MLB Player News

Keller (6-1) picked up the win Friday over the Mariners, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight over six-plus innings.

Keller versus George Kirby looked like a pitchers' duel on paper, but it ended up being a slugfest in practice. Keller was taken deep twice in his worst start since Opening Day, but he was still the better of the two starters. He's rarely one to give up many homers, having allowed just seven across 11 starts this season. The rough outing raised Keller's ERA to 3.01 with a 1.02 WHIP and 85:16 K:BB through 68.2 innings. He'll look to put this one behind him next week in San Francisco.

Pfaadt (0-2) allowed five runs on eight hits and struck out four over 3.2 innings to take the loss Friday versus the Red Sox.

There's only one silver lining here -- Pfaadt didn't walk a batter for the first time in five starts. The Red Sox got to him for three runs in the second inning, and Enrique Hernandez added a two-run home run in the fourth. Pfaadt has given up five or more runs in three of his outings, and this was his shortest start yet. The 24-year-old right-hander is now at an 8.37 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB through 23.2 innings. Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic suggests this could put Pfaadt's spot in the rotation in jeopardy, and that makes sense with Zach Davies (oblique) nearing a return. If Pfaadt gets another start, it would likely come at home versus the Rockies next week.

Liberatore (1-1) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two across five innings Friday in a 4-3 loss to the Guardians.

Liberatore faced little trouble through four scoreless innings before the Guardians broke through with a four-run fifth. His ERA jumped to 4.91 through three big-league appearances (two starts) this season. As of now, it's unclear if Liberatore will get another start or move into the bullpen. The Cardinals have just five games during the upcoming week, and the young southpaw would seem to be the most likely candidate in the rotation to miss a start. He posted an 11.0 K/9 with Triple-A Memphis but has struck out just nine batters in 11 MLB innings since his promotion.

Musgrove (2-2) allowed one run on six hits over 6.1 innings Friday, striking out six and earning a win over the Yankees.

Musgrove rolled through five shutout frames to begin the game and retired the first 11 batters he faced. The 30-year-old tied his season high with six punchouts while picking up his first win since April 22. He hasn't found any sustained success since returning from a toe injury; Musgrove owns a 5.64 ERA and has allowed at least four runs in three of his six starts. He's lined up next for a start in Miami, where he'll look to build on Friday's strong outing.

Rogers (biceps) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Jupiter starting next week, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The exact date of when he will pitch hasn't been announced just yet, but it's a positive development that the left-hander will be facing minor leaguers soon. Rogers will likely need to make at least a couple rehab appearances, but he could rejoin the Miami rotation in early June if he has no setbacks.

Steele (6-2) took the loss Friday, allowing six runs (five earned) on 10 hits over 3.2 innings during a 9-0 loss to the Reds. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.

Steele allowed a season-high 10 hits and at least five earned runs for the second time in his past three starts. Despite his recent struggles, he doesn't face any threats to his spot in the rotation and sports above-average numbers with a 2.77 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 57:16 K:BB over 11 appearances (65 innings). For the most part, the left-hander has relied on a two-pitch mix, but he may need to work in a third offering to avoid further poor outings.

Greene (1-4) earned the win Friday, tossing six hitless innings during a 9-0 victory over the Cubs. He struck out 11 and walked two.

Coming into the contest, Greene allowed seven home runs and 17 runs over his previous four starts, but he was still striking batters out at a high clip (29 through 22 innings). He maintained that elite strikeout rate versus the Cubs while reducing the hard contact, resulting in the best outing of his season and arguably of his short two-year career. The hard-throwing right-hander has all the makings of an ace, but he hasn't proven it consistently yet. The best stretch of his career thus far came at the end of 2022, when he posted a 0.62 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 45:7 K:BB over his final five starts (29 innings), which included a two-hit, eight strikeout performance against the Cubs.

Milwaukee recalled Small from Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

The 26-year-old right-hander will replace Tyson Miller in the Brewers' bullpen ahead of Friday night's game against the visiting Giants. Small has allowed five earned runs in 6.1 innings this season at the MLB level, but he's looked fairly sharp at Triple-A.

Kershaw was activated from the bereavement list Friday.

Kershaw will return to the Dodgers ahead of his scheduled start Saturday against the Rays. The left-hander has produced an impressive 2.98 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 69 strikeouts over 57.1 innings in 10 starts this season.

Smith-Shawver gave up two runs on four hits and three walks over seven innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday. He struck out eight.

The 20-year-old right-hander has finally been tagged for some runs -- four in 12 Triple-A innings -- after firing 21 scoreless frames between High-A and Double-A to begin the season, but Smith-Shawver is still having little trouble dominating minor-league hitters. Thursday's seven innings represented his longest start of the year, and across all three levels he sports a 45:12 K:BB through 33 frames. The 2021 seventh-round pick has taken a massive leap forward this year while flashing two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, and a big-league debut later in the summer can't be ruled out if he continues to impress.