MLB Player News

Stripling was scratched from his scheduled start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

The Dodgers haven't announced anything just yet, but it seems it's Stripling (not Jose De Leon) who's in line to start Saturday opposite Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez. Stripling burst onto the scene early in April with a couple dazzling performances to begin his major league career, but he fizzled fairly quickly and will likely get bumped again when Bud Norris (back) is ready to go.

Wheeler (elbow) is scheduled to throw two innings or 35 pitches in a rehab outing Saturday at High-A St. Lucie, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

Saturday will mark Wheeler's first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2015. He'll be capped at 35 pitches, so this will likely be the first of several rehab outings for Wheeler as he ups his workload. According to Rubin, the Mets will have up to thirty days to activate wheeler from the disabled list after he begins the rehab assignment, so Wheeler could conceivably be back with the big league club by early September.

Greinke (oblique) is expected to rejoin the big league rotation Tuesday against the Mets, the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro reports.

He gave up five runs in five innings in his final rehab start for Triple-A Reno on Wednesday. Greinke noted that his rehab starts in the past have always gone poorly and added that he typically pitches poorly initially upon returning to the big leagues after prior injuries, so hopefully that part will change this time around. He hasn't pitched in the majors since June 28 due to a left oblique strain but said he felt "really strong" and that his oblique was 100 percent healed. Be prepared to get him in lineups for what should be a two-start week next week, starting Tuesday at Citi Field and then concluding Sunday in Boston.

Velasquez left his start Thursday after developing a blister on his right middle finger, Corey Seidman of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Velasquez was allowed to finish the fifth inning after being examined by the Phillies' training staff, but did not return to the mound in the sixth inning. He was likely done anyway due to an elevated pitch count. He said he expects to be able to make his next start Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Maeda (10-7) held the Rockies to two runs on four hits without a walk over 5.2 innings in Thursday's 4-2 victory. He struck out five.

Fantasy owners in leagues that count quality starts have to be feeling a bit pained after Maeda missed one by just a third of an inning, but this is still a very positive outing in baseball's hardest place to pitch. Maeda knows how to generate grounders when he needs them, and he mostly kept the Rockies from putting the ball in the air, with the notable exception of David Dahl's two-run homer in the fourth inning. Fantasy owners could ask for a bit more longevity from Maeda, but otherwise it's hard to complain about the package he's offered this year, as he owns a 3.22 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with just a hair under a strikeout per inning over 125.2 frames.

Finnegan (7-8) pitched six scoreless innings, limiting the Cardinals to just two hits while striking out four in Thursday's win.

Finnegan stumbled out of June and through most of July, but the 23-year-old has shown signs of improving in recent weeks. Over Finnegan's last two starts, the left-hander has notched 12 consecutive scoreless innings while allowing just five hits and tallying nine strikeouts. Thursday marked the first time in 13 outings that the 2014 first-round pick avoided issuing a free pass, and his 21:10 K:BB over his last five outings illustrates improvement from earlier in the season. Finnegan draws the Cardinals again Tuesday for his next start, but this time will be on the road.

Velasquez gave up two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings in a no-decision against the Giants on Thursday.

All three hits against Velasquez were singles, and he allowed only one hit over his final five frames. Meanwhile, he recorded six strikeouts (all via the swinging strike), but efficiency was a problem. Reports from earlier in the week suggested Velasquez only has about 40 innings left on his arm this season, so after Thursday's outing, he's looking at roughly 35 more innings (or five-to-six starts) before the Phillies shut him down.

Hill (blister) played catch on Thursday without any issues and hopes to start for the Dodgers on Sunday against the Red Sox, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Although the start has not been confirmed, this is great news for Hill owners. The 36-year-old was able to throw a successful bullpen session on Wednesday without any issues. Hill has not pitched since July 17 when he was still a member of the Athletics. The Dodgers desperately need Hill in their rotation as they continue to chase down the Giants in the division.

Thompson will get his first major league start against the Padres on Saturday, Ryan Lawrence of The Philly Voice reports.

Thompson has compiled an 11-5 record with Triple-A Lehigh Valley over the course of this season, accumulating a 2.50 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP during 21 starts for the club. In his most recent start July 31, Thompson went seven innings, giving up one earned run on four hits while striking out two. He doesn't have a whole lot of swing-and-miss stuff, only recording 87 strikeouts over 129.2 innings with Lehigh Valley, but will get a chance to show what he has against San Diego on Saturday.

Urias, called up earlier in the day, gave up three runs on six hits and a walk over three innings of relief Wednesday at Colorado. He struck out three.

He mopped up in a blowout loss -- not exactly premier work for the game's top pitching prospect. It was reported earlier Wednesday that Urias could start Saturday against Boston, but it now seems doubtful that'll materialize.