MLB Player News

Double-A Portland placed Ward on its 7-day injured list Tuesday with a right forearm strain, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander is viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. He split time between the Low-A and High-A level in his last minor-league season in 2019, posting a 2.14 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 157:57 K:BB in 126.1 innings. The Red Sox won't have a clear idea on the extent of Ward's injury until after he undergoes further testing, but even if his UCL is confirmed to be intact and he's revealed to have only suffered a minor strain, he'll still likely miss more than the minimum seven days.

Kittredge (4-0) was credited with the victory in a win over the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing one hit, uncorking a wild pitch and recording a strikeout over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Kittredge came on after starter Luis Patino was pulled following 82 pitches over 3.1 innings, and he served as a highly effective bridge to the middle frames. The right-hander flashed his trademark efficiency by throwing 16 of 22 pitches for strikes, and his dominant May now features an 8:2 K:BB, five scoreless appearances in six trips to the mound, two holds, a save and Tuesday's win.

Bazardo was diagnosed with a right lat strain after exiting his appearance Tuesday for Triple-A Worcester, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bazardo will undergo additional tests before a timetable for his return is revealed, but he'll most likely wind up on Worcester's 7-day IL. The 25-year-old right-hander previously made the first two big-league appearances of his career earlier this season, striking out three over three scoreless innings of relief for Boston.

Shaw pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts to earn a hold in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Angels.

Shaw relieved starter Zach Plesac and protected a one-run lead before James Karinchak entered to close it out. The 33-year-old Shaw has emerged as an effective late-inning option with a 1.69 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He's only allowed four hits in 16 innings, leading to an unsustainable BABIP of .091 -- eventually, a higher rate of hits are bound to get through Cleveland's defense. He's logged five holds, a save and a win.

Staumont picked up his fourth save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Brewers on Tuesday. He allowed one hit and struck out two in an inning of work.

Staumont hasn't had a save opportunity since late April largely due to the fact that the Royals went on an 11-game losing streak from May 2 to May 13. The 27-year-old owns a 2.29 ERA and 22:10 K:BB over 19.2 innings and could reemerge on the fantasy radar again if his team is able to start turning things around after they held the best record in baseball through the first month.

Brentz (1-0) pitched just a third of an inning but secured the first win of his major league career in a 2-0 victory over the Brewers on Tuesday.

Brentz entered in the eighth needing to record one out and did just that after getting Billy McKinney to ground out. The Royals then put up two runs in the bottom half of the frame, setting Brentz up for the win. The 26-year-old owns a 3.12 ERA, a 20:13 K:BB and has three holds over 17.1 innings in his first season at the big league level.

Karinchak picked up the save Tuesday in a 6-5 win over the Angels. He did not allow a hit but walked and struck out a batter in an inning of work.

Karinchak was called upon to close out the game due to the fact that Emmanuel Clase has struggled with his control in his last two outings. The 25-year-old had a pretty smooth inning as he continued his dominant start to the 2021 season. Karinchak now owns a 0.49 ERA and a 34:6 K:BB, and he's given up just three hits over 18.1 innings.

Manaea allowed three earned runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out three across six innings Tuesday against the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.

Manaea survived with a quality start despite surrendering 10 hits -- including two doubles and a solo home run. He wasn't deceiving opposing hitters, as he generated only seven swinging strikes across 91 total pitches. Manaea maintains a 4.41 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 49 innings this season, but has allowed double-digit baserunners in each of his last two outings while racking up only five strikeouts across eight combined frames. He'll look to get back on track in his next start, projected to come Sunday at the Angels.

Hendriks allowed one hit and one walk over two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Twins.

This was a non-save situation for Hendriks, who entered with a man on and the game tied in the ninth inning. Setup man Aaron Bummer squandered a lead in the eighth and departed after facing one batter in the ninth. Hendriks, who had been warming for a possible save opportunity before the Twins tied the game, was brought in to extend the game into extra frames. It was his first time pitching in five days.

Bummer (0-2) was tagged with the loss to Minnesota on Wednesday. He allowed three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out two in one-plus innings.

Bummer came on in the eighth inning with Chicago holding a 4-2 lead and served up a two-run home run to Miguel Sano, the first homer he had allowed over his previous 36 appearances dating back to 2019. The left-hander came out to start the ninth and was removed after allowing a leadoff single to Andrelton Simmons, who came around to score the winning run with Liam Hendriks on the bump. Bummer entered the night having not been scored upon over his previous 10 innings, spanning nine outings.