MLB Player News

Ottavino won't have the clear path to serve as the Red Sox's Opening Day closer that it looked like he might have in recent days, as Matt Barnes' positive COVID-19 test was ruled a false positive Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

There's been very little to separate Ottavino and Barnes in recent seasons, and they've been similarly effective this spring, so it was tough to say either of them had much more than a 50 percent chance to win the job. Barnes' positive test seemingly opened an opportunity for Ottavino to open the year in the role, which could make it his until he pitched his way out of it. Now that Barnes is back in camp, however, the job looks like it's back to being a coin flip.

Barnes was determined to have a non-infectious positive test for COVID-19 on Monday and is now back in camp, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Barnes looked like he might have to miss the start of the regular season following his positive test Saturday, but the result was evidently a false positive. Missing the start of camp may have left Adam Ottavino as the team's closer to start the year by default, but Barnes is now back in the battle. The winner of the job remains undetermined.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Lopez would start the Orioles' fourth game of the season April 5 against the Yankees in New York, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Lopez and Dean Kremer were awarded the final two spots in Baltimore's rotation, beating out Felix Hernandez (elbow), Wade LeBlanc and Tom Eshelman for those jobs. The 28-year-old right-hander covered 19.2 innings in the Grapefruit League this spring, posting a 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 17:7 K:BB. Lopez's track record at the big-league level is far less impressive than his spring numbers, so he'll need to deliver some quality results in the games that count before fantasy managers can invest in him with any confidence.

Ottavino allowed an unearned run on one hit in one inning of Sunday's spring game against the Twins.

Ottavino was victimized by a Rafael Devers throwing error. He finished up the Florida portion of spring training with two unearned runs allowed over 6.1 innings and a chance to close games pending the status of Matt Barnes, who tested positive for COVID-19.

Puk fired four scoreless, one-hit innings in a Cactus League win over the Rangers on Saturday, recording three strikeouts.

After struggling enough with his command Monday against the Diamondbacks that manager Bob Melvin expressed concern afterwards, Puk came up big in his final chance to audition for the Athletics' open rotation spot. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Puk worked up to 41 efficient pitches over his four frames, while all three of his strikeouts were of the swinging variety despite his fastball still averaging no more than 94 mph. The reduced velocity may be an ongoing concern, but Puk expressed confidence Saturday in his ability to handle whatever role he opens the season in with his existing repertoire.

Mayza was informed by the Blue Jays on Sunday that he made the Opening Day roster, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

The 29-year-old was in camp as a non-roster invitee, but he impressed during spring training with one hit allowed and a 6:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings. Mayza last pitched in the majors during 2019 when he posted a 4.91 ERA, and he figures to fill a middle-relief role early on for Toronto.

The Blue Jays informed Thornton that he would be included on the Opening Day roster as a member of the bullpen, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, manager Charlie Montoyo said the Blue Jays are still planning to develop Thornton as a starter, but the organization's ample rotation depth will force him to bide his time in the bullpen until an injury or two opens up an opportunity for him. Thornton should deliver better ratios while he works in relief, but the lower volume of innings and less predictable pitching schedule will make it tough to mine fantasy value from him.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Merryweather (back) would pitch in the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League finale Monday against the Phillies, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Merryweather likely won't pitch more than one or two innings in relief, but that should be enough to keep him in consideration for a spot in Toronto's Opening Day bullpen. Due to a bout with back tightness, Merryweather didn't make his spring debut until Friday, when he tossed a scoreless inning in a 6-5 win over the Phillies.

Mayza appears to have an inside track at winning a spot in the Blue Jays' Opening Day bullpen, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Mayza's status as a non-roster invitee appeared to give him long odds to break camp with the big club at the onset of spring training, but he's been one of the Jays' most impressive relievers so far in the Grapefruit League. Through six appearances, Mayza has tossed 5.1 shutout innings, permitting only one hit and two walks while striking out five. Mayza's emergence could keep fellow lefty reliever Francisco Liriano -- who is also attending camp as a non-roster invitee -- on the outside looking in for a spot in the bullpen.

Fairbanks, who was credited with a hold in a Grapefruit League win over the Twins on Saturday, now has three scoreless outings in his last four spring appearances.

Fairbanks, who's expected to get a fair share of high-leverage opportunities this coming season, got a late start to Grapefruit League action due to a bout with food poisoning, but he's made up for lost time since his March 11 debut. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed an earned run apiece in two outings, including that first appearance, and Saturday represented his first clean effort of spring.