Sunday represents one of the biggest days on the sports calendar, with the Chiefs and Eagles facing off in Super Bowl LIX. But Feb. 9 is significant for another reason, too: It’s the first official day of MLB spring training, the annual ramp-up to the regular season.
As teams begin six weeks of workouts, practices, scrimmage games and position battles, here’s everything you need to know.
Read more: Grading every team’s offseason, from an A+ for the Dodgers to Fs for the Padres and Mariners
Where is spring training held?
Arizona and Florida. Fifteen teams — the Brewers, Cubs, Reds, Guardians, Royals, White Sox, Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, Giants, Rockies, Mariners, Rangers, Athletics and Angels — have complexes in the Phoenix area and compete in the spring in what’s known as the Cactus League.
The other 15 teams — the Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, Phillies, Braves, Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Cardinals, Pirates, Tigers, Twins and Astros — have facilities across the state of Florida and play in the Grapefruit League.
Seven teams share spring training facilities, so a total of 23 ballparks host spring training games each year. George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training stadium, will also host the Tampa Bay Rays during the regular season this year, after their ballpark in St. Petersburg was damaged by Hurricane Milton.
When does spring training begin?
Many players work out informally at their teams’ complexes prior to the official start of spring training, but each team sets a date by which pitchers and catchers must report and another a few days later for the rest of the team to arrive.
This year, because they will play the Dodgers in Tokyo to begin the 2025 season, the Chicago Cubs have the earliest report dates: Feb. 9 for pitchers and catchers and Feb. 14 for the full squad.
Here are the rest of the teams’ report dates:
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Yankees: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Orioles: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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Red Sox: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Rays: Feb. 11 and Feb. 16
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Blue Jays: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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Phillies: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Braves: Feb. 12 and Feb. 18
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Mets: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Nationals: Feb. 12 and Feb. 18
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Marlins: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Guardians: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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Royals: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Tigers: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Twins: Feb. 13 and Feb. 17
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White Sox: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Brewers: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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Cardinals: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Reds: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Pirates: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Astros: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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Mariners: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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Rangers: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Athletics: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Angels: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Dodgers: Feb. 11 and Feb. 15
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Padres: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Diamondbacks: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Giants: Feb. 12 and Feb. 17
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Rockies: Feb. 13 and Feb. 18
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When do the games start?
The first game of spring training will be Thursday, Feb. 20 (3:05 p.m. ET), when the Dodgers and Cubs play at the Dodgers’ ballpark at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The first game in Florida will be Feb. 21 (1:05 p.m. ET) between the Rays and Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. All 30 teams will be in action on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Here is each team’s first game of the spring:
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Yankees: Feb. 21 vs. Rays (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Orioles: Feb. 22 vs. Pirates (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Red Sox: Feb. 22 at Rays (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Rays: Feb. 21 at Yankees (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Blue Jays: Feb. 22 vs. Yankees (1:07 p.m. ET)
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Phillies: Feb. 22 at Tigers (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Braves: Feb. 22 at Twins (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Mets: Feb. 22 vs. Astros (1:10 p.m. ET)
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Nationals: Feb. 22 at Astros (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Marlins: Feb. 22 vs. Cardinals (1:10 p.m. ET)
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Brewers: Feb. 22 vs. Reds (3:10 p.m. ET)
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Cubs: Feb. 20 at Dodgers (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Cardinals: Feb. 22 at Marlins (1:10 p.m. ET)
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Reds: Feb. 22 vs. Guardians (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Pirates: Feb. 22 at Orioles (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Guardians: Feb. 22 at Reds (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Royals: Feb. 21 vs. Rangers (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Tigers: Feb. 22 vs. Phillies (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Twins: Feb. 22 vs. Braves (1:05 p.m. ET)
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White Sox: Feb. 22 at Cubs (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Astros: Feb. 22 vs. Nationals (1:05 p.m. ET) and at Mets (1:10 p.m. ET) (split squad)
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Mariners: Feb. 21 at Padres (3:10 p.m. ET)
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Rangers: Feb. 21 at Royals (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Athletics: Feb. 22 at Padres (3:10 p.m. ET)
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Angels: Feb. 22 vs. Mariners (3:10 p.m. ET)
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Dodgers: Feb. 20 vs. Cubs (3:05 pm. ET)
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Padres: Feb. 21 vs. Mariners (3:10 p.m. ET)
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Diamondbacks: Feb. 21 vs. Rockies (3:10 p.m. ET)
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Giants: Feb. 22 at Rangers (3:05 p.m. ET)
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Rockies: Feb. 21 at Diamondbacks (3:10 p.m. ET)
Is the spring breakout series returning?
