MLB Player News

Braves pitcher Alex Wood will pitch out of the bullpen, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Wood was moved to the pen in order to make room for Gavin Floyd. Though Wood has posted strong numbers, he understands the team's desire to save his innings. "If that's what's best for the team, I'm Ok with it," Wood said. He added that he hopes he doesn't have to stay in the bullpen too long.

Wood has a 3.00 ERA in 45 innings. 

Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard is not the team's first choice if they need relief help, according to the Star-Ledger. 

Many teams opt to use initially use prospects out of the bullpen as a way to acclimate them to the majors. The Mets don't want to go down that road with Syndergaard, according to assistant general manager John Ricco. "Right now there’s no plans on that. He’s only had seven starts in Triple-A, so we’re a ways away from figuring that out and how we’re going to do it."

Ricco said Syndergaard wouldn't be called up to start unless another starter went down. Through seven starts in the minors, he has a 3.68 ERA. 

Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but MLB.com reports he is not expected to come just yet.

As of Thursday, Ryu has yet to begin throwing, as he continues to recover from left shoulder blade inflammation. Ryu has been on the disabled list since April 28 as a result of the injury, and there is no clear timetable for his return at this point. 

A return to the bullpen may be inevitable for Alex Wood at this point. Virtually every Braves beat writer speculates he'll be the odd man out both because he's already accustomed to relieving and because the Braves wish to limit his innings after he threw 143 between the majors, minors and playoffs last season.

But it is only speculation right now. The Braves still plan for Wood to start Sunday's game, so it's not like they're looking to take him out. Gavin Floyd's emergence is less an excuse to do so than Aaron Harang's downfall would be an excuse to leave Wood in. It just hasn't happened yet -- not to the extent it would need to, anyway.

Part of me wonders if the Braves are waiting to see what Harang does Monday before committing to Wood in one role or the other. They couldn't have expected the 35-year-old journeyman to perform this well when they signed him, but since he has, they're not so anxious to turn the page. Now would be a good time for him to falter since they have the depth, but if he doesn't, it's an opportunity to cut back on Wood's innings for a while.

And I do believe it would be only a while. If the Braves view Wood as a starter long-term -- and they must with the way he's performed in the role -- they need to continue building up his innings, which would require a move back to the rotation at some point. Because I expect Harang to flop sooner than later, I wouldn't be looking to dump Wood right now.

Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright wasn't sharp in his last trip to the mound, but came back strong in a 7-1 win over the Braves Wednesday.

Wainwright limited the Braves to just one run in eight innings of work, and never trailed thanks to an offensive explosion. He scattered six hits and a walk in eight innings, while striking out six and picking up 11 groundball outs.

Wainwright is now 6-2 on the season through eight starts, with a 2.02 ERA in 58 innings of work. He will try to continue his strong pitcher in his next start, Tuesday against the Cubs.  

The Braves do not plan to have pitcher Gavin Floyd work out of the bullpen, manager Fredi Gonzalez told MLB.com Wednesday.

"He's one guy that would not go to the bullpen, I don't think, just because of the Tommy John [surgery]," Gonzalez said. "We all know how the bullpen thing is. You get up, you get down, you go in, you don't go in. You've got to warm up in 50 [games], and I don't want to do that to him."

Floyd impressed in his return from the disabled list Tuesday, and Gonzalez said he wants to keep Floyd in the rotation moving forward. Despite that, the team still hasn't scheduled Floyd for his next start.

The Braves still do not plan to use a six-man rotation, so a decision will need to be made about how the rotation will shake out. Alex Wood could be the odd-man out, given the team's desire to keep him on an innings limit this season. 

Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg overcame a rough start Wednesday and got back over .500 in a 3-2 win over the Dodgers.

Strasburg pitched into the eighth inning in the start, which is a surprise given how he opened the game. The Dodgers jumped on him for two runs in the first inning, thanks to four consecutive singles. He was able to settle down nicely from that point on, however.

Strasburg ultimately gave up just those two runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. He walked two and struck out six, while throwing 77 of 114 pitches for strikes as he earned his third win of the season.

Strasburg is now 3-2, after starting the season 1-2 through his first four starts. He has also lowered his ERA to 3.42 in eight starts, heading into his next start, set for Tuesday in Arizona. 

If the Mets choose to move Jenrry Mejia to the bullpen, then it doesn't mean Daisuke Matsuzaka, who lost out on the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, would move into the rotation, per The Star-Ledger.

"We haven’t even talked about the first part seriously yet, but what happens after, it wouldn’t necessarily be Daisuke gets it," Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said.

Ricco said it is more like the Mets would turn to Rafael Montero or Jacob deGrom, who are both in the rotation at Triple-A Las Vegas, over Matsuzaka.

The Braves announced Wednesday their rotation plans for a three-game series this weekend against the Cubs, which starts Friday.

Julio Teheran will start the series opener and be followed by Ervin Santana and Alex Wood, per MLB.com. Santana rejoins the rotation after missing one start due to a thumb injury. Gavin Floyd started in Teheran's absence Tuesday against the Cardinals.

The Mets are not inclined to make a roster move to bolster their bullpen on Thursday's off-day, a source told the New York Daily News. However, future decisions this weekend could hinge on Jenrry Mejia's start Friday against the Phillies.

If Mejia struggles again, Daisuke Matsuzaka could be moved to the rotation and pitcher prospect Rafael Montero could be promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas to join the bullpen, Daily News writer Andy Martino speculates. Martino also feels if the Mets dip into the rotation at Las Vegas for bullpen help, then Montero would get the call over Jacob deGrom.