MLB Player News

Martinez (thumb) is highly unlikely to return this season, the team's official site reports.

The right-hander hasn't been able to do much throwing since his mid-July surgery to repair a ligament in the thumb on his throwing hand. While manager Mike Shildt hasn't completely ruled out the possibility of the veteran returning to the big-league mound before season's end, he conceded last week that "it's going to be hard for him to do."

Cueto (COVID-19 protocol) is starting Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Having not tested positive for the virus, Cueto, originally scheduled to pitch Monday, is able to return from the injured list only a day after being placed on it. The righty faced Milwaukee on Aug. 8 and allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits in 5.1 innings.

Manager Bud Black said Gray's bullpen session Tuesday went well and that he's optimistic the right-hander will be able to start Thursday against Atlanta, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Gray left his Saturday start against the Dodgers in the third inning with forearm tightness. He played catch Monday, and so long as he comes out of his Tuesday bullpen session without any setbacks, he should take the ball Thursday without missing a turn through the rotation. The righty will be looking to shake off a rough month of August in which he posted a 6.55 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 22 innings.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he expects Peralta (shoulder) to return from the 10-day injured list to start Friday's series opener versus St. Louis, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Peralta was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 19 with right shoulder inflammation, but the injury was never considered overly serious. The shutdown may have in part been motivated by the Brewers' desire to cap Peralta's innings count; he's already covered a career-high 121.1 frames in 2021, nearly 100 more than his 2020 total. The Brewers were seemingly satisfied with how Peralta's shoulder checked out during a pair of bullpen sessions Friday and Monday, clearing the way for him to return to action this weekend.

Gray's start against the Cardinals on Tuesday was postponed due to inclement weather, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gray will likely have to wait just a day to pitch, especially if Tuesday's game is rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Wednesday. The righty is coming off arguably his best two-start stretch of 2021, as he's held opponents scoreless and struck out 11 in his last 13 innings.

Mikolas will not make his scheduled start after Tuesday's game against the Reds was postponed, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Wednesday, and Mikolas will take the ball in Game 1, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. The righty has allowed five runs (three earned) on 10 hits in 9.1 innings since returning from the injured list.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Toussaint could re-enter the rotation later this week to make a start during the team's four-game series in Colorado that begins Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

After Ian Anderson returned from the injured Sunday to give Atlanta five healthy starters, Toussaint made an appearance out of the bullpen in that contest, tossing a scoreless inning. While Snitker has yet to formally commit to Toussaint rejoining the rotation, those odds appeared to increase after Monday's loss to the Dodgers, when the struggling Drew Smyly served up four home runs. Even if Toussaint doesn't displace Smyly as the team's fifth starter, his solid work of late has left Snitker to contemplate expanding the rotation to six men. Before his cameo out of the bullpen last weekend, Toussaint had submitted a 2.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB in 22 innings over his most recent four starts.

Cabrera is scheduled to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Mets, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Elieser Hernandez will get the "start" for the first game of the twin bill, which is the resumption of a game that was suspended with one out in the top of the first inning back on April 11. Since the nightcap will be a seven-inning game, Cabrera's odds of factoring into any decision should increase, since he'll likely be pitching for a larger percentage of the game than if it were a normal nine-inning contest. The 23-year-old right-hander acquitted himself well in his big-league debut Aug. 26 against the Nationals, striking out two over 6.1 frames while giving up three runs on four hits and three walks.

Williams is scheduled to start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Marlins, Field Level Media reports.

Taijuan Walker will get the "start" for the first game of the twin bill, which is the resumption of a game that was suspended with one out in the top of the first inning back on April 11. Since the nightcap will be a seven-inning game, Williams should have a good chance to factor into the decision even if the Mets decide to cap his pitch count, given that he's made a pair of relief appearances of only two innings and 2.1 innings since being called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 16. Williams will likely return to a bullpen role after the spot start.

The Mets are expected to deploy Walker as their "starting pitcher" Tuesday in the resumption of their suspended game against the Marlins from April 11, Field Level Media reports.

Marcus Stroman will be credited as the starter for the game, which was suspended with one out and a runner on first base in the top of the first inning. Since Stroman last pitched Saturday and won't be asked to pitch on two days' rest, Walker will stay on turn in the rotation and should be in line for a relatively normal outing, despite technically entering the game as a reliever. Meanwhile, Trevor Williams will be called on to make a spot start later Tuesday, when the Mets and Marlins play their normally scheduled game, which will be seven innings. Walker will presumably be in store for a normal start the next time his turn in the rotation comes up Sunday in Washington.