MLB Player News

Lugo was officially recalled from Triple-A on Thursday, James Wagner of the New York Times reports.

The move was announced Thursday morning, but did not become official until later in the day. Lugo will come up from Las Vegas, where he's struggled out to a 6.55 ERA on the season, to take the spot of Sean Gilmartin, who's faltered out of the Mets' bullpen of late.

Taillon credits a newly-found two-seam sinking fastball for adding to an already impressive pitching arsenal, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

He's thrown his two-seamer 40 percent of the time over his first five big league starts. "A couple starts into Triple-A this year, I realized it could be a weapon," Taillon said. "And then, one of my last starts in Triple-A, they were saying, 'We'd like to see you maybe play with throwing it more.' I just threw it more, trusted it and ran with it. No looking back after that." Considering Taillon really just started throwing the pitch two months ago, his ceiling might be even higher than previously thought.

Kershaw will be placed on the 15-day DL on Thursday after receiving an epidural injection in his lower back, Sportsnet LA's Alanna Rizzo reports.

It was already expected that Kershaw would not make his next scheduled start Friday and now we know the best pitcher in the game will be out through the All-Star break. He will be unable to return from the DL until the first game of the second half on July 15 against the Diamondbacks, although it is unclear if he will need more time than that to get right. The Dodgers have not announced a replacement starter for Friday's game, but Jharel Cotton could be summoned from Triple-A to make the start on normal rest. Jose De Leon could also get the call from Triple-A and pitch on an extra day's rest. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy are both nearing a return, but their schedules don't line up for Friday.

Lugo is expected to be recalled from Triple-A in advance of Thursday's game against the Cubs, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

Lugo hasn't exactly set the world on fire at Triple-A this season, amassing a 7.86 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 19 appearances (13 starts). Still, he'll bring depth to the Mets' bullpen and is expected to take the spot of Sean Gilmartin, who will head back to Las Vegas. Gilmartin's struggles have been well-documented, having allowed 11 hits and seven earned runs across five appearances for the Mets this season.

Taillon allowed one run on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts over six innings Wednesday against the Mariners to improve to 2-1 this season.

After lasting just four innings in each of his previous two starts, Taillon rebounded with six innings of one-run ball at Seattle. The 24-year-old rookie lines up for two starts against division rivals next week -- at St. Louis on Tuesday before a home start against the Cubs on Sunday.

Martinez pitched six shutout innings, allowing eight hits and one walk while striking out three but took the no-decision in an extra inning loss to the Royals on Wednesday.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny pulled Martinez after he allowed a leadoff single in the seventh. A Royals batter reached base in every inning against Martinez, but he worked out of every jam, as he stranded nine base runners. Martinez is 7-5 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, but his strikeouts have significantly decreased compared to last season. While in 2015 he posted a 9.2 K/9 ratio, Martinez has 73 strikeouts in 95.1 innings this season. Wednesday was his fourth straight start with at least 12 ground ball outs. Martinez will make his next start Monday against the Pirates.

Hendricks (6-6) dealt 6.2 innings, allowing two runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out five in Wednesday's win over the Reds.

Although it wasn't his best performance, Anthony Rizzo's three-run homer in the top of the first allowed Hendricks to settle in early and cruise to his sixth victory. The righty threw 80 of his season-high 117 pitches for strikes while tying his season high for hits allowed. Hendricks' 1.05 WHIP through 15 starts is good for 10th-best in the NL.

Anderson (0-2) took the loss Wednesday afternoon against the Blue Jays. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs (two earned), eight hits and two walks while striking out six.

Giving up just two earned runs against an explosive offense at Coors Field is an impressive feat, but Anderson is still searching for that elusive first big league win. He allowed a homer to Josh Donaldson in the third and an RBI single to Troy Tulowitzki two batters later, giving the Jays a 3-0 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. The 26-year-old southpaw has been solid in his first four MLB starts, posting an ERA of 2.66 -- extremely notable when considering three outings were in Colorado -- with a 24:5 K:BB in 23.2 innings.

Eflin (0-2) allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits while striking out three over six innings Wednesday at the Diamondbacks.

Eflin left the contest with a one-run deficit, but the offense was able to rally to take him off the hook for a potential loss. After getting bombed in his first start of the year, he's now allowed six earned runs in his last 17.2 innings covering three starts, and he's been better than the 5.75 ERA he currently holds. He'll make his next start Tuesday against the Braves.

Kershaw (back) is "very doubtful" for Friday's start, according to David Vassegh of 570 AM Los Angeles.

While the team has not officially closed the door on Kershaw starting the series opener against Colorado, it seems safe to assume he'll miss one turn given his inability to throw on the side Tuesday or Wednesday. That said, there has been nothing to suggest a DL move involving Kershaw is imminent. Jharel Cotton would be a logical replacement for Friday's game, as he's on the same schedule as Kershaw down at Triple-A Oklahoma City.