MLB Player News

Quintana (thumb) is expected to resume throwing Thursday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Quintana had his stitches removed Wednesday and is set to resume throwing for the first time since he underwent microscopic surgery on his left thumb in early July. The left-hander will likely miss the start of the regular season, but the team should know more once he's able to increase his throwing program. Alec Mills could step in as a starter for the Cubs while Quintana is on the mend.

DeGrom's MRI on his back Wednesday didn't show anything concerning, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

DeGrom left Tuesday's intrasquad matchup after one inning since he was experiencing back tightness, but his MRI shows that he appears to have avoided anything too serious. The Mets consider him day-to-day, but he could face some slight limitations even if he's ready to play by Opening Day, which is scheduled for July 24.

DeGrom underwent an MRI on his back Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom left his intrasquad appearance Tuesday after just a single inning due to a tight back. He's considered day-to-day for now, but a clearer picture of his return timeline should emerge once the results of the MRI are made public. Even a slight delay would likely render him unable to handle a full starter's workload in his first start or two of the year, given that Opening Day is just nine days away. Whether or not he's able to appear in any capacity in the first few weeks of the season will depend on his MRI results.

Manager Mike Shildt announced Flaherty as his Opening Day starter for the July 24 opener against the Pirates, FOX Sports Midwest reports.

The 24-year-old will unsurprisingly remain the Cardinals' top option for Opening Day despite the multi-month shutdown. Flaherty was a legitimate ace in 2019 with a 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 231:55 K:BB over 196.1 innings, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting thanks to a dominant second half (0.91 ERA and .142 BAA).

Hendricks was sharp in Tuesday's intrasquad game, allowing just a single hit across 6.1 scoreless innings, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Because it was a scrimmage, the team had Hendricks record four outs in his sixth inning of work. The righty passed the test and looked comfortable as he got right around 70 pitches for the night. Yu Darvish is the presumptive Opening Day starter, but Hendricks looked sharp in spring training before play was suspended and has continued to pitch well in summer camp. He also happened to outperform Darvish in their head-to-head matchup Tuesday. The team hasn't said anything about who will start Opening Day, but Hendricks has certainly done all he can to earn the assignment.

DeGrom exited Tuesday's intrasquad game after one inning due to back tightness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 32-year-old covered three innings during his previous outing and was expected to pitch four-plus innings Tuesday, but he ended up making an abrupt exit after only one frame. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but at best this puts deGrom's availability for Opening Day next week in doubt. The team should provide another update within the next couple days as he's further evaluated.

DeGrom left Tuesday's intrasquad scrimmage after just one inning, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

So far no reason has been given for deGrom's early departure. He was scheduled to pitch three-to-four innings after pitching three innings in his last outing.

Manager Gabe Kapler announced Cueto as his starting pitcher for Opening Day against the Dodgers on July 23, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The veteran right-hander was initially named the team's Opening Day starter in March, and Kapler will stick by his plans following the hiatus. Cueto missed most of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, though he did come back for four starts in September and post a 5.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 13:9 K:BB over 16 frames.

Darvish allowed two runs across 3.2 innings in Tuesday's intrasquad game, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. He gave up two hits and two walks, to go along with three strikeouts.

Probably the most important thing here is that Darvish threw 60 pitches, so he seems to be ramping up well toward the start of the regular season. There are 10 days until Opening Day for the Cubs, so throwing Tuesday puts Darvish in line for that assignment, though Kyle Hendricks also pitched in Tuesday's scrimmage and could get the nod for the opener. Manager David Ross has yet to make a formal announcement on that front, but it's expected that Darvish and Hendricks will lead the rotation in some order with Jon Lester slotted in third.

Manager Don Mattingly announced Tuesday that Alcantara will start Opening Day against the Phillies on July 24.

The 24-year-old posted a 3.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 151:81 K:BB over 197.1 innings last season and always appeared ticketed to start Opening Day in 2020, which the team has now confirmed. Alcantara completed a 65-pitch simulated game shortly after reporting for summer training earlier this month and should face minimal limitations to begin the season despite the elongated shutdown.