MLB spring training 2024: Schedule, highlights, updates

ESPN

Mar 11, 2024, 04:50 PM ET

The calendar has turned to February, and you know what that means -- baseball is back!

Spring training is finally here (despite several big-name free agents still being available), and MLB teams will start reporting to their camps in Arizona and Florida as soon as Friday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitchers and catchers the first and the San Diego Padres' pitchers and catchers soon after.

The two division rivals will face off in the first spring training matchup, a Cactus League showdown Thursday on ESPN. After a few other teams open spring training the following day, all 30 MLB clubs will play will play in Cactus and Grapefruit League games on Saturday, Feb. 24. ESPN will air four spring training games, and ESPN+ will stream six games from March 21-26.

Additionally, MLB Spring Breakout games will stream on ESPN+ from March 14-17. This four-day series will pit an organization's best prospect group against another team's in a game that's part of a doubleheader with a regularly scheduled spring game.

ESPN will also broadcast the highly anticipated two-game series between L.A. and San Diego in Seoul, South Korea, that will kick off the regular season on March 20-21. Shohei Ohtani, making his Dodgers debut, and Mookie Betts will take on Manny Machado's Padres in the first regular-season MLB games ever played in South Korea.

The 2024 regular season will then commence with all 30 clubs on Opening Day -- Thursday, March 28 -- featuring six divisional matchups among 15 games.

We have everything you need to know as baseball gets underway, from watching spring training games on ESPN and ESPN+ to the Seoul Series to how to catch up on your team's offseason and be ready for Opening Day.