MLB Player News

Wheeler allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks across seven innings in a loss to the Phillies on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old only yielded one homer in his first three starts, but the Phillies took him deep twice in this one. While they were both solo shots, it was still enough to edge Wheeler. The 28-year-old has looked better lately, but one bad start early in the year is largely why his ERA still sits well above average. He is 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 22.2 innings over four starts. His next scheduled outing will again be against the Phillies on Tuesday.

Toussaint is scheduled to start Friday against the Indians, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Mike Soroka is expected to get the ball for Thursday's series finale against the Diamondbacks, leaving Toussaint to make his first start of the season Friday. The young righty allowed one unearned run while striking out seven batters across six innings of relief in his 2019 big-league debut last week.

Manager Craig Counsell was noncommittal when asked if Burnes would make his next start, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. "I think we're going to have a long conversation this time," the skipper said.

Burnes struggled again in his fourth start of the season, which came Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing five runs in 3.1 innings while serving up two more homers. The young right-hander has now allowed 11 long balls through 17.2 innings this season, while his ERA and WHIP sit at 10.70 ERA and 2.15, respectively. As such, the Brewers have yet to decide if Burnes will remain in the rotation for another turn, with Chase Anderson, Adrian Houser and Aaron Wilkerson representing possible options to replace him. Burnes excelled in a long-relief role with the Brewers last year, posting a 2.61 ERA in 38 innings, though it's unclear if he would shift to the bullpen or head to the minors to remain stretched out should he lose his rotation spot.

DeGrom is dealing with strep throat and will have his next start bumped back from Friday to Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The minor delay should have minimal effect on deGrom's fantasy value, as he'll still be facing the Cardinals. It will have a slight effect on him next week, as he'll be lined up to throw Friday against the Brewers instead of Wednesday against the Phillies, but both of those offenses have been similarly effective. Jason Vargas will now start Friday rather than Saturday this week.

Soroka is expected to be promoted for his season debut Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Mike Foltynewicz (elbow) needs one more rehab start, so a spot has opened up in the Braves' rotation, at least temporarily. The 21-year-old had a 3.51 ERA in five starts for the Braves last season before a shoulder issue prematurely ended his rookie campaign. It's unclear if he'll have a chance to audition for a longer stay in the rotation or if the Braves plan on sending him back down once Foltynewicz is ready to go.

Anderson threw 1.1 scoreless innings in Tuesday's victory over the Cardinals.

Anderson kept the opponent off the scoreboard for the first time in five appearances this season, and now sits with a 4.50 ERA over 10 innings. He has worked exclusively as a reliever up to this point of the season, but is an option to enter the rotation in place of the injured Freddy Peralta (shoulder). The Brewers have not yet announced how they will line up their starters in the coming days, but they will not have an off day until April 25, so they will need a fifth starter at some point before then.

Eickhoff is expected to move into the Phillies' rotation Sunday against the Rockies after Philadelphia optioned Nick Pivetta to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Though it was Nick Pivetta who came away with the victory in Tuesday's 14-3 win over the Mets, Eickhoff was the far more impressive of the two pitchers while working in long relief. In what marked his 2019 debut for the Phillies after he opened the season in the minors, Eickhoff struck out six and gave up three hits and no walks over four scoreless frames to notch the save. Pivetta, meanwhile, failed to record a quality start for the fourth time in as many turns and recorded more walks than strikeouts in what was somehow his best outing of the season, prompting the Phillies to go in another direction at the back end of the rotation. After the lengthy relief appearance, Eickhoff should be reasonably stretched out heading into his start this weekend, though he could struggle to find success while pitching at Coors Field.

Gray (calf) is listed as the Reds' probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Unless the left calf contusion Gray sustained in his last outing six days earlier provides complications while he warms up Wednesday, the right-hander shouldn't face any limitations in his fourth start of 2019. After failing to escape the third inning in his first turn of the season, Gray has looked sharp his last two times out, giving up just one run and posting a 13:0 K:BB across 10.2 frames.

Mahle (0-1) yielded four runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts and no walks across six innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday.

While it was nice to see him with better control -- Mahle walked four hitters in five innings during his last start -- the 11 hits he allowed were more than what he yielded in his first two outings combined. Tuesday's outing raised his batting average against to .277, which is actually still a little lower than what he allowed last season. Overall, Mahle is 0-1 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 17 innings this season. His next scheduled start is on the road against the Padres.

Maeda (3-1) allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks across 6.2 innings during a victory against the Reds on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old worked around traffic in every inning except the first and sixth. He yielded just one run, bouncing back from his poor start against the Cardinals last week. The best news was Maeda kept the ball in the yard, which is something he's struggled with this month. He is 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 23.2 innings across four starts this season. His next outing is scheduled to be against the Brewers on the road.