7:00 AM ET A group of Los Angeles Dodgers hitters descended upon Kent, Washington, this offseason to swing abnormally heavy bats under the watchful eyes of Driveline analysts, all with one mission in mind: Survive. Hitting has never been more difficult, a truism that acts as the biggest impediment to Major League Baseball’s determined efforts

8:31 PM ET PEORIA, Ariz. — The San Diego Padres will play their first spring training game on Friday, but Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t expected to be in the lineup. Given his absence throughout the 2022 season and the three surgeries he endured in the midst of it, the Padres are hoping to ease him

7:16 PM ET Associated Press CHATHAM, Ontario — Ferguson Jenkins’ hometown will honor the baseball Hall of Famer with a statue. Chatham-Kent will unveil a 9-foot bronze figure of the 80-year-old former pitcher on June 10, a replica of the statue by sculptor Lou Cella that was unveiled outside Chicago’s Wrigley Field last May. Editor’s

1:15 PM ET Associated Press SURPRISE, Ariz. — Aroldis Chapman can earn up to $8.75 million as part of his one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals if he regains a job as a regular closer. The left-hander, who turns 35 on Feb. 28, is guaranteed $3.75 million under the deal announced Jan. 27. Chapman

8:20 PM ET ESPN News Services The Minnesota Twins on Tuesday agreed to a contract with veteran infielder Donovan Solano, according to multiple reports. The deal is for one year at the major-league level, according to The Athletic, and gives the Twins depth at several positions and a decent bat at the bottom of the

4:16 PM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is considering giving All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge some reps in left field this spring, and that’s all well and good with the team captain. “I did mention it to him,

10:14 AM ET Todd ZolaFantasy Close Writing on fantasy baseball game theory and player analysis since 1997 Winner of the 2013 Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association Best Baseball Article Blame Cy Williams. Editor’s Picks 1 Related Williams was the National League’s career home run leader through 1929, before ceding the top spot to Rogers Hornsby. Opposing

7:40 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge flashed a big smile when asked if he could repeat his accomplishments of last year, when he hit an American League record 62 home runs for the New York Yankees. “You never know,” he said after the Yankees’ first full-squad workout Monday. “I don’t really

5:36 PM ET Two-time All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis, who played nine of his 10 seasons in Cleveland, officially announced his retirement Monday. Kipnis, 35, last played in the majors in 2020 with the Chicago Cubs. The Chicago-area native was a second-round draft pick by the Cleveland franchise in 2009 and made his debut two

7:00 AM ET Last month, we took a look at persistent organizational holes — those sore spots on different teams that just never quite seem to heal. This is a companion examination to that exercise, in which we look at the flip side: What are the strongest positions for each team on a year-in, year-out