Games today! Here’s what to watch for in Cactus/Grapefruit League play

It’s finally here: the first day of Spring Training games. As Cactus League and Grapefruit League action gets underway with seven games today followed by a full slate on Saturday, big storylines abound.

From the implementation of new technology for tracking balls and strikes to stars making their debuts in new uniforms and top prospects competing to make the Opening Day roster, here’s a look at three of them:

ABS is full-go

After being tested for the past few years in the Minor Leagues and in some of last year’s Major League Spring Training games, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will be used in every game between MLB teams played at an MLB stadium in 2026.

That includes Spring Training, when many players will get their first look at and have their first experience with the new challenge system. For the first time, every Spring Training ballpark is equipped with the T-Mobile-powered technology, and just as with getting their timing down at the plate and working on their repertoires on the mound, players will be getting used to the ABS Challenge System before Opening Day.

There’s much more to it than tech, though -- with the new technology will come new strategies for teams. Each team will have two challenges to start a game, and if the game goes to extra innings, a team out of challenges will receive one for the 10th inning. Moving forward, if either club has used up its challenge by the beginning of the next frame, it will receive another.

Only the batter, the pitcher or the catcher will be allowed to challenge any given call. And already, we’re seeing certain strategies being formulated on that front, such as teams only allowing the catcher to issue a challenge -- Braves left-hander Chris Sale gave an explanation of why teams might take that approach.

One player who is very happy to welcome the new challenge system is the 6-foot-7 Aaron Judge. The three-time MVP has presented a challenge for home plate umpires in the past, given his large frame. In fact, Judge has already made use of the ABS Challenge System this spring.

Here’s a primer with everything you need to know about the ABS Challenge System and how it will be implemented around baseball this year.

New faces in new places

Each spring, we see notable players wearing new uniforms after signing with or being traded to a new club. This year, there are several stars who will be making their debuts with a new team.

The players who were considered the top hitter and top reliever on the free-agent market will don Dodger blue for the first time in game action -- slugging right fielder Kyle Tucker and elite reliever Edwin Díaz will help the two-time defending World Series champs go for a three-peat, and it begins with tuneups in Cactus League play. The Dodgers open their spring slate against the Angels on Saturday in Tempe.

The Mets look a lot different as they open Grapefruit League play on Saturday in Port St. Lucie against the Marlins. Gone are Díaz, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and others. In the fold are Bo Bichette -- New York’s big offseason splash signing -- star right-hander Freddy Peralta, infielders Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco, outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.

Speaking of Alonso, the slugging first baseman will make his debut with the Orioles after inking a five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore. Joining him in that category are outfielder Taylor Ward and flamethrowing closer Ryan Helsley. The O’s will take on the Yankees in the first Spring Training game of the year today at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.

We’ll be seeing All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman take the field for the Cubs after he joined the North Siders on a five-year, $175 million contract. The Cubs will open Cactus League play against their Windy City brethren, the White Sox, today at Sloan Park in Mesa. The White Sox landed Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, and we’ll see him step into the box for his first Major League plate appearance.

In Toronto, the defending American League champion Blue Jays decided to strike while the iron is hot, and as a result, we’ll be seeing right-hander Dylan Cease and Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto in Blue Jays uniforms when they get underway with Grapefruit League contests in Dunedin.

The Tigers have added two prominent hurlers to their starting rotation, bringing aboard left-hander Framber Valdez and bringing back decorated veteran Justin Verlander to where it all began for him in Detroit.

And while we’re on the topic of players returning to where their stardom began, Carlos Correa is going to be back in Astros camp after Houston acquired him in a trade with the Twins. And slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who began his big league career with the Tigers, has returned to where he became a star -- Cincinnati.

More new faces in new places as Spring Training games get underway include second baseman Brendan Donovan, who was traded from the Cardinals to the Mariners; left-hander Ranger Suarez and first baseman Willson Contreras with the Red Sox; outfielder Brandon Nimmo with the Rangers; three-time batting champ Luis Arraez with the Giants and first baseman Josh Bell, who signed with the Twins.

The future is now

Each spring, you can count on players competing for either a starting role or to make the Opening Day roster with a strong showing in Cactus League and Grapefruit League play. That includes top prospects, and there are a lot of them in big league camp this year.

Among the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, 72 will be with their Major League club for Spring Training -- including 23 of the top 25, and each of the top 12.

The No. 1 prospect in the game, slugging shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin, is in Bradenton with the Bucs, and he’s already made headlines with his power displays, which included his first homer off live pitching this spring on Wednesday.

Griffin, the ninth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, has a real shot to head north from Florida with the Pirates when it’s all said and done.

Colt Emerson, the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect (and No. 9 overall), will be competing for a spot on Seattle’s Opening Day roster. The 20-year-old has primarily played shortstop as a pro, but he’s also seen reps at second and third. With J.P. Crawford entrenched at short, a hot spring by Emerson could give the M’s more infield options, pairing him with the versatile Donovan.

The Giants will open their Cactus League slate in Peoria against the Mariners on Saturday, and their top prospect (No. 25 in baseball), first baseman Bryce Eldridge, is looking to prove he belongs in the big leagues on Opening Day after getting his first taste of the Majors last September.

At Phillies’ camp in Clearwater, right-hander Andrew Painter -- the organization’s No. 1 prospect and ranked by MLB Pipeline as No. 28 overall -- is finally healthy and ready to compete for a spot in Philadelphia’s starting rotation after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Phils open their Grapefruit League schedule against the Jays in Dunedin on Saturday.