Spring training standouts
Gerrit Cole opened spring with a scoreless inning in his 2026 debut for the Yankees, a tidy start that matters for early Opening Day prep ( ). In the same camp slate, Connelly Early and Carlos Lagrange combined for 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R and 11 K in a Red Sox‑Yankees tune‑up, and Shohei Ohtani made his first mound appearance for the Dodgers vs the Giants — real velocity and command signs to watch ( ).
Gerrit Cole’s outing came 372 days after Tommy John surgery and lasted 10 pitches, seven of them strikes, with his six fastballs averaging 97.1 mph and peaking at 98.7 mph. (mlb.com) Carlos Lagrange extended his spring scoreless streak to 11 innings, dropping his Grapefruit League ERA to 0.66 while totaling 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. (mlb.com) The 22-year-old Lagrange profiles as a 6-foot-7, 248-pound power arm who struck out 168 batters in 120 innings across High-A and Double-A in 2025, numbers cited by his MiLB profile. (milb.com) Connelly Early went five innings Wednesday, allowing one hit and two walks while fanning seven, an outing that added to spring numbers the Red Sox view as strong even as the club plans to option him to Triple‑A Worcester to start the season if Johan Oviedo wins the No. 5 job. (mlb.com) (masslive.com) Shohei Ohtani threw 61 pitches (34 strikes) over 4 1/3 innings in his Dodgers spring mound outing, touching 99.9 mph and drawing a standing ovation when he exited Camelback Ranch. (mlb.com) (espn.com) Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he expects one more preseason start from Ohtani before the regular season begins March 26, and Ohtani indicated he wants to sharpen two‑strike execution in his next outing. (espn.com) (mlb.com)
