MLB Player News

Fried could start Monday against the Phillies if Mike Foltynewicz (finger) is unable to pitch, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

It's not looking good for Foltynewicz, who is dealing with a lacerated finger, so Fried may reenter the rotation for a spot start after all. Fellow rookie Lucas Sims picked up the spot start over Fried on Wednesday, but with a doubleheader set for Monday, Sims and Fried would likely both start for the Braves if Foltynewicz can't go. The 23-year-old owns a 4.41 ERA and 13:10 K:BB across 16.1 innings with the big club this season. He started a pair of games earlier in the month before being shifted back to the bullpen.

Maeda was shifted to the bullpen following his start against the Phillies on Thursday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

The Dodgers won't need a fifth starter for the remainder of the season thanks to a team off day next week, so Maeda will head back to the bullpen as the team gears up for the playoffs. Maeda was never expected to make the Dodgers' postseason rotation with the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish, Alex Wood and Rich Hill ahead of him, so this move isn't all too surprising. The 29-year-old spent some time in the bullpen earlier in the season, allowing just one run in five innings while striking out seven batters in a pair of appearances. Look for him to serve as an important multi-inning reliever for the Dodgers down the stretch.

Syndergaard (lat) will be re-evaluated Friday, SportsNet New York reports.

Team doctors will gauge Syndergaard's health upon the team's return home, four days after his most recent simulated game (39 pitches). Syndergaard is not currently scheduled to start a game this weekend against the Nationals, but there has been talk that the right-hander could still make a couple appearances before the end of the season.

DeGrom will make his next start Sunday against the Nationals, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

DeGrom was initially supposed to take the mound for Friday's series opener, but he's apparently dealing with an upset stomach and some nausea, so the Mets will push his start back by a couple of days. He's not expected to miss a turn in the rotation due to the ailment, but Robert Gsellman and Matt Harvey will both move their scheduled starts up by a day to accommodate, with Gsellman now pitching Friday and Harvey on Saturday. DeGrom owns a 3.55 ERA and 228 strikeouts through 195.1 innings this season.

Ray was tagged for five runs on five hits -- including three home runs -- and five walks over 4.1 innings Wednesday but was able to escape with a no-decision in a 13-7 win over the Padres. He struck out six.

It was a wild night in Petco Park, as the two teams combined for a stadium-record nine homers, and Ray had served up only two long balls total in his prior six starts and 34 innings, so don't read too much into the ugly stat line. The lefty's final start of the regular season is scheduled for Tuesday at home against the Giants.

Wood walked away with a no-decision in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six batters in six innings.

Wood likely could have pitched further into the game -- he was at just 82 pitches and hadn't allowed a hit since the Phillies' two-run second inning -- but manager Dave Roberts opted to pinch hit for him in the seventh frame in an attempt to tie the game and take the lead. It worked, and the Dodgers briefly took the lead -- putting Wood in line for the win -- before Philadelphia scored three runs of its own to reclaim the edge in the bottom half of the inning. He's now bounced back with a pair of quality starts after allowing nine runs over 11 innings in his first two starts back from the disabled list. Wood will carry a shiny 2.71 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 150:37 K:BB into his next start, which is scheduled for Tuesday against the Padres.

Thompson took a no-decision after allowing one run on three hits and three walks in five innings Wednesday against the Dodgers. He struck out three batters.

Thompson turned in another solid performance, and excluding his Sept. 8 five-run blowup against the Nationals, he's allowed just two runs across 16.1 innings (three starts) in September. Thompson has made four starts since rejoining the rotation earlier in the month, compiling a 2.95 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB in 21.1 innings over that stretch. Still, he posted a 5.25 ERA in 118.1 innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and owns a 5.95 FIP, so he may be a risky play over the final few weeks of the season. He's scheduled to face the Nationals on Tuesday in his next start.

Urena (14-6) held the Mets to two runs on seven hits over eight innings in Wednesday's 9-2 win. He struck out three and walked none.

The 26-year-old righty is just going right on with having a lucky season for the ages -- every single one of his peripherals belongs to a pitcher who shouldn't by any rights own a 14-6 record, 3.55 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. His K/9 is pathetic at 6.0; his BB/9 is relatively poor at 3.2 even after this walkless outing; his HR/9 is a pedestrian 1.3. He hasn't particularly excelled at keeping the ball on the ground or preventing hard contact. What the hard-throwing righty has done, though, is ride a .243 BABIP (tied for second-lowest among qualified starters) and 79.6 percent strand rate (seventh among qualified starters) to his best season by far. If you've got him, all you can do right now is enjoy the ride, but expect regression to hit Urena hard next year unless he can refine his control and find a consistent strikeout pitch.

Flaherty will slide into a bullpen role for the rest of the 2017 season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Flaherty struggled mightily during his previous start against the Reds on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs in just two innings of work off three hits and a walk. The top prospect will see time in a relief role for the last few weeks, while John Gant is set to take his place in the rotation.

Nicasio (4-5) was the winning pitcher against the Reds on Tuesday. He gave up a solo home run and struck out one batter in 1.1 innings.

He worked a scoreless ninth inning in a tie game to send it to extras. After the Cardinals took the lead in the top of the 10th, Nicasio came back out, but he showed signs of fatigue and was ultimately pulled after his 29th pitch. That opened the door for Tyler Lyons to earn the save, but it seems clear that Nicasio is manager Mike Matheny's preferred closing option.