47 Johnny Cueto SP

Cueto (elbow) was moved to the 60-day disabled list Thursday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cueto's initial timetable after suffering a sprained right elbow was set at 6-to-8 weeks, though it's now guaranteed that he will be out until June 29, at the earliest. The 32-year-old went down with this injury following his start against the Dodgers on April 28, which happened to be his first outing all year where Cueto gave up multiple runs. Keep an eye on this situation as a surgical procedure is still on the table in the event his elbow doesn't respond to rehab. In a corresponding move, the Giants promoted Jose Valdez from Triple-A Sacramento.

Cueto was diagnosed with a sprained right elbow and is expected to miss at least six weeks, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

Given the circumstances, this news comes as a relief to Cueto, who landed on the disabled list last week with right elbow inflammation. It was initially feared that he might require Tommy John surgery after seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, but Dr. Andrews confirmed that Cueto is dealing with a sprain rather than a significant tear, so he'll opt to rest before beginning his rehab with the hope of avoiding surgery. Barring any setbacks, the 32-year-old could be back in the fold sometime during the first half of June; though seeing as surgery is still an option if his elbow doesn't respond as well as expected to the non-surgical route, the Giants will proceed cautiously with him. In the meantime, Andrew Suarez should continue to fill in for the right-hander in the rotation. Cueto held an impressive 0.84 ERA across five starts (32 innings) before landing on the shelf.

Cueto will get a second and third opinion on his elbow, one of which will likely come from Dr. James Andrews, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

Dr. Andrews is practically synonymous with "Tommy John surgery", so this looks rather worrisome. Cueto's initial diagnosis was merely elbow inflammation, though, and surgery hasn't been explicitly mentioned as an option, so it would be wrong to overreact at this point. Still, Baggarly reports, all options are on the table. The exact nature of Cueto's injury should become more clear after he receives those additional opinions.

The Giants placed Cueto on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with right elbow inflammation, Chris Haft of MLB.com reports.

Cueto (3-0) had been spectacular in five starts this season with a 0.84 ERA and 0.69 WHIP over 32 innings, recording 26 strikeouts and issuing only two walks. Elbow inflammation is a potentially scary initial diagnosis for the 32-year-old, who has been an anchor in the Giants' starting rotation in the absence of Madison Bumgarner (hand). Andrew Suarez was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to start Tuesday night, while Cueto currently has no timetable for his return.

Cueto (3-0) picked up the win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three.

He settled into a groove after Corey Seager took him deep for a two-run shot in the first inning, and while Cueto wasn't dominant, he still provided his fifth straight quality start to begin the season. The right-hander will take a sparkling 0.84 ERA into his next outing Friday in Atlanta.