MLB Player News

Kershaw (1-0) fired 5.2 shutout innings Sunday, allowing three hits while striking out six batters and earning the win over Arizona.

The 32-year-old ace showed no signs of injury with his strong performance Sunday. All three hits allowed were singles and he only put himself in danger one time; with runners on second and third in the fourth inning, Kershaw sat down Kole Calhoun on four pitches to end the inning. Kershaw will get a home start against the Giants on Saturday.

Davies (1-1) allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two across five innings to take the loss Sunday against the Rockies.

Davies was beaten by the long ball, as he first served up a solo shot to Daniel Murphy in the second inning. Two frames later, Matt Kemp took him deep for a two-run home run. Davies has now pitched in two extreme environments -- his first start was at Oracle Park against the Giants -- and allowed five earned runs across 10 innings this season. He's in line to draw his next start at home against Arizona on Saturday.

Senzatela (2-0) allowed one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out six across six innings to earn the win Sunday against the Padres.

Senzatela allowed only two singles through five innings, thoroughly dominating the Padres. Things unraveled for him a bit in the sixth frame, however, as he allowed a leadoff triple followed by a double and a walk to account for his one earned run. Still, the outing was impressive for Senzatela, and he has now allowed only three earned runs across 11 innings to start the season. He's in line to draw his next start Friday at Seattle.

Smyly was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a strained left finger, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Smyly exited Saturday's start with the injury and will be sidelined for at least two turns through the rotation after undergoing an MRI, though the severity of the injury remains unclear. Tyler Anderson, Conner Menez or Trevor Cahill are potential options to step into the rotation in his absence.

Smyly (finger) is currently undergoing an MRI but is increasingly expected to be placed on the injured list, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-hander was removed from Saturday's start due to left finger discomfort while facing the first batter of the fifth inning, and it appears the injury could result in some time on the shelf. Smyly won't have an official recovery timeline until the MRI results are announced, but the Giants could be forced to rely on Tyler Anderson, Conner Menez or Trevor Cahill for a spot start.

Kershaw (back) was activated off the 10-day injured list ahead of his start in Arizona, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

The 32-year-old was scratched from his Opening Day start with back stiffness, but he's now set to make his season debut against the Diamondbacks. Kershaw is unlikely to be fully stretched out, but he should be able to cover at least four or five innings after nearing 60 pitches during a bullpen session early last week.

Brubaker allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three in three scoreless relief innings Saturday in the Pirates' 4-3 loss to the Cubs.

Per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic, Brubaker looks like the top candidate to take Mitch Keller's spot in the rotation, as the latter is likely headed for the injured list after exiting his start Saturday with left side discomfort. With seven strikeouts through five scoreless innings over his first two big-league appearances, Brubaker has proven to be one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal start to the season for Pittsburgh.

Strasburg (hand) completed a 31-pitch bullpen session Sunday and felt "really good," Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The veteran right-hander hadn't thrown off a mound since being scratched ahead of his season debut July 25 due to a nerve issue in his pitching hand, so this is a significant step toward his return. Strasburg figures to require another session or two off the mound before being cleared for game action, so he likely won't be a serious candidate to slot back into the Washington rotation until next weekend's series with the Orioles at the earliest.

The Padres selected Eickhoff's contract from their alternate training site prior to Sunday's game against the Rockies.

He'll assume the active roster spot of first baseman Eric Hosmer (illness), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a non-COVID-19-related illness. Though all but three of Eickhoff's previous 78 major-league appearances -- all with the Phillies -- came as a starter, the right-hander is expected to work in a long-relief role for San Diego.

The Pirates are unlikely to have a timetable regarding the injury to Keller (oblique) for several days, general manager Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Cherington said the team will need more time to determine the severity of Keller's injury. "It takes a couple days to get a handle on it," the general manager noted. He applauded Keller for not trying to push through the oblique injury, something that may help the righty return to action sooner than if he had continued to pitch through the pain.