MLB Player News

Senzatela (finger) is a candidate to get the nod Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Senzatela was placed on the 10-day disabled list July 13 due to a blister on his throwing hand, although he managed to toss a 35-pitch bullpen session Friday without issue. Either Jon Gray or Senzatela will take the hill for Sunday's series finale. The 23-year-old has made two starts for the Rockies this season, giving up six runs across six innings in his last outing against the Mariners.

Manager Brian Snitker indicated he is leaning toward Fried (finger) starting Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Fried had a minor-league rehab appearance Wednesday and had zero blister issues, essentially clearing him for a return from the disabled list. Luiz Gohara -- another option to start Tuesday -- is currently having velocity issues which give Fried the upper hand for major-league starts. The 24-year-old has a 3.92 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 20.2 innings for the Braves this season, although his previous start against the Brewers -- in which he allowed four runs prior to leaving with the blister -- inflate those numbers a bit.

Hill will start Friday's game against the Brewers.

The Dodgers rolled out a six-man rotation the week before the All-Star break, which resulted in Hill briefly moving to the bullpen and making a relief appearance July 14 against the Angels. With manager Dave Roberts resetting the rotation for the second half, Hill will be back on the bump for the series opener and will look to maintain the strong form he has displayed since coming off the disabled list June 19. In his six outings since that time, Hill has supplied a 3.23 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 35:7 K:BB in 30.2 innings.

Eickhoff (lat) will receive a cortisone injection in his right wrist Monday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Eickhoff had a setback in early July when he began to feel tingling in his fingers during a live batting practice session, which the cortisone will hopefully address. The 28-year-old has been sidelined with the right lat strain since mid-March and currently has no official timetable for his return.

Eflin (finger) will come off the 10-day DL prior to Monday's start against the Dodgers, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Eflin was initially placed on the shelf due to a blister on his right middle finger prior to the All-Star break. He won't be forced to miss any additional time after Enyel De Los Santos started in his absence against the Marlins on Sunday. Across 12 outings in the first half, Eflin logged a tidy 3.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with a 67:14 K:BB over 68.2 innings.

Strasburg (shoulder) was activated off the disabled list Friday prior to his start against the Braves, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Strasburg was confirmed as Friday's starter earlier in the week as he completed his recovery from shoulder inflammation. The 29-year-old had a 3.46 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with a 95:19 K:BB over 80.2 innings prior to injury.

Nikorak (elbow) is able to throw off flat ground and expects to pitch off a mound soon, Patti Arnold of The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports.

Nikorak, a first-round draft pick of the Rockies in 2015, underwent Tommy John surgery back in April of 2017. He had progressed to bullpen sessions during 2018 spring training, but encountered a setback and missed another month after receiving a platelet-rich injection in his elbow. He seems to be back on track now, though it seems like he's still a month or so away from returning to game action given that he has yet to return to the mound.

Mikolas (personal) will remain on paternity leave through Friday and return to make a start in Saturday's doubleheader against the Cubs, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

This was expected to be the plan, and Langosch's report confirms it. Mikolas will look to build on a stellar first half in which he compiled a 10-3 record, 2.79 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 119.1 innings.

Martinez fell to 6-6 on the season after giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk Thursday against the Cubs, striking out just a pair in five innings.

Martinez had been cruising along, allowing just one run in four innings, before falling apart in the fifth. He allowed five runs on five hits in that frame, finishing with a two-run homer by Ian Happ. He's now given up at least five runs in three of his last eight starts, though his ERA still sits at a solid 3.39. He'll next take the hill Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Hendricks threw 4.2 innings in Thursday's victory over the Cardinals, allowing three runs on nine hits, a walk and a hit by pitch, while striking out four. He exited with the lead but did not pitch the five innings required to get the win.

Hendricks was in trouble throughout his start and was perhaps lucky to not give up more runs. He was fortunate that none of the his 10 other baserunners were on base when Tommy Pham hit a solo shot in the second inning. It was hardly a vintage performance from Hendricks, who's having the worst season of his career. His ERA now sits at a career-high 3.99, while his 18.3 percent strikeout rate and 46.5 percent groundball rate are each lower than all of his three previous full seasons. He's also already given up a career-high 18 homers. He'll look to right the ship Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.