Feb 20, 2026; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers (28) throws a pitch in the first inning against the New York Yankees during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory SARASOTA-What’s happening? In the Orioles’ sixth Grapefruit League game, Trevor Rogers got his second start. Rogers pitched brilliantly for the second straight start, allowing just one hit in three scoreless innings, striking out three in the Orioles’ 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays before 5.074 at Ed Smith Stadium on Wednesday. In his first two starts, Rogers allowed two hits in five scoreless innings, striking out five without a walk. Rogers appears to be continuing his fine work of 2025, when he had a 1.81 ERA and was elected Most Valuable Oriole. “It’s been so much fun to watch,” manager Craig Albernaz said before the game. “It’s a testament to the work that he’s put in, to come back to form the way he has and keeps on getting better…Find those little margins where they can keep turning the dial up for further development. Rog has been leaning into that with our pitching group to keep him where he is and to try to find those little margins. Trevor has been outstanding in this camp.” Chris Bassitt, who threw live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium on Tuesday and Zach Eflin have yet to start. Shane Baz starts for the first time on Friday against Pittsburgh in Bradenton. Albernaz thinks all his potential starters will have the necessary work to be ready for the start of the season on March 26th. “It’s not innings,” Albernaz said. “The sweet spot is at least five times out in spring training. That’s the minimum to get guys out in competition, not on the back fields. We’re on pace to do that.” What’s happened? Rogers was satisfied with how he pitched. “The main thing is with all the lefties they had out here today, really establishing the space early in the count,” Rogers said. “I think [catcher Adley Rutschman] and I were in synch from the get-go. He did a great job. I think I called two or three pitches. Other than that, we were synched in for those three innings. We accomplished a lot today, so I was happy with how it went.” Rogers agreed that he’s picked up where he left off from last season. “I would say I’m probably halfway there,” Rogers said. “The arm isn’t ‘in shape to go five, six, seven innings yet. I’m executing my pitches the way I want to, spinning them, moving the ball around, so I’m really happy.” Albernaz liked what he saw from Rogers. “Just check another box from him in his progression,” Albernaz said. “He looked great, throwing strikes, especially with the offspeed stuff. That was a fun outing to watch.” In his first appearance of the spring, Andrew Kittredge retired only one of the four batters he faced. Jonny DeLuca hit a three-run home run. One run scored due to third baseman Weston Wilson’s error. Kittredge, who walked leadoff batter Nick Fortes and struck out Jacob Melton was removed after 23 pitches. “First spring training outing,” Albernaz said. “Slightly smaller pitch count for him.” Tyler Wells pitched a spotless fifth inning, striking out two. Anthony Nunez threw a scoreless sixth and Nestor German allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out four. Tyler O’Neill, who’ll be heading to play for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday, was 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI double. “Made some tweaks this offseason to finetune the swing a little bit,” O’Neill said. “A lot of good effort in the offseason with my training program. Physically, I feel really good. Mechanically, I feel good in the box. I feel better than last year.” O”Neill is thrilled playing for Team Canada, and he adjusted his training program accordingly. “I feel if we started playing those games tomorrow, I’d be ready to rock,” he said. “You’ve just got to trust the buildup in Sarasota.” Vance Honeycutt hit his second home run of the spring in the seventh inning. What’s up with Jeisson Cabrera? Cabrera is a 27-year-old right-hander signed as a minor league free agent after pitching in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization since 2018. “I’m learning a lot from guys who have big league experience,” Cabrera said through a team translator. “Paying attention to all the details and the way that the veterans go about their business.” Last season, Cabrera was 4-1 with a 3.71 ERA with two saves in 36 games for Double-A Tulsa, and now he’s in his second organization. “It was a little difficult knowing that I was in their farm system, but at the end of the day, you play for all 30 teams in a way, and you never know which you’ll end up with and will give you the opportunity to play.” In his first outing, Cabrera relieved German in the ninth, recorded two outs, one strikeout and walked two. What’s what? Rogers has pitched well against two American League East opponents. Admittedly, the Yankees and Rays haven’t played their best players, but he’s done what’s asked. What’s the word? “That was a tough loss for us, man. Hard-fought battle all the way to the end. Americans played great. Canadians played great. It came down to one shot. I’d really like to see a 5-on-5 in the future. That’s all that was missing to that game. What a great game, nonetheless.”-O’Neill, a Canadian and hockey fan on looking for revenge in the WBC. What’s the number? 2. Honeycutt, the Orioles’ No. 1 draft choice in 2024, struck out 178 times and hit five home runs in 101 games for High-A Aberdeen last year. He’s homered twice in two at-bats this spring. “Baseball’s a hard game. Development is messy. It’s not linear,” Albernaz said. “For him to come out and hit homers, we like home runs. The kid can play, and hopefully this gives him a confidence boost.” What’s the record? 3-2-1 The Orioles host the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. on Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium. Dean Kremer will make his final start before the World Baseball Classic against Keider Montero. Kevin Brown and Roch Kubatko have the call on MASN. Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com
SARASOTA–What’s happening? After a day off on Monday, the Orioles played a game that didn’t count in the Grapefruit League standings against Team Netherlands.
