MLB Player News

Alcantara (illness) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Jared Diamond of The Wall Street Journal reports.

Alcantara is among the many Miami players who tested positive for COVID-19 amid a team-wide outbreak. Alcantara previously submitted a dominant outing in his season debut in Philadelphia last Friday, covering 6.2 innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks while whiffing seven.

Musgrove (0-3) took the loss Tuesday in Minnesota after allowing five runs on six hits across 3.1 innings. He had two strikeouts and five walks.

The 27-year-old was solid in his first two starts of the season with three runs allowed over 5.2 innings both times out, but he didn't find much success against the Twins. Walks have been a significant issue so far for Musgrove, as he's issued 11 free passes through 14.2 innings, and the five walks Tuesday tied a single-game career high. The right-hander will have a more favorable matchup next time on the mound Sunday versus the Tigers.

Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason Tuesday.

The Cardinals gave no reasoning for placing Martinez on the injured list, but the transaction comes as the team deals with a COVID-19 outbreak among several players and staff members. It's unclear how much time the right-hander will miss, and a replacement for his spot in the rotation hasn't been named. John Gant, Austin Gomber and Jake Woodford have past experience as starters and could be candidates to take Martinez's place.

Burnes didn't factor into the decision while working 3.2 innings out of the bullpen Monday in the Brewers' 6-4 loss to the White Sox. He struck out five and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks.

After starting in his first appearance back on July 25, Burnes was deployed as a "piggyback" pitcher behind Brett Anderson (finger), whose arm wasn't conditioned to handle a normal starter's workload in his season debut. Since Burnes threw 64 pitches in the relief outing, he'll likely be down for the remaining three games of the series before potentially returning to action in a starting role over the weekend during the Brewers' three-game set with Cincinnati. Burnes' relief appearance could pave the way for one of Freddy Peralta or Eric Lauer to make a spot start Thursday or Friday.

Smyly (finger) won't throw for 7-to-10 days as he continues physical therapy, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Smyly was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a strained left finger, and Tuesday's update indicates that he won't return after the minimum amount of time. The southpaw will be re-evaluated once the team returns to San Francisco late next week, after which a better timetable for his return could be established. Smyly made three appearances (two starts) to begin the season, allowing three runs on seven hits with an 11:4 K:BB over 8.1 innings. Tyler Anderson, Conner Menez and Trevor Cahill (finger) are candidates to fill Smyly's role in the rotation while he's sidelined.

Strasburg (hand) will throw a simulated game Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Strasburg was scratched from his season debut back on July 25 due to a nerve issue in his hand, though the problem is reportedly no longer bothering him. Wednesday's simulated game will be his first time facing live hitters since a preseason exhibition game more than two weeks ago. It remains to be seen exactly when he'll make his first start of the year.

Ynoa was called up by the Braves on Tuesday.

Ynoa made a pair of relief appearances last season, allowing six runs over three innings of work. He hasn't proven himself at the Triple-A level yet, either, as he produced a 5.33 ERA in 72.2 innings for Gwinnett in 2019. He'll likely be limited to low-leverage work during his time on the big-league roster.

Soroka (Achilles) was placed on the 45-day injured list Tuesday.

The move was an expected one after the young righty was ruled out for the season with a torn right Achilles' tendon Monday. He's expected to undergo surgery within the next week. Chad Sobotka and Huascar Ynoa were recalled by the Braves, though both have been exclusively relievers at the big-league level, so it remains unclear who will take his spot in the rotation.

Brubaker will start Thursday against the Twins, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Brubaker will step into the rotation spot left vacant by Mitch Keller's oblique injury. It's not yet clear how many starts Keller is expected to miss. Brubaker made his big-league debut this season and has appeared twice out of the bullpen, striking out seven and walking just one over five scoreless innings.

Lopez has been confirmed as the Marlins' starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, manager Don Mattingly said Monday that Lopez and Elieser Hernandez are the only members of the Opening Day five-man rotation that will definitely be available when the Marlins return to action in Baltimore following a week-long hiatus in Baltimore. With Sandy Alcantara and Jose Urena both confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 and the status of Caleb Smith unknown, Lopez was the obvious choice to take the hill for the Marlins' first game out of the extended break. The right-hander struggled down the stretch of the 2019 season and finished with an ugly 5.09 ERA over 111.1 innings, but his 4.27 FIP and 1.24 WHIP painted a brighter picture of his overall performance. Still just 24 years old, Lopez has the ability to take a major step forward in 2020 and emerge as a reliable mid-rotation arm for the Marlins.