MLB Player News

Trade discussions with the intent of trading Phillies veteran starter Cole Hamels to the Rangers are ongoing, according to Fox Sports, which is further reporting that Texas is not one of the teams for which he has a no-trade clause.

There are 20 teams in that group, per CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman, who has stated that Toronto is one of them and that Hamels would not allow a trade to that team.

Texas will eventually have Martin Perez, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison off the disabled list and in the rotation, but the surprising contender would like to land a potential ace such as Hamels.

The 31-year-old Hamels has been as effective as ever this season with 2.96 ERA and 74 hits allowed in 94 1/3 innings. He has fanned 103, putting him at the best strikeout-to-innings pitched pace since his rookie season.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw gave up three earned runs in Monday night's 4-2 loss to the Cubs. 

Kershaw, the 2014 National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, continued his fairly average season by giving up four hits — two of which went for home runs — and two walks. However, he did strike out nine batters.

“I don’t know. I don’t really care about giving up homers,” Kershaw said, via the Orange County Register. “Other than them being runs, it’s just a bad pitch, a mistake. As long as they’re solo shots, I always say, it doesn’t matter. Right now, it feels like that’s the only way I’ve been giving up runs the past two starts.

“If you make a bad pitch you make a bad pitch. Hopefully, they just stay in the ballpark.”

Kershaw is now 5-5 and has a 3.33 ERA this season. 

His next start is scheduled for Saturday against the Marlins. 

Cubs third baseman Mike Olt (wrist) and reliever Neil Ramirez (shoulder) will have their rehab assignments moved from Double-A to Triple-A on Tuesday, according to 670 The Score.

Olt is batting .444 (4 for 9) with one triple, two doubles, three walks and five runs in three games for Tennessee. Ramirez hasn't allowed a run, hit or walk in two innings for Tennnessee. He also has three strikeouts.

The Phillies have confirmed that ace starter and primary trade bait Cole Hamels is ready to pitch Wednesday against the host Yankees, per the News Journal.

A hamstring issue prevented Hamels from making his last start Friday.

Hamels, who was fine in a bullpen session Sunday, returns to action with seven quality starts over his last eight outings. He rebounded from his lone exception on June 14 to put together his finest performance of the year. Hamels shut out Pittsburgh over seven innings and fanned a season-high 12.

Pirates reliever Vance Worley stepped up in a big way Sunday for Pittsburgh after starting pitcher Charlie Morton couldn't make it out of the first inning during a 9-2 loss to the Nationals.

Worley, who entered in the first inning after Morton allowed nine runs in two-thirds innings, tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. He allowed just two hits and one walk, while striking out five.

Worley has been pretty effective since moving into a relief role in mid-May. He is 0-1 with a 1.26 ERA in six relief outings. He has 12 strikeouts and issued just one walk on 14 1/3 relief innings.

Right-hander Julio Teheran led the Braves to a 1-0 victory over the Mets on Sunday, completing the three-game sweep of their division-rivals. Teheran was excellent, twirling seven innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit and two walks, while striking out five on the day. 

This was a big bounceback effort for Teheran, who had given up 13 earned runs over his previous three starts. He lowered his ERA to 4.67 with Saturday's performance, and his record improved to 5-3.

"I think I was more focused," Teheran said, per MLB.com. "I was trying to pound the zone and trying to attack the hitters. Every time I attack the hitters it's a different game."

"He really brought all four of his pitches to the yard today," said catcher Ryan Lavarnway. "He was terrific. He was locating his fastball and his slider was good on both sides of the plate. He was really pitch-efficient. He could have easily finished that game had we not needed a pinch-hitter."

Teheran will try to keep the good time rolling when he takes on the Pirates on Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn will come off the disabled list Thursday, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Lynn is on the disabled list with a right forearm strain, but is eligible to come off Tuesday. Lynn recently threw a bullpen session, which manager Mike Matheny said went fine.

"He's good to go. He passed every test," Matheny said. 

Pirates starter Charlie Morton was bound to lose a game eventually this season. But he was not bound to get blasted off the mound in the first inning in taking that defeat.

Morton entered his Sunday start against Washington with a 5-0 record. He walked off the hill pretty much assured of being 5-1 after allowing nine runs on eight hits, including home runs by Bryce Harper and Yunel Escobar.

The right-hander began his start by retiring Denard Span. Then came the monumental collapse. He got his second out after a single, double and homer. He then yielded five hits and a walk, tossing in a throwing error along the way, before his merciful removal.

"The good pitches I made, they hit 'em. The bad pitches I made, they hit 'em. That's embarrassing," Morton said, per MLB.com.

The self-destruction skyrocketed his ERA from 1.62 to 3.97. He will attempt to prevent it from becoming a trend Saturday against Atlanta.

Cubs pitcher Neil Ramirez tossed a scoreless inning of relief while striking out the side in a rehab outing Sunday.

He is expected to join the team's Triple-A affiliate later this week. Ramirez has been sidelined since April with right shoulder inflammation.