Daily Report – 2/25/26
Yankees
Yesterday in Dunedin, the Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-7. The game was close. The Yankees nearly coughed up the lead in the ninth inning. But had they choked, the blame would have been on their prospects, not their pros.
That said, you can’t spell “prospect” without “pro,” and that’s what the Yankees were at the plate.
The Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System – ABS, for short – is going to drive a fascinating narrative in the regular season. In Spring Training, teams are figuring out how to optimize the system’s presence. Later on, teams may use their challenges more selectively, but the Yankees are using them early in games.
With the ABS challenge system, teams get two challenges per game, but until they miss two, they will retain both. The Yankees won six of their eight challenges yesterday. Austin Wells and José Caballero each went 2-for-2, and Caballero used each of his during a single at-bat, earning a walk.
It seems like the Yankees will take a laissez-faire approach to the challenge system, trusting their players’ instincts, most of the time. Aaron Boone wasn’t thrilled when, in the second inning, Trent Grisham missed his second challenge. The strike call was confirmed, meaning Grisham had struck out.
“I thought [Grisham’s] second one, where he was wrong, was probably a little emotional for him,” Boone said. “He kind of wanted to challenge the first one and then the last one, when he probably wasn’t convicted.”
Boone must treat the challenge system carefully. It will be an important test for the Yankees when they find themselves in high-pressure situations in a few months. Players like Jazz Chisholm Jr., who tends to express all his emotions, must be especially selective with their challenges.
Chisholm believes he can post a 50-50 season, a feat only Shohei Ohtani has accomplished. Chisholm also proclaimed he will reach 100 walks this year.
As if.
It’s okay for Chisholm to set lofty goals, but if he sets his sights too high, his fantasies could cloud reality. The Yankees cannot afford for Chisholm to strike out too frequently, although it would be great if he could swipe 50 bags.
Hopefully, Chisholm understands the risks of aiming for 50 homers. He did go 1-for-2 with a walk yesterday, driving Aaron Judge home in the first inning. Paul Goldschmidt was the Yankees’ best offensive player, though, with two hits in three at-bats, including a two-run homer to dead center field in the second inning. He finished the afternoon with four RBI.
Will Warren toed the slab for New York, striking out four batters in 2 2/3 innings. He was capped at 49 pitches in his first start of Spring Training. Warren wasn’t initially supposed to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster last season, nor was he supposed to become a full-season MLB starter as early as he did. Many scouts believe he came up a year early, especially after posting a 10.32 ERA in five Big League starts in 2024.
Coming off a 33-start rookie campaign, which ended with bullpen struggles in the postseason, Warren could be on pace to impress this season. With the Yankees set to start the season without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, or Clark Schmidt (who will miss the entire year), the 26-year-old righty from Mississippi will once again be a key part of his team’s rotation.
“I know that my stuff plays, based on 33 starts and 170-ish innings,” Warren said. “It’s not trying to do too much. Be Will Warren. Will Warren is good enough to get people out.”
Tonight in Tampa, left-hander Ryan Weathers will make his first start with the Yankees, who will host the Nationals in their first nighttime Spring Training game (6:35 PM, 5:35 PM CT – YES, Gotham Sports).
Schedule
6:35 PM (5:35 PM CST): 2026 Grapefruit League Baseball – NYY vs. WSH; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0, -.-- ERA)
