Braves fill OF void, get deal with Puig
Opening Day rosters gained clarity on 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 oneyear deal pending a physical, according to The Associated Press. Puig, 29, who began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hit a combined .267 with 24 homers and 84 RBI for Cincinnati and Cleveland in 2019. He also stole 19 bases.
Puig was the last bigname 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 on after missing the first 11 days of summer camp following his positive test. The right-hander immediately pitching a simulated game and threw 49 pitches over 31⁄3 innings.
Meanwhile, about 10 MLB umpires have opted out this season, choosing not to work games in the shortened schedule because of concerns over the coronavirus. There are 76 full-time MLB umpires and more than 20 of them are age 55 or over.
Minus 10 or more MLB umpires, many Triple-A umps will work the twomonth season. Most of them have previously called games in the majors.
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Yankees: Pitcher Masahiro Tanaka said he’s unsure of being ready for opening week as he continues his recovery from a mild concussion from taking a Giancarlo Stanton line drive off the top rightside of his head on July 4,
Dodgers: L.A. is the latest team to join the cutout craze: Submit a photo and the team will turn it into a cutout and display it in a seat all season. If the camera locks in on just the right spot, you could see your face at a game while you watch the game on television. The team is charging either $149 or $299 for the season.
Red Sox: The starting rotation will look radically different for Boston with
Chris Sale recovering from elbow surgery, David Price traded, Rick Porcello gone to free agency and
Eduardo Rodriguez out after testing positive for COVID-19. With Rodriguez unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, the rotation looks like Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Ryan Weber and Brian Johnson, followed by an opener.