MLB Player News

Despaigne will start Thursday's game against the Phillies, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Despaigne was temporarily moved out of the bullpen to make a spot start last Saturday against the Padres, and after opening some eyes upon allowing only one run over six innings, it looks like he'll stick around in the rotation for now. Justin Nicolino was used in long relief earlier this week, so he'll presumably stick around in that capacity for the foreseeable future while Despaigne steps in as the team's fifth starter. At this point, Despaigne, who carries a 4.78 ERA and 5.3 K/9 rate over 276.2 career innings in the majors, shouldn't attract much interest outside of NL-only leagues as anything more than streaming option in deeper mixed formats.

Mahle is listed as the Reds' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Pirates, MLB.com reports.

After Mahle acquitted himself well in his MLB debut last weekend in limiting the Pirates to three runs on four hits and four walks over five frames, he'll get another crack at Pittsburgh, this time on the road. Since the 22-year-old has already accrued 149.1 innings this season between three levels, the Reds could look to shut him down at some point in September, but manager Bryan Price hasn't relayed that the rookie is on a strict innings cap. Asher Wojciechowski was moved to the bullpen to accommodate Mahle's entry into the rotation.

Ray (11-5) earned the win after allowing one run and striking out 10 in 6.2 innings of work Wednesday against the Dodgers. He scattered four hits and walked two batters.

It was just business as usual for Ray, who now sports a shiny 1.54 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB in two starts (11.2 innings) since returning from the concussion DL. The 25-year-old has struck out 10 or more batters in seven games this season, and he currently owns an impressive 11.7 K/9, the best rate of his career. Ray continues to solidify himself as an elite fantasy starter, and he'll look to keep things rolling in his next start, which projects to be a rematch against the Dodgers on Monday.

Ryu (5-7) was shelled for six runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- by the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He walked three and struck out two while taking the loss.

Ryu had been pitching like an ace over his last nine starts, posting a 2.13 ERA with an 8.7 K/9 before running into a red-hot Arizona lineup. The 30-year-old southpaw could get bumped from the rotation once the playoffs start, but he has pitched well enough (3.71 ERA) to finish out the regular season as a starter. Ryu will get a rematch with D-Backs next Tuesday, but the start will come at home in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium.

Quintana (9-11) struck out nine Pirates over six innings Wednesday, allowing three runs on four hits without a walk en route to a 17-3 win.

The lefty was able to recover from an ugly first inning that included him hitting a batter with the bases loaded to deliver a quality start -- just his third in his last six outings. Quintana has been just as uneven with the Cubs as he was with the White Sox before being traded, as he's peculiarly been unable to recapture the form of his first five MLB seasons, all of which he finished with an ERA of 3.76 or better. With a 4.49 ERA in 2017, that streak looks like it's destined to end. However, he'll draw another favorable matchup against these light-hitting Pirates on Monday.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Eickhoff (hand) will likely be placed on the disabled list, Stephen Gross of The Allentown Morning Call reports.

Eickhoff exited Wednesday's game because of nerve irritation in his right hand, and it appears the ailment may be serious enough the require a stay on the DL. The Phillies will obviously wait to reevaluate him Thursday before making any decisions, but it sounds like Eickhoff is in line to miss his next turn in the rotation regardless. Should Eickhoff require a DL stint, the Phillies would likely add Jake Thompson to their rotation.

Cueto (forearm) will be activated from the 10-day disabled list to start Friday's game against the Cardinals, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cueto checked out fine after tossing a bullpen Wednesday, so he'll rejoin the Giants' rotation over the weekend ahead of his first big-league start since July 14. The 31-year-old will look to turn things around once he returns, as he's posted a disappointing 4.59 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 115.2 innings (19 starts) this season. Considering the Giants are well out of playoff contention, they're expected to deploy a six-man rotation the rest of the season after Cueto returns.

Teheran (9-11) picked up the win over the Phillies in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader, giving up only one run on five hits and a walk over 6.2 innings while striking out eight.

The righty fired 72 of 109 pitches for strikes while putting together his third quality start in his last four outings. Teheran's teased regaining last year's form before this season before stumbling again, so it's too soon to say he can be relied upon in fantasy lineups again, but his 4,75 ERA is now the lowest it's been in over a month.

Strasburg (11-4) fired a complete-game shutout in a win over the Marlins on Wednesday, giving up six hits and a walk while striking out eight.

He needed 110 pitches (78 strikes) to polish off his second career shutout, and Strasburg even supplied his own offense on the day with a fifth-inning solo shot that broke what was then a scoreless tie. The right-hander will carry a 20-inning scoreless streak into his next start Monday in a rematch with the Marlins.

Anderson (8-3) picked up the win Wednesday after giving up three runs on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings against the Cardinals.

According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Anderson dealt with a split fingernail early in the game, which contributed to him surrendering two runs in the first inning. He had the fingernail super glued after that frame, however, and was able to hold the Cardinals to one run over his final five innings. There is no indication this will affect his status for his next scheduled start Monday in Cincinnati.