Here are three things MLBTR readers should keep an eye on in the world of baseball today…
1. The WBC match continues:
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is officially underway! In the first two games of this tournament, South Korea defeated Czechia 11-4 and Australia won 3-0 against Chinese Taipei. Highlights from those games include the Guardians top prospect and the 2024 No. 1 pick. 1 in total Travis Bazzana deep home run to right field as part of Team Australia’s most-hit day (video link) and Astros reliever Shay Whitcomb tying two homers (video) for Team Korea.
Tonight, it will be Australia vs. Czechia at 10pm ET here in North America. Former Phillies farm worker Josh Hendrickson will face Australia and Czechia Tomas Ondra. This is the only official game yet to come today, though Japan and Chinese Taipei will square off in Tokyo at 5am ET tomorrow morning in North America for those who want to watch early morning football. Dodgers star Yoshinobu Yamamoto he gets the ball in Japan and faces the Taiwanese right Hao-Chun Chengwho played briefly in the Dodgers system in 2021 but has spent the past few seasons with the CTBC Brothers in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Injuries limited Cheng to 11 starts last year, but he posted a clean 1.49 ERA in 54 1/3 frames when healthy.
2. Astros facing Peña injury scare:
Star Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was kicked out of yesterday’s WBC show after taking a hard break on his finger. Peña’s Dominican club backed off earlier speculation of a fracture, saying he was undergoing X-rays and met with a hand specialist, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic. The Astros provided a few more details this morning, explaining that Peña took a hard shot to his right ring finger and cracked his nail (via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart). He wanted to continue the game even though his hand was bloody, but he was sent for a test. They will have another update this afternoon.
Peña’s injury scare is a reminder that Houston’s “logjam” can be fixed with just one injury, whether it’s in WBC play or back in Grapefruit League play. If Peña were to require any form of absence, Carlos Correa can slide to shortstop, freeing third base for Isaac Paredes. Jose Altuve again Christian Walker will then handle second and first base, with Jordan Alvarez managing the DH area regularly.
3. Spring games for several players:
Thursday will also see a number of notable pitchers make their spring 2026 debuts. Cardinals fans can get their first official look right Dustin May when they own the Pirates again Mitch Keller in a game scheduled for first pitch at 1:05pm ET. May became a free agent for the first time this winter and signed a one-year, $12MM deal with the St. Louis hoping to put together a healthy season in a new place after injury-hit runs in Los Angeles and (briefly) Boston.
Over in the Cactus League, one of the Dodgers’ former rivals will take the mound for the team’s rival. Walker BuehlerThe Padres debut is set for 3:10pm ET, when he and the Friars host the Mariners and the right-hander. Luis Castillo. Buehler hasn’t been the same since missing the 2023 season with his second UCL reconstruction job. His memorable 2024 World Series performance notwithstanding, Buehler has posted a 5.10 ERA with sub-par strikeout and walk rates in 40 starts since returning in 2024. After consecutive poor showings in 2024-25, he got a minor league deal with San Diego this winter.
Another outing worth keeping a close eye on will be tonight’s Orioles-Rays tilt, where Baltimore is right. Zach Eflin will be playing in an official venue for the first time since undergoing back surgery (lumbar discectomy) last August. Eflin was a free agent at the end of the season but reacquired the O’s on a one-year, $10MM contract in hopes of rebounding from a disastrous 2025 performance (5.93 ERA in 71 1/3 innings). Eflin’s poor results were obviously affected by his health (or lack thereof). Most recently in 2023-24, he pitched 343 innings of 3.54 ERA ball with a sharp 23.1% strikeout rate and an elite 3.5% walk rate between Tampa Bay and Baltimore.
