MLB Player News

Burnes will make his next start Sunday in the series final against Washington, per MLB.com.

Ryne Nelson had been expected to start Sunday, but he and Burnes will switch. This means Burnes will pitch on normal rest, while Nelson gets two extra days of recovery after throwing a season-high 84 pitches in Monday's win over the Pirates.

Bell went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Wednesday in a 9-0 win over Seattle.

Bell slugged a solo homer to left field in the second inning and added two singles for his first multi-hit effort of the season. Incredibly, it took him 46 contests to achieve that feat, which explains why his season slash line still stands at a paltry .166/.264/.318. Bell has supplied a bit of pop with seven homers and has recorded a solid 10.7 percent walk rate, which have helped him remain the Nationals' primary DH despite his slow start to the campaign.

Hassell went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI in a 9-0 victory versus the Mariners on Wednesday.

Hassell had been struggling coming into Wednesday, going 0-for-12 with four strikeouts over his previous four games. He broke out of that funk against Seattle, with his biggest highlight being a 416-foot solo homer in the eighth inning for his first MLB long ball. It was also Hassell's first extra-base hit of any sort, and he's gone 5-for-22 (.227 average) with no walks across his first six big-league contests.

Wood went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, three total RBI and a stolen base in a 9-0 win against Seattle on Wednesday.

Wood's production all came in the latter half of the contest, as he slugged a 435-foot solo homer in the fifth inning, added a walk and steal in the seventh, and capped his performance with a two-run double in the eighth. The budding star already has 15 homers through 242 plate appearances after going deep nine times across 336 plate appearances as a rookie last year. Wood has added eight thefts, 40 RBI, 35 runs and a .287/.380/569 slash line in what is shaping up to be a breakout campaign.

Williams (3-5) earned the win over Seattle on Wednesday, tossing six scoreless innings during which he allowed three hits and struck out two batters without issuing any walks.

Williams was masterful despite notching only five whiffs and two punchouts, as he allowed just three baserunners, two of which reached in the third inning. The right-hander probably could have gone deeper -- he tossed a mere 77 pitches (54 strikes) -- but manager Dave Martinez chose to go to the bullpen after six innings with the Nationals comfortably ahead by six runs. This was the first quality start of the season for Williams, who has had a rough campaign with a 5.69 ERA and 1.45 WHIP through 55.1 frames.

Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a 2-1 win against Colorado on Wednesday.

Crow-Armstrong accounted for what ended up being the decisive run in the contest when he mashed a 379-foot solo shot to right field in the fourth inning. The talented young outfielder thus became the first player in the majors this season to reach 15 homers and 15 steals (Crow-Armstrong has 16 thefts to his stat line so far). He's also tied for second in the big leagues with 50 RBI and ranks third with 43 runs in what has been a breakout campaign.

Gordon (1-2) took the loss against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out one batter over 4.2 innings.

Gordon fell behind quickly by allowing a run in the first inning, but Chicago was able to put just one additional run on the board (on a Pete Crow-Armstrong solo homer in the fourth frame). While Gordon notched just six whiffs and a single strikeout, he was effective in getting the ball over the plate, throwing a first-pitch strike to 14 of the 19 batters he faced and firing 56 strikes overall on 79 pitches. The right-hander gave up four earned runs over 6.1 frames against Detroit in his season debut May 8, but he's been steadier since then, allowing just four runs over 10.2 innings across his subsequent two starts against a pair of powerhouse offenses in the Yankees and Cubs. Ryan Feltner (back) is nearing a return from the IL, which could impact Gordon's spot in the rotation, but for the time being the latter is lined up for a road matchup against Miami next week.

Palencia earned a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.

Palencia entered for the ninth inning with Chicago hanging onto a one-run lead, and he set the side down in order on 14 pitches (10 strikes) to secure a Cubs win. The right-hander had no saves midway through May, but since Porter Hodge (oblique) went on the IL on May 20, Palencia has racked up four saves in four chances while registering a 5:0 K:BB over four scoreless innings. Considering his success so far in the closer role, Palencia can be expected to get most of Chicago's save opportunities for at least as long as Hodge is on the shelf, which could be a while longer since manager Craig Counsell said Monday that Hodge isn't making much progress in his recovery.

Boyd (5-2) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on four hits and no walks while striking out eight batters over six innings.

Boyd recorded his shortest -- and arguably worst -- outing of the season in his previous trip to the mound, giving up four runs over four innings against Cincinnati last Friday. The southpaw bounced back with perhaps his finest start of the campaign Wednesday, as he limited the Rockies to an unearned run while racking up 13 whiffs and tying a season high with eight punchouts. Boyd also tied a season high by completing exactly six innings, which he's done in seven of his 11 starts this season. The 34-year-old hurler is already more than halfway to his career-best win total (nine), and he's gotten there with a strong overall line that includes a 3.08 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 64:15 K:BB through 61.1. frames.

Oviedo (lat) is throwing side sessions without any discomfort, MLB.com reports.

Oviedo has been throwing for roughly five weeks and is set to progress to live batting practice within the next week to 10 days. While he's most of the way through his recovery from Tommy John surgery, the right-hander will require a lengthy rehab assignment that will likely keep him out until some point in July.