MLB Player News

Wainwright, who experienced discomfort on the outside of his throwing arm during last Friday's start against the Braves, played catch on flat ground without issue Tuesday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander put to rest any fears he and the team may have had by getting through his session without any problems. With 12 wins, Wainwright remains on pace for his best victory total since his second 20-win season back in 2014, and he'll look to get one step closer when he takes the mound against the Pirates on Thursday.

Castillo allowed two hits and two walks while striking out seven over six scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Tuesday.

Castillo was dominant in this one, with the sharp movement on his fastball and changeup resulting in 14 swinging strikes. He didn't get any help from his offense and remains stuck with just two wins in 11 starts, but Castillo has been the ace of the staff since his arrival to Cincinnati. In fact, he's been one of the better arms in baseball since making the jump from Double-A -- as Mike Petriello of MLB.com pointed out, Castillo had a top-10 xwOBA among starting pitchers even before Tuesday's gem.

Freeland (11-7) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over six innings in Tuesday's loss to the Braves. He struck out five and received a no-decision.

Though his final numbers were rather pedestrian, Freeland was able put together a quality start in his first start back from the 10-day disabled list. Despite owning a 3.74 ERA, the 24-year-old offers very limited fantasy upside, as he has recorded more than four strikeouts in just four of his 22 starts this season. He's set for a matchup with the Brewers in his upcoming outing on Sunday.

DeGrom (13-6) allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks across 7.1 innings while taking the loss Tuesday against the Yankees. He struck out four.

DeGrom spread the damage around in this one, allowing at least one run in four separate innings. Three of those came via the home run in the fourth and sixth innings, with another tacked on by a sacrifice fly just before his removal in the seventh. This bumpy outing for deGrom ended a string of six consecutive starts in which he had allowed three earned runs or fewer. He still owns an impressive 53:10 K:BB over his last seven turns and will look to bonce back Sunday against the Marlins.

Gowdy (biceps, elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Gowdy did not appear in a game this season as he's been dealing with a bout of bicep tendinitis. The 19-year-old has apparently also been plagued by an elbow ailment and will now undergo Tommy John surgery on his right arm. He'll certainly be out the rest of the 2017 season and could potentially miss all of 2018 as well.

Cueto (forearm) will throw another bullpen session Friday and then head out on a rehab assignment, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

He threw a 25-pitch session Tuesday and will need just one more bullpen before heading out to a minor-league affiliate. This is excellent news, as there is now a concrete plan that should lead to him returning to the big-league rotation this season, assuming he avoids setbacks. If he makes a rehab start in the middle of next week, he could realistically be back in the big leagues the following weekend.

Lugo was placed on the DL with a right shoulder impingement, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

This obviously means he will not make his scheduled start Wednesday, and it sounds like he could end up missing at least several turns in the rotation as a result of this injury. Robert Gsellman will be recalled to take Lugo's spot in the rotation.

Cueto (forearm) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

There are still several other hurdles for Cueto to clear before he is ready to return to the big-league rotation, and he is not even a lock to return this season, as it would not benefit the Giants as they play out the string and would not benefit Cueto if he has already decided to opt-in on his player option. He is a very difficult player to evaluate in fantasy because of the uncertainty surrounding his status over the final six weeks of the season.

Anderson (oblique) will return to the big-league rotation Sunday in Colorado, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

He will forgo a third rehab start, but unfortunately will take the hill in Coors Field, so it's not necessarily a must-start situation for Anderson's owners. The righty gave up five runs with five strikeouts over 7.2 innings in his two rehab starts, and most of that damage came when he was pitching at Colorado Springs on Sunday, so we've got a recent example of what can happen when he pitches at a high altitude. Anderson was excellent prior to his injury, logging a 2.89 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 90.1 innings.

Syndergaard threw 20 pitches Tuesday in his first bullpen session since tearing his lat in late April, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

For those who like hyperbole, Syndergaard told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that this is "the best I've ever felt." He intends to return this season, although given how much time he has missed, a reasonable throwing program likely wouldn't have him back until early-to-mid September at the earliest. The Mets have made it clear that if Syndergaard does return this year, it will be in the rotation. Syndergaard could very easily pitch like an ace over three starts in September, so it's hard to cut him loose in any single-season format.