MLB Player News

Johnson (groin) faced hitters in a live batting practice session Wednesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

While Padres manager Jayce Tingler has already indicated that Johnson will begin the season on the injured list, the right-hander looks to be tracking toward a minimum-length stay, or close to it. Assuming his groin responds well to Wednesday's throwing session, he may only need to complete one or two more simulated outings before the Padres sign off on his return from the IL.

Manager Aaron Boone mentioned Green as a candidate to pick up saves while closer Aroldis Chapman serves a two-game suspension to begin the season, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Boone noted that any decisions on a closer for games Thursday and Friday versus the Blue Jays would depend on circumstance and matchups, but Green should be one of the more reliable late-inning options available with Chapman out and with Zack Britton (elbow) on the injured list. In deeper mixed leagues or AL-only leagues where every closer is rostered and saves are difficult to come by, Green isn't a bad streaming option for the first week of the season.

The Reds will include Fulmer in their Opening Day bullpen, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Since last summer, Fulmer has bounced around between five organizations, but the Reds seem committed to hanging on to him, at least to begin the season. After coming over in a waiver claim from Pittsburgh earlier this month, Fulmer made three relief appearances for the Reds in the Cactus League, giving up a run on one hit and two walks over three innings. The 27-year-old will likely work in low-leverage situations out of Cincinnati's bullpen.

Luetge has made the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Luetge was dominant for the Yankees during Grapefruit League play and posted a 1.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 18 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. As a result, he'll return to the majors for the first time since 2015. Luetge is unlikely to pitch in many high-leverage situations this year.

Armstrong will begin the regular season on the paternity list, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Armstrong will be away from the Orioles for several days due to the birth of his child. Following his brief absence, the right-hander is a candidate for save chances this year, but Tanner Scott and Cesar Valdez are the top options to close out games while Armstrong is unavailable. Armstrong performed well during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, as he posted a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 15 innings during 14 relief appearances.

The Phillies announced Wednesday that Coonrod will be included in the team's Opening Day bullpen.

Coonrod's spot on the roster looked tenuous earlier in camp, but he was able to solidify his place in the bullpen after finishing the spring with a 0.96 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB in 9.1 innings. Despite Coonrod's solid showing in the Grapefruit League, he'll enter the season behind at least closer Hector Neris and top setup men Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley for saves and holds. That will make it tough to extract fantasy value from Coonrod, even if he maintains those excellent ratios over what will likely be a low volume of innings in relief.

Feyereisen was informed Wednesday that he will be included in the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Feyereisen earned his spot after giving up just one hit (a solo home run) while posting a 17:2 K:BB in 9.1 innings this spring. Josh Hader is Milwaukee's closer and reigning NL Rookie of the Year and Devin Williams is locked in as the top setup man, but the bullpen pecking order is fairly unsettled beyond the top two options. If Feyereisen is able to carry over his form from the spring into the regular season, he could emerge as a key cog in the bridge to Williams and Hader.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Tate will be included on the Opening Day roster, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Tate and Cole Sulser were awarded the final two spots in the bullpen over Travis Lakins, who was optioned to the minors. With Hunter Harvey (oblique) beginning the season on the 60-day injured list, the Orioles lack an obvious top candidate to close, but Tate isn't expected to warrant much early consideration for saves. Instead, he's expected to work in middle relief, with his past experience as a starter in the minors making him a candidate to cover multiple innings when needed.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Sulser will be included on the Opening Day roster, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Though he had a brief run as the Orioles' closer in 2020, Sulser's rough finish to the past season meant that he had to battle for a bullpen job in spring training. He was able to lock down a spot by holding opposing hitters to a .118 average over his five innings this spring, though both of the hits that he gave up were home runs. The Orioles' closing situation remains unsettled heading into Opening Day, but Sulser isn't believed to be part of the conversation at the moment. Instead, Tanner Scott, Shawn Armstrong and Cesar Valdez likely profile as the top options for saves.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Lakins will be optioned to the minors, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Lakins posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 25.2 innings during 22 starts in the 2020 season, but he struggled this spring with an 8.59 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 7.1 innings. As a result, the 26-year-old will begin the year at Triple-A Norfolk but should be one of the top candidates for a promotion if the Orioles need bullpen depth in 2021.