MLB Player News

Velasquez (2-3) allowed six runs on seven hits while striking out eight across seven innings to take the loss Saturday against the Nationals.

Velasquez gave up homers to Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon as part of his worst outing of the year. Coming into this game, he had held his last three opponents to three runs or fewer, but his ERA stands at 5.94 and he'll likely continue to be an inconsistent fantasy option. He'll make his next start Saturday against the Nationals.

Gray (toe) is scheduled to receive a bone scan Monday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The Rockies' ace is expected to return sometime in mid-to-late May, but the hope is that Monday's scan will give a firmer timetable for his return. He's dealing with a stress fracture in his left foot, although if the bone scan shows improvement, Gray could progress further in his recovery program in the coming days.

Per manager Dave Roberts, Ryu (hip) will not need a rehab assignment and could be activated after the minimum 10 days on the disabled list, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

The embattled southpaw went on the disabled list on May 1, but the Dodgers seem to be relatively unconcerned about the issue at hand. As long as everything goes according to plan, Ryu would be in line to make his next appearance May 13 against the Rockies.

Williams will start Monday's tilt with the Dodgers, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Monday's start was initially going to be for Jameson Taillon (groin), but after Taillon was placed on the disabled list Saturday, Williams will move into the rotation to replace him this time around. The 25-year-old's command has been a bit shaky over his past few relief appearances, but he'll look to bring his success from his minor-league starting days (2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP at Triple-A in 2016) into his upcoming appearance when he faces off against Alex Wood.

Taillon was placed on the 10-day DL on Saturday with groin discomfort, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Josh Lindblom was recalled in a corresponding move, but Trevor Williams is slated to fill Taillon's spot in the rotation beginning Monday against Los Angeles. The Pirates did not immediately provide a timetable for Taillon's return to action. The 25-year-old right-hander gave up six runs against the Reds on Wednesday, just one fewer than he allowed in his first five starts combined.

Despaigne has been confirmed as Saturday's starter against the Mets.

It seemed fairly obvious that Despaigne would be filling in for Wei-Yin Chen (arm) after being recalled in a corresponding move with Chen landing on the DL. Indeed, Despaigne will start opposite Robert Gsellman, but it may be a one-start deal for Despaigne as manager Don Mattingly said he expects Chen to be fine the next time through the rotation. Despaigne has recorded nine strikeouts against 13 walks in 17.2 innings for Triple-A New Orleans so far this season.

Syndergaard (lat) will not throw for six weeks, Steve Gelbs of SportsNet New York reports.

From there, Syndergaard will need significant time to ramp up his throwing activity, so a return before the All-Star break seems highly unlikely. The Mets are not offering up an estimated return timetable at this stage. Syndergaard was diagnosed with a partial tear of his right lat muscle earlier this month following his fifth start of the season.

Keller threw seven shutout innings Friday, yielding only two hits and no walks while striking out nine.

After surrendering five earned runs in 2.1 innings in his first start, the righty has compiled a 1.69 ERA in his last 32 innings covering five starts. Keller has added a changeup to his repertoire and seems primed to jump from High-A Bradenton to Double-A Altoona this summer.

Maeda allowed two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Padres on Friday.

After a rocky start to the season (8.05 ERA over four outings), Maeda has now pitched well in consecutive starts with just three earned runs allowed and 16 strikeouts over 12 innings. He's only reached the sixth inning in one outing all season, though, so he still hasn't overcome his inability to pitch deep into games. Maeda will look to keep his solid run going at home against the Pirates next week.

Greinke improved to 3-2 in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Rockies, covering seven innings and surrendering two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out seven.

Greinke rewarded fantasy owners who decided to keep him active for the Coors Field appearance with a fourth consecutive quality start, during which he's compiled an impressive 3.03 ERA and 43:6 K:BB ratio over 38.2 innings. The velocity decline that Greinke experienced in spring training has carried over to the regular season, but the right-hander's offerings haven't suffered one bit, as his career-best 13.1 percent swinging-strike rate attests.