MLB Player News

Hendricks (4-2) picked up the win Wednesday against the Giants. He pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out five.

Hendricks has been rolling lately, as he's allowed two earned runs or less in six straight starts. While last year's 2.13 ERA may be an unrealistic goal to repeat, Hendricks is showing that he's still a very valuable fantasy commodity. He lines up to face the Padres on Monday in his next start, and he should be a solid play against a poor offense.

Kershaw will start Sunday against the Cubs, David Vassegg of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Manager Dave Roberts laid down his cards Wednesday night, revealing his three starting pitchers for the highly-anticipated weekend series in Los Angeles. Kershaw will toe the rubber with an NL-best seven wins and 0.82 WHIP in a showdown with Jon Lester on Sunday afternoon.

Teheran gave up three runs -- all unearned -- on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts in Wednesday's no-decision against Pittsburgh.

He was long gone when the Pirates won this game with a seven-run 10th inning. A second-inning error by Jace Peterson set Teheran up for a three-run homer by Adam Frazier, but he did pretty spotless work otherwise -- a welcome improvement after the nine-run disaster he suffered through against Toronto last week. The results have certainly been spotty for Teheran this season, thanks in large part to a decrease in strikeout rate and an increase in walk rate, but this start gives his fantasy owners something to hang their hats on. Teheran does, after all, have a strong track record that suggests there's some sort of anomaly in play here.

Williams went five innings against the Braves on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out six in a no-decision.

That marks a new season high in whiffs for the rookie, but he still isn't giving fantasy owners many reasons to invest -- Williams doesn't pitch deep into games, and his lack of elite pedigree means there won't be a mad dash to add him off the wire. There may be some temporary utility here in NL-only formats, but that's more or less it.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wood will start Friday's game against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Wood has been stellar over his last three starts (3-0), allowing just 13 hits while notching a 25:4 K:BB across 18.1 scoreless innings and earning himself another turn in the rotation sooner than expected. The 26-year-old, who owns a 1.88 ERA and 52:13 K:BB through seven starts (43 innings) this season, will look to stay undefeated as he faces Jake Arrieta and the Cubs.

Ryu remains without a date set for his next start and could ultimately switch to a long-relief role, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

With Kenta Maeda (hamstring) expected to come of the disabled list to start Thursday's game, Ryu finds himself as the odd man out in a deep Dodgers' rotation. While manager Dave Roberts wouldn't comment when Ryu would pitch next, he didn't rule out temporarily moving the 30-year-old to the bullpen as a long relief option, though he hesitated given Ryu's lack of experience in such a role. Through seven starts this season, Ryu has compiled a 4.75 ERA and 36 strikeouts across 36 innings.

Manager Bruce Bochey confirmed the Giants will recheck Cueto (hand) before Sunday to see if he is able to start, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Cueto is dealing with multiple blisters on his pitching hand that could ultimately force him to miss a start, though the 31-year-old remains insistent he won't require a stint on the DL. Bochy didn't rule out the possibility of calling up a starter to fill in for Cueto on Sunday, though he said the right-handed hurler is being dealt with on a start-to-start basis as of now. More should be known about his status for Sunday after he is checked out by team doctors in the coming days.

Taillon (groin) responded well following Tuesday's bullpen session and will throw another one Thursday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

This is very encouraging news, although there is still no timetable for his return to full action. Taillon will likely be evaluated after Thursday's outing, which should clarify the next steps in his rehab process.

Milone was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a sprained left knee, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

It's unclear when Milone sustained the injury, though it could have been during his last start; he lasted just 1.1 innings and was clobbered for eight runs (seven earned). It's also unclear how long the 30-year-old will be sidelined with the issue, though a timetable should become clearer as the Mets release more on his status. Travis d'Arnaud was activated from the disabled list in a corresponding move.

Smoker could make a spot start Saturday against the Pirates, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

With Tommy Milone unavailable to start due to a knee issue, Smoker is one of two candidates being considered to fill the void left in the rotation, the other being righty Rafael Montero. While Smoker has only pitched out of the bullpen for the Mets this season, he started a pair of games at Triple-A Las Vegas before being recalled. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out eight over 8.2 innings. A confirmation on the starter for Saturday should come within a couple days.