MLB Player News

Eflin is likely the top candidate to replace Vince Velasquez in the Phillies' rotation, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Velasquez appears to be headed toward a stint on the disabled list after leaving his start Wednesday with biceps soreness. Eflin was scratched from his start Wednesday evening at Triple-A Lehigh Valley where he is 5-1 with a 3.14 ERA and a 51:8 K:BB in 63 innings. He's worth a look in deeper leagues given his success in the minors this season.

Maeda (5-4) struck out a season-high nine and held the Rockies to a single run on five hits and a walk over 6.2 innings Wednesday, but was stuck with a tough-luck loss.

May wasn't Maeda's month -- he failed to last longer than five innings in four consecutive starts to close out the month, giving up four runs in three of those -- but he's pitched into the seventh in each of his first two games of June. All in all, despite a fastball that averages less than 90 miles per hour, the 28-year-old Japanese rookie has been every bit as good as advertised -- and considering he's just learning his way around Major League Baseball, it's quite possible that we still haven't seen the best of Maeda yet.

Anderson (4-6) shut out Oakland over 6.2 innings Wednesday, giving up just two hits while striking out four in a 4-0 win.

The 28-year-old righty opened his season with a five-inning scoreless outing, but hadn't managed to replicate that feat over the 10 starts between that and Wednesday's start. That said, he's been a surprisingly reliable presence on the mound lately -- over his last six starts, Anderson has limited the opposition to only 10 runs in 37 innings (2.43 ERA) while putting up a shining 29:4 K:BB. That said, he pitches for a sub-.500 Brewers squad, he gives up way too many homers (because he lets hitters put the ball in the air too much), and his season ERA is still over the 4.00 mark, so unless you're a pitching-desperate NL-only owner, he's still waiver-wire material.

Ramirez was designated for assingment by the Brewers on Wednesday.

Ramirez just recently joined the Brewers after losing his spot with the Cubs, and he's now the odd man out after allowing two home runs to the Phillies in one of his two outings with the club. He'll now go through the waiver process again and could wind up in the minors if unclaimed. The move opened up a spot on the 25-man roster for Milwaukee to activate Corey Knebel (oblique) from the disabled list.

In his first career start, Taillon tossed six innings, allowing three runs, six hits and two walks while striking out three against the Mets. He did not factor in the decision.

Taillon held the Mets scoreless through three, showing poise as he worked with men on base in each of the innings. After inducing a double-play to clear the bases in the fourth, it looked like the rookie right-hander was about to side-step his way through another inning. Unfortunately, Taillon gave up a two-out double, then served up Ty Kelly's first career homer -- and, just like that the game was tied. The Pirates took the lead in the bottom half of the frame, but for the second straight inning, Taillon was unable to keep the Mets off the board as they tied the game once again. After pitching a scoreless sixth, Taillon's big day was done and he had logged a quality start. He's long been a top pitching prospect, but his status in the rotation moving forward is uncertain.

Taillon tossed six innings against the Mets in his MLB debut Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. He received no decision.

The No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft has been almost untouchable in Triple-A this year, and though he fell short of dominating the Mets, he still left this game in line for a victory before the bullpen blew it for him. Taillon certainly looked the part of a major league starter, as he was pumping in mid-90s fastballs and largely kept the opposition off balance. The big question for Taillon now is what the Pirates will do moving forward -- this was really a spot start more than anything else, but with Jeff Locke and Juan Nicasio hardly excelling at the back end of the rotation, there's room for the rookie to push one of them into the bullpen. But even if he has to bide his time in the minors for a while, Taillon's upside makes him well worth holding onto in fantasy.

Syndergaard (6-2) pitched six innings in Wednesday's game against the Pirates, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out five. He did not factor into the decision.

This was a subpar outing by Syndergaard's standards, as the Pirates (especially Gregory Polanco) made a lot more solid contact against him than we're used to seeing. While he continued to limit the walks -- impressively, he hasn't issued more than two in a start all year -- the five strikeouts were a season low if we don't count his May 28 early ejection. The sophomore right-hander has been outstanding this season, and even a bad outing for him is a decent start for most other pitchers. He'll look for better results in his next start next Wednesday, when he draws the Pirates again.

Teheran (2-6) turned in a season-high eight innings Wednesday against San Diego, striking out eight while allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk en route to a 4-2 win.

Wil Myers was the only Padre who could do any damage against him, slugging a pair of solo homers. It's too bad for Teheran that the Braves are so godawful, as he's bounced back impressively to his 2014 form this season in the wake of last year's struggles, but has only two wins to show for it. He's slashed his walk rate impressively while elevating his K/9 to a career-high 8.45, which has been a revelation for his previously embattled fantasy owners. That said, there are reasons to temper your enthusiasm -- Teheran has an unsustainably high 82.9 percent strand rate bolstered by an unsustainable low .228 BABIP, and both his FIP and xFIP are more than a full point higher than that impressive 2.85 ERA. Meanwhile, his average fastball velocity is more than a full mile per hour lower than it was last year. If you can sell the name and the ratios for a profitable return, now's the time.

Urias is expected to remain on a 80-90 pitch count limit for the time being, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Urias is coming off his best game on the big-league level. He struck out seven and gave up one run through four innings in Tuesday's game against the Rockies. He threw 86 pitches in the matchup, and is expected to remain in that range for the foreseeable future.

Taillon was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday and will start against the Mets.

The No. 2 overall pick in 2010 owns a 2.04 ERA and 0.82 WHIP through 10 starts at the Triple-A level this season and will now make his Pirates debut. He has a solid matchup against a Mets lineup that ranks 28th in the MLB in runs scored with an average of just 3.67 runs per game. It is unclear whether Taillon will stick in the big league rotation after Wednesday's start, as Tuesday's doubleheader forced the Pirates to use a sixth starter this week, but a good outing against the Mets would go a long way toward him sticking up with the big league club.