MLB Player News

The Rays recalled Richards from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander will move up to the big club for the second time this season after posting a 4.91 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over five appearances in his first stint with the Rays. After previously working as a swingman for the Rays in 2020, Richards appears to have transitioned into a full-time relief role. He worked no more than 1.1 innings in any of his five appearances with Durham prior to Wednesday's call-up.

The Rays placed Patino on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right middle finger laceration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Patino likely picked up the injury during his start in the Rays' 13-6 win Tuesday, when he was pulled after being roughed up for four earned runs on six hits and two walks over 3.1 innings. The Rays had been including Patino in a pseudo six-man rotation of late, so the team could just get by with the traditional five starters while the right-hander is on the mend.

McHugh fired two perfect innings during which he recorded three strikeouts in a win over the Orioles on Tuesday.

McHugh has carved out quite the effective niche as manager Kevin Cash's ace in the hole for multi-inning work, as the veteran right-hander now has a trio of scoreless multi-inning efforts on his ledger in May. The current month is in stark contrast to McHugh's four-appearance April, when he surrendered eight runs (six earned) on 12 hits and a walk over 5.1 innings before suffering a back injury that put him on the shelf.

Double-A Portland placed Ward on its 7-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander is viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. He split time between the Low-A and High-A level in his last minor-league season in 2019, posting a 2.14 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 157:57 K:BB in 126.1 innings. The Red Sox won't have a clear idea on the extent of Ward's injury until after he undergoes further testing, but even if his UCL is confirmed to be intact and he's revealed to have only suffered a minor strain, he'll still likely miss more than the minimum seven days.

Kittredge (4-0) was credited with the victory in a win over the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing one hit, uncorking a wild pitch and recording a strikeout over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Kittredge came on after starter Luis Patino was pulled following 82 pitches over 3.1 innings, and he served as a highly effective bridge to the middle frames. The right-hander flashed his trademark efficiency by throwing 16 of 22 pitches for strikes, and his dominant May now features an 8:2 K:BB, five scoreless appearances in six trips to the mound, two holds, a save and Tuesday's win.

Bazardo was diagnosed with a right lat strain after exiting his appearance Tuesday for Triple-A Worcester, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bazardo will undergo additional tests before a timetable for his return is revealed, but he'll most likely wind up on Worcester's 7-day IL. The 25-year-old right-hander previously made the first two big-league appearances of his career earlier this season, striking out three over three scoreless innings of relief for Boston.

Shaw pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts to earn a hold in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Angels.

Shaw relieved starter Zach Plesac and protected a one-run lead before James Karinchak entered to close it out. The 33-year-old Shaw has emerged as an effective late-inning option with a 1.69 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He's only allowed four hits in 16 innings, leading to an unsustainable BABIP of .091 -- eventually, a higher rate of hits are bound to get through Cleveland's defense. He's logged five holds, a save and a win.

Staumont picked up his fourth save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Brewers on Tuesday. He allowed one hit and struck out two in an inning of work.

Staumont hasn't had a save opportunity since late April largely due to the fact that the Royals went on an 11-game losing streak from May 2 to May 13. The 27-year-old owns a 2.29 ERA and 22:10 K:BB over 19.2 innings and could reemerge on the fantasy radar again if his team is able to start turning things around after they held the best record in baseball through the first month.

Brentz (1-0) pitched just a third of an inning but secured the first win of his major league career in a 2-0 victory over the Brewers on Tuesday.

Brentz entered in the eighth needing to record one out and did just that after getting Billy McKinney to ground out. The Royals then put up two runs in the bottom half of the frame, setting Brentz up for the win. The 26-year-old owns a 3.12 ERA, a 20:13 K:BB and has three holds over 17.1 innings in his first season at the big league level.

Karinchak picked up the save Tuesday in a 6-5 win over the Angels. He did not allow a hit but walked and struck out a batter in an inning of work.

Karinchak was called upon to close out the game due to the fact that Emmanuel Clase has struggled with his control in his last two outings. The 25-year-old had a pretty smooth inning as he continued his dominant start to the 2021 season. Karinchak now owns a 0.49 ERA and a 34:6 K:BB, and he's given up just three hits over 18.1 innings.