Verlander initiates a bullpen session; Tatis Trains

There were familiar faces in new places on Tuesday, the second day of spring training, as several teams picked up the pace.

Justin Verlander kicked off his first bullpen session for the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla., six days shy of his 40th birthday. The ace helped Houston win the World Series for the second time in six seasons and claim its third AL Cy Young Trophy before signing a two-year, $86.7 million deal with the wealthy Mets.

In Peoria, Ariz., Fernando Tatis, a suspended San Diego Padres star, practiced in the outfield, along with fellow Dominican Juan Soto. Manager Bob Melvin said Soto will move from right field to left field, where he started his career in Washington in 2018.

That would mean 2021 All-Star shortstop Tatis will patrol the right field beginning April 20, when he finishes serving his 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

However, there is no formal commitment from the Parents in this regard.

Verlander agreed to a free agent contract with the Mets in December. He replaced Jacob deGrom and reunited with Max Scherzer, his former Detroit Tigers teammate and also a three-time Cy Young Award winner.

Scherzer or Verlander would start the season opener, scheduled for March 30 in Miami. On this day, you’ll get your first glimpse of the team that’s been causing a stir since owner Steve Cohen undertook an unprecedented spending spree.

Verlander and Scherzer were teammates in Detroit from 2010 to 2014. They each won a Cy Young trophy during those years.

Scherzer won the award twice more in the National League with Washington, while Verlander did the same in the AL with Houston.

LARGE PIZZA

Puerto Rican Alex Cora, manager of the Boston Red Sox, put the decision to expand the bases, taken by the Major Leagues, into perspective.

“The basics are the basics. Wait till you see them, they look like pizza boxes to be honest,” Cora said in Fort Myers, Florida.

SUNDAY ZERO

New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán will be the third player to wear number 0 in team history.

The club unveiled its preseason roster on Tuesday, and the Dominican appears with that number after wearing 55 from 2019 to 2022. Adam Ottavino and Jordy Mercer are the only two Yankees to wear zero in a game of regular season.

Ottavino uses the 0 this year for the Mets in the same city.

The Yankees went from number 1 to number 9.

SAN DIEGO GARDENS

Soto, who arrived from Washington in a trade Aug. 2, will return to left field after playing right field the previous three seasons.

“We’ll work with him down the left and we’ll try to keep him there,” Melvin said. The Padres haven’t committed to Tatis in right field, but that would make more sense given he has a strong arm and center fielder Trent Grisham is coming off his second Golden Glove victory in three seasons. .

There is no rush for the Padres. Tatis will not be active until April 20. He will participate in playoff practice after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder in early September, about a month after his suspension.

Tatis started 16 times in right field and seven times in center in 2021, when the Padres temporarily moved him from shortstop with a shoulder injury.

He ended up missing the entire 2022 season. He was about to return from surgery on his left wrist when the suspension happened.

“After that he just wants to play and contribute and be on the pitch,” Melvin said. “He does a lot of damage with the bat.”