MLB Player News

DeSclafani (oblique) will throw live batting practice at Great American Ballpark on Monday, Reds Assistant Director of Media Relations Jamie Ramsey reports.

Depending on how he comes out of the batting practice session Monday, the Reds will likely map out their rehab assignment plans for DeSclafani in the near future. He threw 45 pitches in a recent bullpen session, so a minor league rehab assignment may be a relative brief one despite the long layoff.

Maeda (2-0) allowed a run and four hits over seven innings while walking three and striking out seven in a win over the rival Giants on Sunday.

The Japanese-born right-hander had pitched six scoreless innings of five-hit ball in each of his two previous starts and extended his shutout streak to 14.2 innings before Joe Panik ended it with a third-inning homer. Through his first three major league starts, Maeda has a sparkling 0.47 EAR and 0.95 WHIP with a 15:4 K:BB rate. The 28-year-old is transition well to the States and should be owned in all formats.

Nicasio (2-1) survived a poor fourth inning to pick up the win Sunday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over six innings while striking out six as the Pirates downed the Brewers 9-3.

He began the game with three perfect innings, but his concentration wavered after the Pirates staked him to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the third, and Milwaukee struck back for three runs in the fourth. Nicasio shook it off and closed out his day with two more scoreless frames before hitting the showers after 95 pitches (59 strikes). He now has a strong 17:7 K:BB through 15 innings and three starts to begin his Pittsburgh tenure, but his 4.80 ERA is a sign that pitching coach Ray Searage's magic hasn't quite taken hold with Nicasio just yet. He'll have a tough matchup in his next start Saturday, on the road against Arizona.

Davies (0-1) got roughed up Sunday, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks over just 2.1 innings in a 9-3 loss to the Pirates. He didn't strike out a batter.

It's safe to say his 2016 debut didn't exactly go as Davies would have hoped. The Brewers don't have any other obvious options for their fifth starter spot at the moment, as Jorge Lopez is also off to a poor start for Triple-A Colorado Springs, but Davies will need to pitch better than this if he wants to remain in the rotation. His next start will come Friday, at home against the Phillies.

Matz rebounded from his nightmarish first start by tossing seven shutout innings in a win Sunday against the Indians.

Matz allowed three hits while striking out a career-high nine batters and retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. His fastball sat in the 94-95 mph range and his curveball had more more bite than in his abbreviated first start.

Wacha allowed three runs (one earned) while striking out five and walking just one across six innings Sunday versus the Reds. He did not factor into the decision.

Wacha was efficient and needed only 80 pitches to get through six frames, but a pair of errors led to two runs allowed in the fourth inning, tying the game and ultimately costing him a shot at a second consecutive win. Wacha now has a 2.76 ERA and a 8.4 K/9 rate through three starts, and if he can cut down on the number of baserunners he has allowed, he could be in for a terrific season. He will draw a cushy matchup versus the train wreck that is the San Diego Padres Saturday in his next start.

Corbin (1-1) picked up his first win of the season Saturday against the Padres. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits while striking out seven.

Pitching well against the Padres isn't exactly saying much, but Corbin has now allowed a single earned run in consecutive starts, which is something he did just once all of last season. The 26-year-old lefty's last full season was in 2013, when he made the NL All-Star team. Not that he will be a Summer Classic participant again, but there's no reason to believe Corbin can't be an above-average arm in many league.

Morton allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings, but received no decision Sunday against the Nationals.

Morton kept the Nationals off the board for five innings before allowing a run to tie the game in his last frame. After struggling in his first outing, he's now allowed one earned run while striking out 13 over his last 12.2 innings, which has brought his ERA down to 3.86. He'll make his next start Saturday at Milwaukee.

Melville has seemingly been replaced in the Reds' rotation, as Dan Straily has been tabbed to start Monday's series opener against the Rockies, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Melville has managed just four and three innings in his pair of starts this season, which have resulted in seven earned runs on 11 hits and seven walks to go with seven strikeouts. Considering the elevated WHIP (2.571), he likely has his work cut out for him in his quest to earn another nod.

Lorenzen (elbow) resumed throwing Saturday, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

A right elbow strain kept Lorenzen on the DL to open the season, and his rehab process was further delayed by a case of mononucleosis, which caused him to shed 20 pounds. The right-hander is now working to regain stamina and strength after suffering through the illness, but he's still not particularly close to returning just yet. He'll need to face hitters before the Reds consider sending him out on a rehab assignment.