MLB Player News

The Cardinals placed Gray (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis already confirmed Gray would begin the season on the injured list, and that transaction is now official. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Thursday as he continues to ramp up his throwing program, and he could be ready to join the Cardinals' rotation in the second week of April when first eligible.

The Cardinals placed Rom (biceps) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The left-hander recently took a step back from throwing due to a biceps injury and will be sidelined for at least the first couple weeks of the season. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, so Rom could be unavailable beyond the 15-day minimum.

The Nationals placed Cavalli (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Derek Law. Cavalli hopes to return in June from Tommy John surgery.

Nelson will begin the season in the rotation, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Nelson earned the No. 5 starter job with an impressive spring training, during which he pitched to a 2.66 ERA while striking out 26 over 20.1 innings. His primary competition for the job, left-hander Tommy Henry, will also be part of the rotation early on, as he will replace Eduardo Rodriguez (lat). Nelson was knocked around over 27 starts in 2023, but he showed improved strike-throwing ability during Cactus League competition.

Henry will be part of the rotation to start the season, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Henry, who appeared to fall behind Ryne Nelson in bid for the fifth starter job this spring, enters the rotation due to an injury to Eduardo Rodriguez (lat). Arizona manager Torey Lovullo did not have a timetable for Rodriguez's return, but given the latter's need to build up once he's ready to begin throwing, Henry should get multiple starts in April. Henry pitched six scoreless innings in Monday's exhibition against Cleveland, which came on the heels of his final Cactus League turn when he threw 3.1 scoreless frames.

Buehler (elbow) threw four simulated innings before Monday's exhibition against the Angels, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Buehler won't be ready for Opening Day, but he continues to move in a promising direction. Manager Dave Roberts noted that the right-hander is "close" to being sent out on a rehab assignment, though he'll need to bounce back well from Monday's outing and toss a side session later in the week before a decision is made on when that might be. "He's been through the rehab process, facing his own hitters, the simulated games quite a bit over the last year," said Roberts. "I think he's sort of over it." The team should know more about the next steps for Buehler once he throws his next bullpen.

Snell could throw up to five innings in his next appearance, which is scheduled for Friday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants have yet to decide where Snell will throw Friday, but it's a good sign to see him continuing to ramp up after signing late in spring training. It's already been reported that the southpaw won't be ready for Opening Day, though how much regular-season action he'll miss remains to be determined. The club could have a better idea following his upcoming outing.

Waldron has won the fifth spot in the Padres' rotation, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

The knuckleballer won the job after posting a 1.35 ERA and 11:0 K:BB over 13.1 Cactus League innings. Waldron was solid during a look-see with the big club last season in posting a 4.35 ERA over 41.1 innings, although that came after a 7.31 ERA at Triple-A El Paso. His leash will be short, with Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez looming as alternatives.

Musgrove will start for the Padres on Friday against the Giants, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

The Padres went with Yu Darvish and Musgrove in their two games in South Korea versus the Dodgers and have elected to run it back with those two in their first two contests back in the states. Musgrove was roughed up for five runs over just 2.2 innings back on March 21 against the Dodgers.

Darvish will start for the Padres on Thursday versus the Giants in the team's domestic opener, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Darvish drew the start in the first game of the team's series in South Korea versus the Dodgers back on March 20, and the Padres have elected to give him the ball again for their home opener. He'll be followed by Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease, Michael King and Matt Waldron.