MLB Player News

Burnes (shoulder) threw on flat ground Monday, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Burnes is not making his scheduled start Monday against the Mets after experiencing fatigue in his right shoulder over his past two outings. It's the first time he's missed a start since he entered the rotation on a full-time basis in 2020. However, Burnes' session of catch Monday appeared to go well, and he and the Diamondbacks remain optimistic he can avoid the 15-day injured list and start this weekend versus the Dodgers.

The Mets recalled Baty from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.

He's grabbing the roster spot vacated by Jesse Winker (oblique). Baty is behind Luisangel Acuna and Jeff McNeil in the pecking order at second base and behind Mark Vientos at third base. His best shot at playing time in the short term might be at designated hitter, although Starling Marte should be at the top of the depth chart there.

The Mets placed Winker on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right oblique strain.

Winker suffered the injury Sunday during the first game of a doubleheader in St. Louis. The severity of the strain has now been revealed, but oblique injuries often results in longer than minimum stays on the IL. Starling Marte should soak up extra starts at designated hitter while Winker is out.

Fitzgerald (rib) is doing light activities and rehab work, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Fitzgerald suffered a left rib fracture in late April and finally landed on the 10-day injured list on May 1 after tests revealed the diagnosis. He is expected to be sidelined at least two weeks, but it's a good sign that he's already doing some activities.

Schmitt (oblique) has begun baseball activities, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Schmitt is more than two weeks removed from suffering a Grade 2 left oblique strain but has been cleared to start ramping things up. The expectation when Schmitt went down was that he would miss around a month of action, so he's still got a couple weeks go go and will likely require a rehab assignment.

Acuna is not in the Mets' starting lineup against the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Acuna played in both games of Sunday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, going 3-for-8 with one stolen base and one run scored. He'll get a breather Monday while Jeff McNeil starts at second base and bats eighth against Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson.

Encarnacion (hand) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Encarnacion underwent surgery in late March to repair a fractured left hand but appears on track for activation from the 60-day injured list when first eligible May 23. The 27-year-old appeared slated to be the Giants' primary designated hitter before getting hurt, and it's possible that's still his role since Wilmer Flores has cooled off after a red-hot first couple weeks. There could also be at-bats available at first base, where LaMonte Wade has struggled.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Flexen could enter the rotation in place of the injured Shota Imanaga (hamstring), Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Counsell also mentioned prospect Cade Horton as a possibility, but Flexen, unlike Horton, is already on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, giving him a potential edge. After changing his arm slot, Flexen posted a 1.16 ERA and 21:8 K:BB over 23.1 frames with Triple-A Iowa and then tossed three scoreless frames this past Friday out of the bullpen against the Brewers. Imanaga's next turn comes up this weekend in New York versus the Mets.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Horton is a possibility to enter the rotation in place of the injured Shota Imanaga (hamstring), Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Counsell also mentioned Chris Flexen as an option, and Flexen could be the favorite to draw a start this weekend against the Mets since he's already on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, while Horton is not. However, Horton has put himself in the conversation by posting a 1.24 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 33:13 K:BB over 29 innings at Triple-A Iowa this season. Imanaga will miss at least two starts after landing on the 15-day injured list Monday.

Yastrzemski is not in the Giants' starting lineup against the Cubs on Monday.

The lefty-hitting Yastrzemski will avoid the southpaw matchup against Matthew Boyd on Monday as the Giants start Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee and Luis Matos in the outfield. Yastrzemski has recorded at least two hits in five of his last 10 games, and over that span he has gone 12-for-39 with six runs scored, two home runs and six RBI.