MLB Player News

Syndergaard (arm fatigue) is planning on taking a page from Bartolo Colon's playbook and cut back substantially on the bullpen sessions he throws between starts, but not on the max effort on each of his pitches, the NY Post reports.

Syndergaard will reduce the number of bullpen sessions he throws after the All-Star break from 30-35 to about 15-20, hoping it keeps his arm fresh. Colon doesn't throw bullpens, which has allowed his arm to be ready for each start. Syndergaard added that he believes that if he sacrifices velocity, it will come at the expense of control, referring to his mound style as "controlled violence." He is currently slated to pitch the Mets fifth game after the break, July 19 against the Cubs.

Mets and All-Star game manager Terry Collins offered a spot in the Midsummer Classic to deGrom, who turned it down saying, "I'm beat," the NY Post reports.

DeGrom dealt with decreased velocity earlier in the season following his heavy workload last year, forcing him to rely on his pitching and mental fortitude to work out of jams. That took a toll on deGrom, who welcomed the All-Star break as a way to recharge and refresh his mind and body. The Mets will try and give deGrom extra rest the second half of the season to keep him fresh for the stretch run.

Keller, 20, has a 2.87 ERA and 91:11 K:BB in 81.2 innings at Low-A West Virginia.

Opposing batters are hitting just .208 against Keller, who has not let up since a torrid start to the season. He could see High-A shortly, though the Pirates may proceed cautiously with him as he pitched just 19.2 innings last season due to injury. Still, Keller has firmly placed himself on the prospect map with exceptional control along with the ability to miss bats.

Matz (7-5) allowed three runs on six hits and four walks over seven innings Sunday, striking out five, to take the loss against the Nationals.

Daniel Murphy's two-run shot in the first inning put the Mets in a hole they couldn't recover from, but Matz did his best to keep them in the game afterwards despite some control issues. The lefty now hasn't won a game in eight starts, but his 4.47 ERA and 40:14 K:BB in 46.1 innings over that stretch isn't exactly terrible. The Mets will need him to be a bit sharper, as well as providing Matz with a bit more run support, if they're going to make a move up the standings in the second half.

Maeda (8-6) struck out 13 while giving up only an earned run on two hits over seven innings in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Padres.

The 28-year-old was on another level Sunday, notching the best strikeout total of his first season stateside, and giving up only a single earned run for the fourth time in the last seven starts. Maeda missed plently of bats, tallying a whopping 24 swinging strikes overall, and retiring 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. He struck out Melvin Upton three times on the afternoon, and got Will Myers, Matt Kemp and Ryan Schimpf to whiff twice as well. If he can keep up the caliber of performances he's been putting forth in the season's second half, the Dodgers will be a force to contend with in October.

Eflin (2-2) gave up two earned runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings in Sunday's 10-3 victory over the Rockies. He struck out three.

On the heels of a complete-game shutout of the Braves on July 5, Eflin put together an encore that in some ways was just as impressive, considering the quality of opposition and the fact the game was played in Coors Field. Eflin pitched efficiently, averaging just 15 pitches an inning, and stayed away from the long ball altogether against a lineup that's certainly capable of exploding in any given at-bat. Outside of a thoroughly forgettable debut on June 14 where he gave up eight earned runs in 2.2 innings to the Blue Jays, Eflin has actually acquitted himself very well, coming just one out short of notching five straight quality starts subsequent to that outing. He'll look to continue his development over the second half of the season.

Greinke (oblique) isn't throwing yet, but is progressing through his rehabilitation.

Greinke doesn't yet have a targeted return date, but will be eligible to come back on July 15. There will likely be more updates on Greinke's oblique injury and timetable once he is able to resume throwing activities.

Syndergaard (arm) is slated start July 19 against the Cubs, James Wagner of the NY Times reports

That game will be the Mets' fifth after the All-Star break. By pitching Syndergaard then, he is afforded a few additional days of rest, which hopefully will rectify the arm fatigue that forced him out of Friday's game.

Kershaw (back) threw a short bullpen session Sunday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw only threw 20 pitches as he continues to progress from a back injury that he suffered July 3. He is still expected to be out until the end of July, but recently threw 120 feet after playing catch and has been right on track with his recovery.

Eickhoff was saddled with his 10th loss of the season in Saturday's 8-3 defeat by the Rockies. He allowed eight runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Eickhoff had pitched four scoreless innings before allowing a two-run homer in the fifth inning. The wheels totally came off in the sixth when the Rockies hung another six runs on him. Despite the poor outing, Eickhoff has had a very good first half of the season. He goes into the All-Star break with a 3.80 ERA and a 94:29 K:BB in 109 innings.