MLB Player News

The Cubs placed Steele on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to March 29, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Steele had to leave Thursday's season opener after injuring his hamstring while fielding a bunt attempt. He will be eligible to return from the IL on April 13, but it remains unclear whether or not Steele will need to spend more than the 15-day minimum on the shelf. Ben Brown will come up from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move and could fill the void in the Cubs' rotation.

Gausman will start Sunday's game against the Rays in Tampa Bay, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays were debating whether to start Gausman or Bowden Francis on Sunday. Gausman convinced the team that he is good to go by fanning seven over three-plus innings in a Grapefruit League game Monday, then completing a bullpen session Friday. That means Francis will move back to Monday's series opener in Houston. A bout of shoulder fatigue disrupted Gausman's spring training, but he progressed quickly enough to avoid the injured list to open 2024, and it looks like he will have a full first half to make his case for a third All-Star selection in four years.

Walker (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Saturday marked the first time Walker has thrown off a mound since he landed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the right-hander is scheduled throw another session during the week and that the team will likely take Walker's rehab program slowly.

Means (forearm) will begin his rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Norfolk.

Means didn't pitch in spring training, so he'll continue ramping up in the minors. He had a flare-up with his surgically repaired left elbow in October, putting him behind in the spring. Means is likely to need just about all of his 30-day rehab window to get up to speed, so his major-league season debut should be expected in mid-to-late April if he avoids setbacks.

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey revealed Saturday that DeSclafani will be out for the season after undergoing flexor tendon surgery on his right elbow, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The silver lining is that DeSclafani did not undergo Tommy John surgery, but the right-hander will be sidelined for the season. DeSclafani experienced right elbow soreness at the beginning of March, and while he was able to throw some bullpen sessions and a minor-league game, he will ultimately not play in 2024. Louie Varland is now cemented as the Twins' fifth starting pitcher.

Brown is no longer with Triple-A Iowa and is expected to be called up by the Cubs, Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register reports.

The Cubs have not announced their rotation plans beyond Monday when Shota Imanaga is scheduled to pitch. However, it sounds like Brown could end up starting a game in the home series against the Rockies next week in the absence of Justin Steele (hamstring). Brown, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, impressed in spring training with only one earned run allowed and 12 strikeouts in 14 Cactus League innings. His numbers fell off after a move up to Triple-A last season, but he racked up 130 strikeouts in just 92.2 innings across the two highest levels of the minors in 2023.

Bradish (elbow) is headed to Sarasota on Saturday to continue his throwing rehab program, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bradish threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Friday after being placed on the team's 15-day injured list Thursday. There's no exact timeline for his return, but Bradish was able to utilize all of his pitches during his throwing session, and GM Mike Elias said previously that he expected Bradish back early in the first half. With the Orioles in 2023, Bradish went 12-7 over 30 starts while recording a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 168:44 K:BB over 168.2 innings.

Puk dropped to 0-1 in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Pirates, giving up four runs on three hits and six walks over two-plus innings. He struck out one batter.

Making his first career start in the majors after 142 relief appearances, Puk's nerves may have gotten the better of him as he managed to throw only 33 of 68 pitches for strikes. Things went completely off the rails for the left-hander in the third inning, when he put the first four batters aboard with a walk, a double, a wild pitch, another walk and a single before getting the hook. The Marlins are strapped for healthy rotation options to begin the season, so Puk likely won't head back to the bullpen just yet, but he'll need to regain his focus quickly if he wants to keep his current role when the likes of Braxton Garrett (shoulder) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder) are ready to make their 2024 debuts.

Perez didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 7-2 win over the Marlins, allowing one run on six hits and three walks over 4.1 innings while striking out two.

The veteran lefty was stingy when it came to runs, but Perez needed 86 pitches (50 strikes) to record 13 outs and couldn't last long enough to qualify for the win in an eventual 7-2 victory. He's expected to give the Pirates some reliable innings this season, but after working as a swingman for the Rangers last season and making 15 of his 35 appearances in relief, Perez could be a bullpen candidate once prospects like Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler are deemed ready for the majors.

Civale (1-0) picked up the win Friday over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six.

A George Springer solo shot in the third inning accounted for the only damage off Civale. The 28-year-old right-hander tossed 53 of 86 pitches for strikes but only generated five swinging strikes, a reminder that he's never delivered big strikeouts numbers in his career over a prolonged stretch. Civale did post a 58:11 K:BB over 45.1 innings after joining the Rays last season from the Guardians, but that came with a 5.36 ERA thanks to seven homers allowed, and a 1.37 WHIP.