MLB Player News

Cousins (elbow) has opted against undergoing Tommy John surgery and will begin a rehab program for 6-to-8 weeks before being re-evaluated, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old is dealing with a UCL injury in his right elbow and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, though he'll avoid surgery for the time being. Cousins will likely be out through the All-Star break even if the rehab program goes smoothly since he'll need some time to rebuild his arm strength.

Naughton will serve as the Cardinals' starting pitcher in Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis held out hope that Adam Wainwright would be ready to clear COVID-19-related protocols and make his scheduled turn through the rotation Tuesday, but he ultimately wasn't able to do so. As a result, Naughton will move from the bullpen to make the spot start, but don't expect him to work deep into the game. He'll be pitching on two days' rest after facing two hitters in Saturday's game against the Giants, and he hasn't topped three innings in any of his appearances in the majors or at Triple-A Memphis this season.

The Nationals transferred Thompson (biceps) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.

A month after landing on the IL with biceps tendinitis, Thompson hasn't taken any notable steps forward in his recovery from the injury. As a result, the Nationals decided to rule out a return for Thompson for at least one more month, with the transaction simultaneously clearing a spot on the 40-man roster for another right-handed reliever in Carl Edwards.

The Nationals optioned Machado to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Washington will swap Machado off the 26-man active roster for another right-handed reliever in Carl Edwards, who was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Since breaking camp as a member of the bullpen, Machado has worked mostly in the middle innings for Washington while delivering a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB across 11 frames.

The Nationals selected Edwards' contract from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Edwards received a well-deserved call-up to the big leagues after he struck out 17 hitters and issued four walks over 14.1 innings at Rochester while submitting an 0.63 ERA and 0.50 WHIP. The 30-year-old has seven prior years of MLB experience, but he's seen sporadic work in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons while turning in a 7.90 ERA over that stretch.

The Brewers recalled Mejia from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

Milwaukee cleared room on the 26-man active roster by optioning Jandel Gustave, who had appeared in relief in three of the past four days and likely wasn't going to be available for Tuesday's game in Cincinnati. The addition of Mejia gives Milwaukee a fresh arm out of the bullpen.

Farmer elected free agency after being outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Monday and re-signed with the Reds on a minor-league deal, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

After going unclaimed off waivers when he was recently designated for assignment, Farmer had the option of refusing the assignment to the minors since he's accrued just over five years of big-league service time. He quickly re-signed with the Reds and will report to Triple-A, as he presumably recognizes that the Cincinnati organization might be able to offer him a clearer path to returning to the big leagues than another one. Before being dropped from the 40-man roster, Farmer turned in a 6.75 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in 12 innings out of the Cincinnati bullpen this season.

Nelson (1-0) picked up a relief win Monday, allowing one hit and striking out two over a scoreless inning in a 4-3 victory over Miami.

Nelson logged three outs across the sixth and seventh innings and was the pitcher of record when Ketel Marte launched a game-deciding home run. The scoreless outing was Nelson's 11th in 12 appearances and lowered his ERA to 1.50. The left-hander has allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 14 over 12 innings.

Bukauskas (shoulder) is throwing from out to 90 feet, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Bukauskas is progressing, albeit at an incremental pace, in his recovery from a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle. The right-hander is on the 60-day injury list and not expected back until some point in June.

Hernandez (2-2) suffered the loss against the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out five over 5.1 innings.

The right-hander fell behind early, giving up three runs in the first two innings. He rebounded over the next three frames before serving up a solo homer to Ketel Marte in the sixth. Hernandez has given up at least three earned runs in all but one of his six starts this season, resulting in an unpleasant 6.37 ERA. He'll look to turn things around in his next start, which is tentatively slated to come at home against Milwaukee this weekend.