MLB Player News

Freeland (collarbone) should be OK to make his upcoming scheduled start Saturday against the Padres, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Freeland was lifted from Monday's start after being struck by a comebacker in the fourth inning. He was able to play catch Monday, and though he admitted to being "a little sore," he is confident that he'll be able to make his upcoming start Saturday against the Padres.

Williams will be skipped this weekend in Cincinnati, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The Pirates will use Thursday's off day to skip Williams; Chad Kuhl, Ivan Nova and Gerrit Cole will start against the Reds (in that order). Williams gave up four runs on four hits and four walks over 4.2 innings in his last start and has dropped four of his last five decisions. It's uncertain when he may return to the rotation.

Anderson will start Wednesday against the Pirates.

The right-hander will toe the rubber on just three days' rest, but he only threw 67 pitches over five innings in his last start, so his arm should be pretty fresh. Anderson has posted a 3.08 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB in five starts since his return from an oblique injury (26.1 innings).

McGuire's contract was selected from Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

He will get a late-season reward for posting a 2.79 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 168 innings for the Blue Wahoos. While those are stellar numbers, this was a 28-year-old on a minor-league deal facing batters who were on average, four or five years younger than him. He will likely pitch in low-levarage situations out of the bullpen, but it's possible that he could receive a spot start or two.

Eflin (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day DL on Tuesday.

Since he last pitched Aug. 18, this ends Eflin's season. He began throwing again earlier this month, so it would seem that he is on track to be ready for the 2018 season. The 23-year-old righty notched a 6.16 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 35:12 K:BB in 64.1 innings in the big leagues and now has a 5.85 ERA in 127.2 MLB innings.

Maeda allowed four runs on four hits while striking out four batters through just three innings during Monday's loss to the Giants. He did not factor into the decision.

It's impossible to read too much into this start from Maeda, as the game was delayed twice for a total of three hours and 34 minutes. Simply put, that's a nightmare for a starting pitcher's routine. Maeda also entered the outing with a sterling 3.42 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 in the second half, so Monday's underwhelming showing is likely more to do with the rain delays than anything else. The Dodgers appear likely to stick with six-man rotation moving forward, so Maeda lines up to make his next start against Washington at Nationals Park on Sunday.

Greinke allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six batters through seven innings during Monday's loss to Colorado. He didn't factor into the decision.

The 33-year-old veteran entered with a dominant 2.31 ERA, 9.90 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 through 16 home starts, so this was another strong outing at Chase Field. He's locked in as a set-and-forget option in all fantasy settings and lines up for road start against the Giants at AT&T Park before consecutive home starts against Miami and San Francisco (again). Greinke is in position to continue rewarding over the final weeks of the season with his favorable upcoming schedule.

Woodruff (1-2) was roughed up for six runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts over five innings and took the loss Monday against Pittsburgh.

For the first time in five outings, Woodruff allowed more than two runs. The Pirates touched him up for two home runs -- just the second and third he's allowed in his first MLB season. While it was inevitable that a team would get to Woodruff eventually, he's done an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground. Even after Monday's stinker, Woodruff owns a crisp 3.14 ERA.

Freeland left Monday's game with a left shoulder contusion, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Freeland appears to have escaped with only minor damage after taking a scary line drive off his shoulder in the fourth inning Monday. His timetable will be defined by how he feels as the week progresses, but it's possible he may not even need to miss a start. Consider him day-to-day.

Freeland was forced to leave Monday's game against Arizona in the fourth inning after he was struck on the collarbone with a line drive, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Freeland was replaced by lefty Tyler Anderson. Expect an update on his status after Rockies doctors are able to get a full look at him, but the line drive was clocked at 115 mph, so this could potentially knock him out of action for some time.