MLB Player News

Yarbrough's role isn't certain heading into the season, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Yarbrough served as one of the Rays' signature "bulk relievers" in 2018 and part of 2019 before becoming a traditional starter in the middle of the season. He finished the year with a respectable 4.13 ERA, a 20.8 percent strikeout rate and an excellent 3.6 percent walk rate across 141.2 innings. His eventual role may not matter too much from a fantasy perspective, as he'll still have a chance to pick up wins as a bulk reliever, and he'll handle a fairly heavy workload regardless of exactly where he slots in within a game.

Puk is not currently on any specific innings limit, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Puk returned to game action in mid-June last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The lack of a specific innings cap certainly doesn't mean the Athletics will let him push toward 200 frames this season, as he finished with just 36.2 innings last year. Expect Oakland to manage the 24-year-old's workload carefully, though it sounds as if the team will be playing things by ear for now with regard to just how much he'll be allowed to throw.

Chavez (elbow) is at full strength as the Rangers begin spring training, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Chavez had his 2019 season cut short by an elbow impingement that eventually required surgery. It was an issue he dealt with, but he finally made the decision to go under the knife. With experience as both a starter and reliever, Chavez was moved into the rotation at one point during 2019, but he'll throw out of the bullpen in 2020.

Pardinho underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2020 season, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports.

Pardinho was promoted from rookie ball to Low-A in 2019 and delivered a 2.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 30:13 K:BB over 33.2 innings (seven starts), but he won't be able to pitch this season. The 19-year-old will have to focus on his recovery and look to come back in 2021.

Harvey is not considered a candidate for the starting rotation this spring, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Harvey has long been considered a promising arm, but he just hasn't been able to stay healthy, averaging just 37 innings per year since becoming a professional back in 2013. He moved to the bullpen upon promotion to Triple-A Norfolk last season and remained there after making his big-league debut, where he posted a 1.42 ERA and a 42.3 percent strikeout rate in a small 6.1-inning sample. Mychal Givens appears to have the inside shot to close in Baltimore this year, but Harvey could certainly make a push for saves if he looks good early in the season.

Anderson will be an option to close after the Rays traded Emilio Pagan to San Diego last weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Anderson reached a new level after joining Tampa Bay from Miami at last year's deadline, posting a 2.11 ERA and 41:2 K:BB in 21.1 innings. He was a fairly popular speculative pick in fantasy even before the Pagan trade, and his price will likely soar from here, though it's important to keep in mind the team's tendency to mix and match in the late innings -- 11 players earned saves for the Rays last year, with six earning multiple saves. Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Oliver Drake, Colin Poche, Jose Alvarado and Peter Fairbanks will all be in the mix as well.

Alvarado (elbow) said that his injured elbow has fully recovered and he's ready to go for the start of spring training. Moreover, his mental state is a lot better now that he's moved his parents out of Venezuela and into the United States, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Tribune reports.

We often have to estimate about a player's mental state, and in the case of Alvarado, we know that he had to take time away from the team to tend to his mother last season and was never the same afterward. We'll have to take his physical health as an article of faith so far, but with the trade of Emilio Pagan, the opportunity for him to step into a more important role is present.

Green said last week that he doesn't expect to see much use as an opener in 2020 and plans to fill a more traditional relief role, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. "Opening was a little bit out of necessity last year, but we've got some guys that are going to step up and pitch some big innings," Green said.

The Yankees will likely be without James Paxton (back) for at least the first two months of the season, but the offseason addition of staff ace Gerrit Cole along with Jordan Montgomery's return to full strength after missing much of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery leaves New York's rotation in a better spot compared to a year ago. As a result, Green shouldn't be required to work regularly as an opener, a role he filled 15 times last season. Green wasn't demonstrably better as an opener (3.72 ERA, .333 wOBA in 19.1 innings) than he was while working out of the bullpen (4.35 ERA, .302 wOBA in 49.2 innings), so the organization isn't overly incentivized to go back to using him at the beginning of games.

Quijada was claimed off waivers by the Angels from the Marlins on Monday.

The 24-year-old southpaw's 5.76 ERA in his 29.2-inning debut last season wasn't particularly promising, but the Angels must have liked his 30.6 percent strikeout rate enough to give him a shot. He'll have to cut his 18.1 percent walk rate dramatically if he's to have much of a career in the big leagues, however. Parker Markel was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Mengden underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The procedure involved shaving off a small spur in Mengden's olecranon. A timeline for his return has yet to be announced. The righty is out of options and was likely on the roster bubble already after posting an uninspiring 4.83 ERA and a 16.2 percent strikeout rate in 59.2 innings last season.