MLB Player News

Cole (0-2) pitched six innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk while striking out five in Thursday's loss to the Tigers.

It was an improvement compared to his bumpy debut last week against the Reds, but Cole still was saddled with the loss. For the first time in his career, the righty sits at 0-2 after his first two starts to begin a season. The 25-year-old will return to the hill next week against the Padres, who became the first team in major league history to be shut out five times in the first 10 games after striking out 16 times in a 3-0 loss Thursday to the Phillies.

deGrom (back) will remain in Florida to throw a bullpen session Friday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Reports from earlier Thursday suggesting that deGrom may not travel with the team for at least Friday's game against the Indians have been confirmed. deGrom will remain at the team's spring training complex in St. Lucie to throw at least one bullpen session. Once deGrom gets through Friday's bullpen session, there should be more information one way or the other on whether he'll be able to return to the rotation or require a DL stint.

DeGrom (back) could stay in Florida to throw a bullpen session Friday and a stint on the disabled list is a possibility, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

DeGrom was originally expected to rejoin the Mets in Cleveland, but now there is a chance that he doesn't make the trip. If his bullpen session goes well, he could join the team next week, however, if he is still in pain, a trip to the DL is a real possibility and he may miss an extended period of time.

Taillon made his first start in two years Wednesday for Triple-A Indianapolis, allowing one run over six innings on five hits while striking out six and walking none.

Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that Taillon was operating at 90-94 mph with his fastball, and was getting swings and misses on both his heater and his secondary pitches. His curveball looked particularly sharp -- a pitch that profiles as Taillon's best weapon now that his fastball velocity is no longer in the high 90s. If Taillon continues to show polish and effectiveness in his upcoming starts for Indianapolis, the Pirates should give him a look in the big league rotation sometime this summer.

Scahill was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Corey Luebke was placed on the 15-day DL with right hamstring tightness, so Scahill was recalled to bolster the bullpen. The veteran righty could only be up with the Pirates briefly, and doesn't figure to sniff any high-leverage work.

Strasburg (illness) will make his scheduled start Thursday against the Braves.

Strasburg was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday due to his illness, but the ailment only ended up pushing him back one day, and did not cost him a start. He will square off against a Braves team he picked up the win against and limited to one run over six innings in his first start of the season.

Ramirez walked one in a scoreless inning against the Reds on Wednesday.

Ramirez has made just two appearances this year through the Cubs' first eight games, which isn't quite the usage frequency one might expect. He doesn't look like he's near the top of the list for hold opportunities right now.

Wood (1-1) turned in seven snappy innings against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing just a single run on five hits and three walks while striking out three in a 3-1 win.

The lefty struggled in his first outing of the year, but was able to turn in seven efficient frames Wednesday despite again failing to miss many bats. That 6:5 K:BB doesn't look good, and it's curious that Wood has seen his strikeout numbers fall since joining the Dodgers last year, but he's got swing-and-miss stuff and should start showing it again in the near future. A start against his old Braves mates on Tuesday presents a promising opportunity to do just that.

Lyles was tagged for five runs on six hits in 4.2 innings Wednesday against the visiting Giants. He struck out just one while walking two and avoiding a decision.

That's two starts and two five-run outings for the 25-year-old righty. Coming off a 5.14 ERA last year and still pitching in the unfriendly confines of Coors Field, Lyles doesn't make for an appetizing fantasy start.

Anderson allowed three unearned runs in the first inning of Wednesday's win over the Cardinals, but settled down to finish six frames without another blemish. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four in the no-decision.

Despite the early struggles caused by Colin Walsh's error at third base, Anderson turned in a credible outing, just as he did in his first start of the season. He's been less hittable than in his Arizona days over these first two games, but that's not much of a sample to judge by. Anderson's relative lack of strikeouts and team context make him a lower-end fantasy starter until he strings enough quality outings like this together to convince us otherwise.