MLB Player News

Barnes is expected to begin the season as the setup man for closer Brandon Workman, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Workman was officially named Boston's closer to start the season, but Barnes should still see plenty of high-leverage opportunities. The 30-year-old has recorded 20-plus holds in each of the past three seasons and has continually increased his strikeout total, finishing with 110 strikeouts over 64.1 innings last season. Given those numbers, Barnes should still have some fantasy value as a high-leverage reliever, especially since he's likely the next man up for saves behind Workman.

Rodriguez (lat) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Rodriguez's rehab is moving ahead better than anticipated, but he's still not going to make the Opening Day roster. Once healthy, Rodriguez will be one of the lefty setup men for closer Jose Leclerc.

Montero was dealing with forearm soreness when he arrived in camp, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Montero entered camp late because he was at home in the Dominican Republic while his wife was giving birth. As such, he was behind other relievers, then the forearm soreness set him back further. "When he got back, it didn't feel right," Woodward said. "He said he is feeling better now. So hopefully from this point, he can progress to get back to full strength." Once back to full health and fitness, Montero should be one of the Rangers' top setup men.

Poche demonstrated good control during a brief simulated game appearance Saturday, throwing seven of 10 pitches for strikes, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "The internal stuff that we had on Poche was really encouraging," manager Kevin Cash said. "He needed to have a good outing, and he did."

While it was a small sample, Cash was pleased with what he saw from Poche, who's projected for a bullpen spot but has caused some concern with location issues in summer camp. The 26-year-old southpaw generated an elevated 4.70 ERA over 51.2 innings last season, but he also provided an excellent 72:19 K:BB that provided a glimpse at his swing-and-miss upside.

Beeks, who is competing for a bullpen spot, recorded four strikeouts over 3.1 innings and 50 pitches in a simulated game Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "His velocity looks awesome," manager Kevin Cash said of Beeks. "His stuff, he's worked really, really hard. I don't think we'll go much past the four-inning mark with him unless there was an immediate, urgent need. With the stuff that he's showing, he's going to help us a lot."

Cash's comments certainly imply Beeks is on track to make the Opening Day roster, and it isn't surprising by any stretch for a number of reasons. The southpaw demonstrated his value last season by making three starts among his 33 appearances and fashioning a 6-3 record. Beeks did exhibit some control issues with a 3.5 BB/9, but he demonstrated sharp location while pitching to a 1.93 ERA over 9.1 innings during Grapefruit League play this spring. Beeks ability to cover multiple innings will be particularly valuable in a season as unique as 2020, especially with Yonny Chirinos and Brendan McKay both still out of summer camp for undisclosed reasons and consequently looking uncertain to be available for the start of the regular season.

Andriese unofficially threw 77 pitches in a five-inning intrasquad outing Friday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four, per Trent Rush of Angels Radio Network.

Andriese was named the Angels' fifth starter Wednesday and responded with an effective five-inning appearance Friday. His first regular-season appearance is likely to come against Seattle on July 28.

Taylor (illness) cleared MLB protocol and will join the Red Sox for workouts Saturday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Taylor tested positive for COVID-19 in early July and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, but he'll be able to participate in team activities going forward. Whether he'll be able to join the bullpen for the start of the season remains to be seen, but it's encouraging to see him take the first step by gaining clearance to return after producing two negative tests.

Fulmer (elbow) believes he's ready to be a part of the Tigers' rotation, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Players being optimistic about their own readiness is hardly a new phenomenon, though there aren't too many reasons to doubt Fulmer's self-assessment here. It's now been 16 months since he underwent Tommy John surgery, a fairly typical length of time for getting back into game action. He threw three innings in live batting practice Saturday, meaning he's probably just a session or two from being able to handle a typical starter's workload. Whether or not he has broad fantasy relevance is another matter, as his 4.69 ERA and 19.7 percent strikeout rate his most recent season back in 2018 were far from exciting.

McHugh (elbow) will not be ready for Opening Day, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The report does not cite anyone in management confirming McHugh's status, but it was borne from a discussion with Boston general manager Chaim Bloom, who addressed the unsettled nature of the rotation. A week ago, manager Ron Roenicke said McHugh needs to progress faster to make the Opening Day roster, so it's natural to assume that the right-hander, who still hasn't pitched in a game-like environment, will not be part of the 30-man roster July 24.

Tate (forearm) is scheduled to play catch in "a day or two" but is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old has been shut down since being hit by a comebacker during an intrasquad game last Friday, and he was still dealing with some swelling as recently as Thursday. Tate underwent an MRI, which came back clean, but his inability to throw for a week-plus shortly before the start of the season makes it difficult to see him being game ready for the season opener.