MLB Player News

Kaprielian allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out one across five innings Thursday against Detroit. He did not factor into the decision.

Kaprielian held the Tigers scoreless through four innings but faltered in the fifth frame by allowing a single, walk and double to consecutive batters. He otherwise effectively limited damage by inducing eight groundball outs, though he had only seven swinging strikes on 75 pitches. After being hit hard in his first outing, Kaprielian has allowed only four earned runs across his last 10.2 innings. However, to maintain that success, he'll need to improve upon his current 10:9 K:BB.

Walker (1-0) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out one across seven shutout innings to earn the win Thursday against the Nationals.

Walker bounced back after getting crushed by the Phillies in his last outing to tally his first win of the season. He induced only six swinging strikes across 85 pitches, but he limited the Nationals to one extra-base hit to stay out of trouble throughout the start. Walker has now allowed no earned runs in three of his four appearances this season -- the first was cut short by a shoulder issue -- and he now owns a 3.00 ERA across 18 innings. Enthusiasm about his surface stats should be tempered, as he's maintained only an 8:5 K:BB in that span.

Garcia (3-1) earned the win and struck out nine in five scoreless innings Thursday, allowing five hits and two walks in a 5-0 victory in Minnesota.

Garcia allowed at least one baserunner in each inning but held the Twins scoreless in large part due to his nine punchouts. Even though it was his second-shortest start of the season, his 95 pitches thrown were a season-high. The 25-year-old has recorded exactly nine strikeouts and two walks in consecutive games and has a 37:9 K:BB for the season. Through six starts he has an excellent 2.94 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

Eflin (illness) is hoping to return from the COVID-19 injured list and start Tuesday against the Padres, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Eflin has been sidelined by the virus since May 8 but is reportedly feeling better. He threw 4.1 innings in his last turn through the rotation, so he should be able to handle a relatively normal workload. Through five starts this season, Eflin has maintained a 4.50 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with an 18:5 K:BB.

Javier will start Saturday against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Javier followed Jake Odorizzi in his last outing, throwing three scoreless innings Sunday against the Tigers. Javier will have the chance to start in a traditional role Saturday, with Odorizzi likely pushed back a few days. Across 21.2 innings this season, Javier has maintained a 0.83 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB while working as both a starter and multi-inning reliever.

Falter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.

Falter was relatively effective as a spot starter against the Mariners on Wednesday, as he allowed a run on five hits and no walks while striking out four in 4.2 innings. However, the southpaw will head back to the minors after Zack Wheeler (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday. Falter will be a candidate to rejoin the major-league club as a spot starter or relief option at some point.

Wheeler (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

Wheeler had been on the COVID-19 IL since Sunday after testing positive for the virus, but he'll return to the Phillies to start Thursday's matchup against the Dodgers. The 31-year-old hasn't made a start since May 4, but he's struck out 14 in 13.2 scoreless innings over his last two outings.

Pepiot was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Pepiot made his major-league debut Wednesday against the Pirates and allowed a hit and five walks while striking out three in three scoreless innings. While the right-hander will lose his spot on the major-league roster, he's still a strong candidate to start during one of the two games in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks.

Lodolo (back) was playing catch ahead of Thursday's game at Pittsburgh, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lodolo was expected to be activated from the injured list and rejoin the rotation last weekend, but his return ended up being pushed back. It's unclear where exactly the 24-year-old currently stands in his recovery, but it's still good news to at least see him playing catch. Lodolo doesn't have an official timeline for his return.

Matz (3-3) took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out seven in 6.2 innings during Thursday's 3-2 defeat against Baltimore.

After allowing a second-inning solo homer to Jorge Mateo, Matz cruised through the Baltimore lineup over the next four innings, at one point retiring 11 straight. He retired the first two batters in the seventh but then gave up a solo shot to Anthony Benboom and a single to Chris Owings and was removed. The veteran lefty allowed only one home run in his first five starts but has been tagged five times over his last two starts, spanning 8.2 innings. His next start will likely come early next week against the Mets.