Woodford is a five-year veteran; he has played in 89 career games (25 starts) with a 10-13 record, a 4.88 ERA, a 1.411 WHIP and 145 total strikeouts.

He pitched the first four seasons of his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Last season, he split time with the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates; in nine total games, he recorded a 7.97 ERA.

The 28-year-old spent spring training with the Colorado Rockies. He pitched 12 innings, allowing 12 hits, four walks and seven runs while striking out six. On Sunday, he opted out of his minor league deal and elected free agency.

The Yankees' rotation has been decimated by injuries with Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil (lat) on the 60-day IL. Woodford will give them additional pitching depth at the minor league level.

The deal will pay Margot $1.3 million in the major leagues and $200,000 in the minors. The 30-year-old can also earn $300,000 performance bonuses for 200, 300, 400 and 500 plate appearances reached -- each with the big club.

Margot spent 2024 with the Minnesota Twins, where he batted .238, with four home runs, 31 RBIs, 37 runs, and five stolen bases in 129 games. He added 17 doubles and one triple.

Over a nine-year career with the San Diego Padres (2016-2019), Tampa Bay Rays (2020-2023) and the Twins, the right-handed hitter has a .254 average with 56 homers, 314 RBIs, 352 runs and 96 stolen bases in 917 games.

Outfielder Parker Meadows was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster. He is set to miss at least the next four weeks with a nerve issue and inflammation in his upper right arm.

With Matt Vierling (rotator cuff) also set to miss Opening Day for the Tigers, Margot adds needed depth and can help fill a void in center field. He has played all three outfield positions and will give Tigers manager A.J. Hinch more flexibility with his lineup.

A Dominican Republic native, Margot was signed as an international free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 2011.

The Yankees had taken a 6-3 lead thanks to a three-run seventh followed by Spencer Jones' home run in the eighth. Yankees reliever Jordany Ventura hit a batter and allowed a walk before Nimmo hit his first homer of the spring. Ventura recovered by striking out the next three batters to preserve the tie.

Brett Baty and Pete Alonso also homered for the Mets, who open the season Thursday at the Houston Astros.

Pablo Reyes went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs for the Yankees, who will play an exhibition game against the Marlins in Miami on Tuesday before their regular-season opener Thursday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

Phillies 8, Rays 6

Host Philadelphia racked up 13 hits in a victory over Tampa Bay in Clearwater, Fla.

The Phillies took the lead for good in a four-run sixth featuring run-scoring doubles by Rafael Marchan, Johan Rojas (two RBI) and Edmundo Sosa. Kyle Schwarber, Max Kepler and Marcus Lee Sang also hit RBI doubles.

Josh Lowe had a two-run double to give the Rays a 4-3 lead earlier in the game. Taylor Walls added an RBI double.

Twins 5, Pirates 1

Edouard Julien hit a three-run homer, Ty France went 3-for-3 with a run and Minnesota turned back visiting Pittsburgh in Fort Myers, Fla.

Byron Buxton added a solo shot for the Twins, whose starting pitcher Bailey Ober finished the spring 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA after going 3 1/3 innings with one run, two hits and two strikeouts Monday.

Bryan Reynolds drove in the Pirates' lone run off Buxton in the third. Pittsburgh batters struck out 14 times.

Orioles at Nationals, canceled

An exhibition game in Washington was canceled due to rain. The contest will not be rescheduled.

"I don't think it will be long, long," Dombrowski said ahead of an exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Rays. "But we're going to be slow. We're not going to bring him back until he feels good. And he feels good now, but now, we're in that stage where we have to build him up."

Suarez, 29, underwent testing after feeling tightness on March 16, one day after pitching in an intrasquad game. He has not pitched since.

Manager Rob Thomson had said Wednesday it's "not as bad" as last season, when lower back soreness sent Suarez to the 15-day injured list in late July.

Taijuan Walker will take the fifth spot in the rotation in Suarez's absence, which Dombrowski called a "great opportunity" for the 13-year veteran.

"It's good to have somebody like that," Dombrowski said. "I hope he pitches like he did a couple years ago. I don't see why he can't with what he has now."

Walker, 32, is in the third season of a four-year, $72 million contract.

