MLB Player News

Ashcraft was removed from his start Thursday versus the Dodgers after taking a comebacker off his leg, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Ashcraft was struck by a ball off the bat of Austin Barnes in the top of the third inning. He tried to gut it out through another handful of hitters but looked to be in discomfort until Reds manager David Bell finally yanked him. The 25-year-old pitched well over the first two frames but ultimately got charged with three earned runs on three hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. He also plunked two batters and finished with only one strikeout.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Syndergaard will be built up slowly once his blister heals, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Syndergaard was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday morning due to a blister on his right index finger, and the Dodgers will use this as a sort of season reset for him. He's struggled to a 7.16 ERA through 55.1 innings (12 starts) this year and seems likely to remain on the shelf through at least the end of June. It's unclear whether there will be a rotation spot available to Syndergaard whenever he's ultimately deemed fit to return to a major-league mound.

Kelly and the Diamondbacks won't face the Nationals on Thursday after the game was postponed due to hazardous air conditions in Washington, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

As a result of the postponement, the Diamondbacks will likely move Kelly back a day in the schedule and have him pitch Friday's series opener in Detroit. The veteran right-hander has been fantastic this season, posting a 2.80 ERA across his first 12 outings.

Gray and the Nationals won't play the Diamondbacks on Thursday after the game was postponed due to hazardous air quality in Washington.

Canadian wildfires continue to spill smoke and haze over parts of the east coast. Thursday's game will be made up June 22, which had been a shared off day for the Nationals and Diamondbacks. Gray is now lined up to take the ball for the Nationals in Friday's series opener at Atlanta. Meanwhile, MacKenzie Gore will pitch Saturday and Trevor Williams will take the hill Sunday.

Atlanta optioned Munoz to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Munoz was only up in Atlanta's bullpen for a couple of days and did not make an appearance. The 23-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.94 ERA and 24:20 K:BB in 27.1 innings this season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Reds manager David Bell said Thursday that Greene (hip) "felt great" during his bullpen session and is on track to start Sunday in St. Louis, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Greene had a start skipped because of hip stiffness, but pushing him back was viewed as precautionary, and he now looks ready to roll this weekend versus the Cardinals. The flamethrowing right-hander has been excellent of late, posting a 2.37 ERA and 29:8 K:BB over 19 innings covering his last three starts.

Syndergaard was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on his right index finger, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Syndergaard has dealt with a blister problem off and on for the last month or so and also cracked a fingernail during Wednesday's outing versus the Reds. He'll be eligible to return later this month, but this could offer an opportunity for a reset for the struggling right-hander. With Julio Urias (hamstring) due back soon, Syndergaard's place in the rotation may have been tenuous regardless of the finger issues.

Ortiz allowed two runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out one over five innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to Oakland.

Ortiz pitched two innings in a rain-shortened start Sunday against the Cardinals, leaving him available to work in long relief after starter Roansy Contreras failed to escape the first inning Wednesday. Despite allowing 10 hits, Ortiz was able to limit the damage against Oakland thanks to a couple of key double-play balls. The 24-year-old right-hander is 1-2 this season with a 4.23 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 16:15 K:BB. Ortiz was originally slated to start this weekend against the Mets, though his next outing is likely to get pushed back after he threw 91 pitches against the A's.

Corbin (4-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on 11 hits and one walk over six innings against Arizona. He struck out four.

Corbin allowed a season-high 11 hits but walked only one batter after issuing eight free passes across his past two starts and posted his sixth quality start of the year. The veteran left-hander has given up multiple runs in each of his 13 starts this season and holds a 4.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 46:19 K:BB over 73.2 innings. Corbin is pitching better than he has over the previous two seasons, but he's still not doing enough to warrant much attention in standard fantasy leagues.

Davies (1-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against the Nationals. He struck out eight.

Davies finished with season highs in innings pitched and strikeouts during his first win of the year. The right-hander has made three starts since being reinstated from the injured list at the end of May, posting a 4.02 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB during that stretch. It's a limited sample size (five starts), but Davies is putting up similar numbers as last year when he finished with a 4.09 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 102:52 K:BB over 27 appearances (134.1 innings).