MLB Player News

Eflin picked up his second loss of the season Tuesday after allowing eight runs on 10 hits in an 8-2 loss to the Rockies. He struck out four and walked two.

Eflin has allowed 15 runs over his last 10 innings, which has ballooned his ERA to 5.54. The young righty doesn't have strikeout stuff, so he is going to have nights like Tuesday where he gets hit around if he isn't locating his pitches. He'll try to get back on track when he faces the Reds in his next start.

Glasnow worked around nine hits to allow just two runs over six innings in Atlanta on Tuesday. He struck out four and walked two.

While Glasnow is steadily showing signs of improvement, he also certainly hasn't reached peak efficiency yet, as his stats make painfully evident. His upside as a highly pedigreed starter for a Pirates team with a history of developing arms well makes Glasnow intriguing for fantasy purposes, but few of his stats offer much reason for optimism that he'll improve markedly in the near term. The 23-year-old still needs to get a handle on his control and get better at keeping the ball in the yard.

Cueto (4-4) pitched six innings, allowing four runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in Tuesday's loss to the Cubs.

Cueto couldn't keep the ball in the park against the Cubs, allowing three long balls over the first four innings. Cueto hasn't been quite as sharp as he was last season - his walk and home run rates are both up considerably from last year - but his offense hasn't been helping him out much, either. The Giants have scored just five runs in Cueto's last four starts, with three resulting in losses for the righty. Cueto's next start is scheduled for Sunday against R.A. Dickey and the Braves.

Cueto admitted after Tuesday's start against the Cubs that he is dealing with multiple blisters on his pitching hand, but insisted that he will not require a stint on the disabled list, Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group reports. He allowed four earned runs while striking out eight batters over 6.0 innings in the loss.

Cueto didn't get much help from his offense Tuesday as the Giants were held to one run in a complete game from Jon Lester, but he was still hit hard by the Cubs. Cueto surrendered a season-high three home runs in the outing and said after the game that the blisters are inhibiting his ability to get late life on his pitches. Baggarly added that Cueto intends to stay in his regular throwing routine, so there's little indication that he is at risk of missing his next start Sunday against the Braves. Still, it'll be worth monitoring Cueto's progress throughout the week in the lead-up to Sunday's start.

Taillon (groin) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While there's still no timetable for Taillon's return, it's extremely encouraging that he's already throwing bullpens just two weeks removed from having surgery for testicular cancer. Nesbitt added that Taillon mixed in all of his pitches during Tuesday's bullpen session and also had a weight room session. Taillon is scheduled to play catch Wednesday before the Pirates decide on the next step of his throwing program.

Smoker was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smoker posted a 1.04 ERA and 0.69 WHIP through 8.2 innings (two starts) with Las Vegas before being recalled to the big club. He'll work out of the bullpen, though he did struggle to a 7.88 ERA and 1.75 WHIP through 16 innings with the Mets earlier in the year, so he probably won't be trusted with too many high-leverage innings. Hansel Robles was sent back to Triple-A to make room on the roster for Smoker.

Manager Bud Black estimated that Gray (foot) was "three weeks away from pitching for {the Rockies}" on Tuesday, Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio reports.

This means that Gray is a bit behind the original timetable the team offered for his return, but at least a firmer estimate for his return is on the table at this point. The last update on the right-hander's status was that he was throwing bullpen sessions despite still being in a walking boot, but this timeframe suggests that Gray could be heading out on a rehab assignment in the next week or two. More information should come forth once he progresses further in his rehab process.

Cease (ankle sprain) is on the 7-day DL with Low-A South Bend, but is healing more quickly than anticipated and is not expected to miss much time, Emily Waldon of 2080Baseball.com reports.

The hard-throwing righty is tied for second in the Midwest League with 54 strikeouts in 34 innings. Most importantly, his 12.9 percent walk rate is a career-best mark, so it is encouraging to see his control is improving, even if the improvements are gradual.

The Mets could activate Matz (elbow) from the disabled list if he performs well during his rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

The Mets were initially planning on having Matz make two rehab starts with Las Vegas before having him rejoin the big club in early June, but the ongoing struggles of back-end rotation members Tommy Milone and Robert Gsellman have kept GM Sandy Alderson open to the idea of accelerating Matz's timetable. Matz, who has been sidelined since spring training with a left elbow issue, looked strong during his first rehab start at High-A St. Lucie on May 18, tossing three innings and giving up one run on two hits and two walks. He'll likely have his pitch count bumped up when he starts for Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Cole gave up five earned runs on 10 hits and two walks in 4.2 innings Monday against the Braves. He also hit one batter while striking out two.

The outing was his worst of 2017 and seemed reminiscent of his struggles from a year ago. A 31-pitch first inning set the tone for the evening and long-time nemesis Brandon Phillips (.440 career batting average vs. Cole) belted a two-run homer to further compound matters. Cole needed 100 pitches (67 for strikes) in the highly forgettable showing. Fortunately, his fastball velocity (95.8 mph) was on par with his last four starts, making Monday look more like an aberration than a trend. He'll next get the Mets in Pittsburgh over the weekend.