Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees: There's little doubting Jones' ability to send a baseball into a orbit. He proved as much again on Thursday, when he sent a 93 mph fastball from Braves reliever Austin Pope over everything and into the parking lot beyond right field at George M. Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa. The blast was Jones' second of the spring and traveled an estimated 401 feet before touching down on terra firma.

So far this spring, Jones is 2 for 6 with the pair of homers, four strikeouts and a walk. And though those numbers would seem to fall precisely in line with type of player Jones has shown himself to be in recent years, the baseball world this spring has largely been intrigued by how the Yankee slugger’s ever-changing batting stance is reminiscent of another big-time power threat:

Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles: Basallo suffered rightside abdominal discomfort during Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, the club confirmed. Basallo was shaken up on a 9–4–2 relay at the plate. He applied the tag for the out but remained down briefly afterward and was evaluated by a trainer before getting back to his feet. He winced in pain while holding his arm close to his chest.

After the game, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz described the decision to pull Basallo as "precautionary," saying the 21-year-old wasn't likely to undergo further medical testing.

Basallo made his debut on Aug. 17 last year, going 18-for-109 (.165) with four home runs and 15 RBIs. Despite the modest numbers, the performance was enough to earn him an eight-year, $67 million contract extension with the Orioles shortly after.

Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies: Condon performed well the Arizona Fall League last season, and now he’s carrying that prowess into spring training. In the desert, he’s already making a habit of sending baseballs flying out of Cactus League parks. On Thursday, he faced Reiver Sanmartin—Colombia’s representative in the World Baseball Classic—and hit his second spring training home run, a 359-foot blast that left with a 102.8 mph exit velocity.

So far this spring, the 2024 first-round pick has gone 6-for-10 with two home runs and four RBIs in six Cactus League games.

Carter Jensen, C, Royals: Jensen’s ascent with the Royals has been rapid. Once unranked by Baseball America among its Top 100 Prospects, he’s now viewed as one of the game’s most exciting young talents and has almost cracked the top 10, thanks largely to his elite raw power and a strong showing with Kansas City late last year.

On Thursday against the Diamondbacks, he delivered his first homer of the spring, a 102.2 mph two-run missile. He finished the game going 3-for-3, one hit of which had a 105.6 mph exit velocity.

Thomas White, LHP, Marlins: White made his spring training debut with a one-inning outing, throwing 28 pitches, 16 for strikes. The lefthander faced a tough Blue Jays lineup featuring Daulton Varsho, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Kazuma Okamoto, Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez. He also recorded a strikeout against Addison Barger, showing he could handle quality hitters even in a brief appearance. White's fastball sat at 94-95 mph and generated three whiffs in his outing.

Blade Tidwell, RHP, Giants: Blade Tidwell, the Giants' No. 13 prospect entering 2026, made his first Cactus League start of the spring on Thursday against the Rockies, allowing a pair of runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two across two innings.

Tidwell, who made two major league appearances with the Mets last year before coming over to the Giants in a trade, opened in rhythm with clean first inning. He ran into trouble in the second, issuing a leadoff walk to his former Tennessee teammate Jordan Beck, and that free pass quickly turned costly. RBI knocks from Kyle Karros and Charlie Condon followed, forcing him to work from behind.

Tidwell averaged 95.8 mph on his four-seam fastball and generated nine swinging-strikes in just 36 pitches. Tidwell was acquired from New York at the deadline in the Tyler Rogers deal. He also pitched for first-year Giants manager Tony Vitello at Tennessee.

Editor’s Picks

Kade Anderson, Ryan Sloan Impressing At Mariners Spring Training: Jesús Cano checks in from spring training in the desert with more Arizona backfield intel, including early looks at a pair of top Seattle arms. Read more…

The Yankees Almost Traded WHO?: Though the Braves passed on drafting Aaron Judge in 2013, a year later, they made a huge trade offer to Brian Cashman and the Yankees to land the future Hall of Famer. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Carlos Lagrange, RHP, Yankees: Last year, the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski arrived on the MLB scene and turned heads with his big-time stuff. Could Lagrange, who enters 2026 as a Top 100 Prospect, do the same for the Yankees this season? Here’s what BA’s Josh Norris wrote yesterday:

“When Lagrange is on, he’s a nightmare for opposing hitters. Across two levels in 2025, the massive righthander used an upper-90s heater and a pair of nasty breaking balls to rack up 168 strikeouts in 120 innings. He and Orioles righty Trey Gibson were the only two pitchers in the minors to finish the year with 12.0 K/9 across 120 or more innings. His 33.4% strikeout rate was the highest of any pitcher over the same innings threshold.”

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reported that Rangers No. 2 prospect Caden Scarborough had a melanoma removed earlier this month and is now back to preparing for the upcoming season.

• Cubs prospect Jonathon Long, who was supposed to play in the World Baseball Classic for Taiwan, will now stay home to recover from a left elbow sprain.

• No. 2 Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula kept raking with another pair of hits and a run batted in on Thursday.

• The Mariners’ Colt Emerson laced a triple against the Guardians and is now 4 for 11 in five spring games.

• Though a catcher, 2024 Astros first-rounder Walker Janek is known for his basestealing prowess (he had 30 last year). On Thursday, he swipe three bags against Cardinals and scored three runs.

• Top Mets prospect Nolan McLean struck out six over four scoreless, one-hit innings against the Astros.

• Jaxon Wiggins is a potential breakout candidate for the Cubs, but he struggled on Thursday, letting up five earned runs on six hits over an 1.1 innings out of the bullpen.

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