MLB Player News

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Sunday that there's a "100 percent" chance that Burnes will return to a full-time starting role in 2019, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Though he predictably endured some hiccups while pitching at altitude at Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, Burnes, who posted a 5.15 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 78.2 innings with the affiliate, remains one of the top prospects in Milwaukee's system. As such, the Brewers are confident the 23-year-old will seize a starting role with the big club at some point in 2019, but for now, Burnes will get familiarized with major-league hitters while serving as a multi-inning bullpen arm. He only has three appearances under his belt thus far, but Burnes has impressed each time out, collecting a win and a save and surrendering no runs over six innings while striking out eight.

Lucchesi will be recalled from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday to start the Padres' game against the Mets, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Because Lucchesi had been sidelined for a month earlier in the season with a hip strain, the Padres wanted the rookie southpaw to pick up some innings over the All-Star break. He was thus optioned to El Paso following his final start of the first half July 11 and took the hill seven days later for the affiliate, working 2.2 innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits and four walks. Despite that rough showing, the Padres will have no reservations about bringing Lucchesi back to the majors after he performed as one of the team's top starters in the first half, delivering a 3.34 ERA and 69:25 K:BB across 67.1 frames.

Senzatela (3-3) got the loss against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, giving up four earned runs on five hits over 5.1 innings while striking out six and walking two in Colorado's 6-1 defeat.

It wasn't a terrible final line for the right-hander, but he still labored for a second straight outing after giving up six earned to the Mariners in his last start, eventually taking his third defeat of the season. He'll take a 5.55 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB through 35.2 innings into his next start, which will see him take on the Athletics next Sunday.

Greinke (11-5) got the win against the Rockies on Sunday, giving up one earned run on two hits over eight strong innings while striking out 13 and walking one in Arizona's 6-1 victory.

It was a dominant effort from the veteran right-hander, with a solo home run by Ian Desmond representing the chief blip on an otherwise suffocating effort against a tough Rockies lineup. The 13 strikeouts were a season high, and this marked the sixth straight start when he has conceded two or fewer runs. Greinke is on fire at the moment, and his 3.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and phenomenal 137:24 K:BB all demonstrate he's still plenty capable of posting excellent fantasy numbers, even at age 34.

Velasquez (6-8) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out seven across seven scoreless innings to earn the win Sunday against the Padres.

Velasquez had his start pushed back a day due to rain, but he showed no ill effects as he needed only 87 pitches to complete his longest outing of the season. He threw 58 strikes -- 16 of which came on whiffs -- and started 15 of the 24 batters he faced with a strike. Velasquez has now put together 13 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and only two walks across his last two starts.

DeGrom will start Monday's tilt against the Padres following Sunday's rainout, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

DeGrom was slated to toe the rubber for Sunday's series finale against the Yankees, but he'll be bumped back a day due to inclement weather. He'll catch a break and face a much friendlier Padres lineup, after he was supposed to go up against one of the better teams in the American League. DeGrom is in line for two starts this week, as he'll pitch against San Diego and Pittsburgh.

Cueto threw seven innings Sunday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in the 6-5 loss to Oakland. He gave up three home runs and struck out three in the no-decision.

In three starts since returning from the disabled list with an elbow injury, Cueto has allowed 12 earned runs in just 17 innings and coughed up seven home runs. His ERA is skyrocketed to 2.76 from the 0.84 he owned prior to the DL stint. He'll look to turn things around against Milwaukee on Saturday.

Quintana (9-6) tossed seven innings Sunday, allowing two runs on six hits and four walks in the 7-2 victory over St. Louis. He struck out six and earned the win.

The four walks don't look good, but overall it was a solid outing for Quintana, who picked up his third straight win. He's allowed just four runs in 19 innings in the month of July, lowering his ERA from 4.31 to 3.87 during that span. There were reports that Quintana was dealing with some shoulder fatigue prior to the All-Star break, so it's a bit surprising that he threw 121 pitches Sunday. On the bright side, the long outing likely means he's feeling 100 percent and should be good to go on Friday in St. Louis.

Darvish (shoulder, triceps) played catch from 135 feet Sunday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports. "[Sunday] was his best day in a long time, and he threw really well and felt really good," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said of Darvish.

It amounts to a small step forward in the recovery process for Darvish, but the right-hander still looks to be at least a couple weeks away from being a realistic rotation option for the Cubs. Epstein said Darvish should be able to throw off a mound within the next few days before advancing to facing live hitters. Darvish has been sidelined since May 23, first with right triceps tendinitis and then with a shoulder impingement, which he sustained in June during his throwing program.

Wood (6-5) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks across six innings to earn the win Sunday against the Brewers. He struck out four.

Wood got into a bit of trouble early on, allowing a pair of runs on three hits and a pair of walks in the first inning. He settled down to great effect afterward, allowing just three men to reach base over the next five frames as he notched his sixth win. This continues a strong recent run of form for Wood, who's allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight straight starts and now has six consecutive quality starts to his name. He'll look to keep it rolling next weekend against the Braves.