MLB Player News

Cubs manager David Ross said Thursday that Hendricks (shoulder) came out of his second rehab start feeling good, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Hendricks allowed four earned runs on two hits and three walks over 2.2 innings Wednesday with Triple-A Iowa after getting lit up for six earned runs across just 1.2 frames in his rehab debut last week. Ross said the veteran right-hander will now join the team in Chicago but only to throw a bullpen session and work on some mechanical issues. It sounds like he'll make at least one more start on the farm before the Cubs consider him an option for their major-league rotation. Hendricks hasn't pitched in a big-league game since last July due to a capsule tear in his shoulder.

Verlander (shoulder) was activated Thursday from the 15-day injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Verlander is set to make his Mets debut in Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Tigers after missing the first five weeks of the 2023 regular season due to a low-grade teres major strain in his right shoulder. He tallied six strikeouts over 4.2 scoreless innings in his lone minor-league rehab start Friday with Double-A Binghamton. It was just a 69-pitch outing, so the veteran right-hander might be limited a bit Thursday in Detroit. Still, he's an obvious must-start for fantasy managers moving forward.

Ober is scheduled to start Friday's series opener in Cleveland.

As anticipated, Ober will receive another turn through the rotation while Kenta Maeda (triceps) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) are stuck on the injured list. In his return from Triple-A St. Paul last weekend, Ober took a no-decision but was excellent over 5.2 innings against the Royals, striking out six while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks.

Taillon (groin) was activated from the 15-day injured list by the Cubs on Thursday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Taillon will rejoin the Cubs' rotation Thursday versus the Nationals after missing the last two weeks with a strained left groin. The big right-hander will be skipping a rehab assignment, so it's possible he won't be ready for a full workload.

Atlanta placed Wright on the 15-day injured list Thursday with right shoulder inflammation.

Wright will return to the IL for the second time in 2023 on account of a right shoulder issue, as he was previously excluded from Atlanta's season-opening rotation when he was delayed during spring training after battling shoulder soreness during his offseason throwing program. He lasted just two innings in his start Wednesday against the Marlins before succumbing to shoulder inflammation. Atlanta could put Wright through more testing to determine if he's dealing with anything more significant than swelling in the shoulder, but at least for the time being, he'll be in line to miss at least the next two weeks. The big club recalled Dylan Dodd from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill Wright's spot in the rotation beginning with Thursday's series finale in Miami.

Atlanta recalled Dodd from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of his scheduled start Thursday in Miami.

He'll join the 26-man active roster as a replacement for right-hander Kyle Wright, who was placed on the 15-day injured list after exiting his start Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation. Though Dodd will pick up a start Thursday, he may not be in line for an extended stay in the rotation as Wright's replacement. Due to a pair of off days during the upcoming week, Atlanta could get by with a four-man rotation until May 16. Dodd previously made two starts for Atlanta in April, covering 9.1 innings while giving up eight earned runs on 16 hits and one walk.

Garrett (1-1) took the loss in Wednesday's 14-6 rout at the hands of Atlanta, surrendering 11 runs on 14 hits -- including four home runs -- and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.

There's no silver lining here for Garrett. Most of the damage came in a seven-run second inning by Atlanta that saw the southpaw serve up three homers, before a Ronald Acuna blast in the fourth finally chased Garrett from the game. His ERA jumped from 2.45 to a bloated 5.81 after this effort, but it's possible to view this performance as an aberration, as the 25-year-old had been tagged for only one long ball over his first five appearances and 22 innings this season. Garrett will look to put this disaster behind him when he next takes the mound, which is likely to come early next week in Arizona.

Bieber did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over eight innings during a 4-3 loss to the Yankees in extras. He struck out four.

Aside from a pair of solo home runs in the fifth, Bieber was efficient and carved up the Yankees across a season-high eight innings. He currently sports a 2.96 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP through seven appearances, but there's some concerning trends to the start of his season. The long ball is slowly emerging as an issue for the right-hander, who's now surrendered four home runs over his past four starts, and his strikeout numbers are also down from previous years. He has 30 strikeouts through 45.2 innings after punching out 198 over 200 innings last year, and before that Bieber had posted at least one strikeout per inning over each of his previous four campaigns.

Schmidt did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two unearned runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings during a 4-3 win over Cleveland in extras. He struck out four.

Both of Schmidt's first-inning runs were unearned due to a fielding error by Anthony Rizzo, but the right-hander was still shaky and got pulled in the fifth after allowing a one-out single to Jose Ramirez. Schmidt has given up multiple runs in each of his first seven starts this season and has yet to complete more than six innings. His 5.83 ERA and 1.70 WHIP need work, but his 36:9 K:BB through 29.1 innings is encouraging. He'll look to find a rhythm during his next start, which will likely come during a three-game set versus Oakland.

Keller (3-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk over five innings during an 8-1 loss to Tampa Bay. He struck out eight.

The 26-year-old was sharp but a pair of errors and Shane McClanahan's dominant outing for the Rays were too much for the right-hander to overcome. Keller was able to get through only five innings, snapping a streak of five straight quality starts, but he did strike out at least eight batters for the third time this season. Across seven starts (40.2 innings), Keller sports a 3.32 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and a 48:13 K:BB. He'll look to maintain his strong production during his next start, which should come next week versus Colorado.