Morning Briefing: Mets Prepare For Spring Breakout Game

Good morning, Mets fans.

The New York Mets’ Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals is scheduled to take place today at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida with the first pitch scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET. The contest, which is part of a new league-wide initiative by MLB, will feature prospect-laden rosters on both sides in an attempt to showcase the young talent around the league. Dominic Hamel earned the start for the Mets while Jackson Rutledge will open for the Nationals.

For those unable to attend, MMO will provide a complimentary live stream of the game in our Spring Breakout Game Chat beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday. Read more about the Spring Breakout game here.

Now onto the morning briefing.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

LATEST METS NEWS

In Jupiter, Florida yesterday, the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals struggled to generate offense largely due to the efforts of players like José Buttó, who delivered a strong pitching performance as the game ended in a 0-0 tie with both teams mustering just three hits each. Buttó contained the Cardinals’ lineup, which included heavy hitters Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, pitching four scoreless innings while allowing only two hits, walking two and striking out three on 64 pitches, 40 of which were strikes. For more on this game, check out our recap.

The Mets will take on the Nationals in a regularly scheduled spring training game at 6:10 p.m. tonight following the conclusion of the Spring Breakout game as part of a doubleheader at Clover Park. Adrian Houser gets the start for New York while a familiar face in Trevor Williams will toe the rubber for Washington. Coverage will air on SNY.

LATEST MLB NEWS

On the eve of the release of MLB The Show 24, the Chicago Tribune profiles how Toni Stone, the first woman to play professional baseball, came to be featured in the titular baseball video game.

As reported by Katie Woo of The Athletic, St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Tommy Edman is facing a setback as he’s been instructed to halt hitting activities for at least a week. This means he won’t be ready by Opening Day and will begin the season on the injured list.

According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino underwent additional shoulder surgery yesterday, this time targeting an injury to both the shoulder capsule and rotator cuff. There’s no definite timeline for his return, but it seems unlikely he’ll pitch in 2024.

Also reported by Bell, Guardians reliever Trevor Stephan is set to undergo right elbow surgery within the next couple of weeks. Persistent discomfort in his elbow revealed instability in his UCL, causing increased pain. As of now, there’s no estimated timeframe for his return.

The Atlanta Braves have announced that they’ve signed outfielder Adam Duvall to a one-year deal valued at $3 million for the upcoming season. Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the team will platoon Jarred Kelenic with Duvall.

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman has confirmed that he won’t be the Yankees’ Opening Day starter. Following discussions with Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone, they collectively decided that adjusting his schedule at this stage of spring training would pose too many challenges.

As Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported, the Yankees have expressed interest in free-agent starter Michael Lorenzen. The White Sox, among other teams, are also in the mix for his services.

As shared by the MLB Communications X account, Chan Ho Park, the first-ever major league player from South Korea who played for both the Dodgers and Padres, will throw the ceremonial first pitch before the Seoul Series between the two teams on March 20th.