In roughly 48 hours, the second round of “spring” training will officially begin for MLB teams. That means the 2020 season is on its way to actually happening. Let’s catch up on the latest around the league and everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
Finished Already
Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Edgar Santana’s season is over before it begins. Santana has tested positive for Boldenone, which is a banned substance. Despite missing all of 2019 with Tommy John surgery, Santana would have likely had a chance to rejoin the Pittsburgh bullpen this year.
Santana posted a solid 3.31 ERA in 69 appearances during the 2018 season, so the Pirates surely could have used him this year. The suspension of four minor leaguers was also announced over the weekend. Unfortunately, with no minor league season, those players will have to serve their suspension in 2021.
Missing in Action
The biggest story of the weekend was most teams announcing their 60-player “summer camp” rosters. These are the 60 players who will participate in training camp and be eligible to play this season.
Some teams named fewer than 60 players, meaning they can add to the roster later. Nevertheless, there were several notable players absent from those rosters, including:
- Luis Severino, who will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
- Trey Mancini, who is recovering from colon cancer and is likely to sit out the season.
- Mitch Haniger, who is coming back from surgeries on his back and core. He could be added to Seattle’s roster but may not play this season.
- Aristides Aquino, who essentially made Cincinnati’s B roster and will train separately from the 35 players training at Great American Ball Park. Aquino posted an OPS of .891 and was one of several outfielders likely to fight for playing time this season.
- Tim Tebow, who could be added at a later date but was not among the players the Mets are inviting to summer camp at Citi Field.
Making the Cut
While there were many exclusions from the summer camp rosters, there were several players included on their team’s initial roster who we weren’t sure would be on there. Among those players are:
- Mike Trout, who was not 100% sold on the season because his wife is pregnant and likely to give birth before the end of the season. However, Trout will play despite the likelihood of missing a few games when his wife delivers.
- Blake Snell, who was one of the notable players to mention the possibility of sitting out the season due to uncertainty about the virus but is on Tampa’s roster.
- Yoenis Cespedes, who missed all of last season after undergoing surgery on both heels and then broke his ankle on his ranch. However, the Mets believe he’s made enough progress to potentially play this year and perhaps serve as the team’s primary DH.
- Jordan Hicks, who was the closer in St. Louis before undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He’s been throwing bullpens for a little over a month and could be ready to pitch when the season begins.
- Ryan Zimmerman, who is still on the fence about playing in 2020 but is at least eligible to join the Nationals for the season.
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