Andrew Cashner placed on 15-day DL with elbow inflammation

The decision came after Cashner told his manager, Bud Black, about soreness in his right elbow on Friday. However, unlike many others who have went down this season with elbow issues -- like Marlins’ phenom Jose Fernandez, Braves’ pitcher Kris Medlen and Rangers’ southpaw Martin Perez -- the feeling around the team is cautiously optimistic. And that positivity starts with Cashner himself.

“I think it just has some inflammation in it,” Cashner told reporters. “Hopefully it’s not more than 15 days. I think there was some extra soreness this time, but I’m not worried at all about my ligament. I have been cutting my fastball loose with no pain.”

The organization also seems more upbeat about the injury than would be expected. In his statements to the press, general manager Josh Byrnes made it appear that the MRI scheduled for Monday was more of a precautionary measure, saying “we felt it was the right thing to do. We’re cautiously optimistic that rest will knock this out.”

While Cashner says he was hesitant to bring the soreness to the team’s attention -- saying ”“I think it’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make ... because I’ve been doing so well” -- he ultimately felt it was “smarter to take a step back now instead of keep pushing forward.”

Black supported his ace’s perspective and shares his disposition regarding a potential diagnosis, telling reporters, “I like the fact that Cash is optimistic about this. As a player, you know when something is wrong. He feels pretty good about his situation and with a little bit of rest he’ll be fine.”

Considering the rash of recent elbow injuries to seemingly every prominent pitcher under the age of the 30, the team better hope it’s more than wishful thinking on Cashner’s part.