MLB Player News

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Pressly (finger) will "probably" close games for Houston if Roberto Osuna (not injury related) is not ready to go for the start of the season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Arguably the most dominant non-closing reliever in baseball since arriving in Houston at the 2018 trade deadline, Pressly was already widely assumed to be the odds-on favorite to fill in for Osuna if needed, but it's nice to hear Baker essentially confirm as much in advance of Opening Day. Baker has thus far been cryptic about Osuna's status in advance of the opener, as the incumbent closer didn't travel with the club to Kansas City this week for a pair of exhibitions and has yet to throw off a mound since reporting late to summer camp "through no fault of his own," according to the skipper. Once he gets back on a mound, Osuna probably won't need much time to ramp up, but his uncertain timeline could at least give Pressly a window to claim the closing gig and potentially run away with it. Pressly was stalled early in camp by a blister on his right index finger, but Rome relays that he's slated to appear in Tuesday's exhibition.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Harvey has a little bit of arm fatigue and is day-to-day as of Monday, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The 25-year-old has been battling with Mychal Givens and Richard Bleier to become the Orioles' primary closer throughout summer camp. Harvey thrived after being moved to the bullpen during his rookie season with Baltimore, giving up one run and striking out 11 over 6.1 innings. It is unclear whether he will be forced to miss any time to begin his sophomore campaign in 2020.

Santiago was reassigned to the Tigers' alternate training site Monday.

The veteran lefty was in the mix for a bullpen role to begin the season, but this puts him out of the running for an Opening Day roster spot. Santiago will stay ready in Toledo and could be called upon at some point, given his previous MLB experience, though fantasy managers shouldn't expect much from someone who posted a 6.68 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 2019.

Fulmer (elbow) is expected to open the season as a piggyback starter, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer says he's ready to start after working his way back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent back in March of 2019, though the Tigers seemingly won't ask him to handle a starter's workload right away. Fulmer is already a relatively uninteresting fantasy option, as he posted a 4.69 ERA and a 19.7 percent strikeout rate in his most recent healthy season back in 2018, and he becomes even less interesting if his innings are limited.

Shaw will sign with the Mariners on Monday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Shaw was released by the Rockies on Friday, but he'll quickly find a home in Seattle ahead of the regular season. The right-hander struggled out of the bullpen over the past two seasons and should play a low-leverage role as he looks to bounce back during the abbreviated 2020 season.

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.

Pressly (finger) will be the next man up if Roberto Osuna isn't in game shape by Opening Day, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Osuna isn't injured, but he showed up to camp behind his teammates and may not have time to get ready to close games at the start of the season. Pressly has issues of his own, as he's been battling a blister in recent days, but there's a good chance he'll be the Astros' top bullpen arm for the first few games of the season. There's a case to be made that he's the team's best reliever even with Osuna available, as he beat Osuna in ERA (2.32 to 2.63), FIP (2.66 to 3.21), strikeout rate (34.1 percent to 28.8 percent) and groundball rate (50.8 percent to 38.8 percent) last season, but there's been no indication that Houston intends for Pressly to take over the role on a permanent basis.

Puk was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a shoulder strain, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Puk dealt with shoulder issues in the spring but appeared to be free of limitations during the start of summer camp. However, the injury apparently resurfaced, and he'll be examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in the coming days, which is an ominous sign. With the southpaw now set to miss the start of the regular season, Daniel Mengden will take his spot in the rotation. It's unclear how long Puk will be sidelined as a result of the injury.

Merryweather (oblique) played long toss Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

One week after suffering an oblique strain, Merryweather was able to resume throwing, an encouraging step in his recovery. The right-hander isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day on Friday but appears to be making progress toward being game ready. Merryweather should serve as emergency depth for the Blue Jays when healthy this year after missing the majority of the last two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he doesn't expect Chapman (illness) to be available for Thursday's season opener versus the Nationals, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees placed Chapman on the injured list July 11, two days after the team learned he tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately for Chapman, he's believed to be displaying only mild symptoms of the coronavirus, but the 32-year-old has yet to submit two negative test results and has yet to rejoin the Yankees. As a reliever, Chapman won't require much ramp-up time once he clears all COVID-19-related protocols, but the Yankees intend to lean on Zack Britton as their primary closer until Chapman is activated.