MLB Player News

Cueto (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list as expected ahead of his start Tuesday against the Pirates.

Cueto is ready to go after missing 13 months due to Tommy John surgery. He's back in time to make a few starts before the end of the regular season. When we last saw him at the big-league level, he'd recorded a 3.23 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in nine starts for the Giants last season prior to injuring his elbow, a strong bounceback from his 4.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 2017.

Nicasion (shoulder) will throw off a mound Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nicasio has been out for two and a half weeks with right shoulder soreness. His return date is unclear, but he still has time to get back before the end of the regular season, assuming his shoulder responds well to Tuesday's session.

Nix (elbow) will start for Double-A Amarillo in Game 2 of the Texas League Championship Series on Wednesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Nix will be making his eighth minor-league rehab start as he continues his recovery from a UCL tear in his right elbow. The 23-year-old has had no setbacks thus far and topped out at 90 pitches in his last outing. The best-of-five championship series is scheduled to end Sunday at the latest, so Wednesday's start is likely to be Nix's last appearance with the Double-A squad. He remains in line for a return to the big club before the end of the season.

Martinez, who has converted 17 of 18 save opportunities as the closer since Jordan Hicks (elbow) was sidelined, is expected to have an opportunity to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander's pitch arsenal has proven to be effective in late-inning, high-leverage situations, and Rogers reports that Martinez does enjoy filling the closer's role for now. However, working as a starter apparently remains his preference, as Martinez has continued to express a desire to have an opportunity to return to the rotation next season. The scenario shapes up as an interesting one for the Cardinals, given that Hicks isn't slated for a return until midseason in 2020, at the earliest. Therefore, if Martinez were to succeed in his bid to return to starting, alternative options such as Andrew Miller, John Gant and/or Giovanny Gallegos would likely be given run in the ninth inning for multiple months to open the campaign.

Walker (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports.

Walker played catch on the field in New York on Monday, and after throwing without any issue, he's been given the green light to toss a bullpen session. While it's good news that he's progressing through his throwing program, the Diamondbacks are unsure if he'll be ready to take the mound before the end of the 2019 campaign. Walker hasn't seen any big-league action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of 2018.

Nola (12-5) allowed four runs on six hits with four walks and seven strikeouts across six innings while taking a loss against the Braves on Monday.

The 26-year-old has struggled with his control during his last two starts, and it's led to him yielding nine runs in the last 10 frames. He's walked seven hitters during that stretch, but despite those control issues, Nola has at least six punchouts in his last six outings. He owns a 3.70 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 184.2 innings this season. Nola is scheduled to pitch next at home against the Red Sox on Saturday.

Hendricks (10-9) picked up the win against the Padres on Monday, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits over 5.2 innings, striking out five and walking one as the Cubs won 10-2.

Hendricks did his job in a game where he was spotted plenty of run support, cruising to his 10th victory to mark the third time in the last four seasons he's reached double-digit wins. He's suffered a couple of blowups recently, but it's been another strong campaign overall for the 29-year-old right-hander, who is sporting a 3.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 137:31 K:BB across 159.2 innings.

Quantrill (6-7) took the loss against the Cubs on Monday, giving up eight earned runs on 10 hits over 4.1 innings, striking out five and walking two in a 10-2 defeat for the Padres.

It was the third straight start in which the struggling right-hander has given up eight earned, a stretch that has seen Quantrill's ERA jump 3.32 to 5.12. The main culprit for Quantrill's struggles has been his inability to keep the ball in the yard, with 14 long balls to his name across 95 innings. He'll look to get on track in his next start, but he'll have to do it in a tough venue, with the Padres taking on the Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday.

Williams didn't factor into the decision against the Giants on Monday, giving up four earned runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings, striking out six and walking three as the Pirates eventually won 6-4.

Williams had fired three straight quality starts coming into the contest, but he couldn't quite keep it rolling against the Giants, missing the benchmark by one out and one earned run. He's been pitching better lately, but still sports lackluster numbers on the season, with a 5.21 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 102:37 K:BB over 131.1 innings. The right-hander's next start is currently tabbed for a Saturday road matchup against the Cubs.

Lyles allowed a run on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings while striking out three batters in Monday's win over Miami.

Lyles didn't have his best command but was able to limit the damage. He held Miami scoreless until the fifth inning and lowered his season ERA to 4.38. He's now allowed two or fewer runs seven of his eight starts since being traded to the Brewers. He'll face the Cardinals on the road Saturday.