MLB Player News

Gray (elbow) played catch from 75 feet Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander is in the process of ramping up his throwing program after a brief shutdown period due to a flexor strain. Gray should soon progress to long toss before returning to mound work. He likely won't be able to rejoin Washington's rotation until at least mid-May.

Cavalli (elbow) touched 96 mph during a 60-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Cavalli is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in March 2023. He should be cleared to face hitters next, with a rehab assignment soon to follow. Cavalli could eventually be an option for the Nationals' rotation, but he's on the 60-day injured list and will need plenty of time in the minors first.

Steele (hamstring) went through pitchers' fielding practice Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Steele was fielding a ball back on Opening Day when he suffered a strained left hamstring that sent him to the injured list, so this was an important step. He also threw a live batting practice session Sunday. Assuming he gets through Tuesday's workout with no problems, Steele should be cleared to begin a rehab assignment.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that Rom (biceps) recently took part in plyometric exercises but didn't respond well to the activity, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The update doesn't shed much light on where exactly Rom stands in his recovery from left biceps tendinitis, an injury he sustained during spring training. The fact that Rom has yet to resume throwing just under a month after landing on the 15-day injured list suggests a rehab assignment isn't imminent for the 24-year-old southpaw. Rom could be a candidate to move to the 60-day IL if he's unable to begin a throwing progression by the start of May.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Gray resumed playing catch from 60 feet last week, MLB.com reports.

Though the fact that Gray is no longer shut down from throwing is an encouraging sign after he landed on the 15-day injured list April 9 with a right elbow flexor strain, the 26-year-old still has several more checkpoints to hit in his rehab program before he'll be ready to rejoin the Washington rotation. He's without a clear timeline for a return from the IL, but Gray appears safe to rule out from being activated before the end of April.

Quintana (1-2) took the loss against San Francisco on Monday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Quintana wasn't sharp in the outing, inducing just four swinging strikes and giving up a season-high five runs. The veteran hurler also yielded a season high in hits and walked multiple batters for the fifth straight start. Quintana had managed a solid 3.05 ERA despite a poor 16:11 K:BB and 1.50 WHIP coming into Monday, but the outing against the Giants paints a more reasonable picture of what to expect from the left-hander if he continues to allow batters to reach base at a high rate.

Winn (2-3) earned the win against the Mets on Monday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.

The only run Winn allowed came on a Pete Alonso solo homer in the fifth inning, which was also the Mets' lone extra-base hit in the contest. The right-handed hurler finished with his second straight quality start, and he's allowed just two runs over 12 frames during that two-game stretch. Winn appears to be finding a groove and has been a valuable component of San Francisco's pitching staff so far this season, posting a 3.54 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB through 28 innings.

Gomber tossed five innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two batters in a no-decision against San Diego on Monday.

Gomber induced just seven swinging strikes among his 95 pitches and punched out only two Padres, but he kept Colorado in the game despite allowing at least one baserunner in each of his five frames. The southpaw got only one run of support from the Rockies' offense, though that was enough for him to avoid taking the loss. Gomber has given up three or fewer runs in each of his past four starts, but he remains stuck on zero wins this season.

Cease (3-1) earned the win over Colorado on Monday, allowing one run on one hit and no walks while striking out eight batters over seven innings.

Cease dominated the Rockies' lineup, yielding just one hit -- a fourth-inning Charlie Blackmon leadoff double that Colorado converted into its only run. The veteran hurler has notched a win in each of his past three starts, giving up just two earned runs and five hits while striking out 22 batters over 19 frames during that stretch. Cease's lack of free passes Monday was also a positive development after he had issued multiple walks in each of his first four starts of the campaign, including five in his previous outing. Cease's season ERA now sits at a sterling 1.82, which is tied for 10th in MLB among qualified starters.

Pfaadt yielded two runs on two hits and three walks over 5.1 innings in a no-decision Monday. He struck out four in the loss against the Cardinals.

Pfaadt stifled the Cardinals over five shutout innings before a two-run single by Lars Nootbaar knocked him out of the game in the sixth. Since earning a win in his season debut, Pfaadt has allowed 15 earned runs over his last 24 innings. Despite striking out only four batters, he forced 10 whiffs Monday, his second-highest total of the season. Pfaadt will carry a 4.97 ERA into his next outing, which is projected to be in Seattle this weekend.