MLB Player News

Almonte was recalled by the Royals on Friday to replace Neftali Feliz, who was placed on the paternity list.

Feliz will only miss three days at the most, so Almonte will likely only be with the team through the weekend. The 24-year-old reliever allowed three earned runs in two appearances with the Royals earlier this season, but owns a minuscule 1.33 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 40.2 innings in the minors this year.

Johnson (3-1) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two over seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday.

In his first start since being activated off the disabled list, Johnson kicked off the second half of the season in style. He needed just 90 pitches, throwing 57 of them for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 2.68. It was the left-hander at his best, hitting spots with his pedestrian fastball and throwing the curveball for strikes. Johnson will remain with the PawSox until the Red Sox need a spot starter or there's an injury in the parent club's rotation.

Barnes made 32 first-half appearances, posting an impressive 2.31 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while notching 45 strikeouts over 29 innings.

Barnes stepped up with a strong pre-All-Star performance while the Jays' bullpen was in flux. The sophomore has held opponents scoreless in 14 of his last 15 outings while tallying a least one strikeout in all but three of those contests. Barnes will continue to see plenty of high-leverage opportunities during the second half.

Shaw wrapped up his first half of 2017 with a 2.81 ERA, 11 holds and two saves over 42 games.

Since becoming an Indian in 2013, Shaw has made more appearances (341) than any other MLB reliever. He's on pace to log 20-plus holds for a fourth consecutive season, making him roster-worthy in deeper leagues that reward such performances. However, Shaw's 7.8 K/9 is well below last year's 9.3 mark, and the 29-year-old's 3.9 BB/9 is a career worst.

Hart made 29 relief appearances in the pre All-Star break, managing a 2.96 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 24.1 innings.

Bouncing between Triple-A and MLB in his sophomore campaign, Hart has performed admirably overall. He began the year with 12 straight scoreless appearances before struggling a bit in May and early June. Although the 26-year-old southpaw has managed five holds and a victory in 2017, he's unlikely to repeat that in the second half now that the O's bullpen is back to full strength.

McHugh (elbow) logged 4.1 innings and ran his pitch count up to 74 in his third rehabilitation start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Monday, Len Hayward of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports. The right-hander allowed three unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four.

McHugh reported feeling soreness after the outing, which he viewed as a good thing because what he felt wasn't pain. Another good sign was his curveball being as effective as it has been during his three-start stint with the Hooks. He'll huddle up with coaches and trainers to determine the next step, but at least one more rehab start is expected.

Axford gave up an earned run on two hits and a walk over one-third of an inning in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Mariners.

Axford gave up an RBI single to Carlos Ruiz before being relieved by Ryan Madson and closed out the first half on a downswing, having allowed an earned run in each of his last four appearances. The 34-year-old hasn't been able to remain effective for an extended stretch save for a five-appearance scoreless streak in early June, leading to a 6.30 ERA and 2.00 WHIP -- both career highs.

Diaz fired a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Athletics, recording a pair of strikeouts.

The young closer took the loss in Saturday's contest but righted the ship Sunday with a crisp 15-pitch frame. Diaz endured his share of struggles at various points in the first half of the season, but manager Scott Servais appears committed to letting him work through his periodic difficulties. Diaz heads into the All-Star break having notched 13 saves in 16 opportunities while compiling a 3.53 ERA and an impressive 48 strikeouts in 35.2 innings.

Zych was credited with his fifth hold in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Athletics, firing a scoreless seventh inning and issuing a walk.

The 26-year-old right-hander thus closes out the first half of the season with three straight scoreless efforts after giving up an earned run in each of his last two appearances of June. Zych established a slew of career highs in the first half of the season, and given that he's posted a solid 2.33 ERA over his first 29 appearances, he figures to continue receiving a robust workload in the second half.

Boxberger (1-0) fired a scoreless eighth inning in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox, issuing two walks and recording a strikeout.

Boxberger wasn't as sharp as he'd been in his first three outings, but he was able to wiggle out of trouble after issuing a pair of free passes by mowing down Christian Vazquez. The 29-year-old then nabbed his first victory of the season courtesy of Brad Miller's two-run homer in the home half of the frame, and he's now rung up seven strikeouts over his first four innings of 2017. Boxberger was notably deployed as a setup option Sunday, his first instance of eighth-inning work over his first four appearances. Given his solid efforts thus far -- as well as his extensive experience in high-leverage scenarios -- this could well be the role that Boxberger carries into the season's second half.