MLB Player News

Lange was added to the Tigers' 60-man player pool Wednesday, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers still had a few open spots on their summer camp roster, so they added Lange, who came to the organization last year as part of the Nicholas Castellanos trade. The 24-year-old worked at Double-A Erie after the trade, posting a 3.45 ERA and 15 strikeouts across 15.2 innings. He should serve as organizational depth and likely won't appear in the majors this season.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Merryweather (oblique) should be able to play catch by the end of the week, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

This is encouraging news for Merryweather, who suffered an oblique strain earlier in the week. The 28-year-old still isn't expected to be ready for the start of the season. When he is healthy, the righty should serve as an emergency depth option.

Montero (personal) will not be ready for the start of the season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Montero missed the start of camp while tending to a family matter in the Dominican Republic and will reportedly need additional time to ramp up before being ready for game action. It's unclear how many games the right-hander will miss at this point. With the Rangers down a couple of relievers to start the season, Jesse Chavez and Nick Goody are candidates to serve as setup men early on.

Pruitt's elbow is feeling better, but he expects to miss at least a week at the start of the season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pruitt has been dealing with elbow inflammation, an issue that also plagued him back in spring training. He was considered to be in contention for a spot in the back of the Astros' rotation, which may have an extra slot available due to the absence of Jose Urquidy (undisclosed), but his inability to build up to a starter's workload may rule him out of that conversation. Framber Valdez appears to be in line to win the job.

Paredes could make the Opening Day roster, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

If Paredes, who is on the 40-man roster, makes the club, it will be as a reliever. The 5-foot-11 righty has a mid-to-upper-90s fastball and a power slider that could profile very nicely long term in a setup role. He is still technically being developed as a starter, but he doesn't have a typical frame for a rotation piece and his shaky command should eventually force him to the bullpen.

Abreu is considered a lock to make the Astros' Opening Day roster, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

As Kaplan notes, Abreu will likely make the team as a multi-inning reliever. He could also serve as rotation depth, but he had a 14.2 percent walk rate in 76.2 innings at Triple-A last year, so he probably lacks the command and control to be efficient in that role. As a reliever, however, Abreu can be borderline unhittable thanks to a 70-grade breaking ball -- some evaluators think he has two distinct mid-80s breaking balls. He struggles to command his low-to-mid-90s fastball, but few young pitchers are as adept at spinning a breaking ball as Abreu, which gives him a realistic floor as a high-leverage weapon.

The Red Sox placed Taylor (illness) on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

One of three known pitchers on the roster to have tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, Taylor remains in quarantine and has yet to receive clearance to rejoin the Red Sox for workouts. As a reliever, Taylor won't require much ramp-up time once he reports to the team, but with the Red Sox kicking off their season in just nine days, the lefty appears unlikely to crack the 30-man Opening Day roster.

Pruitt has developed inflammation in his right elbow, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Houston manager Dusty Baker indicated Tuesday that Pruitt was ailing for an undisclosed reason, so knowing it's an elbow injury clarifies the picture. Pruitt is one of several starters that is expected to serve as depth and was in the mix as a possible replacement for No. 4 starter Jose Urquidy, who was placed on the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason.

Pressly was held out of Tuesday's intrasquad game due to a blister on his right index finger, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The initial report did not include a reason for Pressly being held out Tuesday, but this news clarifies the matter. That the injury is merely a blister should be a relief to those counting on Pressly for fantasy teams.

Littell threw three innings in Tuesday's scrimmage and could be used in longer outings this season, MLB.com reports. "With a guy like Zack, and some other guys that have been starters for us that may find themselves in the bullpen, having the ability to give you an inning or three is gonna be something that's gonna be beneficial to us," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.

Littell improved in his second season in the majors last year (2.68 ERA) due to increased velocity (93.8 mph average fastball), reduced walks (6.2%) and keeping the ball in the park (0.97 HR/9). It looks like he will win a role as a middle reliever and could be used for longer outings if a starter is unable to pitch long into games as they ramp up.