MLB Player News

Keller is considered an option out of the bullpen for Wednesday's game against the Cubs, the game which would have been his next turn in the rotation, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Keller generated buzz over the winter due to reports of increased velocity. Those reports were accurate, as his fastball has averaged 96.2 mph this season after coming in at 93.9 mph last year, but the increased heat has had no effect on his results. He's struggled to a 6.61 ERA and 1.53 WHIP through seven starts while striking out a career-low 17.6 percent of opposing batters. The Pirates haven't listed a starter for Wednesday's game, but it could be Roansy Contreras, who would be on turn for the outing after pitching Friday for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Stroman cleared COVID-19 protocols Tuesday but has yet to be activated off the injured list, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Stroman has been on the injured list for over a week and hasn't pitched since May 1. He threw a bullpen session Tuesday, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. At this point, it's unclear whether he will require a rehab outing before he returns to the roster, but the righty's next steps should be revealed soon.

Reds manager David Bell said Tuesday that Lodolo (back) won't throw for at least the next week, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lodolo had previously been expected to return from the injured list back on May 7, but those plans wound up being scrapped after he continued to feel sore. He played catch late last week, but that evidently didn't go well, either, so he'll rest for a week before the Reds determine a new timeline for his recovery. He'll need to build back up after that shutdown period.

Gore is scheduled to work behind starter Mike Clevinger in relief during Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

At least to begin the week, Gore will be pitching out of the bullpen with the Padres set to return Blake Snell (groin) from the 10-day injured list to start Wednesday. San Diego could move back to a six-man rotation as it begins a stretch of 40 games in 42 days beginning Monday, but it's unclear if Gore or Nick Martinez -- who is also in the bullpen to begin the week -- will be reappointed to a starting role. From a performance standpoint, Gore proved to be deserving of a permanent starting role, as he submitted a 2.42 ERA and 28:9 K:BB across 26 innings through his first five outings. However, because he's just 23 years old and hasn't tossed more than 100 innings in a season since 2019, the Padres could be inclined to keep Gore in the bullpen as a means of managing his workload.

The Rockies placed Senzatela (back) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday.

Manager Bud Black said after Senzatela suffered a lower-back strain in his start during Monday's 7-6 loss to San Francisco that a move to the IL was a likely outcome for the right-hander, so the transaction doesn't come as a surprise. In the short term, the Rockies have called up Justin Lawrence from Triple-A Albuquerque to provide an extra arm out of the bullpen, but Colorado will likely turn to Ty Blach or Ryan Feltner to take Senzatela's spot in the rotation when a fifth starter is next required.

The Phillies activated Eflin (illness) from the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday. Eflin is expected to start in the Phillies' series opener versus the Padres in Philadelphia, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

Eflin was away from the team for just over a week after testing positive for the virus May 8. Though he didn't head out on a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated, Eflin must have demonstrated enough progress in his recovery from the virus during his throwing sessions for the Phillies to sign off on him rejoining the rotation. Even so, Eflin could face a stricter cap on his pitch count than usual Tuesday, given that he hasn't made a start since May 1.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw (pelvis) won't complete a bullpen session Wednesday as originally planned while the southpaw continues to experience discomfort following a recent epidural, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Dodgers were hoping the epidural would clear out the inflammation and soreness Kershaw was experiencing in his right SI joint, but the injection has apparently taken longer than anticipated to yield the desired effect. As a result, Kershaw looks like he'll be delayed at least a couple days as he aims to advance to the next phase of his throwing program, but he doesn't yet appear to be dealing with any sort of major setback.

The Dodgers recalled Pepiot from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday and will have him start the first game of the team's doubleheader with the Diamondbacks in Los Angeles.

Pepiot is designated as the 27th man for the twin bill, so he'll presumably head back to Oklahoma City at the conclusion of Tuesday's start. The 24-year-old right-hander made his big-league debut last week in Pittsburgh, striking out three over three scoreless innings but not advancing deep into the start after he issued five walks. Pepiot will aim to improve his efficiency in Tuesday's outing, and a better showing against Arizona could keep him in the conversation to make another turn through the rotation when the Dodgers next require a fifth starter May 24 in Washington.

The MRI deGrom (shoulder) underwent Monday revealed "continued healing in the scapula." He's scheduled to continue building distance and velocity during his throwing program, but he remains without a definitive timetable for making his 2022 debut.

The news is definitely what the Mets wanted to hear, but that doesn't mean deGrom's return is anything close to imminent. He still has to go through a full spring training buildup process, though he's at least been throwing in a limited capacity recently.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker suggested after Monday's 1-0 loss at Milwaukee that Strider will likely handle more higher-leverage work late in games in the wake of Tyler Matzek's (shoulder) impending move to the 15-day injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. "When you lose a guy of [Matzek's] caliber, we may need Strider to fill those late-inning leverage innings," Snitker said.

When Atlanta optioned Bryce Elder and Kyle Muller to Triple-A Gwinnett on May 1, Strider looked like a potential candidate to step into the final opening in the rotation, but the big club will instead promote Tucker Davidson from Gwinnett to give him another look as the No. 5 starter beginning with Tuesday's game against the Brewers. After working a career-high four innings in a bulk-relief role May 6, Strider would have been reasonably stretched out enough for starting duty, but Atlanta apparently believes he'll provide more value out of the bullpen as a high-leverage, multi-inning arm late in games. Look for Atlanta to stay away from Strider on Tuesday, however, as he tossed two scoreless innings in a 26-pitch relief appearance Monday.