MLB Player News

Steele (1-5) took the loss Thursday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks over two innings against the Reds. He struck out two.

Steele gave up a two-run homer to Kyle Farmer in the bottom of the second inning and allowed the first five hitters to reach in the third, which all ended up coming around to score, before being taken out of the game for Scott Effross. After back-to-back stellar outings against the Diamondback, Steele posted his worst outing of the season, causing his ERA to jump from 3.82 to 5.40.

Heaney (shoulder) could face hitters at extended spring training Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Heaney threw three simulated innings Thursday and suffered no setbacks. Sunday would mark the first time that he has faced live hitters since hitting the injured list April 20. While there's no clear timetable for Heaney's return, he appears to be making steady progress.

Gonsolin will start Saturday against Arizona, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Gonsolin was originally slated to start Friday, but the Dodgers have opted to give him an extra day of rest. The team has not announced Friday's starter, but Ryan Pepiot appears to be a likely candidate.

Kershaw (pelvis) is throwing from 90 feet, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Kershaw has been throwing for a few days and is gradually increasing his distance. He's likely at least another week away from throwing bullpen sessions, but any progress is positive. A return in late June remains realistic.

Pepiot is with the Dodgers to begin their road trip in Arizona, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers haven't yet announced a starter for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks, but Pepiot seems like a strong candidate to take the mound. The right-hander has made two major-league starts this year, and he posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in seven innings prior to being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City last week.

Flaherty (shoulder) threw 25 pitches while facing live hitters Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty was facing hitters for the first time Thursday, and he was able to utilize his full arsenal of pitches during the throwing session. Assuming the right-hander feels good following Thursday's live BP, he'll likely be in the mix to begin a minor-league rehab assignment soon.

Woodford was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Woodford has been in the minors the past 10 days but will return to St. Louis with Jordan Hicks (forearm) headed to the injured list. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, he will initially be available out of the bullpen but should be in the mix to fill Hicks' spot in the rotation early next week. Woodford has appeared in seven big-league games this season and has a 2.08 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB across 13 innings.

Keller allowed one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out two across 3.1 innings Wednesday against the Rockies.

Keller entered the game in the fourth inning after Zach Thompson was hit hard to begin the game. It was the second consecutive appearance out of the bullpen for Keller, and he's allowed two earned runs across five innings while posting a 6:3 K:BB. The Pirates have a day off Thursday, so it appears that the team opted to skip Keller's turn through the rotation. However, without another rest for six games, Keller is likely to return to the rotation at some point during the Pittsburgh's series against the Dodgers.

Castillo (1-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out six.

Castillo walked the leadoff batter Christopher Morel and gave up back-to-back hits -- including a two-run double to Ian Happ -- in the first inning. However, the right-hander was able to settle down and scattered just two baserunners across four scoreless innings to set himself up for his first win of the season. Castillo has registered three consecutive quality starts and sports a 13:2 K:BB during that stretch.

Darvish (4-2) took the loss Wednesday as the Padres fell 2-1 to the Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out seven.

The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning before stumbling, but the Padres' own troubles scoring runs left Darvish on the hook for the loss. He tossed 108 pitches (68 strikes) en route to his second straight quality start and seventh of the season in nine trips to the mound, and Darvish will take a 3.76 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB through 52.2 innings into his next outing.