MLB Player News

Kershaw exited Friday's game against the Brewers in the top of the second inning with an apparent injury, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw struggled mightily in the second inning and gave up three runs, and he was visited by a trainer after he gave up a two-out double. While the specifics of his injury aren't yet clear, he was immediately removed from the game. Prior to his departure, the southpaw allowed three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out one in 1.2 innings.

Wheeler won't start Sunday's season finale against the Marlins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Wheeler initially lined up to start Sunday's game after he tossed seven innings Tuesday against Atlanta, but with the postseason now out of reach, the Phillies will end his campaign since he leads the majors in innings pitched this season. Across 32 starts in 2021, the right-hander recorded a career-best 2.78 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 213.1 innings.

Strider had his contract selected by Atlanta on Friday.

Strider is in the midst of his first professional campaign and is now poised to make his MLB debut in the final days of the regular season. He spent most of the season at Double-A Mississippi and posted a 4.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 95:29 K:BB across 63 innings (14 starts). The 22-year-old is unlikely to be a factor on Atlanta's postseason roster given his inexperience, but it will still be a good opportunity to get his feet wet in the majors.

Cabrera (finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday.

Cabrera was lifted after three innings Thursday due to a blister on his right middle finger, so he had already pitched for the final time this season regardless of whether or not he was put on the IL. The 23-year-old ended 2021 with a 5.81 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 28:19 K:BB across 26.1 innings (seven starts). He should be back to full health early in the offseason.

Strider will have his contract selected by Atlanta within the next couple days, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett at the start of the week and is now poised to join the major-league club after one appearance with the Stripers. Strider began the season at Low-A August but was quickly promoted to High-A Rome, and he spent most of the campaign with Double-A Mississippi. The 2020 draft pick has played well in his first year of professional ball with a 3.64 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 153:40 K:BB in 94 innings across all four minor-league levels.

Wainwright agreed to a one-year extension with the Cardinals on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Wainwright appeared to be fading as expected throughout his mid-to-late thirties before suddenly bouncing back over the last two seasons, posting a combined 3.08 ERA over 42 starts. While that number outpaces his peripherals, his 3.76 FIP and 3.95 xFIP both indicate that he's still very much a useful pitcher. Next year will be Wainwright's age-40 season, and it's likely that it will be his final one, as he indicated over the summer that he'd retire after the 2021 or 2022 season. Longtime teammate Yadier Molina also signed a one-year extension back in August with the intention of retiring after the year, so the battery mates will probably ride off into the sunset together.

Syndergaard will serve as the team's opening pitcher in Sunday's season finale in Atlanta, Anthony Rieber of Newsday reports.

As he did Tuesday against the Marlins in his 2021 debut, Syndergaard is expected to be limited to one inning in the opener role. Manager Luis Rojas hasn't revealed which bulk reliever the team will deploy behind Syndergaard, or if the Mets will treat the season finale as a bullpen day. Sunday's outing could be Syndergaard's last with New York, as he's set to become an unrestricted free agent this winter.

Williams will start Saturday's game in Atlanta, Anthony Rieber of Newsday reports.

Williams' most recent appearance came in the second game of a doubleheader with the Marlins on Tuesday, when he followed opener Noah Syndergaard and covered four innings out of the bullpen. Though Syndergaard is on tap to serve as an opener again in Sunday's season finale, the Mets won't have Williams follow him, as the right-hander will instead get the chance to pick up his 16th start of the season a day earlier. Because he'll be returning to the mound on three days' rest, Williams likely won't be asked to cover more than 4-5 innings.

Cueto allowed a run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 2.1 innings during Thursday's 5-4 win over Arizona.

The right-hander has been a starter for virtually all of his career, but he finds himself on the outside of San Francisco's rotation after returning from an elbow injury. Cueto logged the most innings of any Giant in this one after starter Scott Kazmir (hamstring) only got one out. For the year, Cueto has a 4.08 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 98:30 K:BB in 114.2 innings. It's unclear if he'll enter the postseason as a starter or a bulk reliever, but it's trending toward the latter.

Anderson (9-5) earned the win Thursday against Philadelphia after tossing six innings of two-run ball, allowing three hits and three walks while fanning two.

Anderson had more walks than strikeouts for the fourth time over his last seven appearances, but he still got the job done and tossed a second straight quality start. While he's been a bit inconsistent of late, Anderson has given up two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts and has also avoided defeat in each of his last six appearances, going 4-0 with a 3.62 ERA across 32.1 innings in that stretch.