MLB Player News

Giolito (elbow) resumed light throwing in late June, per MLB.com.

Giolito has been sidelined since June 21 due to right elbow inflammation. While he's been able to return to playing catch. the veteran right-hander hasn't yet thrown from a mound. Giolito is unlikely to be activated from the IL until after the All-Star break.

Middleton will be sidelined for the remainder of the season following internal brace surgery on his right elbow, Eli Whitney of Blake Street Banter reports.

Middleton has been sidelined since late April with elbow problems, and he was ultimately unable to avoid surgery. Having internal brace surgery rather than a full Tommy John repair gives Middleton a chance to return before the end of the 2027 season.

May (ankle) will not be placed on the injured list prior to Friday's game against the Cubs, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

May recorded only two outs in Thursday's start in Atlanta before being forced from the outing after taking a comebacker off his right ankle. X-rays were clean and he reported improvement with the ankle Friday, which was enough for May to avoid the IL for the time being. May is tentatively scheduled to make a start during Tuesday's doubleheader against the Brewers, though he'll need to get through a bullpen session first before being cleared to pitch that day.

May indicated that his right ankle felt better than expected Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

He had planned to test the ankle out with some catch at Wrigley Field, but rain in the forecast might prevent that from happening. May was forced to depart Thursday's start in Atlanta after recording just two outs because of a comebacker that struck him on the ankle. X-rays were negative and May still has a chance to make his next start, which is currently set to come Tuesday in a doubleheader against the Brewers.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Friday that Vasquez (ankle/illness) has been discharged from the hospital after testing came back "all clear," MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM reports.

Vasquez took a comebacker off the ankle during Thursday's start against the Dodgers. While on his way to get X-rays, he fainted and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Scans of the right-hander's ankle came back negative, and it seems whatever caused the fainting spell is not a long-term concern. Vasquez is tentatively lined up for two starts during the final week of the first half, but the Padres will monitor him in the coming days before determining whether he'll make his next start as scheduled Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

The Marlins optioned Gusto to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Gusto made five starts for Miami, collecting a 5.06 ERA and 18:10 K:BB over 21.1 innings. With Gusto returning to Jacksonville, Janson Junk (shin) appears set to rejoin the Marlins' rotation next week.

The Cardinals have a flexible cap on Leahy's innings this season as he transitions from reliever to starter, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The team will alter their rotation coming out of the All-Star break in order to bake in extra rest for Leahy. Additional measures will be taken during the second half to manage the righty's workload, though what exactly that will look like hasn't been decided upon. Leahy has logged 81.1 innings this season, which is just 6.2 frames shy of last year's total. The 29-year-old accumulated 144.2 innings in 2022, which was the last year he was used as a full-time starting pitcher, so the curtailing of his workload shouldn't be too dramatic. Leahy's next start is scheduled to come Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Cavalli will appeal the seven-game suspension he received Thursday, Evan Drellich of The Athletic reports.

MLB issued bans for Cavalli and teammate Miles Mikolas (five games) along with Boston's Willson Contreras (seven games) and Nate Eaton (three games) for their roles in a benches-clearing incident Tuesday. Cavalli's suspension was set to begin Friday, but the 27-year-old's decision to appeal the ban will allow him to make his next turn through the rotation, which is expected to come Monday against the Astros. One or both Nationals pitchers could end up dropping their appeals at a more convenient time as the team figures out how to juggle the two looming absences from its rotation.

Sugano (finger) is listed as the Rockies' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Giants at Coors Field, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Sugano developed a finger injury during his most recent start this past Friday in Minnesota, resulting in the Rockies pushing him back a few days in their pitching schedule. The right-hander got through a bullpen session earlier this week unscathed, so he's not expected to be operating with any restrictions Saturday. Sugano is tied for the team lead with eight wins on the season, but his poor ratios (4.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 7.0 K-BB%) have made it difficult to depend on him as anything more than a streaming option in deeper leagues.

Cairone (undisclosed) made his professional debut Thursday, tossing an inning for the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate while allowing one earned run on one hit.

Selected out of high school with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, Cairone was involved in a serious car accident near his home in New Jersey on Jan 2. Per JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the 18-year-old left-hander was hospitalized for nearly a month and required an arduous rehab in which he had to relearn everyday tasks, but he began working out at the Brewers' facility in Arizona just over two months ago. Cairone is expected to stick around in rookie ball until the Complex League season ends in late July.