MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: To no one’s surprise, Max Fried will be taking the baton first for the Yankee rotation in 2026. The team officially announced that Fried will be the Opening Day starter on March 25th against the Giants, setting up their ace from the 2025 season to start things off. Fried didn’t get the honor last year because of how close to the start of the year Gerrit Cole’s injury occurred (Carlos Rodón got the ball instead), but after stepping up in place of the clubhouse leader there was no question that he’d get the nod this time around.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Around these parts we’ve been giving rave reviews of how well Ben Rice did last year while being sure to mention that he got ridiculously unlucky at the plate at the same time, and Rice himself feels compelled to check the stats every once in a while to look at how silly his Baseball Savant page looks. The difference was a lot more difficult to swallow two years ago though, when Rice debuted and looked like a solid enough player already whose results unfortunately were terrible. Rice lays out how he battled through that frustrating rookie season and transformed his results, as well as the strides he’s looking to take this season which could push him from the fringes of stardom to a household name in the league.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Carlos Rodón has progressed to the next stage of his rehab, facing live hitters and notching the velocity on his fastball back into the 92-94 mph range. Rodón likely isn’t going to make it into any spring training games this year, but there’s a chance that he could build up to an exhibition game just before the Yankees break camp in Arizona ahead of Opening Day. Still, while the left-hander might not be back with the major league team before May this is altogether a solid recovery for a pitcher who’s had his fair share of surgeries at this point. Here’s hoping the rest of the process stays smooth.
NY Post | Joseph Staszewski: Spencer Jones got off to a hot start in this year’s spring, but logistics were always going to get in his way before he could book a ticket to San Francisco with the rest of the big leaguers. Jones was officially optioned down to Triple-A to start the year, alongside starter Elmer Rodríguez, where he was expected to begin thanks to the Yankees boasting an outfield consisting of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham. Jones will have plenty of eyes on him still as scouts look to see whether he can continue his prodigious power streak while toning down on the strikeouts, but whether he’ll get a shot to showcase that for the Yankees or another organization remains to be seen.
As an aside on Rodríguez, he may be ticketed for Triple-A, but in a big start for Puerto Rico against Cuba last night, he demonstrated a small sample of why the Yankees like him so much, throwing three innings of scoreless, one-hit ball (albeit while walking three).
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SB Nation | Samantha Bradfield: There’s a lot of star power on the Team USA roster this year, but the locker room has been a boon for everyone involved it seems. Players have rave reviews for getting to experience these All-Star-esque rosters and pick people’s brains, and of course the Captain of the team is front and center in that experience. Judge called it a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” with players like Clayton Kershaw, Kyle Schwarber, and Paul Goldschmidt chiming in to agree.
National Baseball Hall of Fame: Bill White was awarded the Buck O’Neil Award on Monday, honoring his “extraordinary efforts to enhance baseball’s positive impact on society.” A former World Series champion first baseman with the Cardinals, a trailblazer, and a six-time All-Star, White transferred over to the broadcasting booth following his retirement, and formed an iconic booth alongside Yankees legend Phil Rizzuto for 18 seasons. He was later named president of the National League, back when the two leagues had separate heads. White’s call of Bucky Dent’s famous home run against Boston in the 1978 AL one-game playoff is an iconic one, and one that rings through the history of the game to this day.
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