He posted a career high for victories when he went 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 31 starts in 2023, his first campaign with the Phillies. But Philadelphia didn't use him once in the postseason -- the club played in three rounds -- and that drew Walker's ire.

Last season, he missed nearly two months with a right index finger injury and never got things going. Walker served up 18 homers in just 70 2/3 innings before being demoted to the bullpen in late August after a particularly rough outing where he was torched for six runs and 13 hits in six innings in a 10-0 loss to the Houston Astros.

Walker owns a 72-63 record and 4.19 ERA in 217 appearances (209 starts) with the Seattle Mariners (2013-16, 2020), Arizona Diamondbacks (2017-19), Toronto Blue Jays (2020), New York Mets (2021-22) and Phillies. He was an All-Star for the Mets in 2021.

Suarez was an All-Star last season and finished 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA in 27 starts. He has a 41-29 career record with a 3.42 ERA in 161 games (93 starts) for the Phillies since making his debut in 2018.

An All-Star in 2021 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, Narvaez played his first three seasons with the White Sox. He saw action in just 77 combined games over the last two seasons for the New York Mets.

The 33-year-old has batted .251 with 53 home runs and 203 RBIs in 677 career games with the White Sox, Seattle Mariners, Brewers and Mets. He batted .250 (6-for-24) with two RBIs in 11 Cactus League games this spring.

Narvaez signed as a free agent with the White Sox in January, with reports indicating a possibility he could return to the club on a minor league deal.

Chicago appears set to go with Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss as catchers to open the season.

Strahm reportedly tore the fingernail on his left middle finger while getting ready to depart from the team's spring home in Clearwater, Fla.

The injury is not expected to jeopardize Strahm's Opening Day roster spot after he struggled in two spring training appearances by giving up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. He dealt with a shoulder injury earlier in the spring.

The Phillies open the regular season on the road Thursday against the Washington Nationals.

Strahm went 6-2 with a 1.87 ERA in 66 relief appearances for the Phillies last season when he was named an All-Star for the first time. In nine major league seasons, he is 32-35 with a 3.44 ERA and nine saves in 329 appearances (35 starts) for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Phillies.

Snell, 32, is a two-time Cy Young Award winner who was signed as a free agent by the Dodgers in November on a five-year, $182 million deal. He is one of two new additions to the starting rotation, along with right-hander Roki Sasaki.

Snell did not pitch in either of the Dodgers' two regular-season games of the Tokyo Series last week against the Chicago Cubs. He did pitch in an exhibition game against Japan's Hanshin Tigers when he had seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch in Friday's game against the Tigers, while Sasaki was announced as the starter against Detroit on Saturday. Yamamoto earned the win in the season opener against the Cubs last Tuesday, while Sasaki went three innings in his major league debut against the Cubs on Wednesday.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-hander Tyler Glasnow will make his 2025 debut next Monday in a home game against the Atlanta Braves, while right-hander Dustin May pitches the following day against the Braves.

Glasnow missed the final 1 1/2 months of the regular season last year, and the playoffs, with an elbow injury. May has not pitched in a regular-season game since May of 2023 following Tommy John surgery.

Betts said he feels like his body is "kind of eating itself" and has consumed only smoothies and other liquid calories for nearly two weeks. Betts did not play in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs last week and his return date remains unclear while a specific medical diagnosis continues to be fleeting.

Part of the concern is regaining strength and stamina. The former MVP was originally diagnosed with a stomach virus, with all of the original symptoms now gone, except for recurring vomiting.

Betts was in the Dodgers' lineup for an exhibition home game Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels but was scratched well in advance of first pitch.

Betts weighed around 175 pounds as recently as two weeks ago. He said he's at 157 pounds this week because he cannot consume solid food without vomiting.

"I don't think anybody really knows. My body's just kind of eating itself, and so it's hard to not fuel it," Betts said. "Every time, literally, every time I fuel my body, I throw it up and I don't know what to do about it."

Manager Dave Roberts plans to use Betts as his everyday shortstop this season. Without him, the Dodgers went 2-0 against the Cubs in Tokyo while Miguel Rojas played short.

The 32-year-old Betts did take infield practice on Sunday before he was scratched after he vomited. He will not be with the team for its game at Anaheim on Monday and instead will go through a workout at Dodger Stadium. He said more medical tests will be upcoming if the vomiting persists.

