MLB Player News

Urena allowed a single run on four hits and a walk while striking out seven batters through seven innings during Tuesday's 4-2 loss to Boston. He didn't factor into the decision.

After a disastrous outing on Opening Day against Chicago, Urena bounced back nicely against an admirable opponent Tuesday. Additionally, issuing just a single walk was especially notable after he struggled with his control against the Cubs. While last season's 3.82 ERA and 1.27 WHIP were helpful ratios, Urena's 5.24 FIP suggests he was probably the recipient of good fortune. Unless his uptick in strikeouts against the Red Sox is a sign of things to come, he could quickly be a fantasy afterthought in the majority of mixed settings.

Reds senior director of player development Jeff Graupe said Wednesday that Greene will be used exclusively as a pitcher early on at Low-A Dayton this season, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports. However, Graupe noted the organization isn't "closing the door on developing [Greene] offensively."

At least for the time being, it looks like Greene and the other two-way player (the Rays' Brendan McKay) selected in the top five of the 2017 first-year player draft will follow opposite development tracks, with McKay prepared to see most of his action at first base during his first year of full-season ball. In Greene's case, it's not surprising the perennially pitching-starved Reds are more interested in seeing what he can do on the mound, where his 6-foot-4 frame and upper-90s fastball could make him a staff headliner at his peak. The right-hander's main focus this season will likely be in improving his secondary offerings, so expect some growing pains as the 18-year-old experiments with his repertoire.

Lively (0-1) allowed two runs on six hits and one walk across 5.2 innings while taking the loss Tuesday against the Mets. He struck out five.

Lively was quite effective through the early stages of his season debut, tossing five scoreless innings to begin the game. He ran into trouble in the sixth, however, when he allowed a pair of runs on a hit batsman and a pair of RBI knocks before he was removed from the game. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia lineup couldn't solve Matt Harvey on the other side, resulting in a tough-luck loss for Lively. He pitched well regardless and will face another favorable matchup next time out against the Marlins.

Freeland dropped to 0-1 in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Padres after giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six batters in the outing.

Freeland exited the contest with a 3-2 lead and runners on second and third in the top of the sixth inning, but reliever Scott Oberg was unable to keep the Padres off the board, resulting in the lefty taking the loss while getting charged an additional two earned runs. Though he gave up two home runs on the evening -- both to Christian Villanueva -- Freeland generally does a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, which should make him less vulnerable to blowup outings even once he returns to Coors Field for his next start Sunday against the Braves. Even so, a mediocre 6.3 K/9 over 161.1 career innings renders Freeland a low-upside fantasy option in NL-only or deeper mixed settings.

Teheran didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks across 2.1 innings. He struck out two.

Teheran was victimized by the long ball in this one, allowing a two-run home run to Ryan Zimmerman in the first inning before opposing pitcher A.J. Cole and Bryce Harper launched solo shots in the second and third, respectively. It's a shame Teheran couldn't make it deeper into the game, as his side eventually broke open a big lead, which surely would have resulted in his first win of the season. The early returns aren't promising for the one-time top prospect, who has a 10.13 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP through his first eight innings in 2018.

Kershaw (0-2) took the loss Tuesday, giving up two earned runs on four hits -- including two homers -- while striking out six and walking two in the Dodgers' 6-1 defeat to the Diamondbacks.

Kershaw dropped his second straight start to open the campaign as he was outdueled by Arizona's Zack Godley. He has a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings this season, but Kershaw has given up three homers, all to opposing lefty batters. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, Kershaw's fastball velocity was up in the first inning Tuesday, but he sat at 90-92 mph most of the game, similar to his average from Opening Day.

Lorenzen (shoulder) has yet to begin a throwing program, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Lorenzen started the season on the disabled list after suffering a shoulder strain in mid-March and the Reds are exercising caution in hopes of avoiding an aggravation of the injury. The 26-year-old's current recovery timetable remains murky, but a follow-up exam Wednesday could provide some clarity.

Flaherty struck out nine, walked one and gave up one earned run on six hits over five innings on Tuesday but didn't factor into the decision as the Cardinals fell 5-4 to the Brewers.

Flaherty was called up from Triple-A Memphis before the start of the season with Adam Wainwright on the 10-day disabled list and was in line to get the win on Tuesday until the Cardinals' bullpen gave up a 4-1 lead late. Any fantasy value here would hinge on him getting a permanent spot in St. Louis' rotation, which isn't a sure thing once Wainwright returns from his hamstring injury.

Anderson gave up four earned runs on eight hits over just four innings, striking out five and walking none in Milwaukee's 5-4 comeback victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

It was a dud follow-up to his strong debut start to the campaign that saw him shut out the Padres, but Anderson's 3.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP still look fairly solid through his first two starts of the season. He's coming off a breakout 2017 where he logged a 2.74 ERA in 141.1 innings and will look to get back to that form in a tough matchup against the Cubs in his next start on Sunday.

Quintana's next start has been moved from Saturday to Sunday against the Brewers, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Tuesday's game against the Reds was postponed due to inclement weather, pushing the Cubs' starting rotation back a day. Quintana had a rough season debut against the Marlins, allowing six earned runs on six hits and four walks over six innings, and will have an additional day of rest to prepare for the series finale against the Brewers.