MLB Player News

Weems, who is part of the group of players reporting to the Oakland Coliseum portion of the Athletics' summer camp, could carve out a role on the Opening Day roster, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old took a circuitous route to the Athletics and pitching in general, considering he was a catcher in the Red Sox organization for seven professional seasons before heading to the mound in 2016. Weems boasts a fastball that typically averages between 94 mph and 97 mph, a blistering power pitch he complements with a slider and changeup. Control has been an issue, but Weems impressed over six Cactus League appearances this spring by hurling six shutout innings and recording seven strikeouts. Factoring in rosters will accommodate 30 players for the first two weeks of the regular season and Weems has been invited to the camp location that will house players with the best chance of making the Opening Day roster, the right-hander seemingly has a chance to garner a spot with an impressive ramp-up period.

With the 2020 season now officially set at 60 games, Puk should be free of any workload restrictions during the significantly abbreviated slate, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

As a pitcher entering his first full major-league season, Puk, who's previously topped out at 125 innings in his professional career, was slated to have his workload capped at some point in the latter portion of a 162-game campaign. With a season of that duration now out of the equation, Puk is scheduled to be utilized without any true restrictions beyond any early-season precautions the Athletics may opt to take with him during his first couple of turns. The towering southpaw's current conditioning will be evaluated first-hand by Oakland's coaching staff when the team's summer camp begins Saturday.

Montero will not be in camp for the first workout Friday as he attends to a family situation in the Dominican Republic, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Montero should be one of the top setup relievers for the Rangers and is a candidate for save opportunities if closer Jose Leclerc falters. It's unclear how much time Montero is expected to miss.

Weber was close to locking down the No. 4 starter job in spring training and is expected to be part of the rotation in the regular season, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Weber didn't allow an earned run in nine spring innings and was closing in on a rotation slot when the coronavirus pandemic paused the season. Weber's not an overpowering pitcher, so he'll need to be precise in his command to succeed and have good defense behind him.

Schreiber, who will be a part of the Tigers' 60-man player pool this season, will compete for a back-end bullpen spot.

Schreiber was optioned to Triple-A Toledo back in March before play was suspended, and he was likely to bounce between the minors and the majors in a normal year. Now with the minor-league season canceled, the 26-year-old is among 30 pitchers jockeying for playing time in Detroit. If he pitches well in camp, he could snag a back-end bullpen spot, though his fantasy appeal is limited.

The Blue Jays added Baker to their 60-man roster pool Thursday.

Baker, utility man Patrick Kivlehan and outfielder Josh Palacios all joined the 60-man pool, bringing the Blue Jays' total to 62 men. As Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca notes, teams can only exceed the 60-man limit by placing players on the COVID-19 injured list, which suggests at least two Blue Jays included in the roster pool have tested positive for the coronavirus. The 26-year-old Baker spent most of the 2019 campaign with the Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, making 18 relief appearances and submitting a 3.68 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 31:16 K:BB in 22 innings.

Romero (finger) was added to the Athletics' 60-man roster pool Wednesday.

The 26-year-old dealt with a finger injury during spring training before being reassigned to minor-league camp in early March, but he'll have another chance to stake his claim to a roster spot. Romero spent 2019 at Triple-A and had a 3.96 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 81:36 K:BB across 72.2 frames.

Rosa will take part in the Yankees' summer camp as part of their 60-man player pool.

Rosa was DFA'd by the team last September but cleared waivers and remained in the organization. He has only two major-league innings under his belt, so he's unlikely to make much of an impact in the big leagues this season.

Nelson will attend summer camp as part of the Yankees' 60-man roster.

Nelson was optioned to the minors in early March, but he'll have a chance to put his arsenal on display in summer camp and could make his big-league debut at some point in 2020. The 24-year-old racked up 114 strikeouts in 89.2 innings across three minor-league levels last season.

Garcia is part of the Yankees' 60-man player pool.

Garcia was optioned to the minors in late March, but the adjusted roster rules for the 2020 campaign will allow him to take part in the team's summer camp. The 21-year-old is unlikely to begin the season on the active roster, but he may get a shot to contribute at the big-league level at some point during the campaign.