MLB Player News

Reed tossed a complete-game three-hit shutout Thursday for Low-A Kane County, striking out nine batters and walking one.

After struggling upon moving up to High-A Visalia in 2016, Reed opened the season a rung lower on the minor-league level and his continued his mastery of the Midwest League. Reed has turned in a 1.08 ERA and 47:9 K:BB over 41.2 innings for Kane County while holding opponents to a .169 batting average. The 20-year-old should get another chance to prove himself in the California League by midseason.

Despaigne allowed two runs on one hit and four walks over an inning of relief in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.

He's made two appearances this season for the Marlins, and walked four batters in each of them. Despaigne's control was no better for Triple-A New Orleans either, as he has a 10:15 K:BB in 21.2 innings for the Baby Cakes in 2017. The 30-year-old is purely staff filler until another Miami pitcher comes off the DL or shows something in the minors to warrant a promotion, and Despaigne has no business being anywhere near an active fantasy roster.

Ryu was hit on the leg by a comebacker Thursday, but it only grazed him and is not an area of concern, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

It didn't seem to affect Ryu as he tossed 5.1 innings and held the Marlins to two runs on seven hits, while walking one and fanning three. He's still rounding into form after returning from the disabled list, though this was a positive sign.

Toussaint (1-5) was a tough-luck loser for High-A Florida on Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings in a 1-0 loss to Tampa.

A surface glance at the 20-year-old's numbers (6.92 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) suggests another lost season is in the works for Toussaint, but a closer look shows that he's dramatically improved his control so far in 2017. After not posting a BB/9 below 4.8 in any minor-league campaign coming into this year, Toussaint has a strong 2.7 BB/9 mark through 40.1 innings to go along with a career-best 11.2 K/9. If he continues to command the strike zone in that fashion, the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft seems poised to blossom over the summer, giving the Braves yet another high-upside arm in their loaded system.

Lugo (elbow) threw 42 pitches in 3.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab appearance Thursday for High-A St. Lucie. He allowed just two hits and did not walk or strike out a batter, the New York Daily News reports.

Lugo, who has a slightly torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, has steadily advanced in his rehab without any setbacks. The number of appearances he makes may depend on if he will rejoin the Mets as a long reliever or a starter. If it's the latter, Lugo will need to throw between 75-85 pitches in a rehab outing before he rejoins the team, which likely will occur in early June. The Mets' rotation has underachieved and an opening does exist if Lugo shows he is healthy.

Matz (elbow) threw 53 pitches in his first rehab appearance Thursday at High-A Port St. Lucie, allowing a run on two hits and two walks while striking out three over three innings, the New York Daily News reports.

Matz, working his way back from elbow discomfort, threw 30 pitches in extended spring training Saturday, paving the way for him to begin his rehab assignment. He likely will need between two and four more rehab outings before rejoining the Mets, probably in early June. The Mets' rotation has been a tire fire this season and in need of a major boost, which Matz could provide, health permitting.

Teheran (3-4) allowed nine runs on eight hits and a walk over three innings Thursday in a loss to Toronto. He struck out two.

It was a rough outing for the Atlanta ace, who was coming off one of his better performances of the season. Even including that start, Teheran has a 8.31 ERA over his last 30.1 innings pitched; equally as alarming is that his strikeouts are down while his walks are up drastically from last season. He'll take his next turn Tuesday at home against Pittsburgh.

Ryu (2-5) held the Marlins to two runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings Thursday. He walked one and struck out three in a 7-2 victory.

The 30-year-old bounced back with a solid effort after getting shelled in his return from the disabled list last week. Both of Ryu's runs came on solo homers, but he stayed aggressive low in the zone otherwise, throwing 48 of his 79 pitches for strikes while inducing eight groundballs. With a fastball that barely touches 90 mph, the southpaw needs to stay low in the zone in order to lower his sub-par 4.99 ERA and 1.8 HR/9. If Ryu is unable to improve those marks, he will run the risk of being bumped from a crowded Dodgers rotation.

Cease (ankle) announced that he's "okay" after leaving Thursday's outing in the second inning, Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Although it's early, Cease sounds optimistic that he avoided anything significant after tweaking his ankle covering third base. A more official announcement on Cease's injury figures to be made Friday. Cease had a 14.0 K/9 rate entering his most recent outing, with 50 strikeouts in 32.1 innings.

Marquez (2-2) allowed just a single run on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters through five innings during Thursday's win over Minnesota.

The 22-year-old tossed an eight-inning gem against the Cubs in his previous start, so this was an admirable follow up. Marquez's fantasy value is capped because Coors Field is his home park, but he's definitely a young hurler to keep tabs on. For the year, he sports a 4.34 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 7.5 K/9. Marquez projects to make a road start against Philadelphia next.