SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles turned in their busiest day of spring training with early meetings and lingering physicals followed by stretching and the first full-squad workout of camp. Players were spread over every field at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Live batting practice was held in the stadium and on fields 2-4. "We're getting guys going, getting ready for games," said manager Brandon Hyde. "I think some days you start on the first day, sometimes you start on the second day, but the...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Juan Soto strode into the Nationals clubhouse this morning with all the swagger you expect from him. He gave hugs to teammates he hadn't seen since September, shared offseason stories and confidently conducted a lengthy interview with reporters in English. He was, in every way, a major league ballplayer completely comfortable in his surroundings. Which was all the more remarkable when you consider he'd never been in those surroundings before. Soto, you may recall,...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - When last we saw and heard from Howie Kendrick - 2 1/2 months ago at Winterfest - the rehabbing veteran said he "should" be ready for the start of spring training. At that point, he hadn't really tested his repaired Achilles tendon much, aside from some running on an anti-gravity treadmill. Today, as Nationals position players officially reported for spring training, Kendrick no longer had to include any qualifiers in assessing his status. He's here. He's good to...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The first full-squad workout today will feature 14 pitchers throwing live batting practice spread over four fields. Andrew Cashner, Dylan Bundy and Sean Gilmartin will throw off the Ed Smith Stadium mound. Nathan Karns, David Hess, Hunter Harvey and Cody Carroll are grouped together. So are Luis Ortiz, Dillon Tate, Evan Phillips and Tanner Scott. Gabriel Ynoa, Branden Kline and Jimmy Yacabonis are together on another back field. Left-hander Richard Bleier will throw another...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As position players across baseball report for spring training and other teams continue to seek upgrades via the large pool of still unsigned free agents, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo suggested he's perfectly content going into the season with the group he already has in place. "I really like the roster that we constructed so far," Rizzo said Sunday evening during a local gathering of GMs and managers from most clubs that train in Florida. "I think we filled...

If the goal was to create competition for playing time and jobs, the Orioles have more than done that in their infield, especially up the middle. Over the weekend, the club signed 32-year-old Alcides Escobar to a minor league deal. He's an 11-year major league veteran who played in the 2015 All-Star Game and also won a Gold Glove that year with Kansas City. Escobar was exclusively a shortstop in his big league career until adding to that last season with the Royals. He made 104 starts at...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Rob Manfred doesn't know when you'll see Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and the other still unsigned free agents report for spring training, but he expects it to happen soon. Major League Baseball's commissioner does know when you'll see a pitch clock ticking down during games: Next weekend, when the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues open play. During a 26-minute Q&A with reporters here this evening, Manfred revealed the league's intention to start using a 20-second...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reached another spring mile marker today with the first full-squad workout. Every player is in camp except for infielder Alcides Escobar, who's expected to report later today, catcher Jesús Sucre and pitcher Gregory Infante - the latter two stuck in Venezuela for visa and health reasons. "(Today) definitely does step it up a notch. There's no doubt," said manager Brandon Hyde. "There are going to be balls flying all over the place. We're going to have...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - He's not about to start playing nine innings on Feb. 23 or make the five-hour round trip for a road game in Lake Buena Vista, but Ryan Zimmerman will see more game action this spring. Really, he has little choice but to make a change from his controversial preparation plan last spring, when he stayed almost exclusively on minor league fields and took only two at-bats in major league games, then proceeded to come out of the gates slow and suffer an oblique strain that...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles aren't suffering from a shortage of infielders in camp. Major league and minor league deals. Guys come off the 40-man roster, clear waivers and receive invites. Bringing in Alcides Escobar raises the infield total to 14 and most of them can man the middle. No one has been anointed as the starter at third base, shortstop or second base. "I think it keeps the competition going in camp," said manager Brandon Hyde. "I'm excited about the mix of middle infielders we...