PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Forget the three seasons at Texas Tech. Forget the award he received as the Tampa Bay Rays' minor-league pitcher of the year in 2022, and forget all the starts he made across four seasons from rookie ball to Triple A.

Here’s what you need to know about Mason Montgomery today:

Since becoming a relief pitcher last ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The best story of Phillies spring training almost never began.

Three years before Otto Kemp crossed home plate on a Bryce Harper base hit on Sunday afternoon, the 25-year-old utility man sat in a living room in San Clemente, Calif., and watched his career flash before his eyes.

There were multiple flashes, really. Six-hundred-...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nearly a decade ago, I was tipped off that an outlier had interviewed for the vacant Dodgers managerial job.

It was the first time anybody had connected his name to the job, yet, what the heck, the surprise candidate seemed like a good fit.

"If the Dodgers want a combination of old-school hardball and new-thinking smartball, ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Yankees’ worst nightmare has come true, though there were certainly signs that foreshadowed their most devastating injury yet this spring.

Their ace, Gerrit Cole, will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday after seeking multiple opinions on his right elbow. That means the 34-year-old will miss the entire 2025 season and then...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The season will mark one full decade for Dave Roberts as manager of the Dodgers, a decorated run in which Roberts has led the team to eight division titles, four National League pennants, two World Series titles and more regular-season wins than any other franchise in baseball.

On Monday, Roberts added one more distinction to ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs enter 2025 as the consensus favorites to win the National League Central, thanks to the addition of Kyle Tucker and a general lack of offseason spending by their division counterparts.

While it should be a given considering the team’s many resources and big-market status, this is a new feeling for some in the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Tim Anderson pulled an extra-large glove off the top shelf of his locker in the Angels clubhouse, slipped it on his left hand and began pounding his right fist into the massive pocket.

"It feels weird," he admitted.

Anderson has started 946 regular-season games in the major leagues, all but two at shortstop. But six seasons ...Read more

LAKELAND, Fla. — It hasn’t taken Tommy Pham long to make his present felt around the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The home run he hit Sunday during a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium was fun, sure. Fastball away, 97 mph, other way out to right.

Even the throw he made to nail Detroit right fielder Kerry Carpenter trying to ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Mets appear to be lacking some catching depth on paper. They’ll now put that to the test in reality with Francisco Alvarez out for the next 6-8 weeks.

Alvarez will join pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea on the injured list at the start of the season with a fractured hamate bone in left hand. It’s a relatively common ...Read more

PHOENIX — Right-hander Michael Grove won't pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year after undergoing season-ending surgery last week to repair his right labrum.

Grove walked into the Dodgers clubhouse with his right arm in a sling Sunday morning but quietly declined to speak with reporters. He threw a couple of bullpen sessions this spring...Read more

SARASOTA, Fla. — So, you want to be a baseball GM?

Want to make the calls, do the deals, endure the barbs. You want an owner looking over your shoulder, a manager expecting a better roster and the baseball gods occasionally throwing you a curve.

If so, let’s start with this simple challenge:

Should the Rays trade one of their starting ...Read more

MESA, Ariz. — A pitch-dark sky greets Jerry Weinstein every morning when he arrives at the Chicago Cubs spring training complex.

The 81-year-old coach is known for being the first among the staff to arrive each day, typically pulling up around 4:30 or 5 a.m.

“He’s done working out before the rest get there,” bench coach Ryan Flaherty ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — This was a week ago at LECOM Park in Bradenton where the Yankees were in the process of dismantling a seemingly overmatched Pirates team, 12-3, and a couple of scouts were discussing the 2025 prospects for Aaron Boone’s boys in the aftermath of the Juan Soto defection.

“I give [Brian] Cashman a lot of credit,” said one of ...Read more

NEW YORK — Things aren’t looking too great for Giancarlo Stanton.

The Yankees slugger said Saturday his tendon injuries are “severe in both elbows,” which is a result from bat adjustments from last season, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Stanton is unsure when he came resume baseball activities.

Stanton returned to Yankees camp ...Read more

PHOENIX — Michael Conforto isn't the new Teoscar Hernández yet.

But as Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts discussed Conforto last week, he couldn't help but note the similarities between the two veteran outfielders.

Last year, of course, the Dodgers struck gold when they signed Hernández to a one-year, $23.5-million contract. It ...Read more

The Doctor has a prescription for the Mets: A staff ace.

Former Mets great Dwight “Doc” Gooden recently spent time in Port St. Lucie at Mets camp talking with the pitching staff and watching some bullpens and Grapefruit League games. The legendary right-hander came away with the impression that the rotation is strong, but it’s lacking a ...Read more

A month ago, Dave Roberts was asked if the Dodgers’ hope was for Shohei Ohtani to be back in the team’s pitching rotation by May this season.

“I think that’s about right, yeah,” the manager responded, speaking on Feb. 1 at the club’s preseason fan fest event. “And it might be earlier.”

Fast-forward to Thursday, however, and ...Read more