MLB Player News

Eickhoff allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking two and striking out three over five innings of a 7-2 loss to the Mets on Friday afternoon.

He threw just 48 of his 87 pitches for strikes, and with just 14 first pitch strikes he was battling from behind most of the day. While it wasn't a terrible performance, the Phillies sport one of the league's weakest lineups, and they follow their starting pitchers with a questionable bullpen (the pen allowed four additional runs) so Eickhoff will need more efficiency to enjoy much success.

DeGrom, who left Friday's start with right lat tightness, said he does not expect to get an MRI on Saturday, as he left the game as a precaution, The Record's Matt Ehalt reports.

He said he was planning on going out for the seventh inning, but decided to play it safe. Manager Terry Collins said after the game that deGrom was pretty stiff, and added that the injury was in a different location than the back soreness that cost him some time in spring training. DeGrom said he plans to toss a baseball before Saturday's game to gauge if the tightness has dissipated. The Mets lost Steven Matz for two months last season with a lat strain, so there's a chance it turns out to be something more serious. For now, he plans to remain with the Mets until he gets the labor call from his wife. An issue that got buried by deGrom's exit was that his fastball was down to 92-93 mph in Friday's start (he typically sits at 95 mph), but he blamed that on the cold weather and said he would be throwing at his normal speed sometime soon. His start Wednesday against the Marlins is in jeopardy, so owners will need to monitor his status closely over the coming days.

DeSclafani (oblique) will not make his scheduled start Sunday but manager Bryan Price stated that the young right-hander did not suffer a setback, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

According to Buchanan, DeSclafani is simply just not 100 percent ready to make a start at this point, so the Reds will be cautious and push back his next scheduled start. The Reds have not announced a potential date for DeSclafani to return to the mound, nor have they announced who will start in his place Sunday. Though having his start pushed back sounds worrisome, the fact that DeSclafani did not suffer any setbacks with his oblique is a good sign that he should be able to get back on the mound sooner rather than later.

DeGrom left Friday's start after 76 pitches due to right lat tightness, The New York Post's Mike Puma reports.

DeGrom dealt with some back tightness during spring training, and the issue flared up again Friday during his start, although the Mets say his removal was simply precautionary. He managed to hold the Phillies to one run on five hits across 6.0 innings while striking out six batters, but there were reports during the outing that his velocity was down to 93 mph on his fastball, which is low by his standards. There's no indication at this point that deGrom's next start is in jeopardy, but the Mets figure to release more information on his status following Friday's game.

Gray (abdomen) will have a 65-pitch limit in his rehab start Saturday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Gray's recovery appears to be going as planned, and he should join the Rockies' rotation in late April. The 24-year-old had a 5.53 ERA in nine starts for Colorado in 2015.

Wheeler will undergo a minor procedure to remove an undissolved stitch in his elbow and will need two weeks to recover, ESPN New York reports.

While the procedure will delay Wheeler's recovery from Tommy John surgery by about two weeks, the good news is an MRI on his elbow done Thursday came back "super clean," so he should be able to simply pick up where he left off once the wound from his latest procedure heals. Wheeler had reportedly been targeting a return to the Mets around July 1, but his upcoming procedure could push his return past the All-Star break.

Wood (0-1) allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings in Thursday's loss to the Giants.

Through four innings, things were going great -- the Dodgers had put up four runs of support for Wood and the lefty had scattered three hits. But the wheels came off in the fifth, as he gave up three runs, then put two men on in the top of the sixth before being removed for reliever Yimi Garcia, who turned Wood's mess into a four-run inning for San Francisco. After a very hittable spring training, Wood needs to settle things down in a hurry, as the Dodgers will eventually have the returning Hyun-Jin Ryu as well as prospects Julio Urias and Jose De Leon knocking on the door for rotation spots. He'll get his next chance against the tough Arizona offense on Wednesday.

Morton (0-1) got rocked during his first outing of the season in Thursday's loss to the Reds. The veteran allowed six runs, five hits and two walks while striking out three in just 3.2 innings of work. He'll look to rebound next week when he takes the hill at home against the Padres.

The 32-year-old's debut with the Phillies was a disaster. Morton kept it together for three innings, but the wheels fell off in the fourth when the Reds put together an eight-run inning. Pitching for arguably the worst team in baseball, Morton can afford a few outings like this before his job security becomes a concern.

Gray (abdomen) is planning on pitching 70-75 pitches in a rehab start Friday, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Where the rehab start will be is currently unknown, but no matter where it ends up taking place, this is a very good sign for the right-hander. Gray said that he may make two rehab starts prior to joining the Rockies rotation, but he also added that he's feeling very good at the moment. This development keeps him on pace for a return in mid- to late-April.

Lorenzen's arm/elbow was feeling much better Thursday, but now he is dealing with mono, the Cincinnati Enquirer's C. Trent Rosecrans reports.

While it is good news that his elbow is feeling better, a case of mono could stall his rehab. He remains without a timetable to return.