Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

"Kike's progressing well, obviously he's in a place where he should be starting swinging here pretty soon," Gomes said. "We're going to be very mindful of how we progress into this, making sure that when he comes back he's not only healthy, but healthy and ready to perform. ...He's in a good place and really where he should be as far as the rehab schedule."

"At the end of the day I've got to force their hand," Ferris told Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain. "Do what I can do, and hopefully at the end of the day this year could be the year."

I have conflicted feelings on these comments. A guy like Chris Bassitt would have made this roster better on paper. That's not really something disputed. I think there is an argument if you think that Bryce Elder and/or Joey Wentz are 1-1.5 fWAR/162 starting pitchers, then adding a 2-2.5 fWAR/162 starter for just under $20 million isn't good return on investment and doesn't substantially improve depth when it results on the likely loss of a guy like Elder from the roster entirely.

The veteran had a rough season in Kansas City last year, slashing just .212/.272/.265 in 46 games with the Royals. He suffered an adductor strain and an elbow injury that sent him to the injured list for two separate stints, and after a trade deadline that saw Kansas City add Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier, and Randal Grichuk to the roster the team had little room to squeeze him back onto the roster when he was healthy enough to return.

While re-signing both could be possible, extending Gausman should be the preferred choice if it ends up being one or the other situation. Very few starting pitchers in the game are as consistent as Gausman. He's made at least 31 starts each of the past five seasons with an ERA of 3.83 or better. All signs point to him putting up strong numbers again after showing no signs of slowing down in 2025.

Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt remained stuck on the free agent market until a few days ago when he signed with the AL East rival Baltimore Orioles. It's a solid move for an intimidating Orioles squad that wants to return to the postseason in 2026. In any event, Bassitt made sure to broadcast his appreciation for Toronto baseball fans in a touching post right after the free agency signing.

A torn lat muscle last March ended up costing Zack Thompson the entirety of his 2025 season, though the Cardinals left-hander was also dealing with another injury. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Thompson had an arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder in August, described as "a cleanup procedure." The recovery from this surgery has delayed Thompson's mound work at the start of Spring Training, though he is playing catch and planning to ramp up his throwing.

Laweryson returns to the only organization he'd known until November. Minnesota selected him in the 14th round in 2019 out of the University of Maine. They called him up for the first time last September. The 6'4″ righty made five appearances, allowing two runs (one earned) across 7 2/3 innings. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Laweryson also pitched well in Triple-A, turning in a 2.86 earned run average while striking out a quarter of opposing hitters.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced their lineup of theme nights for the 2026 season, which includes returning favorites such as Star Wars Night, Mexican and Japanese Heritage Nights, and LGBTQ+ Pride Night. Each day includes an exclusive giveaway item that can only be acquired with the purchase of a ticket pack at Dodgers.com/promotions. The theme nights start with Teacher Appreciation Night on April 11 against the Texas Rangers with a special sweatshirt giveaway.

If a team enters extra innings without a challenge, they'll be given an extra one every inning. The challenges will not accumulate if not used. Teams will never have more than one challenge per extra inning unless they entered extra frames with their original two intact. It's possible for both an ABS challenge and video replay challenge to occur on the same play. If that happens, the ball-strike call will be adjudicated first, followed by the video replay on the bases.

"I'm excited. I mean, I think we should just start the season now," he said. "The offseason has flown by, but I'm excited to get back out there with these guys and get the season rolling."

Meeting with the media at Camelback Ranch on the first day of spring training Friday, Vesia took no questions, instead reading from a statement off his phone while battling the effects of the tragedy that was his daughter Sterling's death two days after the start of the World Series. "The lessons we've learned from this is that life can change in an instant. Ten minutes is all it took...."

There are a lot of them, and they do not exist only on social media. They are inside of group chats that talk about how much money the Los Angeles Dodgers are spending after winning the past two World Series, and they are in cities big and small that look at the Dodgers with envy masked by eye-rolls and curses.

You don't see that type of aggressiveness, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. You have to give [him and fellow Team USA member Nolan McLean] credit because they've been preparing to be in this situation. Already at three ups, already at 46 pitches, that takes a lot of work behind the scenes. The good thing is that he feels good and that he was able to do it.