MLB Player News

Beck (arm) isn't expected to be cleared to resume throwing until May, MLB.com reports.

Beck has been on the injured list all season after he underwent surgery March 4 to address an aneurysm in his upper right arm. Though he's been cleared to increase the extent of his conditioning work nearly two months since having the procedure, Beck still isn't able to play catch. He's due for a follow-up appointment with a vascular specialist May 1, after which he may be cleared to start a throwing progression. The Giants aren't anticipating Beck making his return from the 60-day IL until after the All-Star break.

Middleton (forearm) played catch from 110 feet Saturday and Sunday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals haven't followed up about how Middleton responded to his latest long-toss session, but assuming he didn't experience any complications with his strained right forearm, he could soon be cleared to start throwing off a mound again. Middleton hasn't pitched since suffering the injury in a March 7 Grapefruit League game, but once healthy, he's expected to be a key part of the late-inning bridge to closer Ryan Helsley.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Carlson (shoulder) took batting practice from both sides of the plate Monday and could start a minor-league rehab assignment within days, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals are expected to re-evaluate Carlson on Tuesday to see how he responded to his latest live BP session, but if his left shoulder isn't causing any issues, the 25-year-old could be cleared for game action. Carlson appears further along in his recovery from the shoulder injury than Tommy Edman does in his recovery from wrist surgery, so Carlson could end up settling in as St. Louis' primary center fielder if he beats Edman back from the 10-day injured list.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that Carpenter received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his strained right oblique, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals will have Carpenter rest for the next three days to allow the injection to take effect. If all goes well, Carpenter will resume hitting on the field later this week, and then face a high-velocity pitching machine before he starts getting at-bats in a game setting. Heading into the season, Carpenter didn't look as though he would be in store for much of a role before being placed on the 10-day injured list April 4, but he could have an opportunity to see reps at designated hitter if Nolan Gorman (.610 OPS, 38.1 percent strikeout rate in 84 plate appearances) and Alec Burleson (.549 OPS in 52 plate appearances) fail to show improvement in the weeks to come.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that Rom (biceps) recently took part in plyometric exercises but didn't respond well to the activity, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The update doesn't shed much light on where exactly Rom stands in his recovery from left biceps tendinitis, an injury he sustained during spring training. The fact that Rom has yet to resume throwing just under a month after landing on the 15-day injured list suggests a rehab assignment isn't imminent for the 24-year-old southpaw. Rom could be a candidate to move to the 60-day IL if he's unable to begin a throwing progression by the start of May.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Gray resumed playing catch from 60 feet last week, MLB.com reports.

Though the fact that Gray is no longer shut down from throwing is an encouraging sign after he landed on the 15-day injured list April 9 with a right elbow flexor strain, the 26-year-old still has several more checkpoints to hit in his rehab program before he'll be ready to rejoin the Washington rotation. He's without a clear timeline for a return from the IL, but Gray appears safe to rule out from being activated before the end of April.

Nelson allowed one run on one hit without retiring a batter in Monday's 5-3 loss to St. Louis.

Nelson's outing lasted one pitch, a hanging slider that Nolan Gorman sent over the right-center field fence for a walk-off, two-run home run. This was the third consecutive appearance in which Nelson allowed at least one run after he opened the season with 9.1 scoreless innings.

Thompson (0-1) was tagged with Monday's loss to the Cardinals, allowing one run on one hit while striking out one over one-plus innings.

Thompson executed a perfect 1-2-3 eighth inning before giving up a leadoff infield single to open the bottom of the ninth. He was replaced by Kyle Nelson for a lefty-on-lefty matchup, but the at-bat lasted one pitch -- Nolan Gorman tattooed a hanging slider for a walk-off, two-run home run. Thompson has pitched well thus far, posting a 1.86 ERA with four holds through 10 outings (eight scoreless). He'll continue to serve in a setup role for Kevin Ginkel for now, and eventually for Paul Sewald (oblique) when he's ready to return.

Conforto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run Monday in a 5-2 win against the Mets.

Conforto scored San Francisco's first run after singling in the second inning, and he accounted for the team's final tally with a solo shot to right field in the sixth. The performance snapped a nine-game stretch during which the veteran batted just .171 and failed to register a multi-hit effort. Despite that cold snap, Conforto has started the season well, posting a .271/.311/.506 slash line with five homers, 16 RBI and 13 runs through 90 plate appearances.

Alonso went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's loss to the Giants.

Alonso accounted for the Mets' first run with a fifth-inning solo blast to left field. The long ball snapped a seven-game homerless drought for the slugger, and he had gone just 4-for-26 with one RBI during that stretch. Alonso still leads the team -- and is tied for third in the majors -- with seven homers on the campaign, though he's knocked in just 12 runs.