SARASOTA, Fla. - Catcher Jesús Sucre arrived in the Miami late last night, according to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, and he's expected in camp today. Sucre finally got his work visa and left Venezuela. Hyde estimated that the veteran might need less than a week of workouts before he's ready to play. "I'm going to ask him what he's been doing," Hyde said. "I don't even know really, to be honest with you, how much game stuff he's been doing. But I think realistically four or five...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Catcher Jesús Sucre hasn't reported to Orioles camp, but his locker is back. Set up in the same spot before his nameplate disappeared and Cael Brockmeyer arrived from Twin Lakes Park. Sucre has been detained in Venezuela while trying to obtain his work visa. Manager Brandon Hyde's latest update this week included how the paperwork almost was finalized. The Orioles inked Sucre, 30, to a minor league deal on Feb. 1 and invited him to spring training, the idea to toss him...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have posted lineups this morning for both split-squad games, including the afternoon matchup with the Rays in Sarasota that features Alex Cobb's spring debut. Cedric Mullins is leading off and playing center field. Chris Davis is batting third and Trey Mancini is the cleanup hitter and designated hitter. Chance Sisco, with three home runs and eight RBIs, is catching. Stevie Wilkerson is on the move again, starting at second base. For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg will make his first Grapefruit League start this afternoon when the Nationals travel up Interstate 95 to nearby Jupiter to face the Marlins. Strasburg is the final member of the Nats' presumed starting rotation to take a spring turn. The lineup for today's game again does not contain first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who was supposed to play in his first spring exhibition on Wednesday against the Astros at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. That was...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Cobb makes his first spring training start this afternoon in a split-squad game against the Rays, his former team, at Ed Smith Stadium. Meanwhile, Hunter Harvey will come out of the bullpen again and work one inning, just as he did Monday versus the Twins in Fort Myers. A full schedule hasn't been laid out for Harvey. He's told the date he's pitching and the number of innings. What happens beyond it is unveiled later by manager Brandon Hyde. "He just lets me know the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - No matter what happens today when right-hander Alex Cobb makes his first spring start for the Orioles, he's well ahead of where he was at this time last year. This time last year he was a free agent looking for a team. On March 21 he was signed to a four-year deal by the Orioles. The late signing led to a late start to his season, a rushed attempt to get him ready. He pitched in his first game for the Orioles April 14 at Boston. He allowed 15 runs in seven innings his first...

So will the Nats Park crowd greet former Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper in a Phillies uniform April 2 for that first at-bat with resounding boos? Or will there be a standing ovation like Ian Desmond enjoyed in his return to D.C. after leaving for another team? If there are boos, Harper will let it wash off like he has every other time he has been greeted with a negative reaction in an opponent's park. Every time I covered the Nats on the road, in places like Milwaukee, Atlanta, New York,...

This day, in spite of what his most ardent fans hoped, was always bound to come. From the moment the Nationals drafted him No. 1 in the country nearly nine years ago, folks began speculating where Bryce Harper would end up playing once he became a free agent. Would it be New York, home to the most historically successful franchise and some of the most historically important players in baseball? Would it be Chicago, home to an iconic franchise and ballpark with a clubhouse already full of young...

The Phillies this offseason have strengthened their defense, added to their bullpen and added three quality players - shortstop Jean Segura, catcher J.T. Realmuto and reliever David Robertson - and two former National League MVP outfielders, Andrew McCutchen and former National Bryce Harper, who has a 13-year, $330 million free-agent contract to play for one of the Nationals' division rivals. So, does that make the Phillies, who haven't had a winning season since 2011, the odds-on favorite to...

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The competition for the starting job in right field is intensifying with impressive showings from Joey Rickard and Yusniel Diaz. Rickard went 2-for-3 today with a triple, RBI single and run scored. The former Rule 5 pick also stole his first base of the spring and is 4-for-8. Diaz, part of the return from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade and the No. 1 prospect in the organization, went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. He's hitting .500 with seven hits...