MLB Player News

Cole (1-1) earned his first win of the season Friday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk across six innings. He struck out five.

Cole did well to scatter baserunners for the most part and was able to limit the damage when the hosts were able to string hits together in the fourth and fifth innings. The 26-year-old can take a few positives from his third start of the season in addition to the victory -- his 114 pitches and five punchouts were both season highs while the six hits allowed were a season low. Cole still sports an unsightly 5.29 ERA after a rough beginning to the year but seems to be trending in the right direction ahead of Wednesday's outing against the Cardinals.

Hendricks (1-1) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks across five innings in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates. He struck out three.

Hendricks looked relatively comfortable and allowed just one run through five innings, but he allowed the first two men to reach in the sixth and was pulled before Justin Grimm allowed them both to score. His command was a bit off by his standards, but he still managed to throw 63 percent of his pitches for strikes and was simply made to pay for location-related mistakes. After an outstanding 2016 campaign, Hendricks has underachieved through his first two starts and will carry an unsightly 5.73 ERA to go along with a 1.27 WHIP into Wednesday's outing against the Brewers.

Hill (finger) threw a flat ground session Friday, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

It appears that Hill was able to get through Friday's session without incident, which suggests that he could be on track to return from the disabled list to start Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He landed on the disabled list with a blister issue on his throwing hand prior to Los Angeles' series against the Rockies last week, but he may be back on the mound when he's first eligible to come off the DL. The Dodgers will have further confirmation on Sunday's potential starter later in the weekend.

Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage said Glasnow will display a new pitch delivery in his Saturday start, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Glasnow walked five batters and allowed four hits in his season debut, which lasted only 1.2 innings and saw him give up five earned runs. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound right-hander has struggled with his delivery and already been the subject of Searage tinkering this offseason and preseason. The 23-year-old still boasts plenty of upside that may help this latest revision pay off for the long term. However, for 2017, his fantasy owners should proceed with caution until he proves he can work around the plate more effectively. The fact his first outing with new mechanics comes against the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs means he should be left on most fantasy benches.

Keller, 21, allowed one earned run on three hits in six innings Thursday for High-A Bradenton. He walked one batter while fanning four.

Keller rebounded from an ugly first start of the season in which he was bombed for five runs in just 2.1 innings. The 6-foot-3 righty had a transcendent year in 2016, posting a 2.35 ERA and 138:19 K:BB in 130.1 innings, mostly at Low-A. He has emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball but may not hit the majors until 2019.

Smoker threw three shutout innings of relief in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Marlins, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five.

Entering the game in the 12th inning, Smoker breezed through his three frames, throwing 26 of 38 pitches for strikes as part of a heroic effort by the entire Mets' bullpen. The 28-year-old has had a rough start to the campaign, walking at least one batter in four straight appearances, but Thursday's outing lowered his ERA to 3.38 over 5.1 innings and may have signaled that the lefty with the 95 mph fastball has turned a corner.

Gray (toe) underwent an X-ray on Thursday and will be reevaluated Friday, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.

Gray was removed from Thursday's game in San Francisco during the fourth inning when he aggravated a big toe injury that previously bothered him during spring training. Speaking after the game he said the toe was sore enough to prevent him from running, but he also suggested that it should heal with rest. Though he didn't factor into the decision and only struck out one batter, Gray did hold the Giants scoreless to drop his ERA to 4.38.

Gray suffered a left big toe injury in Thursday's outing against the Giants, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies' ace suffered a toe injury late in spring training, and though he had been able to pitch through the ailment through the first two weeks of the season, he aggravated it against the Giants. The Rockies have a pair of relievers with starting experience in Jordan Lyles and Chris Rusin, but the organization could have to look to its farm system if Gray is to miss additional time. Losing Gray for an extended time would shake up what has been one of the club's better rotations in recent years. The Rockies figure to have an update on the severity of Gray's injury after he is evaluated further.

Gray (undisclosed) exited Thursday's game against the Giants in the fourth inning, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

This is a concerning development for the Rockies' ace as Gray had dealt with a toe issue late in spring training and was quickly removed by the team's training staff in this outing. The Rockies have yet to announce the exact specifics on Gray's injury and severity, but more information will likely be made available late Thursday or early Friday. In any case, a loss of Gray beyond his outing against the Giants would be a significant blow to a rotation that is still jelling. Chris Rusin came on as a long reliever in place of Gray.

Ryu (0-2) surrendered four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters over 4.2 innings during Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

Ryu's ERA climbed to 5.79 after Thursday's outing, and while his 10 punchouts through 9.1 innings are helpful, it hasn't been a promising start. Additionally, he made just a single start in 2016, so his smoke-and-mirrors pitch arsenal might need more time to round into form. At this stage of the game, he's a risky start in all fantasy settings. However, the 30-year-old lefty has upside and could turn things around quickly.