It is! The series of games featuring the top prospects from each MLB organization will take place March 13-16 in Arizona and Florida. Last year’s spring breakout featured Paul Skenes vs. Jackson Holliday before either had made his MLB debut.
This year’s series will begin with two games on Thursday, March 13: Red Sox vs. Rays at 7:05 p.m. ET in Port Charlotte, Florida, and Cubs vs. Dodgers at 9:05 p.m. ET in Glendale, Arizona.
Here’s the rest of the spring breakout schedule:
Friday, March 14
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Cardinals vs. Marlins (12:10 p.m. ET)
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Pirates vs. Phillies (1:05 p.m. ET)
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Nationals vs. Astros (2:05 p.m. ET)
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Athletics vs. Padres (5:40 p.m. ET)
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Mariners vs. Guardians (8:05 p.m. ET)
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Royals vs. Diamondbacks (8:10 p.m. ET)
Saturday, March 15
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Twins vs. Blue Jays (1:07 p.m. ET)
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Yankees vs. Orioles (6:05 p.m. ET)
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Rangers vs. Giants (8:05 p.m. ET)
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Angels vs. White Sox (9:05 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 16
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Tigers vs. Braves (4:05 p.m. ET)
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Mets vs. Nationals (5:05 p.m. ET)
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Rockies vs. White Sox (5:05 p.m. ET)
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Reds vs. Brewers (7:40 p.m. ET)
When is the Tokyo Series?
Tuesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 19. With the other 28 teams still in Arizona and Florida, the Dodgers and Cubs will travel to Japan and get the regular season started a week early.
The two contests, starring Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto playing against fellow Japanese stars Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki, will be held at the Tokyo Dome and will begin at 7:10 p.m. local time, which is 3:10 a.m. PT/6:10 a.m. ET.
When is Opening Day?
Thursday, March 27. Twenty-eight teams will be in action that day, beginning with the Brewers vs. the Yankees at 3:05 p.m. ET in the Bronx. Nine games are scheduled for Friday, March 28, and a full slate of 15 games featuring all 30 teams will be played on Saturday, March 29.
Here is the full schedule for Opening Day:
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Brewers at Yankees, 3:05 p.m. ET
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Orioles at Blue Jays, 3:07 p.m. ET
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Red Sox at Rangers, 4:05 p.m. ET
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Phillies at Nationals, 4:05 p.m. ET
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Guardians at Royals, 4:10 p.m. ET
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Mets at Astros, 4:10 p.m. ET
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Giants at Reds, 4:10 p.m. ET
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Braves at Padres, 4:10 p.m. ET
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Angels at White Sox, 4:10 p.m. ET
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Pirates at Marlins, 4:10 p.m. ET
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Twins at Cardinals, 4:15 p.m. ET
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Tigers at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. ET
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Cubs at Diamondbacks, 10:10 p.m. ET
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Athletics at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. ET
What’s the latest on the uniforms?
You might recall that baseball uniforms made headlines last spring — and not because of anything good. In addition to the names and numbers on the backs of the jerseys being noticeably smaller, the uniforms themselves, following the release of Nike’s Vapor Premier line, were relatively see-through and sweat-through. Players also complained that their pants didn’t quite fit.
In response to all of that, MLB and Nike announced a series of changes for 2025, including returning to the larger names and numbers, bringing back the fabric used in 2023 and providing players with customizable pant options. Still, this will be something to keep an eye on this spring.
One more thing to watch: Pitcher injuries
Another major storyline coming out of spring training last year was a run of pitcher injuries that led to many stars — from Shane Bieber and Spencer Strider to Eury Perez and Lucas Giolito — missing most or all of 2024. While many of those pitchers are expected back early in 2025, it’ll be worth monitoring how many players suffer injuries in spring training this year and whether teams alter their spring programs in an attempt to keep players healthy.
