Paul Skenes, Shane McClanahan Dominant in 2025 Spring Debuts

March is officially, as we are four weeks away from the domestic opening day across Major League Baseball. Grapefruit League action on March 1 saw a pair of aces make their 2025 spring debuts. Paul Skenes made his first spring start for the Pirates, while Shane McClanahan pitched in a real game for the first time in over a calendar year.

Pair of aces start strong

Paul Skenes went three innings on March 1, striking out four against the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year struck out Ramon Laureano twice, as well as Cedric Mullins and Nick Gordon during Pittsburgh’s 5-2 victory against Baltimore.

Skenes’ spring debut was delayed a few days, thanks to rain that postponed most of the games in Florida back on February 24. The righty was scheduled to face the Phillies in Clearwater.

The Pirates ace was followed by Thomas Harrington, another young arm who could make his MLB debut in 2025. Harrington threw two innings, striking out one.

Shane McClanahan, meanwhile, made his spring debut against the Mets. McClanahan surrendered three hits on the 1st but tossed two scoreless. The left-hander struck out one Met.

McClanahan missed all of 2024 thanks to Tommy John surgery. However, he’s expected to be ready for the start of the year. The Rays already announced McClanahan will be the team’s Opening Day starter when Tampa faces Colorado at Steinbrenner Field on March 28.

Other tidbits

Teams are already beginning to trim down their rosters. The Cubs announced several demotions on March 1, just a few days after Chicago confirmed top outfielder Owen Caissie will begin the year in Triple-A.

The Cubs optioned Jack Neely, Cody Poteet, Gavin Hollowell, and Caleb Kilian to Iowa (AAA), as Chicago begins to cut down their roster before heading to Japan in two weeks.

Arguably the most notable name of the bunch is Poteet, who the Cubs acquired in the Cody Bellinger. The ex-Yankee possesses a good pitch mix and performed well in limited outings last year with New York (AL). However, the Cubs’ rotation — for now — has enough options, while their bullpen got significantly deeper this winter.

As we noted last month, Poteet had an option left.