MLB Player News

Gausman landed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons Tuesday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The Giants didn't even specify which injured list Gausman was placed on, which typically means he's been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Per Crowley, the expectation is that Gausman may be on the injured list simply while recovering from the COVID-19 vaccine shot, though that's yet to be officially confirmed. If that's all that's going on with the righty, he should be able to take his next turn in the rotation, which lines up to come Saturday against the Padres.

DeGrom was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Cardinals due to side tightness, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The Mets insisted that deGrom was fine when they pushed his start back from Monday to Tuesday, indicating that they simply wanted to give him an extra day to rest. It now looks as though the decision may have been injury-related, though it's possible the side issue didn't show up until Tuesday. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, deGrom is only expected to miss one start. Miguel Castro will be the team's first pitcher in what looks like a bullpen game Tuesday.

Velasquez will remain in the rotation for at least one more start Saturday against Atlanta, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Velasquez carried a 6.57 ERA and 1.95 WHIP into his start Monday against Milwaukee, walking 18.3 percent of opposing batters. He wound up pitching a gem against the Brewers, striking out six and walking two over six innings while allowing just a single run on four hits. It's hard to trust the righty, considering his performances for most of the season (and for most of his career), but another strong start or two could make him at least somewhat interesting again.

Cabrera (biceps) completed a 20-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Assuming Cabrera reports no setbacks with his right biceps coming out of the workout, he'll be in line to throw another side session Friday. Cabrera was sidelined for all of spring training due to an inflamed nerve in his biceps, but he appears to be making solid progress since initiating a throwing program in early April. He could be ready to join the Triple-A Jacksonville rotation at some point in late May.

Sanchez (shoulder) recently increased his throwing distance off flat ground to 105 feet, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Sanchez is expected to play catch from 105 feet for at least a few more days before pushing that distance up to 120 feet. After that, Sanchez could be cleared to start throwing off a mound, but he'll likely require a ramp-up period of at least 3-to-4 weeks before the Marlins clear him to make his 2021 debut. The 22-year-old righty may be tough to justify holding in shallow leagues or in deeper leagues with limited or no injured-list spots, given that his debut isn't yet imminent along with the fact that he could be rusty coming off the shoulder injury.

Freeland (shoulder) is pitching in a simulated game Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Freeland's progression to facing hitters is a positive sign as he looks to move past the left shoulder strain that has sidelined him since late in spring training. The southpaw may require at least one more rehab start or simulated-game appearance Tuesday before the Rockies are comfortable activating him from the 10-day injured list, perhaps at some point late next week.

The Cardinals recalled Oviedo from their alternate training site Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Reliever Jordan Hicks (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list to create an opening on the active roster for Oviedo, who is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Mets. The Cardinals are in the midst of a stretch of 17 games in 17 days, so manager Mike Schildt has elected to expand the rotation to six men temporarily. St. Louis will get a much-needed off day May 10, so Oviedo may only get one start before heading to Triple-A Memphis.

Carrasco (hamstring) tossed a six-inning simulated game at the Mets' spring facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Tuesday, Michael Mayer of MetsMerizedOnline.com reports.

According to Mayer, Carrasco sported a fastball that peaked at 96 miles per hour and showcased good late life on his secondary offerings. Tuesday's outing was expected to be Carrasco's final rehab appearance, so assuming the Mets have similarly favorable reviews for the right-hander, he could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as soon as Sunday. However, since staff ace Jacob deGrom is tentatively scheduled to start that day's game against the Diamondbacks, the Mets are more likely to wait until next week to integrate Carrasco into the rotation.

Rutledge will begin the season at High-A Wilmington, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

This is a shockingly conservative assignment for the 2019 first-round pick, but the Nats appear to be taking a far more cautious approach with their top pitching prospects than other organizations after a lost minor-league season. Rutledge will join Cade Cavalli in the Wilmington rotation, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see both get a quick promotion to Double-A if they overmatch opposing hitters. Starting the year three levels from the majors likely rules out both right-handers from making their big-league debuts in 2021, however.

Cavalli will begin the season at High-A Wilmington, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

This is a shockingly conservative assignment for the 2020 first-round pick, but the Nats appear to be taking a far more cautious approach with their top pitching prospects than other organizations after a lost minor-league season. Cavalli will join Jackson Rutledge in the Wilmington rotation, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see both get a quick promotion to Double-A if they overmatch opposing hitters. Starting the year three levels from the majors likely rules out both right-handers from making their big-league debuts in 2021, however.