The Opener: Walker, Topa, Spring Breakout Rosters

Here are three things we’ll be watching for around baseball today:

1. Christian Walker’s oblique injury:

Christian Walker was removed from the Astros’ spring training matchup against the Cardinals on Wednesday with soreness in his left oblique (per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). Manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) that the team will have more information on Walker’s injury today after the first baseman has met with team doctors. While Espada couldn’t offer many more details, it’s worth noting that he did not downplay the injury, saying: “It’s something I don’t want to see right now. I’m just hoping for the best.”

With Opening Day just three weeks away, even a mild strain could keep Walker out for the beginning of the season. The veteran missed five weeks last summer with a left oblique strain. He also missed a similar amount of time with a right oblique injury in 2021. Losing Walker for even a couple of weeks would be a tough blow for the Astros. The soon-to-be 34-year-old blossomed into one of the better first baseman in the sport in his thirties. Over the last three seasons, he has hit 95 home runs with a 120 wRC+, while winning the NL Gold Glove each year. The Astros, meanwhile, ranked last among AL teams in FanGraphs WAR at first base last season, and they are counting on Walker to change that.

2. Justin Topa to go for testing:

Twins right-hander Justin Topa exited early on Wednesday in his third outing of the spring, with manager Rocco Baldelli later telling reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune) that Topa felt some tightness in his pitching shoulder. The skipper expressed optimism, suggesting the issue does not seem “overly serious,” but Topa, who’ll turn 34 tomorrow, will undergo testing today.

Topa did not make his MLB debut until his age-29 season in 2020, and injuries kept him from pitching more than eight innings in a season until 2023. However, he was phenomenal out of the Mariners’ bullpen that year, tossing 69 frames with a 2.61 ERA and 3.47 SIERA. Unfortunately, patellar tendinitis in his left knee limited him to just three appearances last year in his first season with the Twins. Minnesota will hope this latest setback proves to be minor and Topa can quickly return to the mound. If he can pitch anything like he did in 2023, he will make this team’s already strong bullpen even more dangerous.

3. Spring breakout rosters to be announced:

After a successful debut last March, Spring Breakout is returning for another year. The four-day event is designed to spotlight the top young talent in all 30 organizations. Every club will put together a roster of prospects to compete in a spring training showcase matchup against a team of prospects from another organization. Each of these prospect teams will play at least one Spring Breakout game from March 13-16, while the Cubs and Nationals will each play two games to account for the uneven number of clubs in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.

The rosters for all 30 teams will be announced this morning at 10:00 a.m. CT on MLB Network. Not every top prospect will take part in Spring Breakout, but much of the game’s best young talent will be on display. Last year, 71 of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects participated in the event.