MLB Player News

Oller is scheduled to start the Athletics' fifth game of the season Tuesday in Tampa Bay.

Heading into the final week of spring training, Oller looked set to miss out on a spot in the Athletics' Opening Day rotation, but he'll end up stepping in as Oakland's fifth starter after Sean Manaea was dealt away to the Padres on Sunday. The starting assignment in Tampa Bay will mark the MLB debut for Oller, who struck out nine over 6.1 Cactus League innings but was lit up for seven earned runs on 11 hits and two walks. The 27-year-old right-hander turned in a 2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over a larger sample of 44 innings at Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets organization a season ago, but fantasy managers will still want to temper expectations for Oller as he begins his big-league career. Even with a two-start week on tap -- he's tentatively scheduled to face the Blue Jays in Toronto on April 17 -- Oller looks like an unreliable lineup option outside of AL-only leagues.

Pearson (illness) will be built up as a starter after he resumed throwing Saturday, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Pearson recently dealt with mononucleosis, and he's expected to require several weeks to build up before he's cleared to return to game action. The Blue Jays don't have a clear rotation spot available, so it's still possible that the team will ultimately utilize Pearson out of the bullpen once he's back in action.

Sewald was credited with his first hold in a win over the Twins on Friday, firing a perfect eighth inning.

Sewald made quick work of the Twins in a 13-pitch eighth inning that saw him impressively dispose of the potent trio of Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco. The veteran right-hander put together a diverse resume in 2021 that included 11 saves and 16 holds, and he could have a similarly fluid high-leverage role this season.

Barnes (back) is hopeful that he'll be available to pitch Saturday against the Yankees, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Barnes was unavailable for Friday's loss to the Yankees after he hurt his back in a workout Thursday, but he'll play catch ahead of Saturday's matchup to test his injury. If the right-hander is available, he's a prime candidate to serve as Boston's closer.

Herget allowed four runs on four hits in the Angels' Opening Day loss to Houston on Friday, registering his only out via strikeout.

Herget was part of a disastrous outing by an Angels bullpen that yielded 11 runs over five innings. The right-hander relieved Mike Mayers -- who allowed three straight batters to reach base to begin the seventh frame -- and kicked off his appearance by striking out Jose Altuve. However, things fell apart for Herget from there, as each of the following four batters produced a hit and eventually came around to score. Herget was one of the final relievers to make Los Angeles' Opening Day 28-man roster, so he'll need to perform much better or risk losing his big-league spot when rosters are reduced to 26 on May 1.

Chapman pitched a perfect inning in the Yankees' 11-inning win over Boston on Friday, striking out two.

Chapman was summoned in the top of the ninth inning and tasked with keeping the game tied, and he did so with aplomb, throwing eight of 12 pitches for strikes and whiffing two batters in the perfect frame. It was a positive debut for the veteran fireballer after he endured one of the least effective campaigns of his career last season, though he still managed 30 saves in 34 chances. Chapman should earn the vast majority of save opportunities for the Yankees again this season and remains a stable fantasy closer despite being on the downswing of his career.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Pearson (illness) will soon resume light throwing, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

After missing time with mononucleosis, Pearson won't have a quick buildup, but he is finally starting to feel better. There is no timetable for him to join the big-league bullpen, but his return to the active roster could happen later this month.

Sborz allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning in Friday's 10-8 loss to Toronto.

John King and Sborz combined for 1.2 ineffective innings of relief, after Texas built a 7-3 lead entering the fifth inning. The Blue Jays kicked off their rally with a two-out walk issued by King and ended when Teoscar Hernandez stung Sborz with a three-run home run. The righty reliever remained in to start the sixth inning and was responsible for a runner that scored after reaching base on yet another two-out free pass. Sborz is projected for high-leverage relief work, but his first outing did not go as planned.

Romano struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his first save of the season in a 10-8 win over the Rangers.

It didn't look like Toronto's closer would get in any work when the team fell behind 7-0 in the early going, but Romano wound up finishing out the largest comeback by a team on its Opening Day in 72 years. The right-hander is the clear top dog in the Blue Jays' bullpen after racking up 23 saves in 24 attempts with a 2.14 ERA and 33.6 percent strikeout rate in 2021.

Strahm allowed one walk and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Yankees.

Straham entered with one out in the eighth inning after DJ LeMahieu mashed a Garrett Whitlock fastball over the fence to even the score at 4-4. For those looking to read the tea leaves in Boston's bullpen, which does not yet have a closer, it was interesting to see Strahm warming up while Whitlock started his third inning of work to begin the eighth. Would manager Alex Cora have turned to the left-hander had Whitlock held the lead after the eighth? Or was Strahm brought in because Matt Barnes (back) wasn't available? The manager wasn't tipping his hand after the game, but it seems that Strahm will be a trusted member of the endgame for Cora. The 30-year-old reliever impressed in spring training with three hits allowed and five strikeouts over three scoreless innings.