MLB Player News

Dr. Neal ElAttrache confirmed Puk has nothing structurally wrong with his shoulder, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

This is good news for Puk, who was shut down from throwing earlier in the week due to a mild left shoulder strain. It sounds like he'll pick things back up after a few days of strengthening exercises. Puk's status for the start of the season will likely depend on how his shoulder responds once he resumes his throwing program. Given his injury history and relative youth, it wouldn't be surprising if the Athletics brought him along conservatively.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Thursday that Borucki (elbow) has extended his throwing distance off flat ground to 120 feet, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The skipper indicated that Borucki is "feeling good" after being shut down at the beginning of spring training with elbow tightness, but it's not clear when the lefty might be ready to resume mound work. The injury has already resulted in Borucki being eliminated from the competition for a spot in the big-league rotation, so he'll either open the season on the 15-day injured list or get optioned to Triple-A Buffalo once camp concludes.

Romano appears in strong position to earn a spot in the Blue Jays' Opening Day bullpen after Rafael Dolis required an appendectomy Tuesday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Dolis will be shut down for a week before he's even re-evaluated, making it likely he begins the season on the 15-day injured list. His expected absence opens up an extra spot in the bullpen, but Romano already looked on track to break camp with the Jays even before Dolis underwent the emergency procedure. Through his first four Grapefruit League outings, Romano had tossed four scoreless frames, permitting only two hits and no walks while striking out six. Given the Jays' lack of established options beyond closer Ken Giles, Romano could have good opportunity to claim a key setup role early on in the campaign.

Phillips has a sore right elbow and will get a second opinion, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Manager Brandon Hyde told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that the MRI "showed OK" but that he will still need a second opinion. It's always ominous when a pitcher needs a second opinion on an elbow injury, so for now we will consider Phillips out indefinitely.

Puk (shoulder) will meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Thursday in what manager Bob Melvin labeled as a prescheduled visit, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

Dr. ElAttrache, who previously performed Puk's Tommy John surgery back in April 2018, is seemingly just verifying that the lefty is progressing as anticipated after he was diagnosed with a mild shoulder strain coming out of his most recent Cactus League appearance. Assuming Puk's checkup reveals nothing concerning, he could resume playing catch within the next few days. Puk still has some hope of being ready to go for Opening Day, but given his injury history and relative youth, it wouldn't be surprising if the Athletics acted conservatively with him and placed him on the injured list to begin the season.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Harvey is "definitely an option" to close this season, Craig Mish of Sportsgrid reports. "When we had [Harvey] there for that three-week span, our bullpen completely changed," Hyde said. "It was somebody that I could use in a high-leverage spot that was throwing 100 with good secondary stuff and it seemed like it kind of fell into place for everybody else and everybody threw better during the time he was there."

A first-round pick in 2013, Harvey finally reached the highest level last season after a long, injury-filled climb through the minor leagues. It was only seven appearances, but he more than held his own, and it sounds like Harvey has already earned a good deal of trust with the coaching staff. Harvey averaged over 98 mph on his fastball, and we pretty much know who Mychal Givens is at this point, so Harvey seems like the arm to own in the Baltimore bullpen even if Hyde did stop short of naming Harvey the primary closer.

McHugh (elbow), who signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox on Thursday, has yet to begin a throwing program this spring and will likely open the season on the 15-day injured list, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

According to Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com, McHugh's deal includes a $600,000 base salary and is worth up to $3.625 million in incentives. Though he was used primarily out of the bullpen for Houston the past two seasons, McHugh is projected to slot into the rotation for Boston once healthy, as the Red Sox are lacking in established starting depth. Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, McHugh was only recently given clearance by doctors to throw after requiring a tenex procedure for his right elbow last year, so he'll likely need multiple weeks to get his arm conditioned for starting duty. If McHugh can steer clear of any setbacks along the way, he could be ready to make his Boston debut around mid-April.

McHugh (elbow) signed Thursday with the Red Sox on a one-year contract.

Even before Chris Sale's elbow trouble returned this spring, the Red Sox were sorely lacking in rotation depth. The addition of McHugh at least helps bolster the rotation to some degree, though the 32-year-old might not be ready to go for the start of the season due to his late arrival to spring training along with the fact that he's working back from a right elbow procedure that ended his 2019 campaign early. McHugh primarily worked in relief for Houston the past two seasons, but he was dependable in a full-time starting role from 2014 through 2017, posting a 3.70 ERA (3.60 FIP), 1.25 WHIP and 15.7 K-BB%.

Pressly allowed one walk and struck out one over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins.

This was Pressly's first spring appearance. Both he and closer Roberto Osuna made their debuts, pitching the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. They are the back end of Houston's bullpen. Pressly is one of the best setup men in the league; if your league values holds, then Pressly's your guy. He tied for the MLB lead with 31 holds in 2019 and also picked up three saves.

Swanson, who was previously struggling with a back injury, emerged from his Cactus League debut Monday without any issues, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander allowed an earned run on two hits during his one inning against the Rockies, but he also recorded a pair of strikeouts. The fact Swanson didn't suffer any setbacks is certainly encouraging, as is manager Scott Servais' observation that the reliever improved the more his outing progressed Monday.