"It's just hard to fathom not eating and going to play a game," Betts said. "So it looks like I'm just going to be light for a little bit. Maybe I play uphill a little bit for the beginning of the season. But no, I just want to play, man. I'm tired of sitting, tired of throwing up, tired of doing all this. I really just want to play."

After exhibition games against the Angels on Monday and Tuesday, the Dodgers resume the regular season Thursday against the Tigers.

"It's certainly not ideal as we look at the home opener," Roberts said late Sunday night. "So we'll just kind of take it day by day."

ESPN said it's a one-year, $2 million deal, plus $500,000 in incentives.

Yarbrough had been at spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays on a minor league deal but opted out.

The 33-year-old Yarbrough was used exclusively as a reliever last season in 44 games split between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Blue Jays, finishing 5-2 with a career-best 3.19 ERA in 98 2/3 innings over 44 games. He had one save.

He began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22) and also has pitched for the Kansas City Royals.

In 196 games (68 starts), Yarbrough is 53-40 with a 4.21 ERA.

McClanahan, who turns 28 on April 28, was scheduled to start the Rays' season opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. He will be replaced by Ryan Pepiot.

An All-Star in 2022 and 2023 when he started both Opening Day games, McClanahan made an early exit in the third inning of his final spring training start on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox.

The team said after the game that McClanahan's pain was from left triceps tightness. Cash said that after further examination that it was from "nerve irritation."

"Probably the best news we could have heard," Cash said. "We haven't put a timeframe on it. I'm going to talk to Mac and see how it feels. We've got to just let it (triceps) calm down. Obviously, he aggravated it enough to come out and need some extra treatment. But I don't think we have a timeframe quite yet."

Coming off Tommy John surgery, McClanahan has not appeared in a major league game since August 2023.

"When anybody walks off the mound, it's very easy for our minds to wander to the worst-case scenario," Cash said. "I was actually confident (Saturday), it being a tricep, where he talked about it like a strain, something you can manage and treat. I didn't go right to surgery (mentally) for whatever reason. For the doctors to look at it and get the imaging, I mean, we're very fortunate."

McClanahan finished the spring with no runs, five hits and two walks allowed with eight strikeouts in seven innings over three starts.

After three major league seasons, McClanahan has a record of 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA in 74 games. The two-time All-Star has thrown 404 2/3 innings with 116 walks and 456 strikeouts.

Anderson, 26, was contending for a spot in the Braves' starting rotation but has not pitched at the major league level since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2023.

He has walked 20 batters in 20 innings this spring, including two in three scoreless innings on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, with 10 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in six games (four starts).

"Before he got hurt, he was an up-and-coming, pretty good pitcher," said Angels manager Ron Washington, who coached in Atlanta from 2017-23. "I don't think he lost the ability to pitch. We were left-handed-heavy in our bullpen, and this gives us an opportunity to get a right-hander in there. Although Ian Anderson is a starter, I think he'll certainly help us out of the bullpen. Just trying to get ourselves better as we move forward to Opening Day."

Atlanta selected Anderson with the third overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. From 2020-22, he was 22-13 with a 3.97 ERA, 121 walks and 262 strikeouts in 272 1/3 innings over 52 regular-season starts.

He was a combined 4-0 in the postseason with a 1.26 ERA, 17 walks and 40 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings in 2020-21, including the Braves' run to the 2021 World Series championship.

Suarez, 27, was 1-2 last season with one save, a 5.47 ERA, 27 walks and 56 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings over 22 games (three starts) as he converted from a starter to a reliever.

The native of Venezuela has spent his entire career with the Angels, making his debut in 2019 and compiling a 20-29 record with one save, a 5.47 ERA, 154 walks and 346 strikeouts in 376 2/3 innings over 99 games (61 starts).

"The Braves are getting a bulldog. We're going to miss Suarez," Washington said. "I'm not taking anything from Suarez, saying that ‘he was no good for us, that's why we traded him.' We do what we do to make us better, and he just happened to be the guy that we made a trade for him. Atlanta probably needed him, and we felt like we needed Ian Anderson."

