Free agent Puig, Braves agree on one-year deal
Glasnow rejoins Rays; some umpires opting out
Opening day rosters gained clarity Tuesday when the Atlanta Braves reached an agreement with Yasiel Puig, while Tampa Bay pitcher Tyler Glasnow provided hopes for teams awaiting players to be cleared following positive tests for the coronavirus.
Puig agreed to a one-year deal pending a physical, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press.
The 29-year-old Puig, who began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hit a combined .267 with 24 homers and 84 RBIS for Cincinnati and Cleveland in 2019. He also stole 19 bases.
Puig was the last big-name free agent from the offseason who had not signed with a team. He helps the Braves fill a void left when Nick Markakis opted out for the season.
Glasnow re-joined the Rays after missing the first 11 days of summer camp following his positive test. The right-hander immediately jumped into a simulated game at Tropicana Field and threw 49 pitches over 3⅓ innings.
Glasnow said he felt fine and expects to be ready to begin the 60-game season on time.
Mets second baseman Robinson Canó also returned to camp after missing five straight workouts for undisclosed reasons. The 37-year-old Canó was scheduled to participate in practice, but not the intrasquad game at night.
Mets relief pitchers Brad Brach and Jared Hughes remained absent.
Also returning was Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander, whose late arrival might have been attributed to COVID-19 testing. The team has not provided an explanation.
Santander, who hit 20 home runs last year, is a projected starter.
Off the field, about 10 major league umpires have opted out this season, choosing not to work games in the shortened schedule because of coronavirus concerns. Their names or the precise number of umpires was not known.
There are 76 full-time MLB umpires and more than 20 of them are age 55 or over. Joe West and Gerry Davis are the oldest umps at 67.