MLB Baseball 8-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: March 19, 2026, 12:30 AM ET
Spring Training Pitching & Injury Updates
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani made an encouraging return to the mound in his spring mound debut, recording four strikeouts while allowing just one hit and two walks across 4⅓ scoreless innings, demonstrating velocity touching 99 mph. Conversely, Brewers starter prospect Kyle Harrison was forced to exit his outing early due to a blister developing on his left index finger, raising concerns about his readiness for the regular season rotation. Further complicating early season projections, Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford's status remains clouded as he continues recovery from a shoulder issue requiring a recent cortisone shot, leaving his Opening Day availability uncertain Mariners Crawford gets cortisone shot.
Infield Roster Finalizations
The Boston Red Sox finalized a key corner infield role, naming Caleb Durbin as the starting third baseman for Opening Day after he was acquired from the Brewers just ahead of spring training. This decision suggests that top prospect Mayer is likely ticketed for the second base job, solidifying parts of the infield alignment for manager Alex Cora as regular season preparations intensify Durbin wins 3B job for Red Sox.