Athletics' Daniel Mengden: Helped by delayed regular season

Mengden (elbow), who resumed throwing March 13, will miss significantly less time, if any, thanks to the delayed start to the regular season.

The right-hander's original recovery timeline from Feb. 12 arthroscopic surgery was 6-to-10 weeks, which was set to definitely keep him out through the early portion of the season when Opening Day was still scheduled to unfold March 26. With the first regular-season game now unlikely to transpire before June 1 at the earliest, Mengden could be available from the start of the 2020 campaign. The 27-year-old will look to secure a multi-inning bullpen role with all five rotation spots likely spoken for, and Mengden should have a chance to corroborate the fitness of his elbow during whatever ramp-up period takes place leading up to the onset of the regular season.