MLB Player News

Rodriguez (shoulder) was diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Rodriguez was put on the 15-day DL on Monday and surgery likely won't be necessary. He will be shut down for a while and re-evaluated in the coming weeks.

Johnson (personal) pitched three innings for Boston's rookie team in Fort Myers (Fla.) on Monday, the Portland Press Herald reports.

Johnson allowed a pair of runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four. This was the left-hander's first appearance since mid-May when he was placed on the temporary inactive list to seek treatment for an anxiety issue. Johnson had been on Boston's short list of depth starters, but ran into early trouble with a toe injury in spring training, followed by unprecedented command issues. At this point, we're just hoping he can get back to Triple-A Pawtucket and pitch effectively again.

Kelly (groin) will make his first rehab appearance Wednesday for short-season Lowell, the Portland Press Herald reports.

This will be Kelly's first outing after the Red Sox announced he will be transitioning from starting to relieving. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch again Saturday at Lowell, then head to Triple-A Pawtucket next week, though it sounds as if he may not be required to pitch for the PawSox. "Whether or not the need arises before that first appearance in Pawtucket, that's all to be gauged," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. In other words, the pitching-desperate Red Sox may call him up before Kelly throws a pitch out of the PawSox's bullpen.

Kimbrel allowed four runs on three hits and a walk without recording an out in Tuesday night's 7-2 loss to Texas.

With Boston trailing by a run heading into the ninth inning and the middle of the Rangers' order due up, manager John Farrell turned to his closer in a non-save situation to keep the game close for an attempted comeback. But Kimbrel would have none of that in an outing that furthered a disturbing trend: Boston's closer has a 6.75 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 14 non-save situations, spanning 13.1 innings, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. And including the last three seasons, his ERA in non-save situations has swelled to 5.13. That suggests a lack of focus. Farrell admitted he might rethink whether to use Kimbrel in these situations, but others in the bullpen were not available to pitch Tuesday and he needed Kimbrel.

Manaea (3-5) allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in Tuesday's loss to the Twins.

Manaea pounded the zone with 19 first-pitch strikes to 25 hitters and 55 strikes out of 88 pitches, but the Twins were ready for everything he threw at them. He gave up two homers and three doubles out of those seven hits. This marks the third time already this season Manaea has served up multiple home runs as the long ball continues to haunt him -- his 10 home runs allowed in 10 starts have helped to push his ERA up to 5.85.

Farmer was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo after Tuesday's game, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports.

He soaked up 2.2 innings out of the bullpen Tuesday in relief of Anibal Sanchez, who lasted just 4.1 frames. Farmer proceeded to give up three runs on four hits and three walks while needing 56 pitches to pitch less than a third of Tuesday's game. The Tigers will summon a fresh arm from Toledo on Wednesday to take Farmer's place.

Norris (oblique) has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain and he is expected to miss 10-14 days, Katie Strang of ESPN.com reports.

Although Norris landed on the disabled list Tuesday, the results of the MRI revealing just a Grade 1 strain is good news all things considered given that the All-Star break is looming. That said, the Tigers will need to make a decision on who will start in Norris' place Saturday. Strang reports that Matt Boyd is the leading candidate to come up for a spot start. Provided that Norris can stay on pace with the 10-to-14-day timeline, he should be able to rejoin the rotation shortly after the All-Star break.

Farquhar was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

Alex Colome's return from the disabled list meant that the Rays needed to clear a roster spot, and Farquhar's recent struggles made him a prime candidate to be optioned. He gave up two huge runs in Sunday's eventual 5-1 loss to the Tigers after Chris Archer held Detroit scoreless through 5.2 innings. Farquhar notched a 6.75 ERA over 10.2 innings before he was sent down Tuesday.

Colome (biceps) was activated off the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

Colome's brief stint on the DL came to an end Tuesday as he was able to return after the minimum 15 days. Given Tampa's recent struggles in the bullpen, Colome's return figures to be a huge boon in the back end. He figures to reclaim his role as the closer, a role in which he's flourished to the tune of a 1.76 ERA and 19 saves.

Farmer was recalled by the Tigers on Tuesday.

Daniel Norris landing on the DL on Tuesday put the Tigers in a bind in terms of pitching depth given that Jordan Zimmermann is also on the shelf with a neck injury. Farmer has shuttled between Triple-A Toledo and the majors this season with mixed results. He's worked solely as a starter with Toledo, where he's notched a 6.42 ERA across 10 starts, but he's been effective in a relief role with the Tigers (2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings). He'll probably serve as a long-relief option for the Tigers during his stint with the big league club, but he'll be a likely candidate to be sent down once either Norris or Zimmermann return.