Mengden (elbow) will open the season as the Athletics' fifth starter after A.J. Puk was placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain Monday, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Mengden underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery back in February but is considered fully healthy, though he remains on the 60-day injured list for now. He may not have been the next man up if not for Jesus Luzardo's late arrival at camp due to COVID-19, and there's certainly a chance Luzardo displaces him from the rotation once he builds up his arm strength, but Mengden should at least get to make a start or two at the beginning of the year. He won't be a particularly exciting fantasy option in those starts, as he owns a career 4.68 ERA and a 17.3 percent strikeout rate.