Nothing official from the Tigers yet. Skubal told reporters that he felt great after wrapping up a 64-pitch simulated game on Monday at Tropicana Field. The 29-year-old fantasy ace underwent an innovative NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow last month and could potentially make a minor league rehab start this weekend, which would put him on track to rejoin Detroit’s rotation by mid-June.

Francona added that De La Cruz has been diagnosed with a Grade 1-2 hamstring strain that will require a multi-week absence. The 24-year-old fantasy superstar, who was hitting .280/.346/.509 with 40 runs scored, 12 homers, 37 RBI and 10 steals through 58 games, hit the injured list prior to Monday’s series opener against the Royals and figures to be out until at least mid-to-late June in a best-case scenario. Matt McLain figures to get some looks at shortstop with top prospect Edwin Arroyo likely to factor into the equation between both shortstop and second base.

Lyon Richardson draws the starting assignment to open a bullpen game for Cincinnati. Burns is expected to take the ball for Wednesday’s series finale after getting some extra time to rest and recover. The hard-throwing 23-year-old rookie struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings to pick up a win over the Mets his last time out. He’s compiled a stellar 1.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 72/20 K/BB ratio across 64 1/3 innings over 11 starts this season. Simply put, he’s one of the most electric young arms in baseball.

It’s the first ever IL trip for De La Cruz, who played in 162 games last season and started the Reds’ first 58 games this season. The hope is that this will be a short stay for the shortstop, who is hitting .280/.346/.509 on the season. It’s definitely a blow to the Reds, but it is an opportunity to give Edwin Arroyo a look and see if he might be a starting second base option after De La Cruz returns.

Burleson was hitting fifth against a lefty in Jordan Wicks tonight. The Cardinals first tried that on Friday after batting Burleson exclusively third and fourth previously. Burleson’s RBI in the first came on a little infield flare that dropped over the pitcher’s head but still turned into a groundout. His RBI single in the third was also pretty light; he dropped a ball down the line in shallow left that Ian Happ might have made a diving attempt on but decided against it at the last second. So, he got his runs batted in on balls hit 38 mph and 77 mph, respectively. He’s driven in 38 runs on the season, which is tied for 15th in MLB.

The Astros loaded the bases in the third, but that was really their only threat today. They totaled one baserunner over the other eight innings of the game. Misiorowski finishes off his ridiculous May at 5-0 with a 0.23 ERA and a 57/6 K/BB in 38 1/3 innings. It’s one of the best months from any pitcher this century, yet it probably won’t win NL Pitcher of the Month because Cristopher Sánchez went without allowing a run. Misiorowski will pitch at Coors Field next time out, but that really shouldn’t scare anyone besides the Rockies.

Soto’s grand slam in the sixth inning was the exclamation mark in a lopsided victory to end the week. The $765 million man has been on an absolute tear, homering nine times in his past 15 contests. It’s a stretch in which Soto also has 16 runs scored, 18 RBI, and even four stolen bases. He’s at the height of his powers despite the offense not living up to expectations for most of the season. The Mets will begin a West Coast trip to Seattle and San Diego on Monday.

De La Cruz exited Sunday’s game against Atlanta with tightness in the hamstring. The 24-year-old told Reds manager Terry Francona that he believes he pulled up before causing a serious injury, but Cincinnati will undergo the imaging to be sure.

The Pirates are calling the injury minor and expect Griffin to miss only the minimum amount of time on the injured list. The 20-year-old phenom has hit .270/.327/.402 with four homers, 22 RBI and 14 stolen bases through his first 208 plate appearances with the Pirates. Ryan O’Hearn was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move on Sunday.

The 26-year-old southpaw had been scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session on Tuesday, but that will no longer happen. It sounds like they’ll take it day-to-day for now on when he may be able to resume throwing. Crochet has been sidelined since late April due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder.