MLB Player News

The Mets officially placed deGrom (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Leading up to Opening Day, the only drama pertaining to deGrom's placement on the IL was whether the Mets would place him on the 10-day IL, or stash him on the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. The Mets chose to go the former route, but that doesn't necessarily mean deGrom is a safe bet to avoid an eventual move to the 60-day IL, which will be dictated by how he progresses in the weeks to come. The Mets already announced April 1 that deGrom will be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks with a stress reaction in his right scapula, and he'll almost certainly need at least an additional 2-to-3 weeks beyond that to build up for starting duty.

The Mets optioned Peterson to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.

Peterson was the Mets' final cut of spring training. His demotion to the minors was foreshadowed Wednesday, when manager Buck Showalter confirmed that No. 5 starter Tylor Megill would get the ball in Thursday's season opener versus the Nationals. With ace Jacob deGrom (shoulder) beginning the season on the IL, Peterson looks to be viewed as the No. 7 starter on the organizational depth chart. The 26-year-old lefty will thus likely need at least two other members of the rotation to be sidelined before he gets a look as a starter with the big club.

The Padres placed Clevinger on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a sprained right knee.

Clevinger will begin the season on the shelf, but manager Bob Melvin downplayed the pitcher's right knee injury earlier this week and suggested the compressed spring training schedule played a factor in the Padres' decision to hold him out of action in the first week and a half of the season. By opening the season on the IL, Clevinger will also be afforded additional time to ramp up as he makes his way back from November 2020 Tommy John surgery. Clevinger hasn't reported any setbacks with his elbow in spring training, but he could need a few starts to regain his usual velocity and command following his lengthy layoff from competitive action.

Mejia was designated for assignment on Thursday.

Mejia was optioned off the active roster in late March and will now also be removed from the 40-man roster. Mejia owns a 6.68 ERA in eight career MLB starts, making him a potentially unappealing option on the waiver wire.

Castillo (shoulder) landed on the injured list as expected Thursday.

The move was reported back in late March, as Castillo has been delayed by a sore shoulder throughout the spring. His absence isn't likely to be a long one, as he's expected back in mid-to-late April, though he'll be on a pitch count for his first start or two.

Dunn (shoulder) was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Dunn was traded from the Mariners to the Reds in March and was expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation, but he'll be forced to miss at least the first two months of the season due to the right shoulder strain that kept him sidelined for most of the 2021 campaign. Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) are both on the 10-day injured list to begin the year, so Vladimir Gutierrez, Reiver Sanmartin, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are all beginning the season in the rotation for the Reds.

The Nationals placed Strasburg (neck) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Strasburg is being brought along slowly to begin the season while he works his way back from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent last July. He's seemingly experienced no setbacks since reporting to spring training, as he's been throwing throughout camp and has faced hitters. Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reported Tuesday that Strasburg is in line to throw another live bullpen session next week at extended spring training in Florida, where he's expected to continue building up for a few more weeks before potentially heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Per Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington, general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday that it's a "possibility" that Strasburg could make his season debut with the Nationals as early as May 1, though the organization is reluctant to put a hard timeline on his return.

The Cubs placed Miley (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He'll open the season on the IL along with Alec Mills (back) and Adbert Alzolay (lat), with the their absences clearing the way for Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson and the newly-signed Drew Smyly to capture spots in the Cubs' rotation coming out of spring training. Miley was shut down last week due to his inflamed left elbow and is expected to be re-evaluated in the coming days, but he appears likely to miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Gore was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.

Gore had 16 strikeouts over 12 innings during spring training, but he was never a likely bet to make San Diego's Opening Day roster. He made six starts for El Paso last season and struggled with a 5.85 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 18:12 K:BB across 20 innings. Gore remains one of the organization's top pitching prospects and could be promoted for his major-league debut at some point in 2022.

Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Gray will start the second game of the Nationals' season-opening series with the Mets, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Gray is tentatively lined up to start Friday, though Martinez acknowledged that the right-hander may be moved back to Saturday if Thursday's season opener is postponed due to rain being in the forecast that day in Washington D.C. Though Gray's spot in the rotation was never believed to be in any jeopardy, fantasy managers may be best off treading carefully with the 24-year-old, who struggled with both his command and control as a rookie. He showed improvement in the latter area by posting a 13:1 K:BB over 9.2 innings during the Grapefruit League season, but he surrendered five home runs en route to finishing the exhibition slate with a 9.31 ERA.