MLB Player News

Thompson is expected to lose his rotation spot and move to the bullpen with Sonny Gray (hamstring) on track to return from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Rather than sending Gray out for a minor-league rehab assignment after he tossed 54 pitches in a three-inning simulated game Wednesday, the Cardinals saw enough from the veteran right-hander to feel comfortable having him return from the IL for his next outing. According to Jones, Thompson won't be available out of the bullpen Sunday against the Marlins or in Monday's series opener with the Phillies just in case Gray suffers a setback leading up to Tuesday's game, but Thompson looks like he'll be headed for a relief role before long. Since he isn't yet fully ramped up, Gray is expected to be limited to 65 pitches Tuesday, so Thompson could even be called upon to pitch an inning or two once the former exits his start. After faring respectably upon joining the St. Louis rotation over the final two months of the 2023 campaign, Thompson has struggled to carry any momentum into 2024. Over his first two starts, Thompson has given up eight earned runs on 11 hits and six walks while striking out nine over 10.1 innings.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Gray (hamstring) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday against the Phillies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

The organization originally planned for Gray to make a minor-league rehab start before joining St. Louis' rotation, but the veteran right-hander apparently made a strong argument to instead make his season debut. Gray threw 54 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday and is expected to be limited to about 65 pitches versus Philadelphia.

Atlanta recalled Winans from Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Though he had been a member of Gwinnett's season-opening rotation and will now move up to Atlanta as a replacement on the 26-man active roster for staff ace Spencer Strider (elbow), Winans is expected to provide the big club with a fresh arm in the bullpen who's capable of covering multiple innings. AJ Smith-Shawver, Dylan Dodd, Darius Vines and Huascar Ynoa are all already on the 40-man roster and could be candidates to enter the rotation when Atlanta next needs a fifth starter Wednesday versus the Mets, while Bryce Elder pitched four innings for Gwinnett on Saturday and likely won't be in consideration to replace Strider right away since he would be pitching on only three days' rest.

Irving (0-1) allowed four runs on five hits over six innings in a loss to the Phillies on Saturday. He struck out five and issued one walk.

All of the damage against Irvin came in the second and third innings, when the right-hander surrendered an RBI triple to Alec Bohm and later a three-run home run to J.T. Realmuto. Irvin retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced and produced nine swinging strikes in the contest, but he still ended up being tagged with his first loss of the season. The 27-year-old has now allowed seven runs on 12 hits over his first two starts, though he has managed to go at least five innings in each outing.

Suarez (1-0) allowed two runs on two hits over six innings in a win against the Nationals on Saturday, striking out four.

Suarez was solid for most of the contest, with the exception of the bottom of the third when he left a sinker over the heart of the plate for Joey Gallo to crush over the wall in right field. The lefty didn't allow another hit from that point on, though he was relieved by Jeff Hoffman in the bottom of the seventh after beaning a hitter to open the frame. Suarez has now gone at least five innings in each of his first two starts to open the season, registering an 11:1 K:BB over that brief stretch.

Atlanta placed Strider on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a UCL sprain in his right elbow.

The 25-year-old righty underwent an MRI on Saturday that revealed damage to the UCL in his right elbow, so it was only a matter of time before he landed on the injured list. It's unclear at this point if Strider will require Tommy John surgery -- which would be the second such procedure of his career -- but he's likely facing a lengthy absence regardless.

Yamamoto (1-1) pitched five scoreless innings in a win against the Cubs on Saturday, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Yamamoto got into trouble right off the bat, surrendering two hits and a walk to the first three batters he faced. However, the right-hander then proceeded to strike out the side to work his way out of the hole before allowing just one more hit in the contest. Yamamoto has now hurled 10 scoreless innings over his last two starts after getting knocked around in his first outing. He's given up just five hits over that stretch to go along with a 13:2 K:BB.

Wicks (0-1) allowed two runs on six hits across 4.2 innings to take the loss Saturday against the Dodgers. He walked one and struck out seven.

Wicks pitched decently against a tough lineup, but the Cubs managed only one run in the 4-1 defeat. The lefty was ineffective with his pitches, needing 100 to retire his 14 batters, which kept him from completing five innings for the second straight start. Wicks does have an impressive 13 strikeouts over 8.2 frames this season, however. He'll carry a 4.15 ERA into his next outing, which is tentatively set for Friday against the Mariners, and aim to pitch a bit deeper into the contest.

Winn (0-2) took the loss against San Diego on Saturday, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out one batter over six innings.

Winn got off to a rough beginning in the contest, giving up four first-inning runs on a Jurickson Profar grand slam. The second-year hurler rebounded to hold the Padres scoreless and hitless over the following five frames, but San Francisco was unable to put any runs on the scoreboard, resulting in the right-hander taking his second loss. It was at least promising to see Winn keep his composure after the difficult first inning, but it's also worth noting that he didn't miss many bats, as he induced just four swinging strikes and one punchout. The lack of strikeouts and mostly mediocre minor-league numbers limit's Winn's current fantasy appeal.

King (1-0) earned the win against San Francisco on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four batters over seven scoreless innings.

King came into the contest having allowed a massive 10 walks over 7.1 innings, so it was promising to see him emerge from Saturday's outing having allowed just one free pass. The improved control unsurprisingly made a substantial positive impact on his results, as the right-hander picked up his second win (the first came in relief) and first quality start. King is working as a full-time starter for the first time this season, so it was uncertain coming into the campaign what fantasy managers could expect from him. Based on his first two starts, it appears that limiting walks could be a key to King finding success in his first campaign with the Padres.