MLB Player News

Allard will skip High-A and begin the season in the rotation at Double-A Mississippi.

There are a couple factors at play here. First, Allard is the Braves' top pitching prospect, and is a very advanced arm for his age (19), so the Braves obviously think he can hold his own at Double-A, despite having only logged 60.1 innings at Low-A last year. Secondly, the Braves are absolutely loaded with starting pitching prospects in the lower levels, and this opens up a spot in the High-A rotation that wouldn't have been available if Allard made a normal progression. The Mississippi rotation of Allard, Max Fried, Patrick Weigel, Mike Soroka and Matt Withrow will be one of the best in all the minors.

Matz (elbow) will be shut down for a few weeks before resuming a throwing program in late April, Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News reports.

Diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon in his left elbow Monday, Matz will essentially have to go through spring training all over again, which puts his potential return to the Mets rotation some time in May at the earliest. His recovery timetable should become clearer once he's able to resume throwing.

Kershaw (1-0) delivered a spectacular Opening Day effort Monday, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with eight strikeouts and no walks across seven innings in a 14-3 win over the Padres.

Kershaw conceded an unearned run in the first after a man reached due to Corey Seager's error, but he then retired 19 straight batters before allowing a solo homer in the seventh. He likely could have carried on, as he left with just 84 pitches under his belt, but the lefty was removed in part due to the massive lead. Regardless, Kershaw appeared utterly dominant in his first outing and will look to provide more of the same Saturday against the Rockies.

Teheran tossed six scoreless innings, allowing four runs and three walks while striking out six in a no-decision on Monday's Opening Day against the Mets.

Monday's performance embodied everything there is to love and hate about owning Teheran. Even when he isn't at his best -- which was the case against the Mets -- the immensely talented righty is capable of navigating his way through even the most treacherous of lineups. On the other hand, Teheran's pathetic run support limits his appeal in formats that place a value on wins. It's only one game, but it's understandable why owners of the Braves' ace might push forward with trepidation. Teheran is slated to make his next start Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Gray struggled through four innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven in a no-decision Monday against Milwaukee.

The performance was a far cry from what Gray and his owners were hoping for on Opening Day. Colorado's ace was cruising through four scoreless frames before imploding in the fifth inning, forcing manager Bud Black to pull the plug on the 25-year-old after just 71 pitches. Gray managed to show flashes of brilliance before falling apart, notching strikeouts on a 97 mph fastball, a 90 mph slider and an 85 mph changeup. He'll get a chance to rebound when he toes the rubber Sunday against the Dodgers.

Strasburg (1-0) twirled seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out three Marlins in Monday's season-opening victory.

Aside from a slippery fourth inning in which he allowed both of his runs, Strasburg reeled in the Fish on Opening Day without much of a fight. The 2009 No. 1 draft pick went right at opposing hitters with an upper-90s fastball en route to an extremely efficient 85-pitch performance. Strasburg logged strikes on 74 percent of his deliveries and induced 12 groundouts. He's scheduled to take the mound Sunday in Philadelphia for his next start.

Cole (0-1) battled through five innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two in Monday's loss to the Red Sox on Opening Day.

Drawing Boston on the road to open the season is about as unlucky as a pitcher can get, but Cole put forth a decent effort despite the ugly stat line. He went toe-to-toe with the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner, Rick Porcello, early in the game by facing just one over the minimum through four innings. Unfortunately for Cole, it was only a matter of time before MLB's top offense from a year ago caught up and basted the right-hander, who allowed all five of his runs in the fifth frame. The Pirates' ace is slated for a more favorable matchup in his next start Saturday at home against the Braves.

Lugo will receive a second opinion on his elbow Tuesday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Lugo was expected to begin throwing Monday, but it looks like the Mets are being extra cautious with the 27-year-old. He's on the 10-day disabled list to start the season, though it remains unclear when the Mets will choose to activate him. There should be more information regarding his status Wednesday.

Syndergaard (finger) will have his second start of the season pushed back from Saturday to Sunday against the Marlins, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Syndergaard was forced to leave his Opening Day start Monday against the Braves after six innings due to a blister on his middle finger. He was rolling prior to his departure, conceding no runs on five hits while striking out seven batters. The Mets don't seem to view Syndergaard's blister as a major concern, so he'll just be given an extra day of rest. Robert Gsellman is expected to move up a day to pitch in Syndergaard's place Saturday.

Syndergaard was removed from Monday's season opener due to a blister on his middle finger, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Syndergaard was looking sharp before being forced to leave the game, as he struck out seven batters through six scoreless innings. This didn't appear overly serious, though it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Mets afford their ace an extra day of rest before his next start. Consider him day-to-day until the team notes otherwise.