MLB Player News

Eflin (kneecap) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Reading on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Eflin has missed over a month with patellar tendinitis, but it looks as though the Phillies can expect him back for the stretch run. He could be back in late August or early September, depending on how many rehab starts he's asked to make.

Suarez dropped to 5-4 after giving up three runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Suarez had been solid in his first three starts since sliding into the Philadelphia rotation, but a matchup with the 40-81 Diamondbacks surprisingly tripped up the left-hander. Though he did well to keep the ball on the ground -- Suarez only allowed one flyball to the 25 batters he faced -- the free passes and an untimely sequencing of hits ultimately led to his demise. On a more positive note, Suarez built up to 86 pitches Wednesday, so he could handle a more traditional starter's workload moving forward. He tentatively lines up to make his next turn during the Phillies' two-game home series with Tampa Bay on Aug. 24 or 25.

Flaherty didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Brewers, allowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out eight.

The right-hander turned in his second straight encouraging performance coming off his extended injured-list stint, with solo home runs by Avisail Garcia and Willy Adames accounting for the only two runs against him. Flaherty fired 56 of 92 pitches for strikes in the outing and has a 1.50 ERA and 0.58 WHIP across the 12 innings covering his last two turns. He'll look to keep up the strong work in a likely matchup against the Tigers on Tuesday.

Anderson (shoulder) struck out six and worked 4.1 scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Gwinnett. He scattered four hits and one walk in the 76-pitch outing.

Atlanta hasn't outlined the next step for Anderson, but manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday that there's a change the right-hander makes a fourth rehab start in the minors before rejoining the big club, according to Kris Willis of TalkingChop.com. Though Atlanta is eager to have Anderson back in the fold while it looks to hold off Philadelphia and New York for the division lead, the recent return of Huascar Ynoa from the 60-day injured list coupled with Touki Toussaint's success at the back end of the rotation will allow the team to take things slowly with Anderson.

Morton improved to 12-4 after limiting the Marlins to two runs while striking out nine over six innings Wednesday in Atlanta's 11-9 victory. He scattered three hits and a walk in the 89-pitch start.

The final outcome doesn't properly illustrate how dominant Morton was in one of his better outings of the season. He held the Marlins hitless through 4.1 innings, and he probably could have worked into the seventh if Atlanta didn't already hold a commanding 7-2 lead at the time of his departure. After a rocky start to the season, Morton has settled in nicely as Atlanta's ace since about mid-June. Over his last 12 starts, Morton has gone 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 10.8 K/9.

Megill didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-2 extra-innings win over the Giants, giving up one run on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six.

Despite delivering his third quality start of the year, Megill seemed headed for his third loss until the Mets finally scored their first run of the game in the ninth inning. The rookie right-hander will take a 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 60:15 K:BB through 56 innings into his next outing.

Luzardo dropped to 4-6 after giving up four runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four across three innings in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to Atlanta.

Luzardo pumped in only 42 of his 74 pitches for strikes and had a particularly rough stretch in the top of the fourth inning when he issued three consecutive walks. Poor control has been a recurring theme for Luzardo in his first four starts with Miami, as he's walked 16 batters in 17.2 innings over that stretch. Luzardo could be at risk of a demotion to the bullpen or to Triple-A Jacksonville once Trevor Rogers (personal) is reinstated from the restricted list.

Gray didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

Both runs came on solo shots by Teoscar Hernandez and Marcus Semien, but Gray was otherwise sharp as he delivered his second straight quality start. In four outings since heading east as part of the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner trade, the 23-year-old has an impressive 2.86 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB. If there's been an issue for Gray so far as a Nat, it's the difficulty he's had keeping the ball in the park -- he's served up seven homers in those four starts, but miraculously they've all come with the bases empty.

Mahle (10-4) allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five over five innings in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

It looked like a plus matchup on paper against a depleted Cubs team, but Mahle let this one get away early; Ian Happ and Michael Hermosillo homered in the first two innings. The long ball has been an issue at home for Mahle, who now has an even 6.00 ERA at Great American Ball Park this season, a number inflated by 17 homers served up in 63 innings. In stark contrast, Mahle has a 1.86 ERA on the road, with only three homers allowed in 72.2 innings. He projects for a road matchup against the first-place Brewers early next week.

Peralta (shoulder) said after Wednesday's game against the Cardinals that he expects to make his next start, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Peralta said his shoulder issue has nothing to do with his swinging strike in the third inning, after which he exited the game. The righty's next scheduled start is Wednesday against the Reds.