MLB Player News

Greene won his first start in a real game in 1,014 days on Wednesday, allowing one run over five innings at Double-A Chattanooga. He struck out eight while giving up three hits and no walks. Thirty-seven of his 43 fastballs were clocked at 100 mph or higher, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

It wasn't just that the velocity was there, though that was pretty impressive in its own right. But his placement of the fastball was better, and he got three strikeouts looking on his slider. The latter aspect of his start is critical -- for his fastball to be effective, he needs to make his slider a credible threat to opposing hitters.

Strasburg (shoulder) threw 35 pitches across two innings in a simulated game Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Manager Dave Martinez said that Strasburg looked "really good" during his throwing session Thursday but declined to give a timetable for his return to major-league game action, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports. Strasburg will likely need at least three more throwing sessions before he's cleared to return, although it's not yet clear whether those appearances could come via simulated games or minor-league rehab games. However, the right-hander took an encouraging step in his recovery with his successful sim game Thursday.

DeGrom (lat) played catch as expected Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

DeGrom was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Cardinals but doesn't appear to be set for a long absence. Assuming his right lat responds well, he's expected to throw a bullpen Friday and take his next turn in the rotation Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Lugo (elbow) is expected to return to the roster at the end of May, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Lugo is still working his way back from elbow surgery, a procedure he underwent back in mid-February. Previous reports indicated he could be back in mid-May, but it looks as though he's slightly behind that schedule.

Suarez was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez didn't throw a pitch during spring training due to visa issues and a quadriceps injury. He's built up to full speed now and will fill the bullpen spot that had belonged to fellow southpaw Jojo Romero, who landed on the injured list with a sprained elbow in a corresponding move. With a career 4.66 ERA and 18.0 percent strikeout rate in 67.2 major-league innings, Suarez likely won't be handling high-leverage innings anytime soon.

Carrasco (hamstring) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Carrasco recently threw a six-inning simulated game, so it appears as though he's built up to a starter's workload. However, the right-hander will no longer make his scheduled rehab start Sunday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Carrasco hasn't experienced a setback, but he's just progressing slower than anticipated, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. As a result, the team will elect to have him keep building up rather than rushing him into major-league game action.

Oviedo was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Oviedo started the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mets and was charged with the loss after he gave up four runs on five hits and no walks while striking out two in four innings. He'll now attempt to sort things out in the minors but could return to the Cardinals as a spot starter at some point. Outfielder Lane Thomas was recalled in a corresponding move.

Meyer allowed one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings while striking out five to record the win for Double-A Pensacola on Wednesday.

Seeing his first game action since his final college start in March 2020, the third overall pick in that year's draft showed absolutely no rust, as Meyer dominated a Mississippi lineup that included top Atlanta prospects Braden Shewmake and Shea Langeliers. He fired 42 of 65 pitches for strikes in an efficient outing, peppering the strike zone with his plus fastball and slider. If Meyer keeps delivering starts like this, a promotion to Triple-A could follow in short order. A 2021 big-league debut in the bullpen isn't even out of the question if the Marlins are hunting for a playoff spot down the stretch and need reinforcements, but the organization is likely to keep a very close eye on his workload due to the long layoff.

Strasburg (shoulder) will likely need at least three more simulated games or minor-league rehab games after he throws 35-40 pitches to live hitters before Thursday's clash with Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

With normal rest between outings, that would have Strasburg on target to rejoin the Nationals' rotation during a homestand against the Reds and Brewers at the end of the month. Complicating the recovery process for the right-hander is that the organization's choice for a minor-league rehab stint is limited to Triple-A due to COVID-19 protocols, which might encourage the Nats to keep Strasburg with the team for more simulated games instead. The next step in his recovery will be determined after Thursday's work on the mound.

Mikolas (shoulder) made a rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday and took a loss to Durham, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk over 2.1 innings. He struck out three.

Mikolas worked up to 57 pitches -- 39 which found the strike zone -- but he also got off on the wrong foot by yielding a solo home run to Rays prospect Vidal Brujan in the first inning. However, the right-hander's ability to tolerate a relatively robust workload in his first taste of competitive game action since 2019 was encouraging, and if his shoulder responds well in the coming days, he could be back in the big leagues within the next few weeks.