Corbin Burnes made his Grapefruit League debut with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching one scoreless inning and striking out the first two batters he faced. The Orioles secured a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox with a walk-off homer from prospect Colton Cowser. Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, was acquired by the Orioles in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers last month.
Tim Anderson, the former Chicago White Sox shortstop, finalized a one-year, $5 million deal with the Miami Marlins. Anderson, a two-time All-Star and 2019 AL batting champion, aims to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season where he struggled due to a sprained medial collateral ligament.
The Atlanta Braves, known for their record-breaking home runs in the previous season, continued their power display by hitting a home run in their Grapefruit League opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Michael Harris led off the game with a homer off Nathan Wiles.
Tim Mayza of the Toronto Blue Jays served as a bat boy during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies as a punishment for his fantasy football failures. Mayza's fantasy team went 4-10, leading to his unique jersey number for the day.
Cincinnati signed infielder Mike Ford and utilityman Tony Kemp to minor league contracts. Ford, who played for the Seattle Mariners last season, batted .228 with 16 homers. Kemp, from the Oakland Athletics, hit .209 with five homers and 15 steals.
Shintaro Fujinami, a pitcher for the New York Mets, temporarily left camp to attend to a personal matter in Japan. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres welcomed utilityman Jurickson Profar and left-handed pitcher Wandy Peralta to their camp after visa delays.
In a Cactus League game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy's son Kai hit a two-run double for the Padres. The Brewers' Sal Frelick, transitioning to the infield, played third base in the game.
Promising prospects Jackson Chourio of Milwaukee and Colt Keith of Detroit showed early potential in their preseason games. Chourio signed an eight-year, $82 million deal and had a productive game, while Keith, with a six-year contract worth $28,642,500, contributed with a two-run double.
New York Yankees' first-round pick Spencer Jones impressed with a 470-foot pinch homer in his first spring training at-bat against the Detroit Tigers. Jones, a 6-foot-6 outfielder, went 3 for 3 with four RBIs in the game.