Preparing for the World Baseball Classic, Netherlands, which will open tournament play on Friday against Venezuela, received troubling news shortly before gametime when its starting left fielder and leadoff batter, Jurickson Profar, was pulled from the lineup after the news broke that he was facing a 162-game suspension for use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The Atlanta Braves’ outfielder was suspended for 80 games last season.
Ray-patrick Didder, Profar’s replacement in the lineup, hit a leadoff homer. Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela hit a three-run home run and Trevor Rogers allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings in the Orioles’ 8-5 loss to the Netherlands before 3,380 at Ed Smith Stadium.
Rogers, who had allowed two hits in five scoreless innings in his first two starts, has improved this spring, manager Craig Albernaz said.
“Being left-handed helps. He does have a little bit of deception with how he delivers the ball to home. How he’s moving down the mound is the biggest key for him,” Albernaz said. “There was a lot of work being done on that. You saw it last year, but you saw it this year, too, and he’s building off it.”
Second baseman Jackson Holliday, who had surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist on February 11th, is doing well, Albernaz said.
“He’s progressing great,” he said. “He’s not trying to do too much. He’s doing exactly what he should be doing. Most important, he’s out there during practice and during the games with the boys. His progression has been awesome so far.”
Albernaz said Holliday won’t play in Grapefruit League games.
“We’re not banking on it,” he said.
What happened? Rogers was removed during the second inning and returned for the third inning, something that’s allowed in early exhibition games. Albernaz didn’t want him to exhaust his pitch count in two innings. The Orioles committed three of their four errors while Rogers was pitching.
“Rogers’ stuff was really good. He had to get more outs than he should have,” Albernaz said. “Fastball was crisp, breaking ball in the strike zone. He looked great.”
He allowed six runs on six hits, walking one and striking out four, throwing 58 pitches.
“I told [pitching coach Drew] French when I came out, ‘I don’t care what the scoreboard says, I thought like I got some good work out there.’ One of the goals today was [to] work out of the stretch a little bit more, and I definitely did that a lot of that today. It was just one of those days where they were seeing everything,” Rogers said.
It was an unusual lineup of well-known major leaguers: Rafaela, Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies, San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts and Chadwick Tromp, one of seven Oriole catchers last season, as well as unknowns that Rogers faced.
Albies homered against minor league pitcher Tyson Neighbors.
Minor leaguer Joe Glassey each allowed a run. Yennier Cano gave up two hits and walked a batter while striking out two in a scoreless fourth.
Dean Kremer, who’ll pitch for Team Israel in the WBC, pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He walked one and struck out two, throwing 53 pitches.
“The progression’s been great with him,” Albernaz said. “He looks like he’s ready to go. We’re excited for him to go pitch.”
Grant Wolfram threw a spotless ninth, striking out two.
In the first, Jeremiah Jackson, playing shortstop for the first time this spring, and third baseman Bryan Ramos made errors on consecutive batters, causing first baseman Pete Alonso to gather the infield on the mound.
“Sloppy game,” Albernaz said. “It’s frustrating. We’ve got to be better. It’s not indicative of who we are … Our guys are aware of it. They’ll make the adjustment.”
Albernaz likes Alonso’s leadership.
“He was seeing the same thing we were seeing,” he said. “Be that leader. Bring everyone in. Calm everyone down. That was good to see.”
Alonso hit a two-run home run and Jackson homered. Non-roster infielder José Barrero had a two-run single.
Before the game, the Orioles made their first cuts of spring training, optioning right-hander Chayce McDermott to minor league camp and sending right-handers Jeisson Cabrera, Keagan Gillies and Richard Guasch, and infielders Payton Eeles to minor league camp.
Their spring training roster is 69, including 28 minor league invitees and pitchers Félix Bautista and Colin Selby on the 60-day injured list.
What’s up with Willy Vasquez? The 24-year-old infielder signed with the Orioles as a minor league free agent. He spent six seasons with Tampa Bay.
“I’m trying to be consistent this year,” Vasquez said. “Trying to work on the little things I have to be better at. Here on this team, I feel so comfortable.”
Vasquez plays second base, shortstop and third, and with Holliday and Jordan Westburg hurt and Gunnar Henderson playing for Team USA, there should be opportunities in the coming days.
“That’s something I can’t control,” Vasquez said. “If they give me the opportunity, I’m going to be ready. The only thing I can control is to work hard and to be ready for the opportunity if the manager gives it to me. I feel good everywhere they put me. It doesn’t matter where they put me.”
He was out three months last season after hamate bone surgery and hit .256 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 44 games for Double-A Montgomery.
He’s 1-for-7 (.143) this spring.
What’s what? Longtime Orioles athletic trainer Brian Ebel is working with Team Netherlands and was at the game. Ebel left the team after the 2024 season. Mark Shires, a longtime assistant athletic trainer who left the team after the 2025 season, is working with Team Korea.
What’s the word? “We accomplished a lot of good things as far as going from Plan A to Plan B as far as pitching in different ways. I still like where I’m at. If that’s the worst it’s going to be on March 3rd, I’ll take it.”-Rogers on his performance.
What’s the number? 3/5. Alonso has three home runs and five RBIs, even though this game doesn’t count toward Grapefruit League stats.
What’s the record? 5-4-1. The Orioles will host the Houston Astros on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. Shane Baz, who pitched 2 1/3 innings in his first game on Friday, will start. Ben Wagner and Ben McDonald will have the call on MASN.
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com
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