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It puts Mahle a little behind, but there’s plenty of time to catch up. The Giants gave the right-hander a one-year, $10 million contract at the beginning of January with the expectation being that he’ll pitch in the middle of the San Francisco rotation in 2026.

Castellanos delivered a run-scoring single off of Ben Brown in the third inning, increasing the Padres’ lead to 2-0. He’s off to a nice start with his new ballclub, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a homer and six RBI while proving that he can be at least a capable defender at first base.

The 31-year-old right-hander punched out three batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. After struggling in his first spring start with the Cubs, Márquez flashed some legitimate upside in this one, getting four swings and misses on his 35 pitches while posting a CSW of 25 percent. If he winds up securing the final spot in the Padres’ rotation, it’s possible he could carve out some mixed league viability.

Shaw led off the game with a single but wound up getting stranded at third base. He then led off the sixth inning with a single and stole second base, but he was then picked off by Marco Gonzales. The versatile 24-year-old played both center field and right field during this game and looks likely to begin the season in a super utility role for the Cubs. His speed makes him an intriguing fantasy option if he sees regular at-bats.

The right-hander also issued three free passes in the ballgame while striking out three. Brown struggled with his command in the opening inning, issuing a bases-loaded walk to Gavin Sheets. He allowed another pair in the third inning as Nick Castellanos delivered an RBI single and then another run scored on a wild pitch. Brown threw just 29 of his 48 pitches for strikes in the ballgame, getting five whiffs and posting a CSW of 25 percent. If he continues to struggle like this, Brown is likely ticketed for Triple-A Iowa to start the season.

Hernández smacked an RBI double off of Mitch Spence in the first inning that extended the Dodgers’ early advantage to 3-0. He also drove home Ryan Ward with an RBI single in the fourth that capped off the scoring in the ballgame. He has been sizzling at the plate to start the spring, slashing .476/.500/.571 with four RBI and a 4/1 K/BB ratio through his first eight games.

Freeman opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI single off of Mitch Spence before an out had been recorded in the home half of the first. He then smacked a two-run single in the fourth that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0. The 36-year-old slugger has looked as good as ever this spring, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with seven RBI and a 0/1 K/BB ratio. He remains a steady producer for fantasy purposes and a strong foundation piece on any team.

The 37-year-old infielder led off the home half of the first inning with a single, swiped second base and scored the game’s first run on an RBI single by Freddie Freeman. Rojas also singled in the second inning and again in the fourth. He’s a candidate to start at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) sidelined to begin the season, or he could remain in his regular utility infielder role while Hyesong Kim or Santiago Espinal get the call there.

The 30-year-old hurler struck out one batter on the evening and did not allow a hit. Ryan got just one whiff on 21 pitches in the contest, posting a CSW of 29 percent. Regardless of how well he pitches this spring, he’s likely ticketed for a spot in the bullpen at Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the 2026 campaign.

The 27-year-old hurler didn’t walk a batter or record a strikeout in the ballgame. The Dodgers jumped on him in the opening inning with consecutive RBI knocks from Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez pushing three runs across. Spence then settled in and worked a pair of scoreless innings to end his day. He got three swings and misses on 42 pitches on the night, registering an uninspiring CSW of only 17 percent. The expectation is that Spence will begin the season in a long relief role for the Royals, which saps him of any late-round fantasy appeal that he may have had if he were in the rotation.

It was a 3-3 game until Caminero hit a Steven Cruz offering 414 feet to give the Dominican Republic a lead it wouldn’t give up. Julio Rodríguez added a solo shot in the seventh, and Oneil Cruz came off the bench to put away the game with a three-run, 116.8-mph blast in the eighth. The Dominican Republic also got two-hit games from Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Manny Machado.