MLB Player News

Hamilton (groin) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and is slated to throw another one this weekend, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

The expectation is that Hamilton should be ready to face hitters next week, with a rehab assignment following. He went down with a strained right groin in mid-May but seems to be tracking toward a return, possibly by the end of next week.

Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The good news is Murphy tossed 3.1 scoreless relief innings in Wednesday's loss to Cleveland in his major-league debut. The bad news is that means he was going to be unavailable for a few days, which is why he finds himself back in the minors.

The Yankees recalled Krook from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Krook will hop back into New York's bullpen mix ahead of Thursday's doubleheader against the visiting White Sox. The 28-year-old left-hander spent five days in the majors last month but did not make an appearance.

Murfee (elbow) fired 1.1 scoreless innings during which he issued a walk and recorded a strikeout in Triple-A Tacoma's win over Reno on Wednesday.

Murfee was sharp for the second time in as many rehab appearances, earning the win in the process. The right-hander worked up to 26 pitches, pounding 15 in for strikes. With 2.1 scoreless, hitless frames under his belt already with the Rainiers, Murfee may only need one or two more appearances on the farm to convince the Mariners he's ready for activation.

Robertson struck out three batters in two perfect innings against the Reds on Wednesday.

Robertson got his first call-up to the majors Tuesday after posting a 2.13 ERA and 37:7 K:BB over 25.1 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The right-hander needed just 22 pitches to get through two frames in his first major-league appearance, tossing 15 strikes and punching out three batters. Robertson has closer-like stuff, including a fastball that tops out in the upper-90s, and he saved seven games for OKC before his promotion. He'll likely work in middle relief for now but could ascend up the pecking order in Los Angeles quickly given the team's bullpen struggles this season.

Atlanta activated Tonkin (neck) from the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Tonkin is back to fill a multi-inning bullpen role for the current NL East leaders after needing a couple weeks off due to a neck injury. Roddery Munoz was sent out in a corresponding roster move.

Scott was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The 31-year-old was just sent down Tuesday, but he's quickly back with the big club to replace the injured Noah Syndergaard (blister). Scott should operate in middle relief.

Lawrence (2-3) allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four across two innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Giants.

Lawrence appeared to take over the closer job in Colorado after tallying consecutive saves in the team's series against Kansas City. However, he entered Wednesday's matchup in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and no outs. He got out of that jam impressively without allowing an earned run, but he then struggled in the eighth frame. Lawrence has been excellent all season, so one bad performance isn't likely to shake the team's confidence in him, but he may be headed for a high-leverage role with only a partial share of save chances.

Jansen grabbed his knee during Tuesday's outing, but manager Alex Cora downplayed the issue, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Jansen pitched through the issue to record his 13th save. "Age, man. Age," Cora joked about the 35-year-old. "He's OK. He was getting treatment." Boston's closer was available for Wednesday's game.

Clase picked up the save in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the Red Sox. He didn't allow a hit while striking out two and walking one during a scoreless inning.

Clase is the first closer to 20 saves this season and sports a 3.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB across 31 appearances (30 innings). The right-hander has blown five save opportunities already, which is one more than he had across 77 appearances last year, but he's converted his past five chances and remains one of the elite ninth-inning options in MLB.