MLB Player News

Lyles will get the nod for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Lyles is scheduled to make his first start of the season after posting a 3.66 ERA and 1.07 WHIP to go along with 16 strikeouts through 19.2 innings out of the bullpen. He logged a poor outing April 29 against the Mets when he allowed four runs in 1.2 innings of work, but he's been pretty solid otherwise. Padres manager Andy Green has confirmed that Lyles will permanently stay in the starting rotation to replace Robbie Erlin.

Farrell was sent down to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic Chicago reports.

The Cubs' pen was taxed after back-to-back extra-inning games over the weekend. Farrell himself was quite busy, earning the win Saturday but taking the loss Sunday. His ERA sits at 7.94 through 5.2 innings, largely due to the three home runs he allowed as his strikeout and walk rates (32.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively) were both excellent in his small sample. Cory Mazzoni was promoted to take his spot in the bullpen.

Finnegan will remain in the rotation for his next start, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Finnegan's performances have hardly merited another turn in the rotation. His ERA sits at 8.27 through five starts and he's walking 14.6 percent of batters while striking out just 13.6 percent. In what is already very clearly a rebuilding season for the Reds, though, the team has little reason not to let Finnegan try to work through his struggles in hopes of him recovering the form which gave him a solid 3.98 ERA in his first full season back in 2016. The 25-year-old battled shoulder issues last season and a biceps strain this spring, so it's possible that poor health has been the primary cause of his early struggles.

Wainwright (elbow) threw five innings in a rehab start for Double-A Springfield, allowing no runs on two hits and striking out two batters.

Wainwright was placed on the disabled list with elbow inflammation in late April. Prior to the injury, he had a 3.45 ERA through three starts, but a discouraging 12:8 K:BB and an 81.9 percent left on base rate suggested that some regression is in order. Whether or not he'll need another rehab start or two is not yet clear.

Cueto was diagnosed with a sprained right elbow and is expected to miss at least six weeks, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

Given the circumstances, this news comes as a relief to Cueto, who landed on the disabled list last week with right elbow inflammation. It was initially feared that he might require Tommy John surgery after seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, but Dr. Andrews confirmed that Cueto is dealing with a sprain rather than a significant tear, so he'll opt to rest before beginning his rehab with the hope of avoiding surgery. Barring any setbacks, the 32-year-old could be back in the fold sometime during the second half of June; though seeing as surgery is still an option if his elbow doesn't respond as well as expected to the non-surgical route, the Giants will proceed cautiously with him. In the meantime, Andrew Suarez should continue to fill in for the right-hander in the rotation. Cueto held an impressive 0.84 ERA across five starts (32 innings) before landing on the shelf.

Lorenzen (shoulder) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday.

Lorenzen will ramp things up after getting through a 40-pitch bullpen unscathed over the weekend. The 26-year-old, who has been sidelined all season with a shoulder strain, is on track to return towards the end of May. That said, he'll likely need to complete a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Wood (hamstring) will be ready to make next scheduled start Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Thanks to an open date in the Dodgers' schedule Monday, Wood will be afforded an additional day of rest in between starts, which will provide sufficient time for him to overcome the hamstring cramps he experienced during his last outing Thursday, also against Arizona. Despite the cramping issue, Wood pitched effectively during the start, delivering five innings of one-run ball and striking out eight in a no-decision.

Burnes allowed one run on four hits over seven innings and had a season-high 13 strikeouts in Sunday's start against Triple-A Oklahoma City.

In addition to the high strikeout total, Burnes completed seven innings for the first time this season. Although his ratios are somewhat inflated through six starts (4.55 ERA, 1.33 WHIP), Burnes' overall body of work includes a 34:10 K:BB and just three homers allowed in 31.2 innings in the Pacific Coast League in 2018. He's on the short list of options for the Brewers' rotation if an injury befalls one of the team's current starters for a prolonged stretch.

Wacha did not factor into the decision in an extra-innings win over the Cubs on Sunday, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

Wacha had worked up to 96 pitches by the time he got the hook, with only 59 of those finding the strike zone. The right-hander's ERA remains a solid 3.35 thanks in part to a career-best 78.4 percent strand rate, but he's tempting fate with a career-worst 4.3 BB/9. Wacha has issued multiple free passes in five of seven starts thus far, yet his record remains an impressive 4-1 after logging no-decisions in two consecutive starts. He'll look to get back into the win column against the Padres on Friday night.

Sorokoa (1-1) took the loss against the Giants on Sunday, giving up four runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking three as the Braves fell 4-3.

After a strong big-league debut against the Mets that saw him throw six strong innings and pick up the victory, Soroka didn't follow up with a similar effort in his second go-around. The Giants chased him from this contest after tagging him for four runs in his four innings of work. Still, the 20-year-old is considered such a highly touted prospect for a reason. While there's no guarantee that he'll make a substantial fantasy impact should he remain in Atlanta's big-league rotation, he certainly has the raw talent to do so. He's scheduled to take the mound again Saturday on the road against the Marlins.