MLB Player News

Lucchesi (hip) played catch Tuesday at a distance of 120 feet, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

It's a small step forward for Lucchesi in his recovery from a right hip strain, as the southpaw hadn't expanded his throwing distance beyond 75 feet as recently as Monday. Despite Lucchesi's progress, he'll still likely need to complete a pair of bullpen sessions and face hitters in batting practice before getting clearance to return from the disabled list, so a return over the weekend doesn't seem to be in the cards. Long reliever Robbie Erlin made a spot start in Lucchesi's stead Monday against the Nationals, but Erlin is expected to move back to the bullpen and clear the way for a minor-league pitcher to fill Lucchesi's next turn through the rotation Sunday versus the Dodgers.

Soroka (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session later this week, Stephen Pianovich of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander played catch Monday without any issues, so his rehab will progress to the next stage. There's still no timetable for Soroka's return to the Braves rotation, but expect the organization to be very cautious with the 20-year-old.

Velasquez (4-5) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out nine across 4.1 innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Braves.

Velasquez needed 89 pitches to record only 13 outs Tuesday. He frequently fell behind batters, starting only nine of the 22 batters he faced with a strike. While he avoided major damage thanks to 19 swinging strikes, he was forced to expend a lot of energy and work up his pitch count in the process. This isn't a new issue for Velasquez, as it was third start in his past six outings in which he has failed to complete five innings of work. He ranks eighth in the National League in strikeouts with 64, but he'll have to work deeper into outings to reach his apparent upside.

Wheeler (2-4) allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits with no walks across six innings en route to a loss Tuesday against the Marlins. He struck out nine.

Wheeler was quite effective aside from the second inning, when four hits and an error plated three for the visitors, with just one going down as an earned run. The right-hander pounded the strike zone at a 74 percent clip and tied his season high in punchouts while delivering his second quality start in three outings. Wheeler has taken his fair share of lumps this season, but he's also flashed his significant upside and will look to build on this outing in his next scheduled start Sunday against the Brewers.

Taillon (2-4) gave up six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out eight over six innings in a loss to the Reds on Tuesday.

Scooter Gennett touched Taillon up for a grand slam in the fifth inning -- the third homer Taillon's given up in his last two starts (four total in his first eight outings). Taillon has now dropped four consecutive decisions, with his last win coming back on April 8. The 26-year-old will be happy to return home to Pittsburgh this weekend for a matchup against the Cardinals as he has been significantly better at home to this point (3.71 ERA, 21.3 percent K-BB rate).

Lauer allowed one earned run on six hits while walking two and striking out seven across six innings Tuesday against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision.

Lauer put together one of his better starts of the season, with the only real blemish being a solo home run he allowed to Bryce Harper. He generated 13 swinging strikes, a mark well above his season-long rate, but his velocity and pitch mix remained similar to prior starts. As a result, despite the solid effort, he remains difficult to roster in most mixed-league formats.

HIll (finger) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Hill is supposedly out for a month with a blister, yet he's already throwing a bullpen session. He's reportedly asked MLB for permission to wear medical tape on his finger in games. It's not yet known whether or not he will indeed be able to wear the tape, which would presumably shorten his recovery time, but it's at least allowed him to keep throwing while he remains sidelined.

Manager Jim Riggleman stated that Lorenzen (shoulder) should return from the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lorenzen was moved to the disabled list with a right shoulder strain prior to the beginning of the regular season, but he's finally ready to return. He's appeared in three rehab outings, tossing four innings and allowing no runs on one hit and one walk while striking out three. Lorenzen is expected to fall into a middle-relief role upon his reinstatement from the DL.

X-rays on Buehler's ribs were negative after Monday's game against the Rockies, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The right-hander was fortunate to avoid a serious injury after being struck by a 108-mph comebacker off the bat of Trevor Story. Buehler appeared in serious pain but convinced the training staff and manager Dave Roberts that he was fine to continue on. He completed two-plus frames after the incident to lower his ERA to 2.38 through 34 innings this season. While Buehler may only have 100 innings or so left in his arm this season, the quality of his innings should remain extremely high.

Ray (oblique) played catch from approximately 100 feet Monday, Jim Hoehn of MLB.com reports.

It only amounts to a marginal step forward for Ray, who had been throwing from 90 feet as recently as a week ago. While manager Torey Lovullo noted that Ray's long-toss session went well, the lefty will likely need to progress to mound work before the Diamondbacks have a clearer idea of when he might be able to return from the 10-day disabled list.