Osuna agreed to a contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
Osuna has been pitching in the Mexican League the past two seasons but has now decided to continue his career in Japan. He last pitched in the majors in 2020, making four appearances with the Astros.
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Roberto Osuna: Hits open market
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Osuna (elbow) passed through outright waivers Friday and elected free agency rather than accept an assignment to Triple-A, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Osuna is undoubtedly a talented pitcher, posting a 2.74 ERA and saving 155 games through six big-league seasons. Multiple factors make him a less than appealing option, however, including his 2018 domestic violence suspension and the elbow issues that limited him to just 4.1 innings this past year. While he avoided surgery and has resumed throwing, injury concerns will presumably still affect his value on the open market.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Waived by Astros
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Osuna (elbow) was placed on outright waivers by the Astros on Thursday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
Osuna was expected to make somewhere in the region of $10 million in arbitration this offseason. Elbow issues limited the righty to just 4.1 innings this season, though he's seemingly avoided Tommy John surgery despite previous indications the procedure would be required. Between the elbow worries and Osuna's 2018 domestic violence suspension, the Astros evidently were uninterested in bringing the young righty back at that price. Those factors will likely also reduce his interest if he winds up on the open market, though some team will presumably want a 25-year-old with a 2.74 career ERA and 155 saves.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Resumes throwing
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General manager James Click said Saturday that Osuna (elbow) recently resumed throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The Astros were hopeful in early August that Osuna could return to the mound later in the season, but there haven't been many updates regarding his recovery process. While it's encouraging that he's throwing again, it's unlikely that he'll be able to return in 2020. Ryan Pressly should continue to serve as the closer for the Astros this year.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Hoping to return later this season
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The Astros are hoping Osuna (elbow) can return later this season after rehabbing, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
Osuna has been sidelined all month with an elbow injury. It was originally thought that the right-hander would require Tommy John surgery, but it sounds like he's going to attempt to rehab his elbow after receiving a second opinion. He's still shut down from throwing. Ryan Pressly should continue to serve as Houston's closer in the meantime.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Transferred to 45-day IL
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Osuna (elbow) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Sunday.
The move is simply procedural as Osuna likely requires Tommy John surgery to repair an elbow issue that surfaced at the beginning of August. Left-hander Brooks Raley was acquired from the Reds in a corresponding move. Ryan Pressly should continue to serve as the Astros' closer for the foreseeable future.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Likely needs Tommy John surgery
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Osuna's (elbow) initial diagnosis is that he needs Tommy John surgery, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports. He is getting a second opinion.
Things seemed to be trending in this direction for Osuna, given some quotes earlier in the day from manager Dusty Baker. Even if he does not undergo the procedure in the imminent future, he won't be pitching in games for the Astros anytime soon, so he is a cut in most redraft leagues. Ryan Pressly is the strong favorite to become the Astros' closer going forward. He has the upside to finish the season as a top-10 closer if he holds the role. If Osuna were to get Tommy John surgery soon, he would not be a lock to return during the 2021 season, especially since he previously required the procedure as an 18-year-old.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Outlook not good
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Astros manager Dusty Baker said, "The reality is it's probably not really good news," when asked about Osuna's elbow injury Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Osuna underwent an MRI on Monday after leaving Saturday's game against the Angels with what was first called "right arm discomfort" and then "right elbow soreness." Baker's response seemingly indicates that a more serious diagnosis is coming soon, though it's not yet clear what exactly that will be. Ryan Pressly is the primary candidate to close in Osuna's absence.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Heading for MRI
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Osuna will return to Houston to undergo an MRI after leaving Saturday's game with right arm discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Osuna recorded one out and allowed an infield hit before exiting Saturday's game. The Astros are already dealing with a plethora of injuries to the pitching staff, so losing their closer for any period of time would be a significant blow. It's unclear if a stint on the injured list will be necessary, but the 25-year-old at least figures to be unavailable for the next few days. Ryan Pressly made his season debut Saturday after dealing with elbow soreness and should be in the mix for saves while Osuna is sidelined.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Exits Saturday's game
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Osuna was removed from Saturday's game against the Angels with an apparent injury, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old entered the game to start the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead, and he exited after giving up a one-out infield single to Luis Rengifo, who eventually came around to score. The specifics of the situation remain unclear, but it's a troublesome sign for the Astros given the numerous injuries the pitching staff is already contending with.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Bypassed for save
Rotowire
Osuna was not used in a save situation in Friday's 9-6 win over the Angels.
