MLB Player News

Kershaw (back) will start Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw has been steadily progressing toward his return to the mound since being scratched from his Opening Day start with back stiffness. However, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday that the southpaw will make his season debut in Arizona on Sunday with Walker Buehler starting Monday. Kershaw has thrown several bullpens while recovering and neared 60 pitches in his first session. While he may not be able to reach his normal pitch count Sunday, he should be able to cover at least four or five innings for the Dodgers.

Wood is resting his left arm and allowing his shoulder inflammation to subside, thus he has not yet returned to baseball activities, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Wood was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, and the Dodgers have opted to allow the southpaw time to heal before pushing him to ramp up again. Per Michael J. Duarte of NBC LA, Wood will not pick up a baseball for a week, so a minimum stay on the IL appears to be a long shot. With Wood out of the rotation for the time being, Dustin May figures to continue filling in as a starter.

Stroman (calf) threw a four-inning live batting practice session Friday that went quite well, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Stroman also went through fielding drills to test his mobility as he works his way back from a left calf injury. His return timeline remains unclear, but it doesn't sound as though he'll miss too many more turns in the rotation.

Toussaint will start Saturday against the Mets, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

Atlanta had a rotation spot open after designating Mike Foltynewicz for assignment following his poor season debut Monday. Whether Toussaint remains in the rotation for good or simply gets the first crack at the job is not yet clear. The 24-year-old was once considered a fairly interesting prospect, combining promising stuff with shaky control, but he's yet to put things together through 73.1 big-league innings, the majority of which have come out of the bullpen. His 24.7 percent strikeout rate has thus far been more than canceled out by his 14.3 percent walk rate, leading to a career 5.52 ERA.

Webb will start Friday against the Rangers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Webb limited the Dodgers to just a single run over four innings in his season debut. He threw just 70 pitches in that one, so he's unlikely to get close to 100 pitches this time around, but he should still be able to pitch fairly deep into the game.

Gonsolin was officially called up from the alternate training site ahead of his scheduled start Friday at Arizona, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old didn't make the Opening Day roster but will step into the rotation Friday with Alex Wood (shoulder) and Clayton Kershaw (back) battling injuries. Gonsolin impressed in his first taste of major-league action in 2019 with a 2.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 37:15 K:BB over 40 innings. The outing is likely only a spot start, since Kershaw may be able to rejoin the rotation within the next few days.

Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw (back) could rejoin the Dodgers' starting rotation Sunday or Monday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The veteran southpaw was scheduled to throw a full bullpen session Thursday, his second one of the week. Kershaw neared 60 pitches during his first session, so he seems likely to be able to cover at least four or five innings in his season debut.

Stroman (calf) will face live hitters Friday, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

The right-hander has been able to stay stretched out while recovering from a calf strain, but he won't be activated from the injured list until he's mobile enough to field his position without aggravating the issue. "Marcus is an explosive athlete. He plays with high energy," Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said Thursday. "To give him the freedom to be the player, the only way he knows how to play is full throttle. We need to make sure when he does show that burst that we're not risking re-injury and we keep him out for a longer period of time." Once Stroman is deemed ready to return, he may be able to handle a full workload right out of the gate rather than facing a pitch limit his first turn or two through the rotation.

Mahle is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday versus Cleveland, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mahle initially lined up for a two-start week, but with Anthony DeSclafani (shoulder) due back from the injured list this weekend and with Thursday's game against the Cubs being rained out, the Reds have elected to push Mahle to the back of their pitching schedule. While he'll miss out on a more favorable matchup in Detroit on Sunday and instead draw a tougher assignment at home, Mahle will at least maintain his spot in the rotation after Wade Miley (groin) moved to the IL.

Flaherty won't make his scheduled start Friday in Milwaukee since St. Louis produced multiple positive tests for COVID-19, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The 25-year-old was scheduled to make his second start of the season against the Brewers, but the Cardinals are instead isolating themselves at the team hotel, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The game is set to be made up via a doubleheader Sunday, and Saturday's game is expected to be played as scheduled, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Flaherty is still set to pitch sometime this weekend, though the Cardinals haven't announced their updated plans for the rotation.