MLB Player News

Matz (elbow) has been confirmed as Friday's starter against the Braves.

Any lingering doubt as to Matz's status was effectively put to rest with a successful bullpen session Wednesday, but the Mets will monitor him closely during Friday's outing. Matz reported experiencing some elbow tightness late in his last start, which helps explain the home run given up to Jeff Francoeur.

Nicasio (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list Friday, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Pirates made a flurry of roster moves Friday, but Nicasio's return is likely the most notable. The veteran has lost his spot in the rotation for now after being away from the team for nearly a week, but he will provide a viable arm out of the bullpen.

Montas is expected to miss 4-to-8 weeks with a broken rib, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

The young right-hander had surgery to remove a rib during the offseason, and the area has continued to be a problem even after the procedure. According to Rosenthal, the rib that Montas broke recently was showing signs of stress when he underwent the operation in February. He'll be sidelined for one-to-two months, which could drastically inhibit his chances of contributing at the major league level this season.

Pittsburgh isn't expected to recall Glasnow for a Sunday start as the 22-year-old continues to struggle with his control. "When you're averaging (five) walks a game, that's a number you have to pay attention to," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He has to shave that down, because there are plenty of pitchers with big arms who get up here and that's part of the challenge. Tyler is aware of it. It's definitely at the top of his to-do list."

He hasn't allowed a single hit in his last two starts covering 13 innings, but has walked 11 batters. "He's still so young," Pirates rookie catcher Jacob Stallings said of Glasnow. "And he's so tall (6-feet-8) and lanky that sometimes it's hard to get those body parts synced up consistently. I think that's what he's dealing with more than anything else, just learning how to grow into his body. His stuff is always there. I mean, no hits -- that shows you what you need to know. He's still getting better and coming into his own."

Eflin will likely keep his rotation spot when Vince Velasquez comes off the disabled list, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Velasquez could come off the disabled list as soon as Monday. It will likely be Adam Morgan, and not Eflin, who gets bumped from the rotation to make room for Velasquez. Eflin makes his next start Friday against the Giants.

Ramirez picked up the loss in relief Thursday against the Padres, allowing two runs on two hits, the big hit coming on a two-run homer by Derek Norris.

Ramirez poured gasoline on the fire again, giving up his seventh homer of the season already. The Reds' bullpen has been historically bad this season, though they had improved as a group in June. Absent a dominant showing against the Braves a week ago, Ramirez hasn't joined in on that improvement.

Greinke gave up seven hits and a pair of walks over 5.2 innings Thursday in Coors Field, but limited the Rockies to three runs. He struck out four.

This wasn't Greinke's most efficient outing, but expectations are low for a Coors Field start; by the standards of that ballpark, this was a perfectly good pitching performance. After a rocky start to the year, the D-Backs have now won Greinke's last eight starts, and he's been the winning pitcher in all of those but Thursday's. It'd be nice to see his strikeout rate tick up a bit, but Greinke's settled in as a reliable high-end starter, albeit not a guy who invites comparison to his 2015 self.

Eickhoff tossed six quality innings, allowing one earned run, five hits and a walk while striking out four in Thursday's win over the Twins.

The Phillies have won just three times since June 5. Eickhoff has won all three of those games, becoming the team's most consistent starter. The sophomore is 5-9 with a 3.36 ERA in 15 starts this season, including a 3-2 mark with a 2.01 ERA in five outings this month. Remove the right-hander from the equation and Phillies starters have a 7.36 ERA in June. The obvious problem for Eickhoff is the lack of run support he can count on from the team's dismal offense.

Gray (arm) indicated Thursday that he anticipates making his next scheduled start Monday against the Blue Jays, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Gray was pulled from Wednesday's game due to some arm fatigue, and the issue has reportedly been an issue over the past couple weeks. All indications are that he will be ready to go for his next start, but it's best to monitor the situation to ensure that is the case.

Matz (elbow) will be watched cautiously by the Mets during his outing Friday, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

Matz left Saturday's game after experiencing elbow tightness in the sixth inning against the Braves. He completed a bullpen Wednesday, and has progressed without any setbacks to his elbow. Matz will be back on the mound Friday to face a Braves team that he allowed two runs against while striking out seven in his last outing.