MLB Player News

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.

Keller (side) was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old was removed from Saturday's start with left side discomfort after 2.2 innings, and he'll require a stint on the injured list. Keller doesn't have an official timetable for his return, though he'll be eligible to be activated Aug. 12.

The Reds activated DeSclafani (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list prior to his scheduled start Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers.

DeSclafani will slide into the rotation spot vacated by Wade Miley (groin), who landed on the IL on Thursday. Since DeSclafani is returning from a right teres major strain, the Reds could be conservative with his workload in his first start of 2020, though manager David Bell hasn't specifically said whether the right-hander will be capped at a given number of pitches.

Steele will be recalled from the alternate training site before Sunday's game against the Pirates, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old struggled in 11 starts (38.2 innings) at Double-A Tennessee with a 5.59 ERA and 1.70 WHIP last season, but he'll now join the Cubs to potentially make his major-league debut. Steele is likely to be utilized in a low-leverage role.