MLB Player News

Matz (elbow) is tentatively scheduled to rejoin the Mets' rotation next weekend, provided that his final rehab appearance goes without a setback, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Saturday is a significant day for the Mets' rotation plans as both Matz and Seth Lugo (elbow) will take the hill for rehab outings. Matz is coming off his strongest rehab start to date, shutting down the Padres' Triple-A affiliate with eight strikeouts over five scoreless frames. Provided he makes it through Saturday's outing unscathed, Matz should get the start for the evening installment of the Mets' doubleheader against the Braves on June 10.

Taillon (groin) will take the hill for another rehab start at Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The Pirates plan on having Taillon stretch out to 85-90 pitches in what will be his third rehab outing since returning from testicular cancer in May. Given the scheduled pitch count, it stands to reason that this could be his last outing before returning to the Pirates' rotation, provided that everything goes smoothly. Taillon has been sharp thus far in his rehab, notching 12 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings.

Anderson may not make his scheduled start Sunday and could be headed to the disabled list, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. However, Anderson threw Saturday and said he "feels good," according to Nick Groke of The Denver Post, so it appears he could still take the ball.

Anderson's status for Sunday's start is now clearly in question, but it's too early to estimate whether or not he will be able to take the ball. More details should become available in the near future, but if Anderson does wind up on the disabled list, Nightengale indicated Jeff Hoffman would be called up to start in his place.

Ray's next start will be pushed to Tuesday against the Padres, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

He was expected to take the ball Sunday against the Marlins, but Braden Shipley will be recalled to make that start. The Diamondbacks have not been friendly to fantasy owners lately with regards to their rotation decisions, and in this case Ray's owners miss out on a two-start week. However, he lines up for two home starts next week against the Padres and the Brewers, where he will look to extend his current 24.2-inning scoreless streak.

Kershaw gave up just one run on two hits over seven innings Friday, striking out 14 in an extra-inning win over the Brewers.

The Dodgers' ace had everything clicking in this one, throwing 72 of his 103 pitches for strikes. Kershaw's lone mistake was a solo home run off the bat of Domingo Santana in the seventh inning, but he was otherwise dominant against a less-than-intimidating Milwaukee lineup. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, opposing starter Jimmy Nelson actually outdueled the 29-year-old, holding the Dodgers scoreless over eight frames. Even though his efforts weren't rewarded with a victory, Kershaw put his season back on its ace-like path after looking shaky in his previous outing. It is also worth noting that the dominant southpaw crossed the 2,000 strikeout threshold for his career Friday. Kershaw became the second fastest -- in terms of games pitched -- to reach that milestone, needing just 277 games to achieve the historic mark, trailing only The Big Unit, who accomplished the feat in 262 games.

Lively was officially recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Saturday's game against the Giants.

The 25-year-old righty has typically been excellent at preventing runs and baserunners in the minors, and this year has been no different, as he boasts a 2.40 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in nine starts for Lehigh Valley. Despite those sparkling numbers, he lacks even mid-rotation stuff, profiling as a No. 5 starter or swing man. He is a high-risk start Saturday in most formats, and does not figure to miss many bats at the big-league level. If he can tread water, he could stick in the rotation for the foreseeable future with Vince Velasquez (elbow) and Clay Buchholz (forearm) both on the DL.

Cole surrendered seven earned runs in five innings against the Mets on Friday, allowing three homers for the second straight start. He gave up eight hits and two walks while striking out six.

He's struggled in his last three starts, getting torched for 16 earned runs in 14.2 innings. Cole has already been slammed for 15 home runs, four more round trippers than he's ever given up in a full season. Lucas Duda has touched him up for three homers in the last week alone. The hard-throwing righty offers a career-best fastball velocity (96.1 mph) but his 35 percent hard-contact rate is well above his career mark (29 percent). Whether he's tipping pitches, struggling with pitch sequencing, or simply going through a rough patch, Cole's value to the Pirates or even a trade partner is currently trending downward.

Marquez (4-3) struck out nine but was tagged for six runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings in an 8-5 loss to the Padres on Friday.

He was looking good until the fourth inning, when he attempted to field a comebacker with his pitching hand. Marquez stayed in the game, but wasn't as sharp afterwards, serving up a three-run homer to Austin Hedges two pitches later. Assuming there are no lingering issues with his hand, the right-hander will next take the mound Thursday on the road against the Cubs.

Strasburg (7-1) allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out seven over seven innings in Friday's 13-3 rout of the A's.

The right-hander has now won five straight starts and six of his last seven, posting a 2.75 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 50:14 K:BB in 39.1 innings over that stretch. Strasburg's beginning to 2017 is looking an awful lot like his dominant stretch at the outset of 2016, and he'll co-headline a marquee matchup Wednesday on the road against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers.

Sanchez (neck) is expected to return to action at Low-A Lakewood in the next 10 days or so, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Sanchez has been sidelined since May 7 with stiffness in his neck. He threw three innings in an extended spring training game this week and is expected to make one more rehab start before rejoining the rotation at Lakewood. Sanchez is 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA and a 28:3 K:BB in 24.1 innings for Lakewood this season.