MLB Player News

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.

Junis revealed Monday that he'd previously tested positive for coronavirus, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The test result explains why the righty landed on the injured list Monday. He's since been cleared to practice, but his quarantine period earlier in camp means he's behind where he needs to be to contribute right away. It doesn't sound as though his absence will last too long, though, as he'll be ready for game action once he's built up his arm strength. With Junis and Brad Keller each on the road back from COVID-19, Brady Singer, Foster Griffin and Jorge Lopez could all get starts early in the season.

Junis was placed on the 10-day injured list for undisclosed reasons Monday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

It's not clear when Junis is expected back on the field. With Brad Keller's status also unclear for the start of the regular season, as he wasn't cleared to join the team until Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, the Royals could have a pair of spots open in their rotation to start the year. Brady Singer, Foster Griffin and Jorge Lopez could all be in line to begin the season in starting roles.

Law was assigned to the Rangers' alternate training site Sunday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Law worked as a non-roster invitee during summer camp, but he'll head to the team's alternate facility with less than a week remaining until Opening Day. The 29-year-old has some experience as a closer in the past and could be one of the team's top options to fill in if injuries pile up in the bullpen even though he isn't currently on the 40-man roster.

Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said it's unclear if Norris (illness) will be able to rejoin the team in the next few days, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Gardenhire said on Thursday that he thought Norris could possibly rejoin the team over the weekend, but the lefty remains in the COVID-19 protocol. "I'm not for sure if he's gonna show up in the next couple of days," Gardenhire said. "I'm not positive." The Tigers start their season on Friday in Cincinnati, and given the time he's already missed, it's looking increasingly unlikely that Norris will be on the Opening Day roster.