MLB Player News

The Cubs placed Assad on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right forearm extensor strain, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The injury has evidently been an issue for Assad off and on for about two weeks, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, which could help explain why he's stumbled in June with a 5.49 ERA after entering the month with a 2.27 mark. With Assad slated to miss at least two turns, Hayden Wesneski is likely to remain in the Cubs' rotation for a while.

Darvish had imaging on his right elbow come back clean Wednesday, though he'll likely get additional imaging "for peace of mind," Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press reports.

Darvish has recovered from a groin injury and was originally expected to come off the injured list to start Tuesday, but that plan was scrapped when he developed inflammation in his right elbow. Initial indications suggested that the issue is minor, and the clean imaging seems to support that, though San Diego will likely be cautious with the veteran hurler's return. It's not yet clear when Darvish will return to action or if he'll need to make any rehab starts given the extension of his absence.

Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

As expected, Elder was returned to the minors after he was designated as Atlanta's 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader with the Cardinals. He picked up the start in the second game and was dealt a loss after giving up two earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out four over six innings.

Jones isn't listed among the Pirates' probable starting pitchers for this weekend's series in Atlanta, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Jones will thus go the entire week without making a start, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers in weekly leagues who chose to keep him active. Gorman notes that general manager Ben Cherington has previously said that while the Pirates don't intend to shut Jones or fellow rookie phenom Paul Skenes down at any point this season, both pitchers will have their respective workloads managed to some degree as the campaign unfolds. Jones isn't dealing with any sort of injury, so the Pirates appear to have simply chosen this week as an opportunity to build in more recovery for the right-hander, who has logged 86 innings through his first 15 big-league starts. Jones now appears to be in line to make his next start at some point during next week's series versus the Cardinals.

Perez (groin) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Friday in Atlanta, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates will push back Jared Jones' next turn through the rotation in order to make room for Perez, whose last outing before he landed on the IL in late May coincidentally came against Atlanta. Perez needed just one rehab start to convince the Pirates he was ready to rejoin the big club, as he allowed two runs (one earned) over five innings while tossing 65 pitches for Triple-A Indianapolis last weekend. Perez shouldn't face any major restrictions with his workload Friday.

Cabrera (shoulder) threw four scoreless, no-hit innings for Triple-A Jacksonville on Tuesday, striking out seven and walking two.

The right-hander built up to 60 pitches (37 strikes) as he closes in on a return to the big-league rotation. The Marlins moved Cabrera to the 60-day IL over the weekend, which will prevent him from being activated until early July, but he should be ready to rejoin the team's staff as soon as he's eligible. Through five MLB starts this season, Cabrera has a 7.17 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 31:14 K:BB across 21.1 innings.

Marquez (elbow) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, MLB.com reports.

Marquez made his most recent rehab outing Saturday with High-A Spokane and threw 58 pitches over four scoreless frames. The right-hander will head to the highest level of the minors to put the finishing touches on his rehab from Tommy John surgery, and he could make his season debut in early July.

Birdsong did not factor into the decision in a win over the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over 4.2 innings while striking out five.

Birdsong began to struggle with his command in the second inning, issuing walks to two of the first three batters he faced while also allowing a runner to advance on a wild pitch. He would go on to surrender one run in the frame before pitching a scoreless third, but he was again tagged for a run in both the fourth and fifth frames. The rookie right-hander had an up-and-down MLB debut, even producing nine whiffs on the night, though he'll need to work on his command if he hopes to stick around in the Giants' rotation.

Gallen (hamstring) could be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday against Oakland if he recovers well from Thursday's bullpen session, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Thursday's bullpen session will be the second one thrown by Gallen, who also has a couple of simulated games under his belt since he landed on the injured list. The right-hander hasn't appeared in a game since May 30, when he threw just six pitches against the Mets before being removed due to the hamstring strain.

Nelson (5-6) was charged with the loss against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing six runs on 10 hits over 3.2 innings while striking out three.

After pitching a scoreless first inning, Nelson went on to get tagged for runs in each of the next three frames before being relieved by Scott McGough with two outs in the fourth. The second inning was especially disastrous for the 26-year-old as he failed to retire any of the first four batters he faced and also hit Byron Buxton and Willi Castro with pitches. Nelson has now allowed at least five runs in two of his last four starts, while Wednesday marked the first time he's given up 10 or more hits since May 17 against Detroit.