MLB Player News

Putnam (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list Thursday.

This is strictly a housekeeping move for the White Sox, as Putnam will likely miss most, if not all, of the 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late June. Prior to his injury, the reliever posted a 1.04 ERA and 0.35 WHIP in 8.2 innings with the big-league team this past year.

Ferrell was removed from the major-league roster Thursday.

Ferrell was outrighted by the Tigers after spending the last two months of the 2017 season with the club. During that time, he appeared in 11 games out of the bullpen, accumulating a 6.75 ERA and 2.36 WHIP in 9.1 innings.

Jerez was added to the club's 40-man roster Thursday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Jerez finished the 2017 season in Triple-A Pawtucket after spending most of the year with Double-A Portland. During his brief time at the highest minor-league level, he accumulated a 3.75 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 12 innings. Looking ahead, Jerez will try to break into the big leagues for the first time in his career come spring.

Kimbrel will stay with the Red Sox in 2018 after the club picked up his $13 million option Thursday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The closer will remain in Boston for at least another year after posting a 1.43 ERA and 0.68 WHIP over 69 innings in the 2017 regular season. Chris Sale's option was also picked up by the team Thursday, as the Red Sox begin preparing for the 2018 campaign.

Valdez (shoulder) was outrighted off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Valdez -- who hadn't pitched in the majors since 2010 prior to this season -- struggled in his return to the bigs, compiling an unsightly 7.63 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 30.2 innings split between the A's and Blue Jays. His success has never really translated to the major-league level, so there's a good chance he starts out in the minors next season.

Schultz (elbow) was outrighted off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

This isn't all too surprising, seeing as Schultz recently turned 32 and is in the midst of working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He last pitched in 2016, struggling to a 5.51 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in just 16.1 major-league innings. Seeing as he isn't expected to be ready for the start of the 2018 campaign, it's possible Schultz will have to wait until he's healthy to determine his landing spot.

Lawrence cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Lawrence made his major-league debut in 2017 after eight minor-league seasons, but it didn't necessarily go the way he planned. He ended the season with an unsightly 6.34 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and 52:25 K:BB across 55.1 innings with the Blue Jays and Mariners, though he showed some improvement after joining the Mariners (5.57 ERA and 45:14 K:BB in 42 innings). He'll likely serve as organizational bullpen depth in 2018.

Giles most likely wouldn't get the ball if a save chance arises in Sunday's World Series Game 5 against the Dodgers, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He has given up 10 runs on 12 hits (including three home runs) and five walks in 7.2 innings this postseason en route to a blown save and two losses. Will Harris or Chris Devenski could be options to close, or manager A.J. Hinch could opt to just play the matchups. There's also a chance that Lance McCullers, who is scheduled to start a potential Game 7, could be used in a high-leverage relief role in Game 5.

Whalen (personal) was reinstated to the Mariners' 40-man roster Friday.

Whalen was initially placed on the restricted list in order to deal with "personal issues" but was added back onto the roster almost a month after Seattle's season came to a close. The right-hander only appeared in two games for the Mariners this season and spent most of his time with Triple-A Tacoma, posting a 6.58 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 10 starts.

Garton cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.

Garton will stay in the organization after being ousted from the 40-man roster earlier in the week. The 27-year-old owns an unremarkable 4.55 ERA in 61.1 major-league innings over his career, though he posted a 1.54 ERA and 0.51 WHIP in 11.2 innings for the Mariners after being acquired via trade in August. He'll fight for a spot in Seattle's bullpen to start 2018, though he may wind up as pitching depth at Tacoma to start the year.