MLB Player News

Kershaw will start Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

He came in to close out Game 5 of the NLDS on Thursday, and that will essentially serve as his bullpen session in between starts. Kershaw could now come back to start Game 5 of the NLCS on Thursday and could also be available out of the bullpen in a potential Game 7 next weekend.

Hammel (elbow) was left off the NLCS roster.

It's not clear if he was left off due to elbow tightness or the simple fact that he is not one of the team's top four starters and they wanted to load the bullpen with lefties to take advantage of the Dodgers' main weakness.

Hendricks (forearm) has been confirmed as the Game 2 starter of the NLCS, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reports.

He was hit by a comebacker in the forearm during the NLDS, but he will be able to stay on turn for the Cubs in the NLCS, as expected. Hendricks will oppose a TBD starter from the Dodgers, as Kenta Maeda is expected to start Game 1, while Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias will all likely be unavailable after appearing in Thursday's game.

Maeda is lined up to start Game 1 of the NLCS if the Dodgers win their series against the Nationals, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times

Despite struggling in Game 3 of Los Angeles' NLDS matchup with the Nationals, allowing four earned runs over 3.0 innings, Maeda will still have the opportunity to start against the Cubs should the Dodgers advance to the next round. However, given the win-or-go-home stakes of Thursday's game, manager Dave Roberts could use Maeda if necessary against the Nationals. If Maeda does pitch Thursday, Los Angeles would have to adjust its rotation accordingly if it does indeed make it to the NLCS.

Strasburg (elbow) won't be available to pitch against the Cubs if the Nationals advance to the NLCS, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.

Strasburg hadn't been progressing quickly through his rehab and experienced discomfort during Monday's workout, so the news that he won't be available if Washington advances to the NLCS comes as no surprise. There's yet to be word as to when he'll return to his throwing program, but information regarding the righty should be available in the near future.

Manager Joe Maddon is leaning toward Hendricks (forearm) to start Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The righty was struck with a batted ball in Game 2, but his X-rays came back negative. Though it's still up in the air, Maddon's statement says Hendricks appears to be healthy enough to pitch when the series starts. The pitcher also said he was "good to go" Tuesday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Rockies outrighted Bergman to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Bergman had a short stint in Albuquerque in June before returning at the end of July. He was then recalled again by the Rockies on Sept. 2. He recorded a 3.66 ERA in the minors, but struggled with the Rockies posting a 8.39 ERA. He is now off the team's 40-man roster.

Hill will start Game 5 of the NLDS on Thursday against the Nationals, David Vassegh of AM 570 Los Angeles Sports reports.

There had been speculation that Julio Urias would take the mound for the Dodgers if they arrived at Game 5. However, they'll deploy Hill for the second time this series in the upcoming winner-take-all contest. In his first outing versus Washington in the NLDS, Hill picked up a loss while allowing four runs over 4.1 innings.

Strasburg's Monday bullpen session was cut short due to what manager Dusty Baker described as "a little discomfort," Todd Dybas of The Washington Times reports.

Baker downplayed the setback, emphasizing the word "discomfort" and adding "it's no thing," but it is at least mildly concerning that Strasburg was unable to complete Monday's session, even though he did still throw around 31 of a scheduled 35 pitches. It remains to be seen what effect this will have on Strasburg's status for the rest of the postseason, but it could push back the date of his potential return to game action and could lead to his being shut down altogether.

Kershaw will start Tuesday in Game 4 of the Dodgers' NLDS matchup with the Nationals.

Kershaw will be going on short rest, but the Dodgers are down 2-1 in the series and want their top pitcher on the mound with their season on the line. Kershaw has beaten the Nationals twice this season, once on June 20 and also in Game 1 of this series.