MLB Player News

Ryu will start Friday for the Dodgers at the Rockies, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

The left-hander gets his first outing of the year as the Dodgers' No. 5 starter. Of course, Ryu will have to dodge the hitter-friendly atmosphere of Coors Field, so he may only be of use in NL-only fantasy games.

Lynn will start Thursday against the Cubs.

A rainout pushed both Lynn and opposing pitcher John Lackey back one day. The 29-year-old right-hander will be making his first major-league start since October of 2015, marking his official return from Tommy John surgery.

Urias will make his season debut with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

The southpaw is currently on the High-A Rancho Cucamonga roster but will make the move before he performs his first work of the year. The Dodgers are actively monitoring his usage this year with the intent of saving some innings for the postseason. The immensely promising Urias is worth stashing in many mixed fantasy games before his call-up, which in many leagues will ignite a FAAB frenzy if he's unowned.

Strasburg is scheduled to pitch Sunday in the Nationals' road series against the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The Nationals are reshuffling their rotation, with Max Scherzer confirmed for Friday and a name yet to be determined going on Saturday. Strasburg may still sneak in a two-start week for his fantasy owners despite being pushed back. Washington should announce its Saturday hurler soon, but the Nats may wind up using scheduled Thursday hurler Gio Gonzalez if early rain persists and postpones that game.

Eflin (knee) will begin a rehab assignment at Clearwater on Thursday, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports.

Eflin underwent knee surgery this offseason, and most of the spring has been dedicated to rehabbing the ailment. He's progressed from bullpen sessions to simulated games, and now finally appears ready for live action. Once ready, the right-hander is projected to join the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

An X-ray on Hill's wrist, that was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's game, came up negative, the LA Daily News reports.

It was a strong, albeit short outing for Hill, though his exit after 75 pitches was pre-planned by manager Dave Roberts and not a result of getting hit by the pitch. Hill carries some added injury risk, given his history, but it appears this is nothing to worry about.

Walker (1-0) allowed four runs on six innings, but still claimed a win in his first start of the year Wednesday against San Francisco. He struck out seven while giving up seven hits and a walk.

The Giants chipped away at him, scoring their runs in three separate innings, but Arizona's offense carried Walker to victory. This outing was sort of a microcosm of what we can look for from Walker this year; pitching in the desert won't be good for his ratios -- which weren't even good in the much friendlier confines of Seattle -- but the strikeouts will be there and the offense could power him to a good number of wins. He'll draw the Giants again next week, this time on the road.

Hill will get an X-ray on his right wrist, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Hill was hit on his right wrist during Wednesday's game against the Padres, though he wasn't removed afterwards which likely means the X-rays are simply precautionary. He allowed one run and three walks while striking out five across his five-inning debut. Expect an update on his status some time Thursday after his test results are disclosed.

Finnegan (1-0) allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out nine over seven shutout innings in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Phillies.

Both the hit and the walk came in the first inning, after which Finnegan retired 19 straight batters to close out his night. The 23-year-old left-hander won't face many lineups this season as weak as the one he dominated Wednesday, but he still has the raw stuff to put together a breakout season if he takes a step forward with his command and control. Finnegan should get a tougher challenge in his next start Monday at Pittsburgh.

Taillon shut the Red Sox out over seven innings Wednesday, giving up five hits and three walks while striking out six. He didn't receive a decision in an eventual 12-inning loss.

This was a sparkling season debut in a tough situation for Taillon, who opened his first full MLB campaign by dueling Red Sox ace Chris Sale to a standstill. At 25 years old and with great pedigree as the second overall pick in 2010, the time is right for Taillon to make his leap forward into greatness. With his mid-90s fastball as well as a quality curve and change, Taillon is poised to mystify hitters all year long just as he did with Boston's powerful lineup Wednesday. He'll make his next start Monday at home against the Reds.