MLB Player News

Keller (back) threw two shutout innings for short-season West Viriginia on Monday. He allowed one hit while striking out four batters, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

The outing was Keller's first since May 16, when he left his start for High-A Bradenton with lower back pain. "It was pretty frustrating," Keller said of his injury. "I just kind of did it in the bullpen warming up. It's just frustrating because it wasn't even during the game." The righty, who threw 21 of 30 pitches for strikes Monday, said he'll make another start for West Virginia on Saturday.

Pill appears to be in line to start Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Pill is expected to rejoin the big club and step in for Rafael Montero, who was originally supposed to start Wednesday's contest before being used as a long-relief option Monday night. The 27-year-old already has a pair of spot starts under his belt this season, compiling a 3.48 ERA and 8:3 K:BB over those appearances (10.1 innings).

Garrett will undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday to repair the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

While Garrett was exploring other possible options for a few days, a second opinion on his elbow from Dr. James Andrews ultimately confirmed he would require surgery. The Marlins' top prospect will look to bounce back after a long recovery process that will keep him sidelined until next season or perhaps until 2019.

Gray (foot) threw 74 pitches in Monday's rehab start with Triple-A Albuquerque, giving up five runs (one earned) while striking out seven in 4.1 innings pitched.

It's not great to see Gray serve up two home runs against Triple-A hitters, but the seven strikeouts suggest that the Rockies' ace is nearly back to his previous form. He's expected to make one more rehab start before returning to the Rockies' rotation.

Wheeler (3-5) was scorched for seven runs on eight hits over just two innings in Monday's loss to the Dodgers.

With all the injury woes plaguing the Mets, a short, ineffective start was the last thing they needed. Wheeler had been one of the more consistent starters for New York, but his last two outings have been a disaster, as he's coughed up 15 earned runs while failing to log more than two innings in either game. His 5.29 ERA has him trending in the wrong direction, but he has a good chance to right the ship in his next start Sunday against the scuffling Giants.

Kershaw (10-2) picked up the win Monday against the Mets despite allowing six runs on six hits in 6.1 innings. He walked one and struck out 10.

Although he garnered the win, the Dodgers' ace was less than stellar, serving up four home runs on the evening. It's a bit concerning that his HR/9 is now all the way up to 1.5 (the first time it's ever been above 1.0 in his career), but his 2.61 ERA and 115:17 K:BB on the season keep him in the elite ranks of starting pitchers even when he's not at the top of his game. Kershaw's next assignment comes Saturday at home against the division-leading Rockies.

Cole (5-6) allowed just a single run on three hits and two walks while striking out five batters through seven innings during Monday's win over Milwaukee.

This was another strong bounce-back showing from Cole, as he's just a single outing removed from allowing 23 runs through 19.1 innings over a four-start span. The 26-year-old righty has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 15 starts, and the aforementioned slump has been the only really poor stretch this year. After all, he posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through his first nine games of the season. There may be more hiccups along the way, but Cole's current form is encouraging. He lines up for a road start against St. Louis at Busch Stadium next.

Cueto (5-7) allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out four batters over seven innings during Monday's loss to the Braves.

Cueto has now collected just a single win through his past nine starts. His game-to-game inconsistency has been an issue, but the Giants aren't providing any run support, either. The veteran righty is having a disappointing campaign, as evidenced by his 4.42 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. His 8.7 K/9 helps, but fantasy owners were expecting a lot more from Cueto, who projects to face the Mets at AT&T Park in his next start.

Nicolino allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk across three innings in a no-decision Monday against the Nationals. He struck out one.

Nicolino allowed a two-run home run to Bryce Harper in the first inning and a solo shot to Anthony Rendon in the second before two unearned runs scored in the third following a pair of errors. He was inefficient in his first start since May 30, laboring through 61 pitches in the brief outing, and the four extra-base hits he allowed tied a season high. Albeit in a limited sample size, Nicolino owns an unimpressive 5.06 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP through four appearances this season -- numbers that could take another hit when he faces the Cubs on Saturday.

Wood's next start has been pushed back to Friday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers want Wood -- his dominant 1.92 ERA and 0.92 WHIP -- to take the ball in Friday's series opener against the division-leading Rockies rather than the struggling Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was initially slated to start. Thus, the pair will swap places in the rotation. Fortunately for Wood's fantasy owners, this series will take place in Los Angeles, not at Coors Field.