Stott lined a rocket to left center in the bottom of the fifth, and the two Detroit outfielders collided, allowing J.T. Realmuto and Stott to score safely for a 2-1 lead. Stott made it 3-1 by following up that scoring play with an RBI single in the seventh, as he finished 2-for-3 for the day.

Brandon Marsh padded the lead with an RBI single later in the seventh. Phillies standout Aaron Nola (1-0) was sharp to earn the win, surrendering three hits and a run in five innings of work. He had four strikeouts.

The Tigers grabbed an early lead in the third inning on Kevin McGonigle's solo home run.

Astros 8, Nationals 6

Houston exploded for 15 hits to hold host Washington at bay in Palm Beach, Fla.

German Ramirez knocked in two runs with his eighth-inning single, while Will Bush hit a solo home run for insurance in the ninth. Brendan Rodgers had a run-scoring double in the second.

Donta' Williams went 2-for-2 with a home run and two runs for the Nationals.

Orioles 5, Braves 5

Host Atlanta scored two runs in the seventh to tie the game and spoil a strong day for several Baltimore players in North Port, Fla.

Jurickson Profar scored Colby Jones and Will Verdung with his double to center to force the tie. Jones went 2-for-2, while Jarred Kelenic had a two-run single.

The Orioles' Dean Kremer went 5 1/3 innings in relief, piling up 10 strikeouts. Ramon Urias had a home run, while Jackson Holliday went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Rays 3, Yankees 3

Two fifth-inning home runs staked host New York to a 3-2 lead, but Tampa Bay rallied for the tie in Tampa, Fla.

Anthony Volpe hit a solo shot to cut into Tampa Bay's early 2-0 lead, then Austin Wells followed it up with a two-run blast to give New York the lead in the fifth.

The Rays' Jonathan Aranda answered with an RBI double in the sixth. Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run in the first to provide the early advantage.

Nationals 2, Cardinals 1

Brandon Pimentel's RBI groundout broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth as Washington's split squad beat host St. Louis in a low-scoring affair in Jupiter, Fla.

St. Louis led 1-0 when Masyn Winn scored on Brendan Donovan's fielder's choice play in the third. The Nationals tied it up on Alex Call's RBI single in the fifth.

Cardinals starter Erick Fedde posted four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings, surrendering five hits and an unearned run.

Blue Jays 2, Pirates 1

Chris Bassitt struck out four as Toronto edged visiting Pittsburgh in Dunedin, Fla.

Bassitt (2-0) earned the win, going 5 2/3 innings and surrendering two hits and one run. Nathan Lukes hit an RBI single.

Joey Bart knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly for the Pirates. Both teams had just four hits.

Mets 10, Marlins 2

Alexander Canario went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs as New York crushed visiting Miami in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Tyrone Taylor added a home run and two RBIs on 2-for-3 hitting, while Brandon Nimmo went 3-for-4 with a triple and a double. Starling Marte set the tone for the Mets with a first-inning homer.

Rob Brantly and Eric Wagaman had RBI singles for the Marlins.

Twins 9, Red Sox 3

Mickey Gasper hit a leadoff home run and Jake Rucker and Armando Alvarez each finished with two hits and two RBIs as visiting Minnesota racked up 19 hits to beat Boston in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Twins racked up a 5-0 lead through four innings as Edouard Julien contributed a run-scoring double in between Alvarez's RBI single and RBI double.

Rafael Devers had two of Boston's six hits and got the Red Sox on the board with his fifth-inning RBI single.

An All-Star with the club in 2018, he spent parts of six seasons in Seattle.

"Putting on a Mariners uniform and playing at T-Mobile Park is something I'll cherish forever," Haniger, 34, said in a team news release. "To our fans, my teammates, and everyone a part of this organization, thank you for embracing my family and me.

"We have so many great memories to look back on."

Haniger was with the Mariners in 2017-19, 2021-22 and 2024. He was part of the 2022 squad that made the playoffs -- the first Mariners team to achieve the feat since 2001 -- and received American League MVP votes in 2018 and 2021.

He struggled this spring, hitting just .167 in seven games. One of his three hits was a solo home run -- his only RBI in Cactus League play.

"Mitch has been a significant part of Mariners history and will be missed," said Jerry Dipoto, the president of baseball operations. "The day he arrived for his first spring training back in 2017, he established himself as one of the most focused, prepared, and hardest working players I've ever been around.

