MLB Player News

Abreu has been included on the Yankees' summer camp roster.

Though Abreu is on the team's 40-man roster, he was not expected to break camp with the club under a normal-season scenario. The right-hander is unlikely to log significant playing time this season given the fact that he has yet to pitch above the Double-A level.

The Blue Jays included Woods Richardson as part of their 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Woods Richardson's placement in the roster pool appears to be mostly a measure to allow the Blue Jays to oversee his development more closely, given the likelihood that there won't be a minor-league season in 2020. Since Woods Richardson has yet to reach Double-A ball and probably wouldn't find much initial success if he were thrust into major-league action, the Blue Jays don't have much reason to start up his service clock yet.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Tuesday that Peters (ankle) is dealing with an oblique injury that will likely keep him out for a few weeks, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Peters was scratched ahead of his final spring training start in March with a sprained ankle, but he appears to have since overcome that injury. Instead, the oblique is now Peters' main concern, and the injury looks like it could be something that sidelines him when the Angels open their regular season July 23 or 24. Los Angeles included Peters in its 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, so he'll be eligible to pitch for the big club once he's deemed healthy.

The Blue Jays included Pearson as part of their 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pearson is perhaps the most prominent name among the Blue Jays' non-40-man-roster players who earned a spot in the pool, which currently stands at 58. Though Toronto intends to develop Pearson as a starting pitcher, his triple-digit fastball and quality secondary offerings could make him an immediate weapon out of the bullpen if the big club is satisfied with its rotation options and wants to limit the right-hander's innings count. The possibility remains that the Blue Jays may opt to forgo using the 23-year-old in the big leagues entirely in 2020 as a means of delaying the start of his service clock.

The Blue Jays included Merryweather as part of their 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Toronto's initial 58-player list includes several other pitchers with MLB starting experience, so Merryweather -- who has yet to make his big-league debut -- will mainly function as an emergency depth option in the rotation. The 28-year-old has missed most of the past two seasons while recovering from March 2018 Tommy John surgery.

The Blue Jays included Kay as part of their 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kay had previously been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on March 20, but with the 2020 minor-league season in doubt, he'll now be eligible to pitch for the big club during the Blue Jays' 60-game slate. Toronto tentatively looks set to enter the abbreviated season with its top six or seven rotation options all available, so Kay may have to settle for long-relief work initially.

The Blue Jays included Hatch as part of their 60-man roster pool that was announced Sunday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Hatch's inclusion in the pool overrides his demotion to Triple-A Buffalo, which occurred back on March 10 before MLB suspended spring training. Though he's now eligible to pitch for the Blue Jays in 2020, Hatch isn't expected to serve as much more than an insurance option in the event the Toronto rotation is hit hard by injuries in the 60-game season. He split the 2019 campaign between the Blue Jays' and Cubs' Double-A affiliates, logging a combined 4.12 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 27 starts.

The Yankees announced Sunday that Zych was included in their 60-man roster pool.

Once a dependable arm out of the Seattle bullpen, Zych hasn't appeared at the MLB level since the 2017 season while tending to a number of arm injuries over the past few years. He was forced to settle for a minor-league deal with the Yankees this winter as a result, but the super-sized roster pool will now give him a chance to resurface in the majors in 2020. Expect Zych to settle for lower-leverage work initially as he slots into a deep Yankees bullpen.

Balazovic was not included in the 60-man player pool ahead of summer camp before the 2020 season begins, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Balazovic may be Minnesota's top pitching prospect, so it was surprising he wasn't added to the player pool when most of Minnesota's top hitting prospects were included. The Twins said they formed their player pool with a focus on winning this season, so they may not have emphasized pitching prospects.

Taylor was added to the Astros' 60-man player pool Sunday.

Taylor had a strong spring training and could push for a lefty spot in the bullpen. He has just three games of experience above Double-A, but the Astros are light on left-handers.