Dodgers Prospects Edge White Sox 11-10 in Spring Breakout Thriller

Trailing 8-2 before the second inning was even finished, the Los Angeles Dodgers' prospect squad turned a potential blowout into an 11-10 thriller over Chicago White Sox prospects at Camelback Ranch, capping MLB's Spring Breakout showcase with one of its more memorable performances of the 16-game event.

James Tibbs III, the Dodgers' No. 11 prospect, lit the fuse on the comeback. Facing White Sox pitcher Nick Weyrich in the bottom of the second, the left-handed hitter worked a 3-0 count and sat on a fastball, crushing it to the opposite field for a three-run blast that suddenly made an eight-run deficit manageable. Tibbs finished with four RBIs, reached base in all four plate appearances, and whiffed on just one of the 23 pitches he saw. The homer was his fourth of the spring and his eighth extra-base hit of the Cactus League slate.

No. 1 prospect Josue De Paula kept the rally alive with an RBI double in the third inning that tied the game, and he scored twice on the day after reaching base in three of four plate appearances. De Paula came into the showcase hitting .375 in spring (9-for-24), adding a stolen base to a quietly efficient afternoon. Top-5 prospects Zyhir Hope and Emil Morales each drove in runs during the first inning, giving the Dodgers early production even as the White Sox surged ahead.

Once the offense clawed the deficit back, left-hander Zach Root took over and made the lead worth keeping. The Dodgers' highest selection in last year's draft entered in the fourth inning for what was, remarkably, his professional debut. The Dodgers had not had Root pitch at any point last season or earlier in spring training. He responded by striking out eight of the 10 batters he faced across three innings, allowing just one hit. His eight strikeouts tied the Spring Breakout single-game record for a pitcher, and it was enough to earn him a spot alongside Tibbs on MLB Pipeline's All-Spring Breakout First Team, as selected by the Pipeline staff to cap the 16-game showcase.

The dual honors for Tibbs and Root carry real developmental weight. Tibbs arrived in the Dodgers system after being traded twice before the 2025 deadline, acquired from the Red Sox in a deal involving Dustin May. He reported to Double-A Tulsa and hit .269/.407/.493 with five doubles, seven home runs, and 32 RBI in 36 games, part of 20 combined homers across High-A and Double-A last season. Though he was reassigned to minor league camp after the spring, he traveled with the big-league club to Los Angeles for their three-game exhibition series against the Angels. He is expected to begin 2026 back at Double-A.

Root's professional debut could not have gone better. Striking out eight in three innings in what amounted to his first outing in a professional uniform is the kind of statement that fast-tracks a prospect's timeline in the organizational conversation. The Dodgers now have two first-team Spring Breakout honorees to watch as the regular season approaches, and one memorable comeback at Camelback Ranch to point to as early evidence.