"We all appreciate the many ways he's made us all better, on the field and off."

Haniger was selected in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a deadline-day deal in 2014.

In November 2016, Arizona traded him along with Zac Curtis and Jean Segura to the Mariners for Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker.

In total, Haniger played in 651 regular-season games with the Mariners, batting .254 with 119 homers and 350 RBIs. He also played in 95 games split between the Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants.

Gardner and his wife, Jessica, announced the passing of Miller Gardner in a social media post distributed by the Yankees on Sunday.

"With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller. He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation," the Gardners wrote. "We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st."

The family did not disclose the location of their vacation or his death.

The Yankees issued a statement in support of the Gardners.

"Words feel insignificant and insufficient in trying to describe such an unimaginable loss. It wasn't just Brett who literally grew up in this organization for more than 17 years -- so did his wife, Jessica, and their two boys, Hunter and Miller," the team said.

"We grieve with Brett, Jessica, Hunter, and their community of family and friends in mourning the loss of Miller, who had a spark in his eyes, an outgoing and feisty personality, and a warm and loving nature.

"Our love for the Gardner family is unconditional and absolute, and we will offer our enduring support while understanding their desire for privacy at this time.

"May Miller rest in peace."

In their post, the Gardners said of Miller:

"Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day."

Gardner, 41, made his major league debut in 2008 and played 1,688 games with the Yankees through the 2021 season. He won the World Series with New York in 2009.

Meadows is expected to be out at least four weeks due to a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. Vierling is nursing a rotator cuff injury while Baddoo is dealing with an ailing hand after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a fracture.

Margot, 30, batted .238 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 129 games last season, his first with the Minnesota Twins.

He is a career .254 hitter with 56 homers and 314 RBIs over parts of nine seasons with the San Diego Padres (2016-19), Tampa Bay Rays (2020-23) and the Twins.

Henderson, 23, is under one month removed from sustaining the strained intercostal muscle that knocked him out of Grapefruit League games on Feb. 27.

"It's definitely something we don't want to linger into the season and throughout the season," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said recently. "You want to make sure that's free and clear. He's so important to us. We want to make sure he's right and he's not playing through any sort of injury or soreness the first part of the season."

Henderson played 159 games and was a first-time All-Star in 2024 with 37 home runs, 31 doubles, 92 RBIs and an OPS of .893. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2023.

He has batted .268 with 69 homers and 192 RBIs in 343 career games with Baltimore.

Kirk is due to make $4.6 million this season. Per MLB.com, this extension will buy out his final year of arbitration in 2026 and the four seasons that follow.

Kirk, 26, was due to hit free agency following the 2026 season.

"Kirky has elite mental attributes. Elite," Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said. "He slows the game down as well as anybody I've seen. He reminds me of other great players I've seen. There's almost nobody I can imagine I'd want to catch a (wicked) slider in the ninth inning with the tying run on third base, or be up at the plate. He's just going to be (steady)."

Kirk's role as the primary catcher was cemented when Danny Jansen was sent away at last summer's trade deadline. Kirk batted. 253 with five homers and 54 RBIs in 103 games last season.

An All-Star in 2022, Kirk is hitting .264 with 36 homers and 187 RBIs in 434 career games with the Blue Jays.

Over parts of three seasons with Cleveland and Colorado, Jones has hit .265 with 25 home runs and 103 RBIs in 213 games, with 40 doubles, five triples and 25 stolen bases.

In parts of three seasons with the Guardians since debuting in 2022, Freeman hit .223 with 11 home runs, 24 doubles, one triple, 17 stolen bases and 53 RBIs in 206 games.

Eflin and six relievers combined on a no-hitter as Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 4-0 with the teams' regular-season opener less than a week away.

Eflin pitched the first three innings, striking out four and walking one. Riley Cooper ended the no-hitter by striking out Matt Gorski. Cooper threw one inning, fanning two and walking none. Relievers Gregory Soto, Yennier Cano, Cionel Perez, Bryan Baker and Roansy Contreras also worked a hitless inning for Baltimore. Soto gave up the Orioles' other two walks, and Perez (1-0) was the winning pitcher, striking out two.

