ounces of caffeine he ingested. For example, when Wetherholt had