MLB Player News

DeGrom (side) threw 41 pitches and struck out eight across three scoreless innings in a rehab outing with Low-A St. Lucie on Thursday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

DeGrom also reportedly hit 102 mph with his fastball. The outing was certainly a strong step toward his return from the injured list, though it's unclear whether the team will want him to complete another rehab outing prior to being activated.

Velasquez was scratched from his scheduled start against the Marlins on Thursday due to a numb right index finger, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Velasquez suffered his injury while warming up ahead of Thursday's game, and he'll be unable to make his scheduled start against Miami. David Hale will start Thursday's game in his place, and the Phillies could lean heavily on their bullpen against the Marlins.

Williams did not factor into the decision during Thursday's win over the Nationals, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out five across 4.2 innings.

All of his damage came via back-to-back long balls off the bats of Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber in the first inning. After the shaky frame that also included a leadoff walk and a single, Williams was able to shut Washington down for the rest of his short outing, although the 29-year-old did show some improvement after getting yanked after two innings and 42 pitches Saturday in Detroit. Williams has allowed 13 runs on 20 hits and 10 walks over last four starts, bringing his season stat line to a 5.97 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. The right-hander's next projected start comes on the road Wednesday at Pittsburgh.

Strasburg (shoulder) will start Friday's game against the Orioles, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Strasburg has been on the injured list since April 18 due to right shoulder inflammation, but he's been ramping up his workload recently. He threw 75 pitches in a rehab start Sunday and tossed 55 pitches during an extended bullpen session Tuesday. Manager Dave Martinez said that Strasburg felt good after each throwing session, so the right-hander will be cleared to return for Friday's series opener against Baltimore. Strasburg made two starts prior to his injury and allowed eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits and seven walks while striking out 11 in 10 innings.

The Cubs announced that Steele was removed from Thursday's game against the Nationals due to right hamstring tightness, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

After recording the final out of the fifth inning and then working a clean top of the sixth, Steele looked poised to come out for another inning, as he took an at-bat when his turn came up in the bottom of the sixth. He reached base on a fielder's choice, then appeared to tweak his lower leg at some point while running later in the inning. When Steele's hamstring caused him problems while warming up in the top of the seventh, the Cubs elected to pull him from the contest. Steele has emerged as a key multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen this season, so he would be a costly loss if the injury forces him to miss time.

Steele left Thursday's game against the Nationals with an apparent injury, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Steele allowed no hits and a walk while striking out three in 1.1 scoreless innings during Thursday's relief appearance, but he exited with a trainer while he was warming up for the seventh inning. The nature and severity of Steele's injury aren't yet clear.

Webb was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right shoulder Thursday.

Webb left his start Monday against the Reds prematurely with what was originally called shoulder soreness. The Giants previously expressed optimism that he wouldn't have to miss a start, but an MRI revealed a mild strain Wednesday which will sideline him for at least one start. The team is optimistic that's all he'll have to miss, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The move can be backdated to Tuesday, leaving him eligible to return next Thursday, but it's not yet clear if he's expected to do so.

Flaherty (8-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's 8-5 victory over the Pirates, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings while striking out seven.

It was Flaherty's sixth straight quality start and seventh of the season, and the 25-year-old right-hander become only the second pitcher in Cardinals history to win eight of his first nine starts on a season, with the legendary Bob Gibson being the other hurler to accomplish the feat in 1965. On the year, Flaherty has a sparkling 2.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 55:17 K:BB through 53.1 innings.

Kershaw did not factor in the decision against Arizona on Wednesday despite allowing two runs over six innings. He yielded two hits and a walk while picking up eight strikeouts.

The future Hall of Famer had only one poor inning Wednesday -- he walked his only batter in the fourth frame and immediately paid for it when Eduardo Escobar followed with a two-run homer. Otherwise, Kershaw gave up only one hit across his other five innings while tying his second-highest strikeout total of the campaign. The southpaw induced 18 swinging strikes in the game and has posted a superb 65:10 K:BB across 56.2 innings this season. His next start is likely to come on the road against Houston next week.

Musgrove (4-4) recorded 11 strikeouts and earned the win Wednesday against the Rockies after giving up two hits and zero walks across seven scoreless innings.

The right-hander totaled double-digit strikeouts for the third time this season while throwing 66 of 93 pitches for strikes, and he lasted more than five frames for the first time since April 19. Musgrove has a 2.47 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 70:11 K:BB over 51 innings this season.