MLB Player News

Woodruff (hamstring) had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Wednesday.

This move will allow the right-hander to get more seasoning against Triple-A competition without the Brewers formally optioning him back to the minors. In all likelihood, Woodruff will rejoin the Sky Sox's rotation once he is back to full health, where he possesses a 4.12 ERA and an 8.6 K/9 in 12 starts.

Hendricks (hand) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session over the weekend before being activated from the 10-day disabled list early next week, Jaylon Thompson of MLB.com reports.

After tossing five no-hit innings in his second rehab start with Double-A Tennessee on Monday, Hendricks looks more than ready to rejoin the rotation. Though Hendricks would be able to pitch Saturday or Sunday against the Cardinals if needed, the Cubs already have Jon Lester and Jose Quintana, respectively, lined up to start those games following dominant turns their last time out, so the right-hander will get a little extra time to rest up before returning from the DL. Hendricks is seemingly in line to take the hill for one of the Cubs' games July 24-26 against the White Sox, with Mike Montgomery expected to move to the bullpen to open up a rotation spot for him.

Kershaw (15-2) gave up seven hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings Tuesday in a 1-0 win over the White Sox. He struck out seven.

He's now won eight straight starts and 11 straight decisions, and Kershaw's seven whiffs Tuesday were actually the fewest in his last six outings. He looked almost mortal at times earlier in the year, but the future Hall of Famer now has a 2.07 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 166:28 K:BB through 139.1 innings in 2017. The lefty will next take the mound Sunday at home against the Braves.

Senzatela (10-3) gave up four runs -- three earned -- on four hits and three walks while striking out just two in Tuesday's home win over San Diego.

This certainly wasn't the worst Coors Field start, but it also wasn't a terribly promising one despite the positive outcome. Senzatela lost his rotation spot in June after an eight-start stretch in which he was tagged for 33 runs in 44.1 innings; he was ultimately demoted, but he's returned after making only one abbreviated appearance in the minors. His home park makes Senzatela a tough roll, but in all truth, he hasn't been that great on the road either.

Ray (9-4) allowed two runs over six innings in Tuesday's win over the Reds. He struck out four while giving up four hits and three walks.

This marks Ray's second-lowest strikeout total of the season, and it bizarrely comes on the heels of a season-high 13-whiff effort against the Dodgers. Nonetheless, he's been one of the best starters in fantasy all year long, with that 2.97 ERA and those 145 strikeouts in 112 innings particularly standing out. Ray does still walk a few too many batters -- in fact, with 55 bases on balls, he's doing so at the highest rate of his career -- and the numbers suggest a bit of ERA regression to come, but he'll still be a terrifically valuable fantasy starter down the stretch.

Wacha (7-3) went the distance against the Mets on Tuesday, striking out eight while allowing just three hits and a walk in a 5-0 win.

After scuffling through his first 13 starts -- 4.76 ERA, 1.51 WHIP -- with only a few bright spots, Wacha's suddenly turned the corner over his last four outings. He's won all four, giving up just three runs while posting a 31:5 K:BB over 26.2 innings in that span. His struggles may have seen him cut to the waiver wire in a lot of leagues, so it's worth checking in on Wacha's roster status. However, he's got a tough test coming up Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley; they raked him for six runs over 4.1 innings there back on June 4.

Velasquez allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk over six innings but didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Marlins. He struck out four.

It was a solid return from the DL for the right-hander, who hadn't pitched for the Phillies since late May and hadn't produced a quality start since late April, but he was held to only 79 pitches (51 strikes) due to the long layoff and wasn't rewarded with a victory. Expect Velasquez to be ready for a full workload in his next start Monday at home against the Astros.

Ryu (foot) is scheduled to throw a sim game Wednesday and return to the rotation early next week, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

No official word has come forth as to which day Ryu will start, but it seems likely that he'll either pitch Monday or Tuesday. The Dodgers plan to go with a six-man rotation once he's activated.

Freeland is expected to fill Tyler Chatwood's rotation spot when it comes up again, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

As of now, the rookie left-hander lines up to pitch Sunday, although Antonio Senzatela would also be an option to pitch that day given that he would be on regular rest. Regardless, Freeland appears to be poised to return to a starting role after a brief rest-related demotion to the bullpen.

Senzatela was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, the rookie right-hander will return to the big leagues to fill the rotation spot created by the multiple injuries plaguing the Rockies' rotation. He'll face off with Dinelson Lamet and the Padres as Senzatela looks to continue his surprisingly strong 2017 campaign.