Livan Soto led the Orioles' offense, going 2-for-4. He had one RBI in Baltimore's three-run seventh.

Skenes, the National League Rookie of the Year last season, gave up no runs and one hit over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one. Skenes has been named the starter for the Pirates' opener on Thursday at Miami, while Eflin is scheduled to start on the same day for the Orioles at the Toronto Blue Jays.

Blue Jays 2, Twins 1

Max Scherzer won his first game of the spring, pitching four shutout innings to help visiting Toronto edge Minnesota in Fort Myers, Fla.

Scherzer (1-0), signed by the Blue Jays as a free agent in February, gave up two hits, walked one and struck out four. The 40-year-old, who is entering his 18th major league season, lowered his spring ERA to 1.38.

Alan Roden had two hits and an RBI for Toronto, while Byron Buxton homered for Minnesota.

Phillies 8, Yankees 7

Aaron Judge hit his first home run of the spring, but host New York fell to Philadelphia in Tampa, Fla.

Judge, the 2024 American League MVP with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and a .322 batting average, launched a two-run homer in the third inning off the Phillies' Jesus Luzardo. Judge is hitting only .138 with five RBIs in 29 at-bats this spring,

Robert Moore hit a three-run homer to highlight the Phillies' eight-run ninth inning. The blast came off loser Leonardo Pestana (0-1), the sixth Yankees reliever.

Braves 0, Tigers 0

Behind a combined six pitchers, Atlanta and host Detroit played to a scoreless tie in Lakeland, Fla.

Reynaldo Lopez started for the Braves, surrendering five hits over six innings as his spring ERA dropped to 2.08. He struck out two and walked none. Bryce Elder threw the final three innings (one hit, three strikeouts, no walks).

Jack Flaherty pitched the first six innings for the Tigers. He gave up three hits, struck out five and walked none. Three relievers finished.

Rays 14, Red Sox 2

Kenny Piper and Taylor Walls drove in four runs apiece to lead host Tampa Bay past Boston in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Walls had a three-run homer in the fifth as the Rays built an 11-0 lead, and Piper hit a three-run triple in the second.

Wilyer Abreu and Kristian Campbell hit solo home runs for the Red Sox.

Nationals 5, Mets 5

Each team had eight hits as Washington and host New York tied in the matchup in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Jacob Young had two hits and two RBIs for the Nationals, and Francisco Lindor and four others drove in a run apiece for the Mets. New York's Hayden Senger hit a solo home run.

Left-hander MacKenzie Gore gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in three innings for the Nationals. He struck out four. Mets starter Tylor Megill lasted 5 1/3 innings, surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks. He fanned five.

Cardinals 8, Marlins (ss) 2

Willson Contreras' two-run homer highlighted a four-run first inning that carried visiting St. Louis past a Miami split squad in Jupiter, Fla.

Jordan Walker drove in three runs for the Cardinals, and starter Matthew Liberatore (1-0) got the win after giving up one run and two hits over four innings.

Valente Bellozo (0-2) was the losing pitcher. He surrendered four runs and five hits over five innings to raise his spring ERA to 9.45.

Steer managed to mostly play through the right shoulder soreness last season but it was still an issue when he started camp this spring.

He last appeared in a Cactus League game on Feb. 27. He had a cortisone injection on March 1 and was shut down until March 12. He started throwing earlier this week and appeared in a minor league game Thursday as a designated hitter.

"I talked to him, and he understands that being a full-time DH isn't best for him or our team," Francona said. "I understand coming back, we're going to have to message it a little bit, but if we can get him playing a position, that'll help."

Steer, 27, had imaging on the tests which showed no structural issues in the shoulder.

No timetable for his return was announced.

"I talked to him for a while," Francona said. "I give the kid so much credit. He's busting his (butt). But he's also such a good kid that he listens, and he gives you good opinions. ... We've got to see how he progresses, that's the most important thing."

Steer was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2019 MLB Draft and made his major league debut in August of 2022 after being traded to the Reds.

In 158 games last season, primarily as the left fielder or first baseman, Steer hit .225 with 20 home runs and a team-leading 92 RBIs.

In 342 career games, Steer has batted .245 with 45 home runs and 186 RBIs.