MLB Player News

Eflin (2-0) picked up the win after surrendering a run on six hits while striking out five over seven innings Sunday against Minnesota.

Eflin finally gave up his first run of the season, although one is all he would allow in a 2-1 victory for the Phillies. The 24-year-old right-hander is off to a strong start in 2019 and now boasts a 0.75 ERA with a 14:1 K:BB over 12 frames through two outings. Eflin figures to toe the rubber next against the Marlins on Saturday.

Kelly (1-1) allowed one run on four hits in eight innings, taking the loss in a 1-0 duel against Boston. He struck out nine.

Kelly fired an absolute gem Sunday, keeping the Red Sox off the scoreboard until Mitch Moreland hit a solo shot in the seventh that proved to be the game's lone run. The 30-year-old rookie has a 2.57 ERA and 12 punchouts across 14 innings in his first two MLB starts. He'll take on the Padres at home next weekend.

Kershaw (shoulder) will make his next rehab start Tuesday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw will take the mound for Double-A Tulsa, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. After working 4.1 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City a few days ago, Kershaw is expected to bump up his workload Tuesday in what likely amounts to the ace's last rehab appearance before returning to the Dodgers. He'll tentatively line up to rejoin the rotation April 14 against the Brewers, with Julio Urias expected to move to the bullpen as a result.

Wheeler (0-1) took the loss after surrendering seven runs on four hits and seven walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings Sunday against Washington.

Walks were the story of the day for Wheeler, who tossed just under 50 percent of his pitches for strikes in a 12-9 loss. The 28-year-old has had a tough start to 2019 and sits with a 10.24 ERA and 1.86 WHIP along with nine punchouts over 9.2 frames in his first two outings. Wheeler will search for answers in his next appearance, scheduled for Saturday against Atlanta.

Wainwright (1-0) gave up one run on five hits with no walks while striking out nine through six innings in a win over the Padres on Sunday.

It was a nice start for Wainwright as he struck out nine batters through six innings. The curveball was especially effective in this performance, accounting for eight of his 14 swinging-strikes. The right-hander has a 4.50 ERA and a 12:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio through two starts. Wainwright will look to build on this outing Saturday against the Reds in Monterrey, Mexico.

Davies (1-0) gave up no earned runs on five hits with two walks while striking out one through 5.2 innings in a win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Although the final line shows no earned runs, an error by Eric Thames in the sixth inning allowed Anthony Rizzo to reach base, and Davies gave up a two-run home run to Willson Contreras that ended his day one out shy of a quality start. Davies now has a 1.69 ERA and a K:BB ratio of 7:6. The right-hander will get his next start Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

Hendricks (0-2) gave up four runs on eight hits with one walk while striking out four through four innings in a loss to the Brewers on Sunday.

Hendricks allowed nine batters to reach base in only four innings of work and ultimately was assigned the loss against the Brewers. It's been a rough start to the season for Hendricks, as he has a 6.48 ERA through two starts. At his best, Hendricks has tremendous ability to suppress home runs and walks, but the right-hander has now surrendered three home runs and four walks in only 8.1 innings of work. His next start will come Saturday against the Angels at Wrigley Field.

Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with left knee inflammation.

Anderson was lit up for six runs in Friday's start against the Dodgers, though it remains unclear how much of an issue the knee posed in that game. The 29-year-old is eligible to return April 15 against the Padres, which would only cost him one turn through the rotation if the injury is not that serious.

Velasquez has been confirmed as the Phillies' starting pitcher for Monday's game against the Twins, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

As anticipated, Velasquez will shift from the bullpen to the rotation this week with the Phillies requiring a fifth starter for the first time. Velasquez, who made a single one-inning relief appearance during his time in the relief, logged 30 starts for the Phillies in 2018, compiling a 4.88 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 in 145.2 innings.

Soroka (shoulder) tossed five perfect innings while striking out seven for Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

The right-hander utterly dominated a Norfolk lineup that included top Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle -- the eight outs Soroka didn't record via strikeout all came on groundballs. He only threw 49 pitches (35 strikes), so the 21-year-old will need a couple more outings at Triple-A before he's stretched out enough to be considered for a promotion, but if he's truly over his shoulder woes, it won't be long before Soroka is a fixture in the Atlanta rotation.