MLB Player News

Boston will stick with a six-man rotation through the end of its upcoming road trip, meaning Houck will make at least one more start before manager Alex Cora settles on a decision about a five-man rotation, Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com reports. Houck is tentatively expected to start next Wednesday in Baltimore.

Brayan Bello's season debut this week gave the Red Sox six capable starters, each of whom has pitched in the previous six games, with James Paxton's return from a hamstring injury also looming. A tentative plan which would send Houck to the bullpen when everyone was healthy may have changed Thursday, when he threw a seven-inning gem against the Twins. Houck has been one of the team's most consistent starters, going at least five innings in three of four outings and never allowing more than three earned runs. Paxton's most recent rehab appearance came out of the bullpen, which suggests the club is leaning toward a long-relief role for him. That would leave Houck and Nick Pivetta, who starts Friday, battling for the No. 5 starter job.

Pfaadt allowed three hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Pfaadt turned in his most dominant performance of the season during a week in which the parent club's rotation underwent a shakeup. The Diamondbacks designated Madison Bumgarner for assignment, but opted for Tommy Henry as an initial replacement. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said logistics were the main reason for that decision, meaning Henry was closer to being on turn for a start Monday, per Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic. Hazen considered bringing Pfaadt up to start Friday instead, but the GM acknowledged the cascading effect it would have had on the rotation's existing members wasn't ideal. Hazen added that he feels Pfaadt is ready to pitch in the majors, and Thursday's performance by the organization's top pitching prospect appears to back up the GM's assessment. After a rocky first start this season, Pfaadt has settled in over three subsequent outings, posting a 1.62 ERA and 18:4 K:BB over 16.2 innings.

Senga (3-0) earned the win Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits over five innings against the Giants. He struck out four and walked four.

While this was hardly a dominant start, Senga pitched well enough to take advantage of the Mets' lively offense in a 9-4 victory. The right-hander now has a 4.29 ERA and 1.52 WHIP through the first four starts of his MLB career. The three-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star is tentatively slated to face the Nationals at home in his next appearance.

Nelson did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on three hits and three walks over five innings against the Padres. He struck out four.

Nelson struggled with his command and threw just 47 of his 85 pitches for strikes, and the five runs allowed Thursday are the most he's given up across his four starts this year. He now has a 4.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB in 22 frames this season. The right-hander is tentatively slated to face the Royals at home in his next appearance.

Wacha did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and one walk over four innings in a 7-5 victory over Arizona. He struck out three.

Wacha has now allowed 12 runs in his last 8.1 innings pitched. Outside of tossing six scoreless innings against Atlanta on April 8, the right-hander has mostly been ineffective through his first four starts of the season. The Iowa native has plenty of time to turn it around, but he's currently a volatile fantasy option with a 7.08 ERA and 1.72 WHIP.

Feltner (1-2) earned the win over Philadelphia on Thursday, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings during which he gave up three hits and three walks while striking out six batters.

Feltner had a rough go his previous trip to the mound, giving up five runs in 3.2 innings last weekend in Seattle. He rebounded nicely Thursday, falling one out shy of a quality start and keeping the Phillies off the scoreboard. He struggled with his control again, issuing exactly three free passes for the third straight game, but balanced that by giving up just three hits, all of which were singles. Feltner has shown some decent strikeout stuff this season with 21 punchouts across 19 frames, but it's hard to be optimistic about his chances for sustained success given that he's also handed out 14 walks. Getting a better handle on his control will be key for the right-hander to further improve upon his 6.16 ERA.

Sandoval (1-1) took the loss against the Yankees on Thursday, allowing five runs on four hits and six walks while striking out five batters over four innings.

Sandoval was in trouble from the get-go, allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base. The southpaw ended up being tagged for five runs in the opening frame, and the damage was partly due to poor control, as he issued three walks. To Sandoval's credit, he was able to give the Angels three more innings and didn't allow any additional runs despite not having his best stuff, but the first-inning damage proved too much to overcome. Altogether, he issued six free passes, tying a career-high mark and matching the total he had given up in his first three starts combined. This was also Sandoval's first outing this season allowing more than one earned run. As a result, his ERA jumped from 1.23 to 3.38.

Cortes (3-0) earned the win over the Angels on Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.

Cortes cruised through four hitless innings before Brandon Drury opened the fifth with a leadoff single. Los Angeles put together two more hits and a pair of runs in that frame, but Cortes bounced back with a scoreless sixth before departing after issuing a walk to begin the seventh. The lefty hurler ended up being charged for one more run, but he still notched his second straight quality start and third win of the campaign. Cortes has punched out seven batters in consecutive contests and holds a 3.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB across 23.1 innings on the season.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed after Thursday's game against the Cubs that Grove (groin) would be placed on the injured list, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Grove left his start Thursday night after suffering a groin strain. After the game, Roberts suggested that the injury wasn't overly serious, but Grove will still be forced to miss at least the next two weeks of action. The team has a number of options to fill in for him, including turning to a four-man rotation or activating Tony Gonsolin (ankle) from the injured list.

Grove suffered a strain in his right groin during Thursday's start against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Grove was pulled in the fourth inning of his start after suffering an apparent lower-body injury. No formal move has been made yet, but it's likely that he'll end up on the injured list. The Dodgers have an off day Monday, so the team could opt to use a four-man rotation in the short term with both Ryan Pepiot (oblique) and Tony Gonsolin (ankle) still sidelined.