MLB Player News

Johnson was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a left shoulder impingement.

Johnson felt discomfort while warming up prior to his Wednesday start and had to exit in the third inning. We'll have more on his absence as a clearer estimate is revealed, but the BoSox will probably slide Hector Velazquez into the rotation in his stead, at minimum for the Monday assignment at the Royals.

Littell was promoted to Double-A Trenton on Wednesday. He logged seven scoreless frames, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out 10 in his first start for the Thunder.

Littell has been great this season, showing the Yankees his potential with every outing. He came into the year projecting as a potential No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but that might need to be revisited, given his success. Thursday's strikeouts look like a major outlier, but his ability to prevent runs in the minors is hard to argue with at this point.

Barnes has struck out 32 and only walked four with a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings this season.

The big highlight for Barnes this season is his WHIP, which sits at 0.98. He's one of three relievers for Toronto who has a sub-1.00 WHIP, with closer Roberto Usana and Ryan Tepera being the others. The key for Barnes is to avoid the big mistakes and not let hitters go yard off of him. Only once this season has Barnes given up runs in a game where he didn't give up a home run, showing his potential when he avoids mistakes in the zone.

Hernandez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to collect his first save of the season during Wednesday's win over the Yankees.

Bud Norris had pitched each of the past three days, so Hernandez was leaned on in the save situation Wednesday. While it's encouraging to see Hernandez pitching in high-leverage situations, and particularly Wednesday's ninth inning, his role is murky going forward. Norris has been solid in the closer role, and Cam Bedrosian (groin) projects to return to the fold soon. Additionally, Huston Street (triceps) also began a rehab assignment Wednesday. Keep fantasy expectations in check for Hernandez.

Johnson, who left his start Wednesday with shoulder discomfort, is headed back to Boston on Thursday for evaluation, Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports.

Johnson said he felt some discomfort while warming up prior to the game, and when pitching coach Carl Willis visited the mound during the third inning, the left-hander admitted to the discomfort. The hope is that Johnson didn't pitch too long with the injury which could set him back. If Johnson is forced to miss his next scheduled start Monday, the Red Sox could use Hector Velazquez, who has started one game for Boston this season and picked up the win Wednesday after replacing Johnson in the third inning.

Diaz worked around a hit and a walk while striking out two for his 11th save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over Minnesota.

Since being handed his closing job back, Diaz has recorded four saves without a hitch. It looks like his patch of struggles in May was just a fluke, and it appears we're once again free to trust that Diaz will retain the ninth-inning role for the duration of the season.

Povse (hamstring) allowed three hits and three walks while striking out two during 3.1 innings with Double-A Arkansas on Wednesday.

This marks Povse's first appearance since landing on the disabled list in late May. Although he started Wednesday's contest, the Mariners are in the process of converting the 23-year-old to a bullpen role. If all goes well, Povse could be on a fast track to the majors as a reliever.

Boxberger (back) struck out the side in the seventh in his rehab appearance for Triple-A Durham against Columbus on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The outing marked the second time that Boxberger has struck out the side in his minor-league rehab appearances, although the first occasion came against a lower level of competition while pitching for High-A Charlotte. The 29-year-old right-hander needed only 15 pitches to get through his one frame and will likely take the mound again by the weekend.

Lopez was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday due to a personal matter, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox didn't specify what Lopez was dealing with, but they indicated that he would be back in the rotation for his next start. The 23-year-old has a 3.82 ERA and 1.30 WHIP through 12 starts (66 innings) with Triple-A Charlotte this season.

Johnson prematurely exited Wednesday's game against the Phillies due to left shoulder discomfort, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Johnson made it just 2.2 innings before being replaced by Hector Velazquez. The severity of the injury remains unclear given the vague diagnosis, but his status should be updated after he is reevaluated Thursday.