MLB Player News

Colome allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over an inning of work but was able to escape with his 22nd save of the season Tuesday against the Cubs.

Colome needed every bit of the three-run lead he was staked to upon entering the game as he put two men on before allowing an RBI single to Anthony Rizzo and a run-scoring fielder's choice off the bat of Ben Zobrist. He then walked a man but was able to close out the game by getting Jason Heyward to fly out. Colome has struggled mightily of late, allowing a whopping 10 earned runs over five innings in his last five appearances to inflate his ERA to 4.10. His saving grace is the fact that he has only blown one save during that rough stretch, but he will need to improve his performance if he is to maintain his role on a club that is scrapping for a playoff spot.

Manager Ned Yost said Strahm will receive a second opinion on his injured knee Thursday, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Strahm was recently shifted to the 60-day disabled list, and the Royals are hoping Thursday's appointment will help determine the next step in his recovery. The 25-year-old southpaw could return Aug. 30 at the earliest, though he could be sidelined for the rest of the season if the injury requires surgery.

Almonte was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Almonte's demotion clears the way for Danny Duffy (oblique) to return from the 10-day disabled list ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday against the Mariners. During his latest stint with the Royals, Almonte made a lone appearance during one game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Twins, working around a hit and a walk to toss a scoreless inning.

Fulmer (8-6) went eight innings against the Giants on Tuesday, striking out five while allowing three runs on five hits in a 5-3 win.

His successful sophomore campaign continues, although Fulmer has experienced a noticeable decline in strikeout rate -- he's at 6.8 K/9 after last year's 7.5 mark. That doesn't appear to have hurt him much, as Fulmer's grounder-heavy repertoire is working out well, but he did give up a pair of homers in this one; he'd only allowed four in his first 15 starts. Even if BABIP and HR/FB regression comes his way, though, he'll still be a reliable fantasy asset. The new-minted All-Star is on schedule to make one more start -- Sunday at Cleveland -- before participating in the midseason classic's festivities.

Farquhar accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old was unable to fetch much interest as a waiver claim after submitting a 4.11 ERA and 33:22 K:BB over 35 innings. Now more than three years removed from his last stint as a closer in the big leagues with the Mariners and struggling to contribute in a middle-relief role, Farquhar no longer finds himself on the fantasy landscape.

Harvey (elbow) threw a two-inning simulated game Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

He has not yet returned to game action, and while he is technically on the 7-day DL at High-A Frederick, Harvey is expected to rehab in rookie-league games before coming off the DL.

Yacabonis was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.

After tossing 3.1 innings of relief in Monday's 8-1 loss to the Brewers, the Orioles decided to swap Yacabonis out for a fresh bullpen arm. He allowed just one run on three hits while striking out two batters, so he should be back with the Orioles when the team needs another reliever. In the meantime, Tyler Wilson was recalled from Triple-A to take his place in the bullpen.

Hendriks fired a scoreless inning in Monday's 7-2 loss to the White Sox, giving up one hit and two walks. He also recorded a strikeout.

Hendriks didn't make it easy on himself, as some control issues after he'd gotten two quick outs helped lead to him firing 26 pitches overall in the sixth. The 28-year-old has gotten July off to a solid start after a rocky June (7.30 ERA over 12.1 innings), putting together a pair of scoreless one-inning outings. The right-hander has served as a modest source of wins (three) and holds (seven) for fantasy owners this season, and he's likely to continue seeing a robust workload going forward.

Axford gave up an earned run on four walks over one inning in Monday's 7-2 loss to the White Sox. He struck out two.

The veteran reliever had plenty of trouble finding the plate, working up to 33 pitches in his sole inning of work and allowing a run by issuing a bases-loaded walk to Adam Engel. Axford has been inconsistent over his last several outings, giving up an earned run in three straight and seven runs overall in his last nine trips to the mound. Location has been a recurring issue as well, as he's now issued 14 walks in 19.2 innings this season.

Kimbrel allowed a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to blow his second save of the season during Monday's win over Texas.

Kimbrel has converted 23 of 25 save opportunities this season with a 1.23 ERA, 0.52 WHIP and 16.0 K/9, so there's no cause for concern following Monday's hiccup. He simply got beat on a good pitch to a dangerous hitter in Mike Napoli. Boston battling back to win in extra innings definitely softened the blow.