MLB Player News

Kershaw (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kershaw has been limited to throwing from flat ground, and Friday was the first time he's thrown off a mound since undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. The veteran southpaw threw 15 pitches, and manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw "came out well" from the bullpen session, per J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation. Kershaw is not expected to return until after the All-Star break.

Ross did not factor into the decision Friday against the Cubs, allowing one run on six hits over six innings. He struck out four.

Ross was solid, holding Chicago off the board until a Christopher Morel solo home run with two outs in the sixth inning. While Ross ultimately came away with a no-decision, he was able to stem a three-start losing streak -- he'd allowed 16 runs (13 earned) over 15 innings in that span. Overall, Ross is 1-3 with a 4.65 ERA, 1,55 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB through six starts (31 innings) this season. He's currently scheduled for a road matchup with Kansas City in his next outing.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that an MRI showed that Matz has a "protruding disc" in his lower back, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Matz was placed on the 15-day IL on Friday after sustaining a lower-back injury in Tuesday's loss to the Tigers. Matz received a pain-killing injection for the injury Friday, and the southpaw will be reevaluated early next week. He went 1-2 over six starts with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP before landing on the injured list.

Snell (thigh) will throw around 50 pitches Saturday during a bullpen session, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manager Bob Melvin said if all goes well, the team will make a decision on whether Snell will have a rehab assignment or face hitters in live batting practice next. It was already anticipated that Snell would need more than the minimum 15 days on the injured list with his Grade 2 adductor strain, so a mid-May return is still the best-case scenario.

The Mets are moving Houser to the bullpen for their upcoming road series, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

Houser last started Thursday against the Cubs, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two over five innings in a no-decision. He's registering an 8.16 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 16:20 K:BB over 28.2 innings this season and holds an 0-3 record over six starts. With top pitching prospect Christian Scott making his major-league debut Saturday against the Rays and Tylor Megill (shoulder) inching closer to a return, Houser will shift over to the bullpen, at least temporarily. Following New York's road series against St. Louis, the Mets will determine whether Houser's move will be permanent.

Cobb (hip) has been cleared to begin a throwing program, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cobb had to halt his throwing program last week after experiencing soreness in his pitching shoulder, but tests came back clean and he'll now try to ramp things back up following a brief shutdown period. The right-hander will be eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list in late May, but it's too soon to know whether he might have a shot to be ready at that time.

Gray (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

It will be the first time Gray has thrown off a mound since he was diagnosed with a flexor strain nearly a month ago. The right-hander will eventually progress to facing hitters and going out on a rehab assignment, but it could be a couple weeks still before he's ready to return.

The Phillies are considering piggybacking Turnbull with another starter, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Turnbull's stint in the Phillies' rotation was supposed to be temporary while Taijuan Walker (shoulder) worked his way back. However, Turnbull has pitched so well -- posting a 1.67 ERA and 36:10 K:BB in 32.1 innings -- that the club is considering ways to keep him in its rotation even with Walker back in the fold. A six-man rotation hasn't been ruled out, although manager Rob Thomson has indicated it's unlikely. Instead, it seems that Turnbull and another starter -- either Walker or Cristopher Sanchez -- will be used in tandem, with the decision on who would start and who would be in long relief that day depending on the opposition. Turnbull could still eventually shift to the bullpen on a full-time basis, as he hasn't thrown more than 56.2 innings in a season since 2019, but it doesn't sound like that's going to happen yet. Thomson indicated that he could make an announcement regarding his rotation plans as soon as Friday.

The Cardinals placed Matz on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to May 1, with a lower-back strain.

Matz attempted to pitch through back soreness in his last start Tuesday in Detroit, but it didn't go well and an MRI has revealed a strain. It's not clear at this point how long he might be on the shelf. The Cards haven't revealed who will take Matz's spot in the rotation, but his next turn would be Tuesday and Sem Robberse would be on regular rest that day.

Craig Counsell said Friday that Hendricks (back) will start for Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday as he continues his rehab assignment, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Hendricks allowed two runs while striking out seven over five innings with Double-A Tennessee on Thursday, with Counsell referring to the outing as "encouraging." However, given how badly Hendricks struggled with the big club before his back injury, the Cubs will give him another tune-up start at a higher level before considering a return to the major-league rotation.