The World Baseball Classic is almost upon us. As the international tournament gets ready to upstage spring training, their teams will play in exhibition games against MLB teams today and tomorrow before the Classic begins later in the week. The Yankees will host Team Panama this afternoon at Steinbrenner Field. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear this game will be televised; not even on the Gotham App.* With that said, let’s discuss the matchup ahead, which you’ll seemingly have to follow live on social
media.
*If you’re curious, Aaron Judge and Team USA will square off with the Giants on ESPN at 3:08pm ET, while Austin Wells and the Dominican Republic face the Tigers on MLB Network at 6:05pm ET.
Panama will play their games in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a member of Pool A. Their opponents in pool play will be Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and the hosts, Puerto Rico. It’s a fairly wide open group, especially compared to the others—you can read our preview of Pool A here. Indeed, there is a familiar face donning Panama’s colors: José Caballero will be leading off for them today.
Max Fried will make his first start of the spring against an unconventional spring training opponent. Pitching has been the hot topic of camp for the Yankees, with impressive performances from Will Warren and Luis Gil inviting optimism about the rotation even with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón sidelined to begin. That doesn’t make Fried any less vital to this ballclub; and health will obviously be the top priority.
Of course, there’s one notable absence in the Yankees’ lineup today: Aaron Judge has joined Team USA, who are set to play the Giants in an exhibition matchup later this afternoon. There’s still a good representation of starters here today. Trent Grisham will lead off, Ben Rice will follow, and Jasson Domínguez, hitting well in camp as he bids to make the roster, hits third. Giancarlo Stanton has had some worrying stories around him this spring but will bat cleanup today for his first in-game appearance of camp.
Interestingly, Ryan McMahon is listed as starting at shortstop in Caballero’s place, with Paul DeJong sliding to third base (perhaps a test of McMahon’s ability to partially back up at the six with Oswaldo Cabrera unlikely to be active at the start of 2026). J.C. Escarra will catch and bat seventh, followed by second baseman Max Schuemann and right fielder Yanquiel Fernández.
Panama’s starter will be righty Jorge Garcia, a former Giants prospect who most rcently pitched in the Mexican League and Venezuelan Winter League in 2025 and 2026. The 23-year-old had a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts for Durango and a 4.01 mark in 11 for Margarita, and both were better than league average — though he does not get many strikeouts. Panama’s lineup contains a gaggle of current and former big leaguers, as well as a promising prospect. As mentioned, Caballero will hit leadoff; Johan Camargo, a former teammate of Fried in Atlanta, will bat fifth. Enrique Bradfield Jr., a top prospect and Orioles first round pick, rounds out the starting nine. This is a speedy crew without a ton of power (where have you gone, El Caballo?), so a more ’80s style of baseball should be their identity.
How to watch
Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: N/A
Radio broadcast: N/A
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