MLB Player News

Cobb (hip) said Friday he's been shut down from throwing for a few days due to some flexor tendon inflammation, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It doesn't appear to be a serious concern since Cobb is expected to resume throwing Monday, but any arm issue is a notable development as he makes his way back from offseason hip surgery. The 36-year-old's return timeline will be pushed back at least a week, which likely means he won't make his season debut until sometime in May.

Gray (hamstring) is still expected to make a rehab start before rejoining the Cardinals' rotation, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gray threw a 54-pitch simulated game Wednesday and expressed a desire Thursday for his next appearance to be a start with the big club. However, St. Louis is sticking with its plan to give the veteran right-hander a rehab start first, as Zack Thompson remains on schedule to face the Phillies on Tuesday. Assuming all goes well in Gray's rehab start, he is slated to join the Cards' rotation sometime next weekend in Arizona.

Gray (0-2) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 4.1 innings.

Gray gave up seven runs over four innings in a season-opening loss to the Reds last Thursday, and he was only slightly better in his second start, which also ended in defeat. The right-hander at least kept the ball in the park after allowing two homers in his first outing, but he put far too many batters on the basepaths and didn't have his strikeout stuff working to help him get out of trouble. Gray had a modest breakout campaign last year with a career-best 3.91 ERA and his first trip to the All-Star Game, but the underlying metrics weren't strong, and his performance through two games this season justifies his placement on the waiver wire in most standard fantasy leagues.

Perez (1-0) earned the win over Washington on Thursday, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six batters.

Perez was efficient in the outing, needing a modest 85 pitches to get through 6.2 frames. He induced just eight swinging strikes but was still able to notch six punchouts, and he picked up both his first win and his first quality start as a Pirate. Perez was largely ineffective last year with the Rangers, recording a 4.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 5.9 K/9 over 141.2 innings. He's started off 2024 on a better foot, however, allowing just three runs through 11 frames despite an uninspiring 8:5 K:BB.

Butto allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Tigers in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader.

Butto was called up from Triple-A Syracuse as the Mets' 27th man and got the start for Game 2 of the twin bill. The right-hander made a strong impression, firing 90 pitches and racking up 12 whiffs among his 52 strikes. He allowed just a second-inning run but departed in line for the loss since New York's offense couldn't put a run on the board until the ninth inning. Butto held his own over nine big-league appearances last year, posting a 3.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 38:23 K:BB over 42 innings. The Mets signed Julio Teheran on Wednesday to fill a spot in the rotation with Kodai Senga (shoulder) and Tylor Megill (shoulder) both on the injured list, but if Teheran doesn't perform well, a door could open for Butto to make additional big-league starts.

Houser allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out three batters over five-plus innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Detroit on Thursday.

Houser made it through five scoreless frames and took the mound for the sixth, but he didn't record any outs in that inning and was pulled after allowing both batters he faced to reach base. One of those runners came around to score after his departure, accounting for the lone run on the right-hander's ledger. It was an overall solid season debut for Houser, as he didn't allow any extra-base hits and exited in line for the win. He struck out only three batters, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect much from him in that department, as he's punched out less than a batter per inning in each of the past four seasons.

Weathers didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Cardinals. He allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings.

Weathers was solid for the most part Thursday, holding St. Louis to an Ivan Herrera solo homer in the second inning before the Cardinals tacked on a pair of unearned runs in the fifth. Weathers departed with a one-run lead, though the Marlins' bullpen couldn't make it hold up in an eventual 8-5 defeat. The 24-year-old southpaw is 0-1 while allowing four runs in nine innings across his first two starts this year. Weathers could carve out a more permanent role in Miami's rotation after it was announced that Eury Perez (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery. He's currently lined up for a road matchup with the Yankees in his next outing.

Lynn did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.2 innings versus the Marlins. He struck out seven.

Lynn was sharp early, blanking Miami through his first three innings. However, he'd give up a leadoff home run to Jake Burger in the fourth before Josh Bell and Burger tacked on three more runs with back-to-back blasts in the fifth. Lynn struggled with the long ball last year, allowing a league-most 44 homers while struggling to a 5.73 ERA across 32 starts between the Dodgers and White Sox. The veteran right-hander has given up four runs on 12 hits through 8.2 innings in his first two starts this season.

Cabrera (shoulder) will make his second rehab start Friday with Triple-A Jacksonville, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Cabrera is aiming to work four innings Friday, after he tossed three scoreless frames and 43 pitches in his first outing with Jacksonville last Sunday. The right-hander will presumably need one more rehab appearance after Friday's outing to get stretched out enough to the point that the Marlins are comfortable bringing him back from the 15-day injured list and inserting him into the big-league rotation. Cabrera's imminent return is welcome news for a Miami rotation that will be without Eury Perez (elbow) for the rest of the season when he undergoes Tommy John surgery Monday.

Garrett (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Garrett was scheduled for a three-inning simulated game earlier this week, which evidently must have gone off without a hitch. He'll next throw four innings with Jacksonville and seems likely to require at least one additional rehab start before rejoining the Miami rotation. The left-hander has been working his way back from a left shoulder impingement.