MLB Player News

Milone allowed one run on six hits and one walk across 4.1 innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Nationals. He struck out five.

Milone opened the game with four scoreless innings, but he ran into a spot of trouble in the fifth, when he allowed three consecutive hits to plate a run. He was removed somewhat abruptly with just 82 pitches under his belt, but the bullpen escaped the jam as the Mets went on to win by one. Milone had struggled mightily in his three previous outings, allowing a whopping 17 runs in just 11.2 innings, so this effort was a bit more encouraging. The left-hander is not currently scheduled to make another start with the Mets, meaning he could slide back in to the bullpen as a long-relief option.

Lynn didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Rays but spun a quality start, allowing two runs on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings.

Lynn and Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer matched zeroes in the first three innings, but Lynn blinked in the fourth on a solo homer by Logan Morrison and surrendered a solo shot to Brad Miller in the seventh. St. Louis' offense took him off the hook, though, with two late home runs of its own, so Lynn still hasn't lost since July 4 while firing nine quality starts in 10 subsequent appearances. Expect another strong outing Saturday in San Francisco.

Lugo (shoulder) was activated from the disabled list and is starting Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

As planned, Lugo was brought off the DL and is ready to start Sunday night. Lugo has started two games against the Nationals over the course of the 2017 campaign, and he's had a tough time in each outing. Between the two games he's allowed 10 runs (9 earned) over 11.2 innings and collected two losses.

Gray (6-3) walked two batters, struck out seven and allowed five hits over six shutout innings in Sunday's win over the Braves.

Gray turned in another solid outing and picked up his sixth win of the year Sunday. Gray has now made three consecutive quality starts, over which he's collectively allowed four earned runs and fanned 19 batters across 18.2 innings. He should return to the hill Saturday when the Rockies take on the Diamondbacks.

Syndergaard (lat) is expected to throw another live batting practice session Wednesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Syndergaard had previously faced hitters Saturday at the Mets' spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., coming out of the session with no unexpected pain in his right lat area. The second batting practice session could be the final step for the right-hander before he begins a minor-league rehab assignment. Given that Syndergaard has already been sidelined for four months with the injury, there may not be enough time for him to build up to a starter's workload before the season ends, which could prompt the Mets to have him prepare for a bullpen role instead.

Mahle (0-1) allowed three runs on four hits and four walks over five innings during Sunday's game against the Pirates. He struck out five and was stuck with the loss.

Mahle struggled to find his command during his big-league debut against the Pirates. The 22-year-old sported an excellent 5.3 percent walk rate between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville this season, but he wasn't able to display that same prowess Sunday as he issued four walks and hit a batter over his five innings of work. He'll get another opportunity to show off his stuff during his next scheduled start against the Pirates on Saturday.

Taillon allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks over four-plus innings during Sunday's game against the Reds. He struck out four and did not factor into the decision.

Coming off a five-walk performance against the Dodgers last week, Taillon was undone by his lack of command yet again Sunday, as the young starter was forced to leave the game after just four innings of work due to a high pitch count. His 108 pitches thrown marked his second-highest total of the season, and his four innings of recorded work marked his third-shortest outing of the year. Taillon had an exceptional first half of the season and entered the All-Star break with an impressive 2.73 ERA. He's been a different pitcher over the past month and a half, tossing just two quality outings in his nine starts since the break. He's scheduled to face off with the Reds again next Saturday.

Castillo may only make one or two starts in September before being shut down for the season, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Though he's recorded a win in just two of his 13 starts, Castillo has been the Reds' top starter since making the leap from Double-A Pensacola to the majors in late June, submitting a 3.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 9.7 K/9 rate. However, since he's already accumulated 157.2 innings between both levels and the Reds have previously stated that they would like to keep the rookie around 165 innings for 2017, a shutdown seems imminent. While that will limit Castillo's utility for fantasy owners the rest of the way, manager Bryan Price indicated it won't have any bearing on the right-hander's status heading into 2018. Price has already stated that the 24-year-old is a lock to open next season as a member of the rotation.

The Dodgers aren't expected to activate Kershaw (back) from the 10-day disabled list to start until either Friday or Saturday against the Padres, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Kershaw looked as strong as ever in his rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, covering five innings and giving up one run on two hits and no walks while striking out eight. He pushed his pitch count to 71 in the outing, which was likely enough for the Dodgers to bring him back without much concern about his ability to work deep into a start. With Kershaw's impending return, manager Dave Roberts told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that it's a "good possibility" the Dodgers will deploy a six-man rotation the rest of the season, a luxury afforded to the team thanks to its massive division lead.

Manager Bruce Bochy said that Cueto (forearm) could come off the 10-day disabled list and rejoin the Giants rotation following his rehab start Sunday with High-A San Jose, Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News reports.

The Giants will wait and see how Cueto performs during the rehab outing and how deep he works into the contest before determining if he's fit to return to the big club. Cueto was shut down for nearly three weeks before restarting his rehab assignment Aug. 22 with Triple-A Sacramento, tossing three scoreless innings in that start. Bochy said Chris Stratton, who entered the rotation when Cueto hit the disabled list, wouldn't be moved back to the bullpen once the right-hander is activated, making Ty Blach a likelier candidate to lose his starting spot.