MLB Player News

Lively has pitched poorly to start the season but faces no immediate threats to his rotation spot, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Lively's poor start against the Diamondbacks on Thursday brought his ERA up to 6.85 on the season, while his WHIP stands at 1.86. Still, he's likely to hold onto the fifth starter role until Jerad Eickhoff returns from his lat strain in late May because the Phillies simply don't have a great option to replace him. Four of their five Triple-A starters have ERAs north of 4.00, while the only one that doesn't (Enyel De Los Santos) is just 22 with only three Triple-A starts under his belt. The team could turn to long reliever Drew Hutchison, who has 74 career big-league starts to his name, but he's an uninspiring option with a career 4.89 ERA over parts of five major-league seasons.

Eickhoff (lat) will likely return to the Phillies in late May, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Eickhoff has been out since mid-March with a lat strain. He tossed his first bullpen session Wednesday and will begin a rehab assignment within a week. A late-May return will put him slightly behind the original timetable of six-to-eight weeks.

Anderson (2-2) got the loss against the Cubs on Thursday despite giving up only one run on five hits over seven strong innings, striking out two and walking one as the Brewers lost 1-0.

He was unlucky to come out on the short end of what was a great pitching duel with the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks. Anderson's now got a 2.86 ERA and 1.01 WHIP through his first 34.2 innings, and although he's not posting the strikeout totals of a fantasy ace, he's doing just about everything else at that level. So far, it's looking like last season's breakout that saw him emerge as an unexpectedly consistent fantasy weapon was not a fluke.

Hendricks (2-1) picked up the win against the Brewers on Thursday, scattering four hits over seven shutout innings while striking out five and walking none as the Cubs won 1-0.

Hendricks was brilliant in this one and he's now got an 11:0 K:BB over his last two starts, both of which have resulted in victories. He's sporting solid ratios with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 29 innings and he'll look to keep his strong run going against a tough Colorado lineup in his next start May 1.

Syndergaard allowed one earned run on six hits while walking none and striking out seven across 7.1 innings Thursday against the Cardinals. He did not factor into the decision.

Syndergaard made his longest start of the season, needing 101 pitches to complete his 7.1 innings of work. Known for his strikeout rate, he has shown the ability to mix up his approach in attacking batters, as he two outings with 10 or more strikeouts but also has three starts in which he has seemingly sacrificed some strikeouts to pitch deeper into games. Regardless of his approach, Syndergaard remains among the league's elite starting pitching options.

Martinez allowed one earned run on four hits while walking none and striking out three across six innings Thursday against the Mets. He did not factor into the decision.

Martinez continued his excellent early season form, settling in after allowing his only run in the first inning. Though the strikeouts weren't there Thursday, he has shown the impressive combination of generating strikeouts while also working deep into games through his six starts this season.

Lively (0-2) allowed seven earned runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out one across 2.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Lively never got on track in this start, allowing five baserunners and three runs in the first inning. He has put together a couple solid starts this season, offering some hope that he can build off his promising rookie campaign. However, he has now allowed five or more earned runs in two of his five starts, making him difficult to rely on.

Senzatela could pick up a spot start if Kyle Freeland (heel) is unable to take his next turn in the rotation, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Freeland was hit in the heel by a comebacker in his previous start, but he managed to stay in the game and toss seven scoreless innings. However, the Rockies may want to tread carefully with him and are considering skipping his scheduled start Monday. Enter Senzatela, who was primarily a starter in the past before switching to long relief at the end of last season. The right-hander holds a lofty 7.90 ERA in 13.2 innings of work this season, but he has the ability to work multiple innings and found some success in the majors last season. The Rockies haven't officially announced anything on this front, but things should clear up as Freeland tries to ramp up his activity over the weekend.

Freeland (heel) may have his start pushed back a day to accommodate his injury, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The young lefty is currently scheduled to pitch Monday against the Cubs, though he thinks even one extra day off could help his ailing heel feel significantly better. The switch is feasible, as Thursday's off-day would allow ace Jon Gray to pick up Monday's start on his usual four days rest. Antonio Senzatela could also fill in for Freeland, as he was a starter for much of his career before moving into long relief this season. The Rockies have not made a final decision on this matter yet. Freeland's status for next week should become apparent as he works out over the weekend, however. So far this season, the 24-year-old has a 4.33 ERA and 25:11 K:BB in 27 frames.

Matz is scheduled to take the mound against Atlanta on Tuesday, though manager Mickey Callaway is not ready to confirm next week's starting rotation at this time, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Following Matz's latest start against St. Louis on Wednesday, Callaway implied that there would be internal discussions regarding the southpaw's status moving forward, stating "we need to sit down and talk to Matz and figure out exactly how we can help him in that regard." Over five outings this season, Matz has logged a 4.98 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with a 26:10 K:BB in 21.2 innings. He'll still likely to pitch against the Braves on Tuesday, but there should be some confirmation this weekend.