Presumably, Osuna was rested with a team off day Thursday after he threw two innings Wednesday. Perhaps manager Dusty Baker felt secure enough with a three-run lead to entrust rookie Andre Scrubb to close out matters. That makes a certain amount of sense when considering the injuries to regulars in the Astros' bullpen.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Appears in non-save situation
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Osuna fired two scoreless innings in a non-save situation during Wednesday's 4-2 extra-innings loss to the Dodgers. He struck out one and did not permit a hit.
With Houston's bullpen thin due to injuries, Osuna gave the team two innings as the game pushed on to 13 innings. The Astros have an off day Thursday, so manager Dusty Baker could use whatever arms he had. The Astros' closer should be available for Friday's series opener on the road against the Dodgers.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Converts first save
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Osuna allowed a hit and struck out two in an inning of work to secure the save in Monday's 8-5 win over the Mariners.
Osuna had a three-run cushion to work with and only allowed Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager aboard with a single. The 25-year-old Osuna recorded 38 saves with a 2.63 ERA in 2019 and should continue in the closer role, especially with setup man Ryan Pressly dealing with elbow soreness.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Makes first appearance
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Osuna allowed one hit in the ninth inning of Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners.
Osuna had a somewhat slow start to summer camp, which left his status in doubt for the season opener. He didn't appear Friday, but it didn't take long for the 25-year-old reliever to get in a game. Osuna may compete with Ryan Pressly for save chances in the early weeks of 2020, but it's expected the former will ultimately assume full closer duties soon.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Questionable for weekend series
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Osuna (not injury related) is close enough to being ready that he was included on the Astros' Opening Day roster, but it is unclear if he will be available to pitch in Friday's opener, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
It's encouraging that Osuna will be technically active to start the season, although it makes for a tricky sit/start decision for fantasy managers. He completed a bullpen session Monday. Ryan Pressly is expected to get the save chances if Osuna is unavailable for any of the games this weekend against the Mariners.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Resumes mound work
Rotowire
Astros general manager James Click said that Osuna (not injury related) was able to complete a bullpen session in Houston on Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
According to Click, Astros pitching coach Brent Strom raved about how Osuna looked while throwing in what marked the reliever's first known bullpen session since he reported to summer camp. Manager Dusty Baker hasn't offered many specifics regarding why Osuna's ramp-up process during camp has been slower than the team's other relievers, beyond noting that it wasn't the result of any injury. Now that he's back on the mound, Osuna probably won't need much time to get his arm conditioned for the one-inning workload he'll be in store for in most games during the season, but he's still far from a lock to be included on the Astros' Opening Day roster. If that's the case, Baker said that Ryan Pressly will serve as Houston's closer until Osuna is deemed ready to go.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Opening Day status uncertain
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Manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that the team is not sure whether Osuna (not injury related) will be ready for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Osuna was late to camp and still hasn't thrown off a mound ahead of the start of the regular season Friday. Baker stressed that the closer's slow start isn't due to an injury, but he expressed some uncertainty about his status for Opening Day. If the right-hander is not ready for the start of the season, Ryan Pressly could handle the closing duties if he recovers from a finger blister.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Not throwing off mound
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Osuna is still ramping up at summer training and has yet to throw off a mound, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The 25-year-old apparently isn't dealing with an injury, but he's noticeably behind his fellow relievers coming out of the hiatus. Osuna is throwing long toss from 200-plus feet, but manager Dusty Baker was unable to say when he might progress to mound work. Pitching coach Brent Strom still believes the team's closer will be ready for Opening Day next Friday, but at this point it's worth being skeptical about his availability early on. Setup man Ryan Pressly (finger) is also dealing with a blister, so Houston's best high-leverage options are facing some uncertainty with only a week to go before the start of the season.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Throws scoreless inning
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Osuna struck out one over a scoreless inning during Wednesday's spring game against Washington.
Osuna has allowed three unearned runs over three spring appearances and enters 2020 as one of the more secure closers in MLB. The Astros have a strong back end with Ryan Pressly healthy again and ready to serve as the bridge to Osuna.
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Astros' Roberto Osuna: Cashes in with Houston
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Osuna signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Astros on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Osuna nailed down 38 saves in 2019, posting a 2.63 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with a 73:12 K:BB across 65 innings. He'll enter the 2020 campaign with the closer's job well in hand.
