MLB Player News

Painter pitched 103.2 innings across three levels in 2022, posting a 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 155:25 K:BB in the process.

The 19-year-old rose from Single-A to High-A to Double-A without the transitions to higher-level competition seeming to affect him much at all. The No. 13 pick in the 2021 draft, Painter might go No. 1 if they could do it all over again. There's a very solid argument to be made that he's become the best pitching prospect in baseball.

Gonsolin will start Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres on Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

After a stellar 2022 campaign in which Gonsolin recorded a 2.14 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, he will make his first start of the postseason in San Diego. Gonsolin's last start against the Padres was a five-inning shutout performance on Aug. 5 in which he gave up just three hits and a walk while earning the win.

The Dodgers activated May (back) from the 15-day injured list and added him to their roster Tuesday ahead of Game 1 of their National League Division Series matchup with the Padres.

May didn't appear in the Dodgers' 5-3 win in Game 1, but he's likely to be available out of the bullpen for the rest of the series. Julio Urias started Game 1 and Clayton Kershaw will take the hill for Game 2, while Tyler Anderson is expected to get the ball for Game 3. The Dodgers haven't tipped their hand regarding who might draw the starting nod for Game 4, but Tony Gonsolin and Andrew Heaney both look to be likelier options for the assignment than May.

Snell will start in Game 3 of the Padres' NLDS matchup with the Dodgers on Friday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

After allowing two earned runs and six walks over 3.1 innings in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets, Snell will get a chance to bounce back against the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS. His most recent outing against the Dodgers came on Sept. 27 with a five-inning shutout performance in which he allowed just one hit and struck out six batters.

Strider (oblique) will be on Atlanta's NLDS roster.

Strider had an outstanding rookie season, posting a 2.67 ERA and 38.3 percent strikeout rate in 131.2 innings, but it was cut short in mid-September due to an oblique strain. While he will in fact be able to make it back for the postseason, it's unclear what sort of role he'll be able to play, as his experience as a reliever could lead Atlanta to deploy him that way if he isn't built up enough to start. Per Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, a Game 3 start for Strider is possible, though that could also go to Charlie Morton.

Kershaw will start Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Padres on Wednesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Kershaw's postseason debut will be pushed back a game in favor of Julio Urias, who will serve as the Dodgers' Game 1 starter Tuesday. The 34-year-old southpaw finished the regular season with a 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP -- his lowest marks since 2016 (min. 100 innings). Kershaw's last appearance against the Padres came on July 3, when he shut out San Diego through seven innings and struck out eight batters.

Urias was confirmed to be the starter for Game 1 of the Dodgers' NL Division Series against the Padres on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

After recording a career-best 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 2022, Urias will officially serve as the Dodgers' ace to open up the postseason. Urias has faced the Padres three times since the start of September, allowing three earned runs and striking out 12 batters over 19 innings in those games.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday that Hendricks hasn't started a throwing program, but the right-hander is feeling good as he recovers from a capsular tear in his shoulder, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Hendricks has been in "constant communication" with the Cubs since being shut down in August after he was diagnosed with the injury. The 32-year-old is expected to train at the Cubs' complex in Arizona throughout the offseason and will continue to perform strengthening exercises until he's cleared to start throwing again. Even though the Cubs have a number of young starters who appear ready for extended looks at the big-league level in 2023, a healthy Hendricks will be penciled in for a rotation spot, even after a down season in which he posted a 4.80 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 84.1 innings before the injury surfaced.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Strider (oblique) looked good during a bullpen session Sunday, but the team is still in the process of determining the rookie right-hander's role for its National League Division Series with he Phillies, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

At the very least, Strider won't be available to start Games 1 and 2, as Atlanta plans on having Max Fried and Kyle Wright take the hill Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Charlie Morton will likely have the inside track in another spot in Atlanta's four-man rotation, but Strider could be in consideration to start Game 3 on Friday or Game 4 on Saturday if the team is comfortable with him from a health and workload standpoint. Even if Strider isn't quite built up enough to start after closing the regular season on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain, he should have a role out of the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever. After a brilliant first full season in the big leagues in which he went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a whopping 202 strikeouts over 131.2 innings, the 23-year-old was rewarded Monday with a six-year, $75 million contract extension.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker confirmed that Fried (illness) will start Game 1 of the team's National League Division Series with the Phillies on Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Fried exited his final start of the regular season Sept. 30 with an illness, but he likely would have been available to start last Wednesday if Atlanta needed him to take the hill for a potential division-clinching game. Atlanta ended up claiming the NL East crown last Tuesday, so the team opted to bypass him in the rotation in order to have him in optimal health for the start of the postseason. Fried shouldn't face any restrictions when he takes the hill Tuesday for his 10th career start in the playoffs.