MLB Player News

Quintana underwent microscopic surgery Thursday to address a left thumb laceration and is expected to remain out for two weeks before resuming a throwing program, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

According to a press release from the Cubs, Quintana suffered the injury while washing dishes at his home in Miami last weekend, with the wound on his thumb requiring five stitches. When he met with doctors for further evaluation of the injury, Quintana was recommended to undergo surgery after nerve damage was detected in the thumb. The Cubs will see where Quintana stands in his recovery when he's re-evaluated in mid-July, but because he'll miss out on some necessary ramp-up time following MLB's shutdown, he looks highly unlikely to be ready for the Cubs' Opening Day game July 23 or 24. His expected absence could pave the way for both Tyler Chatwood and Alec Mills to crack the rotation as the Cubs' fourth and fifth starters.

The Phillies placed Suarez on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to an unspecified issue, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Suarez was one of four Phillies placed on the IL on Wednesday, with no explanation provided behind any of the transactions. More clarity on Suarez's situation could come the next time manager Joe Girardi meets with the media, but for now, the 31-year-old's status for Opening Day in late July is muddled. Before MLB's shutdown in spring training, Suarez had been competing for a starting job with the big club, but he probably still finds himself on the outside looking in for a rotation spot even if Girardi opts for a six-man setup during the shortened season. The fact that Suarez is beginning summer camp on the IL will only further hurt his chances of handling a meaningful role with the Phillies when the season begins.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt suggested Wednesday that Mikolas (forearm) will be fully healthy when the team resumes workouts at summer camp this week, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mikolas' clean bill of health comes as little surprise, as he had previously had an outside chance of making a full recovery from his strained flexor tendon by late March, when Opening Day was originally scheduled to occur. With the start of the season now having been pushed back approximately four months, Mikolas should be in store for a similar buildup program to the Cardinals' other starting pitchers during camp. Shildt added that he expects to use a five-man rotation when the 60-game slate opens in late July, which will likely result in offseason import Kwang-Hyun Kim settling for a long-relief role.

Rea will be a part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool this season and will head to Wrigley Field for summer camp.

The Wrigley Field group is more likely to see significant MLB playing time than the players the club is sending to South Bend for camp, but Rea is still jockeying with 21 other pitchers. The 30-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2016. He made 26 starts for Triple-A Iowa last season, compiling a 3.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 120 strikeouts across 148 innings.

Darvish is the likely Opening Day starter, but Chicago manager David Ross is also considering Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Realistically, the competition is between Darvish and Hendricks, with Lester's name in the mix out of respect to the veteran's track record. Darvish started to look like an ace down the stretch last year, and with the amount the Cubs are paying the Japanese righty, they have every incentive to make him their No. 1 starter for the abbreviated 2020 season.

Lugo could be the pitcher the Mets call on most early in the season if any starters are on limited pitch counts, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

While the team doesn't intend to make any drastic changes to its current five-man rotation, GM Brodie Van Wagenen suggested Monday that the Mets could be a lot more flexible with bullpen roles. "We also have some high-velocity, high-stuff bullpen guys," he said. "We may see shorter starts from some pitchers early on in the year, and we may see bullpen arms in pitching situations earlier than maybe they otherwise have been accustomed to. We're going to use (the bullpen) with the mindset that every out counts, not just every inning." Lugo, as the one "high-velocity, high-stuff" reliever used to tossing multiple innings in an outing, seems the most likely candidate to move out of a setup role and instead take the mound in the middle innings if someone like Steven Matz or Michael Wacha exits early. Such usage would make Lugo -- who recorded seven wins, six saves and 21 holds in 60 appearances last season -- a prime candidate to vulture wins during the shortened campaign.

Taillon (elbow), who will not pitch in the majors in 2020, will attend camp in Pittsburgh as part of his rehabilitation, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

He'll take the spot of Edgar Santana, who was suspended for 80 games due to PED usage. The move will allow Taillon to continue working with the medical staff in Pittsburgh. In an effort to better maintain his health following a second Tommy John surgery, the righty has made several mechanical adjustments. He's shortened his arm action in his throwing motion and is keeping the ball closer to his body, moves intended to put less stress on his arm and elbow.

The Pirates announced Sunday that Brubaker is included in their initial 60-man roster pool for the 2020 season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Brubaker will provide Pittsburgh with some rotation depth during the 60-game campaign, but he's likely to open the season in a long-relief role out of the bullpen, with Steven Brault (shoulder) and Chad Kuhl viewed as the top candidates for the fifth starter's job.

Kelly will likely claim a spot in the Diamondbacks' rotation after Mike Leake announced he will forgo playing in 2020, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Leake had a spot in the rotation with the only issue of uncertainty being the wrist injury he suffered prior to spring training. The right-handed Kelly initially worked as a reliever during the spring but also prepared in case Leake wasn't ready for the original Opening Day. That preparation became moot as the pandemic-fueled delay gave Leake enough time to heal from his injury. Others lining up for the rotation behind Kelly are lefty Alex Young and righties Jon Duplantier and Taylor Clarke.

Seabold will be a part of the Phillies' 60-man player pool this season.

Seabold would probably be at least another season away from pushing for his big-league debut under ordinary circumstances, though he could be called upon at some point during the upcoming 60-game campaign. He recorded a strong 2.25 ERA at Double-A Reading last season, though that came in just seven starts.