SARASOTA – The first exhibition game will be played Friday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. The media won’t be hanging on every pitch and swing in live batting practice.

This is different. This is the next phase of camp.

Let the real fake games begin.

While we’re at it, take a sledgehammer to the mock rosters on Opening Day.

Too many position players? Balderdash! The decision to bring Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo to spring training and to trade for Blaze Alexander seems smarter by the day.

Jackson Holliday is headed to the injured list after having his broken right hamate bone removed Feb 12. His stitches are supposed to be removed Monday. Jordan Westburg arrived at camp with a right oblique strain and could be dealing with something more serious.

Holliday might miss only a couple of weeks beyond Opening Day, but he’s got to be replaced.

Let’s try this again, with Westburg sidelined, just in case he isn’t available on March 26:

Catchers

Adley Rutschman
Samuel Basallo

Infielders

Pete Alonso
Gunnar Henderson
Ryan Mountcastle
Coby Mayo
Blaze Alexander

Outfielders

Taylor Ward
Colton Cowser
Tyler O’Neill
Dylan Beavers
Leody Taveras

If these 12 appear set, and you can’t trust anything nowadays, you have room for Jeremiah Jackson as an extra infielder and corner outfielder. Or maybe it’s plus-defender Luis Vázquez in the infield, especially at shortstop if Henderson backs up at third. Payton Eeles and Weston Wilson also are non-roster invites who offer versatility.

If you are adamant about carrying three catchers, you have room for Sam Huff or Maverick Handley.

If you want Heston Kjerstad on the roster, here you go.

If you trust Alexander to play center field, you could try to pass Taveras and his $2 million contract through waivers.

If you have other ideas about the corner infield, you could option Mayo.

*As for today’s live BP, right-hander Nestor German had three ups and showed why he’s the No. 13 prospect in the system, per Baseball America. Among his successes were a strikeout of Pete Alonso and two ground balls – the second going about 45 feet up the third base line.

Alonso joked that it counted as a knock.

German, who turns 24 in a week, pitched a three levels in 2025 and compiled a 3.93 ERA in 26 games with 143 strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings. He made it to Triple-A for two starts.

“His stuff was real, you know?” Alonso said. “He had like a three-, four-pitch mix. He had two different breaking balls. The splitter’s obviously what really was profound for me. The splitter was good. It just kept me honest with pretty much all of his other pitches. He looked really, really good.

“Splitter opened up everything else. But yeah, he’s one of the tougher ones I’ve had this spring.”

The arms keep impressing Alonso.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Everyone’s nasty nowadays. Everyone’s got elite stuff. They just grow on trees now because you’ve got the pitching labs and stuff like that. All the slow-motion cameras and people just finding new and different grips and discovering new pitches and shapes all the time.

“He’s legit. He’s the real deal.”

*MASN and WBAL Radio are airing Friday afternoon’s game against the Yankees.

Aaron Judge will not be in the lineup, making his debut Saturday, according to New York media.