AROUND THE HORN
■ Yankees: Yankees ace right-hander Gerrit Cole will start playing catch this week as he continues to rehab his ailing right elbow. Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Cole could begin throwing Monday or Tuesday. The team placed Cole on the 60-day IL prior to opening day due to nerve inflammation in the elbow. He would be eligible to return May 27. There was no UCL damage found, and Cole’s best-case scenario is a return in early June. A six-time All-Star, Cole was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2011 draft and is the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. Cole, 33, was 15-4 in 2023 with 222 strikeouts and a 2.63 ERA in 209 innings (33 starts) for the Yankees. He led AL pitchers in win-loss percentage, ERA, games started, shutouts (two) and innings pitched. ... Giancarlo Stanton hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the third, and the Yankees beat the visiting Blue Jays 8-3 for their eighth win in 10 games to start the season.
■ Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray will make his debut with the Cardinals against the Phillies on Tuesday. Gray, 34, had been slated to start opening day but instead was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. He’s skipping a minor league rehab start and will be on a 65-pitch limit against the Phillies. Gray was 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts for the Twins last season, finishing second in AL Cy Young voting during an All-Star campaign. The three-time All-Star signed a threeyear, $75 million contract in November.
■ Braves: Michael Harris II hit a go-ahead HR in the fourth and LHP Chris Sale allowed two runs on four hits with no walks in 5 ⅓ innings as the Braves beat the visiting Diamondbacks 5-2 to cap a three-game sweep. The Braves hit three HRs. Matt Olson led off the second with a solo shot and Austin Riley added a two-run blast in the eighth. Sale (1-0) was acquired from the Red Sox in an offseason trade. Relievers Joe Jiménez, Tyler Matzek and Pierce Johnson combined for 3 ⅔ scoreless innings. Johnson pitched the ninth for his second save, giving closer Raisel Iglesias a rest after pitching in the first two games of the series. ... The Braves placed ace Spencer Strider on the 15-day IL. The move was expected after an MRI on Saturday revealed a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. No decision on possible season-ending Tommy John surgery is expected before Strider, 25, is evaluated further by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, at a date to be determined. Strider led the majors with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts last season.
■ Extra innings: The Marlins ended their team-record nine-game losing streak starting the season when Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon hit three-run HRs in a six-run first that lifted them over the host Cardinals 10-3. Max Meyer got his first major league victory, allowing one run and three hits in six innings. ... Diamondbacks SS Geraldo Perdomo will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and likely will be out six to eight weeks. Perdomo, 24, was an All-Star in 2023, hitting .246 with six HRs and 16 stolen bases.