MLB Player News

Wainwright (illness) won't return from the COVID-19 injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Orioles, and Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said it's "unlikely" the right-hander is activated before the end of the team's homestand Sunday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Wainwright has been medically cleared, but based on Mozeliak's comments, the right-hander apparently still has a few hurdles to overcome before exiting MLB's protocols. Heading into the day, the Cardinals were hopeful Wainwright would exit the protocols and not miss a turn through the rotation, but he doesn't look as though he'll be available at any point this week. Packy Naughton will draw the spot start Tuesday in what's shaping up to be a bullpen day for the Cardinals.

Pepiot, who joined the Dodgers in Pittsburgh and is currently a member of the taxi squad, hinted Tuesday that he expects to be formally called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to start Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Likely on the orders of the Dodgers' staff, Pepiot wouldn't explicitly say that he's starting Wednesday, but he noted that he believes he's ready to pitch in the majors and said he would have family and friends in attendance in Pittsburgh. Assuming no postponement happens that would result in the Dodgers having to restructure their pitching schedule, Pepiot should receive what amounts to a spot start with Los Angeles having temporarily expanded to a six-man rotation due to last weekend's doubleheader. Through six starts at Oklahoma City this season covering 26.1 innings, Pepiot has posted a 2.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB.

The Mets transferred deGrom (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to remain out through the All-Star break, according to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News.

New York has been deliberately evasive about offering up a timeline for deGrom's return since he was diagnosed April 1 with a stress reaction of his right scapula. At the time, deGrom was scheduled to be shut down from throwing for four weeks, but more than five weeks later, he has yet to resume on-field baseball activities. The Mets haven't suggested that deGrom has hit a snag in his recovery, as he's simply not far along in the rehab process at this stage for the club to have any confidence that he would miss fewer than 60 days. He'll technically be eligible to come off the IL in early June, but Thosar suggests deGrom's return date will likely trend closer to mid-to-late July. A more definitive target for deGrom's return should come into focus as he makes his way through a throwing program, but it's still unclear when he'll even be ready to resume playing catch.

Sanchez was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Sanchez was called up to serve as the 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Mets. He started the nightcap but was only asked to throw 2.1 innings, giving up two runs. The outing raised his season ERA to 5.84. He'll remain one of the Phillies' top options whenever they need an extra starter.

Gore (2-1) took the loss Monday as the Padres fell 6-0 to the Cubs, giving up three runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

It was far from a poor effort from the rookie southpaw, who fired 57 of 89 pitches for strikes, but San Diego hitters managed only three hits on the night. Gore continues to impress with his improved control, and through his first five big-league starts he boasts a 2.42 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB in 26 innings. Even with Blake Snell (groin) closing in on his season debut, it will be tough for the Padres to pull Gore from the rotation.

Hendricks (2-3) picked up the win Monday, scattering three hits and a walk over 8.2 scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory over the Padres. He struck out seven.

The veteran right-hander was given a chance to complete his first shutout since 2020, but after Hendricks issued his first free pass of the game to Jake Cronenworth in the bottom of the ninth, he got the hook after 116 pitches (80 strikes). Hendricks at least recorded his second quality start of the season, but in his other five outings, he has a rough 7.33 ERA.

Suarez (3-1) picked up the win in Monday's 9-0 victory over the Mariners, giving up four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings while striking out seven.

The southpaw didn't allow a runner to get past second base as he dominated over 104 pitches (66 strikes). It was a welcome performance from Suarez, who hadn't struck out more than four batters in any of his first five starts of the season while managing only one quality start. Despite this effort, the 26-year-old will still carry a disappointing 3.68 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with a tepid 16.7 percent strikeout rate into his next outing.

The Cardinals may have Wainwright (illness) available to start Tuesday's series opener against Baltimore if he can test out of MLB's COVID-19 protocols leading up to the game's 7:45 p.m. ET start time, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Wainwright has been away from the team since testing positive for the virus Friday. The veteran right-hander apparently isn't dealing with overly serious symptoms, but the Cardinals could still choose to give him an extra day to get his conditioning back in order and have him start Wednesday instead even if he clears the protocols by Tuesday. If the Cardinals elect to go that route, Miles Mikolas -- who has already been confirmed as Wednesday's starter -- will likely be moved up a day to start Tuesday.

Gomber (2-3) took the loss against San Francisco on Monday, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three.

Gomber entered the contest having registered three straight quality starts, but he didn't pitch well enough or go deep enough to extend that streak Monday. The southpaw gave up three runs across his first three innings and was lifted with one out in the sixth after allowing a pair of batters to reach base. Gomber has alternated losses and wins over his past five starts to post a 2-3 overall record on the campaign. He'll look to even his ledger in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to come at home against Kansas City on Sunday.

Rodon (4-1) earned the win over Colorado on Monday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 12 over six innings.

The left-hander had Colorado batters guessing throughout the contest, racking up 23 swinging strikes and tying a season high with 12 punchouts. He gave up a pair of runs in the fifth inning but didn't allow any extra-base hits and kept the Rockies off the scoreboard in each of his other five frames. Rodon's ERA actually increased to 1.80 despite the quality start, and he pushed his record to 4-1 on the campaign. He has been everything the Giants hoped he would be when they acquired him in the offseason, as he leads MLB with 53 strikeouts while stepping into the ace role on the staff. He'll look to keep rolling in a projected start in St. Louis this weekend.