MLB Player News

Smith (elbow, shoulder) hopes to throw off a mound sometime over the weekend, Tim Britton of The Providence Journal reports.

After experiencing yet another setback in his recovery back in June, Smith seems to be ramping up his activity again. Given the nature of his injury and how many roadblocks he's already encountered, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Red Sox tread very carefully with the reliever, although some progress certainly is better than no progress.

Johnson (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and sent to Triple-A Pawtucket, Tim Britton of The Providence Journal reports.

Johnson tossed three innings of lackluster ball in a rehab start with the PawSox, and although the Red Sox recognized his clean bill of health, there's no room for him in Boston's rotation at this time. It wouldn't be too surprising to see him back in the big leagues after the All-Star break if Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) experiences any setbacks in his recovery, but for now, Johnson will continue to dwell in the minors and develop further as a starter.

Devenski (6-3) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to earn the victory against the Braves on Wednesday.

The six wins is tied for first among AL relievers, to go along with 11 holds for the Astros' right-hander. Devenski has been one of the most versatile bullpen pieces in baseball and features a 2.09 ERA and 0.77 WHIP with 72 strikeouts and only 13 walks over 51.2 innings this season.

Zych fired 2.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Royals, recording four strikeouts.

The right-handed reliever notched a season-high number of whiffs in what was his first multi-strikeout outing since June 6. Zych closed out June by allowing an earned run apiece in his last two appearances of the month, but he's opened July with 2.2 perfect frames across a pair of trips to the mound. Even factoring in some control issues, Zych has largely limited the damage, as evidenced by a solid 2.42 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 26 innings this season.

Green allowed one run over two innings and struck out two in Wednesday's loss to Toronto.

The 26-year-old entered in the sixth with starter Michael Pineda lasting only three innings. Green gave up a solo home run to Russell Martin in the seventh, which tied the game 6-6. The right-hander has a 2.03 ERA and 0.77 WHIP with 38 strikeouts across 31 innings this season, and has proven to be a valuable long reliever out of the Yankees' bullpen.

Robertson was activated from the paternity list Thursday.

The right-hander was given that designation before Monday's game and will be on the roster card for Friday's series-opening clash with the Rockies. Robertson remains a highly likely candidate to be traded in the coming weeks, so his understudy, Tommy Kahnle, should still be added in many fantasy leagues despite the closer's return.

The Rangers optioned Martinez to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

Texas will make a roster move to fill that spot before Friday's contest. Martinez was tagged for four runs (three earned) while allowing 11 baserunners in a relief outing Tuesday and was deemed replaceable, considering his 4.56 ERA, lowly 4.8 K/9 and lack of a clear avenue to rejoining the rotation. He should park at Round Rock for a bit until he's summoned to take another trip on the shuttle.

Diaz entered in a non-save situation and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to Kansas City.

The 23-year-old stranded a pair of inherited runners to keep the game tied 6-6 in the eighth inning, and followed with a scoreless ninth inning. The right-hander has flourished in similar non-save situations this season, but has struggled mightily with a 5.63 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 16 save opportunities. Diaz is 13 of 16 in save chances and has a 12.0 K/9, but has already allowed eight home runs this season.

Norris (groin) is undergoing an MRI on Thursday to examine the severity of his groin injury, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw's painful Wednesday start might've been influenced by this issue, and the Tigers want to check on how long he may be sidelined. Either way, Norris could avoid missing a turn in the rotation because the All-Star break is coming up. Of course, as Evan Woodbery of MLive.com speculates, Detroit may use this 10-day disabled list stint as a chance to evaluate his major-league roster spot.

Barnes cleaned up Wednesday's 8-2 loss to Texas with a perfect inning.

Barnes had lost himself during a recent road trip, walking six batters over 2.1 innings, which prompted him to adjust his mechanics, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. The right-hander replaced a leg lift with a compact slide step to get his front leg to its proper landing spot. That tweak has helped Barnes pitch 5.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks over his last five appearances.