MLB Player News

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto (triceps) completed a 45-pitch bullpen session without any issues Monday and said he believes he is ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, MLB.com reports. Cueto said he would discuss the next step in his rehab with pitching coach Bryan Price following Monday's workout, which was the second time he has thrown off a mound since landing on the disabled list April 15 with a strained lat muscle.

"It was pretty good, no pain," said Cueto, who has registered a 1-0 record and 2.60 ERA in his first three starts this season. "I threw my breaking ball, everything."

Even though Stephen Strasburg is just 1-4 after five starts, nearly no one in CBSSports.com leagues is sitting the Nationals' ace. Of course, that's a good thing, but some owners are dealing him at a discount.

If you're frustrated both by Strasburg's Fantasy production and the Nationals' lack of run support, better times are bound to be just ahead. Ryan Zimmerman will be back with the team soon, and Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth and Danny Espinosa have all been underperforming. Meanwhile, Strasburg has been baffling batters over his last three starts and seems to be back on track after a relative lack of whiffs and strikeouts over his first two outings. If you're determined to trade Strasburg, trade him as the elite Fantasy ace that he is.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright will look to continue his strong start against the Reds Monday.

Wainwright is going to need his excellent control against Cincinnati. He's walked just one batter in 37 1/3 innings this year. Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo leads the majors in on-base percentage, and first baseman Joey Votto is not far behind. Wainwright has yet to face the Reds this season.

Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran returns to the mound Monday against the Nationals after picking up his first win of the season in his last start against the Rockies. 

"I'll tell you one thing he did really, really well was every time we scored a run, he got a shutdown inning and got us back into the dugout so we could keep swinging the bats. That's nice to see," manager Fredi Gonzalez said after Teheran's win, per MLB.com.

Teheran also relied on throwing his fastball against the Rockies. According to FanGraphs.com, Teheran's fastball accounted for 72.2 percent of his pitches thrown in Tuesday's win, which was up from 67.2 percent in his first three starts. Teheran has also been less reliant on his curveball in his last two starts. Teheran has thrown it 5.2 percent of the time in his last two starts, which was a decrease from 8.2 in his first two starts.

Also, Teheran has been better at stranding runners in his last two starts. Teheran had a 65.2 percent strand rate in his first two starts, as opposed to a 87.3 percent strand rate in his last two outings.

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton (elbow) continued his Double-A rehab stint Sunday.

Morton, who was expected to pitch five innings or 80 pitches for Double-A Altoona, went six innings strong and only reached 70 pitches. He yielded just one run and three hits while striking out four.

The right-hander is expected to make at least one more start before returning to the rotation.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw entered Sunday's outing against the Brewers with a 2.14 ERA through five starts. He was able to bring that mark down as the left-hander worked eight scoreless innings, giving up just four hits while striking out a season-high 12 in a 2-0 win. It was his fifth game in his career with at least 12 strikeouts.

Kershaw (3-2), who won his first decision since April 6, has a 1.73 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last 18 starts -- the longest active streak in the majors.

The 25-year-old is scheduled to start Friday at San Francisco. He is 5-2 with a stifling 0.67 ERA in his last seven starts at AT&T Park.

Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin turned in another strong effort as he picked up his third win of the season Sunday against the Rockies,

Corbin, who made his fifth start of the season, surrendered two runs in the sixth, including a run-scoring single off the bat of Dexter Fowler. The left-hander yielded two runs and nine hits over 6 2/3 innings of work in a 4-2 victory. He struck out five and did not issue a walk in 96 pitches, 62 strikes. It was his second straight outing without issuing a walk.

Corbin has allowed just three runs while striking out 23 in his last 27 innings of work. He is scheduled to pitch Saturday at San Diego. The 23-year-old allowed three runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings in his lone start at Petco Field last season. He is 1-0 with a 2.21 ERA in three starts away from Chase Field this season.

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels (1-3) permitted just one run despite walking six batters over six innings during a 5-1 victory over the Mets on Sunday. He also allowed just two hits -- a single and a double -- in his 111-pitch performance (62 strikes) to secure his first win in six starts this season.

After walking just three batters over his past two outings, Hamels matched a career high with his six walks against the Mets but escaped trouble to lower his ERA to a season-low 4.78. He also finished with eight strikeouts.

The left-hander is projected to make his next scheduled start Saturday against Miami, the second time he's faced the division opponent this year. In his previous outing, he limited the Marlins to just one run over six innings.

Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco (2-2) allowed three runs and four hits over seven innings -- his longest outing of the season -- during a 6-4 victory over the Cubs on Sunday. He had failed to complete more than six innings over his past six starts, dating back to last season, but kept Chicago scoreless over his final four innings.

Nolasco fell behind 3-2 when he permitted the first four batters to reach in the third inning, then didn't allow another baserunner in his second straight win. He also improved to 5-2 against the team that drafted him in 2001.

The veteran right-hander, who tallied two strikeouts and two walks Sunday, will face Philadelphia on the road in his next scheduled start Friday. Nolasco owns a 3-2 record and 3.42 ERA with 32 strikeouts over his past seven starts against the Phillies.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said starting pitcher Charlie Morton (elbow) will start Sunday for Double-A Altoona and is expected to throw five innings or 80 pitches. Morton has a 2.57 ERA and .160 opponents' batting average through his first two rehab starts (one at Class A, one at Double-A).