MLB Player News

Keller (1-6) took the loss Monday against the Reds, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out five.

The 29-year-old notched his third consecutive quality start, all of which have been losses as the Pittsburgh offense has scored two runs over those contests, with this 91-pitch performance. Keller has been a dependable starter since a seven-run disaster against the Yankees on April 4, pitching to a 3.17 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 40:12 K:BB across 46.1 innings since then. Overall, the right-hander now sports a 3.88 ERA and 3.42 FIP through 58 frames. Keller is currently slated to make his next start at home against the Brewers this weekend.

Single-A Jupiter transferred Caba from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list May 7 with a left thumb sprain, Ely Sussman of Fish on First reports.

Caba last played April 17 and will be sidelined until at least mid-June and potentially later into the summer. The slick-fielding shortstop slashed .200/.431/.200 with zero home runs, six steals and a 7:15 K:BB in 11 games before suffering the thumb injury.

Rodriguez (shoulder) began a throwing program from 90 feet Monday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with left shoulder inflammation, but his ability to begin a throwing program just three days later is a positive sign. The left-hander is eligible to return to action May 31, and it's not outside the realm of possibility that he's activated after a minimum stay on the IL.

Puk (elbow) has stretched his throwing program out to 60 feet, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Puk has been making slow progress in his recovery from left elbow inflammation, and he'll soon expand his throwing program to 90 feet. The left-hander isn't eligible to return from the 60-day injured list until July 1, so he still has plenty of time to ramp up his activity prior to then.

Kopech (shoulder) will pitch at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday and is expected to make several more appearances during his rehab assignment before being activated from the 60-day injured list, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Kopech got roughed up in his third rehab outing for the Comets on Wednesday, surrendering three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over 0.2 innings. The Dodgers don't appear to be in any hurry to bring the right-hander back from the IL, as the club noted Monday that Kopech will appear in at least three more games before being reinstated.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts estimated that Kim will make around 3.5 starts per week while the team looks to build in routine days off for Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez and Michael Conforto, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

Edman and Hernandez both recently returned from the injured list, while Conforto has stayed healthy but has produced a .577 OPS on the season and should at the very least find himself on the bench against left-handed pitching on a more frequent basis. Roberts' comments imply that Kim will serve as a part-time starter, with Andy Pages and the aforementioned three players also likely to see slight drops in playing time due to the logjam in both the infield and the outfield. The 26-year-old Kim has certainly earned a steady role based on how he's performed since being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on May 3; through his first 14 games with Los Angeles, he's slashing .452/.485/.581 with a home run and three stolen bases.

Thomas isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers.

This is a rare night on the bench for Thomas, who has already appeared in 16 games so far in May, hitting .260 with one home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Tim Tawa will get a look in center field with Thomas riding the pine Monday evening.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Verlander is dealing with a slight pectoral issue, but he is optimistic the pitcher will make his next scheduled start Saturday versus the Nationals, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Verlander revealed after displaying reduced velocity in Sunday's start against the Athletics that he was affected by a physical issue, and now Melvin has offered more specifics on the nature of the injury. The 42-year-old hurler will presumably need to get through a between-starts throwing session before being cleared for Saturday, but at the moment the Giants don't expect Verlander to miss his next turn.

Pages is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

In Teoscar Hernandez's (adductor) first game back from the 10-day injured list, the Dodgers will go with Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim and Hernandez in the outfield. Pages hadn't had a day off in a month, so he could simply be receiving some routine rest Monday rather than being ticketed for a steep reduction in playing time with Hernandez back in the fold. Pages has slashed .356/.375/.634 with seven home runs over his last 24 contests.

Condon (wrist) has gone 7-for-24 with one steal and three RBI across eight games in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

Condon suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist during spring training in March, which resulted in the Rockies opting not to assign him to an affiliate to begin the season. He debuted with the rookie-ball club May 5 and should soon report to High-A Spokane once he gets some more at-bats under his belt.