MLB Player News

Putnam pitched three perfect innings while striking out two batters in the White Sox's 7-0 loss to the Angels on Monday.

Putnam was coming off an Apr. 16 outing where he gave up two earned runs in 0.1 innings so his bounce-back on Monday had to boost his confidence. The 28-year-old will likely remain in a mid-to-late inning relief role throughout 2016 for the White Sox.

Axford tossed 1.1 scoreless frames Thursday, allowing a hit and striking out one in the Athletics' 7-3 victory over the Yankees to earn the hold.

Axford has been dominant in the early going this season, giving up only six hits in nine innings while giving up no earned runs. The 33-year-old has a firm lockdown on a set-up role and he's leading the team in holds with four. The six-foot-five righty, who also has two wins this year, will likely continue to serve as a late-inning relief option going forward.

Hendriks pitched 0.1 innings, giving up two hits while striking out a batter in the Athletics' 7-3 loss to the Yankees on Thursday.

Hendriks has been roughed up in the early going this season as he's given up 13 hits and seven earned runs over 3.1 innings. It could just be April jitters because the righty was one of the Blue Jays' most reliable relievers in 2015, as evidenced by his 2.92 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 64.7 innings. The 27-year-old is still looking to provide that type of production for the A's late in games in 2016.

Adams has pitched well with Triple-A Columbus this season so far, not allowing a run while earning a win and two saves in four appearances.

In 4.2 innings, Adams has a 7:2 K:BB to go along with a 1.19 WHIP and 0.00 ERA. Meanwhile, the two guys in high-leverage roles for Cleveland, Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, have ERA's higher than 8.50. If Shaw and Allen continue to struggle, Adams may find his way up to the Cleveland bullpen.

Colome secured his third save by getting two outs in the ninth inning in Thursday's 12-8 victory over the Red Sox. He did not allow any hits or walks.

The Rays continue to bide their time in the late innings until Brad Boxberger (abdomen) makes his return, which still appears to be at least three weeks away. In the interim, Colome has been effective when called upon to close things out, with Thursday's save marking his third in three opportunities. All three have come from Apr. 17 onward, a stretch during which the hard-throwing 27-year-old has pitched 3.1 innings of no-hit ball, with just one walk and four strikeouts.

Manager John Gibbons said that Chavez (back) is feeling better but likely won't pitch Thursday, Barry Davis of Sportsnet reports.

It's promising that Chavez appears to be past the back soreness that was bothering him since Tuesday, but it appears the Blue Jays still want to be cautious with the right-hander. He's been one of the better members of the bullpen so far this season, striking out eight batters in 4.1 innings thus far, so he should slot back into a fairly prominent role in the Blue Jays bullpen once he's deemed ready to return.

Almonte was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

With the Royals reinstating Dillon Gee from the paternity list, the club needed to clear a spot on the active roster, leaving Almonte as the likeliest candidate to be optioned. He'll head back down to Triple-A after his brief stint with the Royals, where he figures to continue working out of the rotation. In two starts at Triple-A this season, Almonte has allowed four earned runs over 5.0 total innings.

Smith (forearm) will pitch Thursday in an extended spring training game, WEEI.com reports.

Smith is scheduled for his first game action since mid-March, with another appearance likely coming Saturday. He's then expected to join a minor league affiliate next week, setting him up for a return to the majors at the very end of April or in early May. Smith will compete with Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa for late-inning work ahead of closer Craig Kimbrel.

Webb surrendered two hits and an earned run in an inning of work in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox. He also struck out a batter.

The veteran righty gave up his first run since the opener versus the Blue Jays, but was sharp otherwise. Webb got 11 of his 16 offerings into the strike zone, and recorded a strikeout for the third time in his four appearances. With a plethora of arms in the Rays bullpen, Webb has seen eight and six days go by, respectively, between his last two trips to the mound, time frames which may contribute to some up-and-down performances if they become the norm. He's generated a 6.23 ERA over 4.1 innings of work so far in 2016.

Boxberger (abdomen) is slated to advance to throwing from halfway up the mound this coming weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays closer has been progressing through his rehab without any hiccups so far. Boxberger remains on target for a mid-May return. Alex Colome has served as the de facto closer in Boxberger's stead, recording the only two saves (in two opportunities) that Tampa has to its credit in 2016.