MLB Player News

Freeland allowed one run on four hits and four walks across four innings en route to a no-decision Tuesday against the Dodgers. He struck out three.

Freeland cruised through the first two innings, but he began to elevate his pitch count in the third and was pulled after the hosts put four men on and scratched a run across in the fourth. Overall he threw just 52 percent of his pitches for strikes and now carries an 11:9 K:BB through 14.2 innings. Luckily he was able to escape any serious damage and still put his team in position to pick up an away win. Freeland has struggled a bit after a tremendous season debut and will look to get back on track Sunday against the Giants.

Eflin pitched five innings in Tuesday's no-decision against the Mets, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

It was a decent if unimpressive season debut for Eflin, who's occupying Clay Buchholz's rotation spot. The 23-year-old Eflin has not shown great upside throughout his career in the minors or majors, so there shouldn't be much interest here outside of NL-only leagues and super-deep mixers.

Wheeler struck out seven over five innings while allowing one run on four hits and two walks against the Phillies on Tuesday. He didn't factor into the decision in the eventual 10-inning loss.

While he didn't exactly address concerns about his endurance by lasting just five innings -- thanks in large part to a highly inefficient second frame -- Wheeler did manage to throw 99 pitches. He's making steady progress from start to start, but he also hasn't had to face any high-grade offenses yet. That'll change in his next start, as Wheeler will be tasked with holding down the Nationals on Sunday.

Hill (finger) played catch Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers have yet to outline a potential return for Hill, but the fact that he's participating in some level of baseball activity is a step in the right direction. However, he only pitched three innings in his most recent start and has dealt with blisters since the 2016 season, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the club proceed with caution with the 37-year-old southpaw.

Buehler, 22, has not allowed an earned run through six innings at High-A Rancho Cucamonga. The 6-foot-2 righty has fanned 12 batters and has not issued a walk over that span.

The Dodgers figure to be cautious with Buehler, who is making his way back from Tommy John surgery. That being said, it would be difficult to expect much more through his first two outings in 2017. Buehler has also been yielding a bevy of ground balls to the tune of a 2.50 GO:AO.

Cease, 21, has a 1.00 ERA and 15:5 K:BB through nine innings for Low-A South Bend.

Cease possesses a blazing fastball, but it will be the development and command of his secondary pitches that ultimately decide his fate. Still, thus far he's managing 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings during his brief tenure in the minors.

Lugo (elbow) won't start his throwing program until Wednesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

The right-hander was initially tabbed to begin the program Tuesday, but the Mets opted to give him one more day to rest prior to embarking on this leg of his rehab process. This likely won't have much of an impact on his return date, although an exact timetable for Lugo's return is still murky.

Matz (elbow) is scheduled to begin a throwing program Wednesday, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Matz hasn't experienced any setbacks since the Mets shut him down in late March with a flexor tendon strain in his throwing elbow, so he'll receive the green light to start working his way back to active duty. It's expected that he'll be limited to long toss in the early stages of his throwing program before advancing to mound work, followed by facing hitters in batting practices and then heading out for a minor-league rehab assignment. Given the multiple hurdles he still has to clear before the Mets activate him from the disabled list, Matz could still be several weeks away from making his season debut.

Eflin was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will start Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Eflin will get the first crack at filling in for Clay Buchholz (forearm), who the Phillies announced would undergo surgery that would keep him sidelined for four-to-six months. With that in mind, Eflin could have some staying power in the Phillies rotation if he performs well out of the gate, though his prior numbers in the big leagues don't inspire much confidence. Eflin turned in a 5.54 ERA and 1.33 WHIP and struck out just 31 batters in 63.1 innings across 11 starts with the Phillies in 2016.

Gray (toe) will be out 4-to-6 weeks, according to manager Bud Black, MLB Network Radio reports.

The original timetable had Gray missing at least a month, so not much has changed, but Black provided a more concrete window during an interview Tuesday. This means Gray should return from the stress fracture in his left foot in mid-to-late May.