MLB Player News

Hill threw only two pitches before leaving Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader in Washington with an apparent blister, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Hill's status was questionable early in the week after he exited last Sunday's start with a blister on the inner part of his middle finger, but he experienced no issues in Wednesday's bullpen session. The game broadcast showed Hill as he was being examined by the training staff, and it appeared to be the same issue as last week. The veteran left-hander has another five days of rest before his next expected start against the Padres on Friday, but the Dodgers could also opt for a quick stint on the disabled list to try and avoid a lingering issue.

Rea (lat) is set to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A San Antonio, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

Rea has been on the disabled list with a right lat strain since the start of the season and recently completed his rehab work at extended spring training in Arizona. The expected length of his rehab assignment remains unclear, but the 27-year-old appears to be progressing well in his recovery.

Castillo struck out four batters in five innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Saturday. He walked five and gave up six hits, but allowed only one run.

Castillo didn't have a single clean inning but nevertheless escaped without major damage. He got out of a bases-loaded one-out jam in the top of the first inning by getting Kyle Schwarber to ground into a double play, setting the tone for a shaky outing. In all five innings, he managed to strand a runner in scoring position, but only once did he allow a runner to cross the plate. It certainly wasn't a spectacular performance, but it served to bring the young righty's ERA down to 5.61. He'll next take the hill Thursday against the Pirates.

Hendricks lasted five innings in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out six in the no-decision.

Hendricks allowed one run in the first and another in the fourth before running into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning. He allowed an error, a walk, a single and a double before being pulled for Randy Rosario. It wasn't a vintage performance, though his six strikeouts were just one fewer than his season high. He's expected to next take the field Friday against the Giants.

Flexen was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

Flexen, who briefly competed for a spot in the Mets' starting rotation in spring training before being assigned to minor-league camp, had a 3.40 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 31 strikeouts over 39.2 innings for Las Vegas. The 23-year-old is likely to be used as a low-leverage reliever in New York but could also step in as a starter, if necessary.

Pennington sustained a right arm injury and has elected to retire, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Pennington underwent Tommy John surgery coming out of high school and has since battled a slew of additional arm injuries. The 22-year-old was traded from the Red Sox to the Brewers along with Travis Shaw and Mauricio Dubon for Tyler Thornburg in 2016 and had an electric fastball, but he's pitched in only 32 minor-league games over the last three-plus seasons. Pennington revealed on his personal Instagram he is facing another Tommy John surgery, prompting his decision to retire.

DeGrom (4-0) struck out 13 and walked none in Friday's win over the Diamondbacks, giving up one run on six hits in seven innings.

The right-hander, who was coming off a recent shortened precautionary start in his return from a hyperextended elbow, tied his career high with 13 strikeouts Friday, the third time in his career he's hit that mark. DeGrom tallied 10 swinging strikeouts among the total. After exiting his last start with some discomfort through just one inning, he returned to his dominant form and threw 100 pitches (71 for strikes). He has a 69:14 K:BB in 51.1 innings, and is holding opponents to a .207 batting average. The 29-year-old's 1.75 ERA and 12.1 K/9 are both good for fourth in the majors. His next start will be against the Marlins at home Wednesday.

Freeland (4-4) picked up the win against the Giants on Friday, giving up just one earned run on five hits over 6.2 innings, striking out five and walking one as the Rockies beat San Francisco 6-1.

Freeland continued his strong start to the season picking up his fourth win with yet another solid showing, this time against a Giants lineup that couldn't get to him at all after Gorkys Hernandez led off the game with a homer. The 25-year-old left-hander now sports a 3.17 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through 54 innings and he's limited opponents to three earned runs or less in seven of his nine starts. He's only started three of those games in his hitter-friendly home confines of Coors Field but he's only yielded three runs over 19.1 innings in those starts, so that's at least an encouraging sign that he could continue to post solid numbers even as he logs more innings at home.

Wacha (5-1) got the win over the Phillies on Friday, giving up two earned runs on five hits over six innings, striking out eight and walking two as the Cardinals trounced Philadelphia 12-4.

Wacha was the beneficiary of some great run support in this one but he got a deserved fifth victory of the season with a solid outing that lowered his ERA to 3.08 through 49.2 innings. He's been pitching well all season, in part due to his solid job at limiting the long balls, as he's served up just three homers over his first nine starts. That, along with his 44:21 K:BB, is a good recipe for success and Wacha will look to keep up the positive momentum going in his next start against the Royals next Wednesday.

Eickhoff (lat) will make another rehab start Sunday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Eickhoff was shaky his last time out and the Phillies rotation has been on a roll, so the club will have him make another start in the minors before considering a return. Given Zach Eflin's success thus far (0.71 ERA, 0.79 WHIP over 12.2 innings in two starts), there may not be a rotation spot waiting for Eickhoff after this appearance, but expect him to return to the Phillies roster sometime during next weekend's series against the Blue Jays, which begins May 25.