MLB Player News

Stripling will move back to the bullpen when Rich Hill (knee) and Hyun-jin Ryu (groin) are back from injury, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Stripling is off to a good start as a starter with a 2.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP through 24.2 innings, but the return of Hill and Ryu will push him back to a relief role, manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Tuesday. The right-hander should still be in the mix for spot starts or a move back to the rotation in the event of another injury, but the move will diminish the value he was carrying as a member of the rotation whenever it takes place.

Brubaker was removed from his start Monday at Triple-A Indianapolis in the sixth inning due to an arm injury.

Brubaker was spinning a gem prior to his departure, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings while striking out five. The Indianapolis team doctors will presumably keep a close eye on Brubaker over the next few days to determine if the arm issue is anything that will require a trip to the 7-day injured list.

Wood (back) will throw from a mound Saturday for the first time since experiencing a setback March 24, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. He does not have a projected return date yet. "If I get to Saturday and throw a 'pen, and everything is good from there, then we can start talking about a serious timetable," Wood said.

Originally projected to return in mid-April, Wood is going to take awhile to ramp up his activities to even pitch on a rehab assignment, which almost certainly will encompass multiple starts.

Peralta was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a shoulder injury.

Peralta was pulled surprisingly early from Monday night's outing (3.1 innings), but there'd been no indication that he'd suffered any type of injury prior to this update. It remains to be seen whether he'll be able to return following the 10-day minimum.

Eickhoff was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

Injuries, including a lat strain and carpal tunnel syndrome, stole most of Eickhoff's 2018 campaign. The later issue popped up again in spring, delaying his Grapefruit League debut and causing him to start the season in the minors. He's been an effective back-end starter in the past, and could be one again if called upon this season, but he looks to be in a long-relief role for now, as Drew Anderson was the player optioned in a corresponding move.

Lugo walked one and struck out two over two scoreless innings of relief to record his third hold of the season in Monday's win over the Phillies.

After a couple of rough outings at the beginning of April when he was battling an illness, Lugo has regained his footing, posting a 1.29 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB over his last seven innings. The Mets are committed to using closer Edwin Diaz only in ninth-inning save situations, which leaves more work available for multi-inning setup arms like Lugo, increasing the right-hander's fantasy appeal and strikeout upside.

Syndergaard yielded five runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out nine over five frames Tuesday against the Phillies. He didn't factor into the decision in the Mets' 7-6 win in 11 innings.

The Mets have watched Syndergaard and co-ace Jacob deGrom labor through both of their last two turns, with the typically dominant duo failing to turn in a quality start in any of those four outings. For his part, Syndergaard attributed his recent struggles to having a difficult time gripping the ball, per the Associated Press. Thanks to a team off-day Thursday, Syndergaard will get a five-day break until his next turn Sunday in St. Louis and may use the extra time off to tinker with his mechanics.

Kershaw didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 4-3 win over the Reds, allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings while striking out six.

The only damage against the southpaw came in the first inning, when Yasiel Puig took him deep. After that Kershaw was pretty much back to his 2018 form; effective despite significantly reduced velocity from his peak. Kershaw got ahead of hitters, tossing 18 first-pitch strikes to 24 batters, and kept them off-balance. He'll face a tougher test his next time out in Milwaukee on Saturday.

Castillo didn't factor into the decision in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Dodgers, giving up two runs on four hits and five walks over five innings while striking out seven.

The right-hander appeared to be cruising heading into the fifth inning, but Castillo's control deserted him and he walked in the tying run to make it 2-2 before escaping the jam. He'll take a 1.46 ERA and 32:13 K:BB through 24.2 innings into his next start Saturday in San Diego.

Martinez (shoulder) threw a second 20-pitch bullpen session Monday and was able to begin varying his pitches, Andrew Wagner of MLB.com reports. "Everything checked out great," manager Mike Shildt said. "He tried to mix in four-seam [fastballs] and two-seam. He tried to mix in some spin and off-speed pitches and felt great."

The session was a step up from Friday's, when Martinez exclusively threw fastballs. The right-hander is now slated for several days off before he carries out a side session. Martinez is eventually scheduled to progress to throwing a live batting practice, most likely at the Cardinals' spring facility in Jupiter, Florida.