MLB Player News

Kershaw (back) will make his return to the Dodgers on Friday in Miami, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Kershaw dazzled in his last rehab outing, but the real question was whether or not the Dodgers would schedule him for another start in the minors to get his pitch count up. It sounds like that won't be necessary, as the ace lefty will make his long-awaited return Friday. The team may be careful with his pitch count early on, as their chances of postseason success are heavily dependent on the health of the southpaw.

Cabrera notched his fourth save with a perfect tenth inning in Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Phillies.

He needed just 12 pitches to dispose of the Phillies, and he's now successfully converted all four of his save opportunities. Cabrera has been stellar in any role he's been asked to take on this season, as he's also amassed seven holds and notched three victories. He figures to continue sharing occasional save chances with Jim Johnson, while also fulfilling the role of setup man when needed.

Asher (calf) is in line to take the spot of Vincent Velasquez in the Phillies' rotation, Meghan Montemurro of the News Journal reports.

Asher had been on a rehab assignment with Double-A Reading, allowing three earned runs over seven innings in his last two outings. It sounds like he will take the rotation spot of Velasquez, who was shut down for the season following Saturday's start. Prior to the injury, Asher was 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA over three starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so the Phillies will look to see if the 24-year-old can sustain that success at the big league level during the season's final month. It sounds like the activation announcement could arrive as early as Monday.

Cole (elbow) is scheduled to rejoin the Pittsburgh rotation Sept. 12 in Philadelphia, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cole has progressed from flat ground to a bullpen session this week, and all reports of his health have been positive so far. Given the timing of his expected activation, it's possible Cole is sent on a brief rehab assignment before getting his next start in the majors, though a date hasn't been scheduled for that just yet.

Hill threw six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight in a victory over the Padres on Saturday. He walked two in the win.

The left-hander walked the first batter of the game, but then retired the next 14 batters and didn't allow a hit until the sixth. Hill has not allowed a run in 12 innings over his first two starts with Los Angeles. In 88 combined innings with the Dodgers and Athletics, he is 11-3 with a 1.94 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 101 strikeouts. His next start will be Friday versus the Marlins.

Smoker notched his second hold of the season Saturday, recording two key outs against lefties in the seventh inning of the Mets' 3-1 win over the Nationals.

Smoker relieved Jim Henderson with a runner on first and one out. He retired Daniel Murphy on a line drive to center field caught by a sliding Michael Conforto and struck out Bryce Harper on a nasty slider. Smoker will continue to be used mainly against lefty hitters anywhere from the sixth to eighth innings.

Velasquez made his final start of the season Saturday, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Velasquez goes out in style, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits without a walk and striking out eight over seven innings. The 136 innings thrown at Triple-A Reading and Philadelphia this season are a career high and nearly as many he's thrown the past two seasons combined.

Kershaw (back) pitched three scoreless innings, striking out five and giving up one hit in his rehabilitation start for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday.

Kershaw needed just 34 pitches (23 strikes) to make it through three innings. The Quakes have qualified for the playoffs in the California League, so there will more opportunities to give Kershaw a start, should the Dodgers want to get his pitch count up. If they feel the one start is enough, we could see Kershaw back with the Dodgers to start Friday in Miami.

Hill (blister) is set to take the mound Saturday against the Padres, the Los Angeles Times' Andy McCullough reports.

He is in the official lineup Saturday, so owners should feel safe going ahead and deploying him against San Diego's bottom-five offense. It has been a rare sight to see Hill on the mound in the second half, but he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball on a per-pitch basis, and if the blister is truly healed, there should be more of the same Saturday.

Wheeler (elbow) has been shut down for the remainder of the season and is not scheduled to pick up a baseball again until he is gearing up for spring training, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

His latest setback was diagnosed as a flexor muscle strain, and he has yet to return after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2015. The fact that he won't be able to do any throwing before pitchers and catchers report suggests that he may not be ready to join the big league rotation when the 2017 season starts. He still needs to be rostered in deep dynasty leagues, but his inability to recover from his Tommy John surgery in what is considered a normal amount of time has to be concerning.