MLB Player News

Syndergaard (finger) completed a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Syndergaard resumed throwing off a mound Sunday and is slated to throw live batting practice Friday, which should provide a better idea about his potential return date. The 25-year-old will likely require a minor-league rehab assignment since he will have spent at least a full month on the disabled list.

Farrell was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Farrell was demoted following Saturday's spot start, but returns to the Cubs with Kris Bryant (shoulder) and Justin Hancock (shoulder) landing on the disabled list. Outside of Saturday's rough start, the 27-year-old allowed three runs (two earned) with 17 strikeouts over 11.2 innings during his recent stint in the majors.

Finnegan will transition to a relief role with Triple-A Louisville, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Finnegan simply has not been able to find any success as a starter this year -- he owns a 7.40 ERA over five big-league starts and 7.24 ERA over eight starts with Louisville -- so the Reds will see what he can do in relief. Finnegan posted a 2.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 35:15 K:BB in 34 innings over 23 relief appearances at the major-league level earlier in his career, so it certainly would not be out of the question for him to find success pitching out of the bullpen.

Davies (shoulder) is on track to rejoin the Brewers' rotation next week, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

When asked Tuesday, Davies said his shoulder feels "great," which provides optimism that he has moved past the soreness that has plagued him since early May. Davies is set to make one more rehab start Friday with Low-A Wisconsin, and as long as all goes well that day, he will take the bump for the Brewers around the middle of next week and perhaps bump Freddy Peralta from the rotation.

Keller tossed eight scoreless innings Monday for Double-A Altoona in its 4-0 win over Harrisburg. He worked around one hit and two walks and struck out six.

It was the longest outing of the season for Keller, who found redemption after ceding nine runs and six walks over 10 innings in his previous two starts against Harrisburg. The 21-year-old's 8.0 K/9 on the campaign doesn't jump off the page, but there's something to be said about his ability to consistently work deep into his starts. He has covered no fewer than six frames in any of his last eight appearances.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Monday that Urena (shoulder) could be activated from the 10-day disabled list soon after the right-hander is first eligible to return July 1, the Associated Press reports.

Miami shut Urena down last week after he was diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement following his June 20 start against the Giants. The injury apparently isn't much of a concern, as Urena will begin a throwing program this week and appears likely to miss only two turns through the rotation. The Marlins should offer up a more precise return date for Urena once he advances to facing hitters in live batting practice.

Taillon (5-6) limited the Mets to two runs in six innings in Monday's win, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out five.

The righty, who won for the third time in June, continues to move away from a fastball-centric approach. Taillon added a slider to his pitching repertoire in May and threw the pitch 24 times (25 percent) Monday. His fastball usage has dipped from about 70 percent to 50 percent and the results have improved in June (2.90 ERA in five starts covering 31 innings).

Velasquez (5-8) allowed two runs on three hits and four walks across six innings Monday to take the loss against the Yankees. He struck out seven.

Velasquez did well to keep pace with a dangerous lineup, with his two biggest mistakes coming on an RBI double by Gleyber Torres in the second inning and a solo home run from Aaron Judge in the fifth. Though he threw 67 percent of his pitches for strikes, he struggled to put hitters away at times and tied his season high in walks. Velasquez has experienced mixed results over five June outings, posting three quality starts but allowing 14 unearned runs across 10 innings in his other two. His consistent 10.8 K/9 still endows him with fantasy upside and he'll look to build on a solid effort this weekend against the Nationals.

Lugo (2-3) allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks across five innings to take the loss Monday against the Pirates. He struck out four.

Lugo wasn't helped out by his defense on a night when the Mets committed three errors, leading to unearned runs in two separate innings. He also allowed a solo home run to Gregory Polanco, but the offense failed to score a single run during his time on the mound and left him with his third loss of the season. While Lugo still carries a sharp 2.76 ERA and 1.07 WHIP for the season, his numbers have taken a hit since becoming a regular in the starting rotation, as he's allowed nine earned runs over his last 13 innings overall. He'll look to achieve a better result in a favorable matchup with the Marlins this weekend.

Maeda (5-4) tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts to earn his fifth victory Monday against the Cubs.

Maeda bounced back brilliantly from a shaky start last time out, also against the Cubs, in which he lasted just 3.2 innings. He induced a ridiculous 19 swinging strikes on just 84 pitches against a strong Cubs lineup and came just short of his fourth double-digit strikeout game. Maeda has had a few disastrous outings -- he has allowed more runs than innings pitched three times in 2018 -- but when he's on, he's well nigh unhittable, as he has now struck out 80 batters in just 68 innings. He'll take a 3.44 ERA in to his next start Saturday against the Rockies.