MLB Player News

The Astros have officially activated reliever Josh Fields from the disabled list. He had been out since June 14 with a forearm injury.

Fields, who opened the season as the closer, has struggled with a 1-4 mark and 5.93 ERA.

Yankees closer David Robertson picked up his 19th save Thursday, striking out three batters and walking one in a scoreless ninth inning to finish off his team's 7-4 win over the Twins.

Robertson needed 25 pitches to collect three outs Thursday, giving him six straight outings throwing 17 or more pitches. He owns a 2.83 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 51:10 K:BB ratio in 28 1/3 innings.

Two days after their primary setup man, Joel Peralta, blew a save and one day after their former closer, Grant Balfour, recorded his 11th, the Rays turned to Brad Boxberger in the ninth inning of a three-run game Wednesday.

All this coming off a weekend when Jake McGee appeared to lock up the role.

Frankly, if the Rays prefer not to confine their top lefty to the ninth inning, I'm not sure Boxberger isn't the best choice. He has closer stuff and, after struggling with his control in previous stints in the majors, appears to have harnessed it. In 31 appearances, he has a 2.87 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

What more could you want from a closer?

Of course, McGee's numbers are even better, and Joe Maddon clearly hasn't turned the page from Balfour yet. Juan Carlos Oviedo has gotten a save since the Rays went closer by committee and also has experience in the role. Something tells me that if the Rays haven't settled on any one pitcher yet, Boxberger's save Wednesday doesn't change that.

But you shouldn't dismiss him as just a fringe candidate either. He's a contender to fill the role full-time.

The White Sox didn't have a save situation Wednesday and still haven't had one since Zach Putnam recorded a save Saturday at Toronto. But of course, a save situation isn't the only situation in which a team uses its closer, and manager Robin Ventura may have tipped his hand for his preferred choice for the role with the way he used Putnam Wednesday.

Because the home team always bats last, its only chance for a save is the ninth inning, so it often uses its closer in the ninth inning of a tie game just to ensure the game stays tied.

Putnam pitched the ninth inning of Wednesday's game against the Angels, which is how he ended up with the win.

Of course, he technically entered with two outs in the eighth, which isn't normally how a team uses its closer, so if we're going to read into which way Ventura is leaning based on how he uses his relievers in non-save situations, we can't just ignore that.

But considering Putnam got the last save, I'm willing to bet he gets the next one, too. He may not profile as a closer in terms of pure stuff, but with a 2.20 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, he's the best the White Sox have.

Mariners pitcher Fernando Rodney tossed a perfect ninth to close out a 5-2 win over the Astros Wednesday.

Rodney needed just 15 pitches to retire the side in order. He struck out one batter and picked up two groundball outs en route to his 24th save.

Rodney has blown just two save opportunities, and now leads the American League in saves. He has a 2.16 ERA in 33 1/3 innings, with 38 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Athletics starter Jesse Chavez made it two poor outings in a row Wednesday in Detroit. The result was the lowering of his record to 6-5.

Chavez was handed a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but he was trailing by the fourth and collapsed in the sixth with two walks that scored to give him five earned runs allowed in five innings. He gave up eight hits while walking four and fanning five. He has walked 11 in his last 17 innings pitched.

He will try to turn his fortunes around Monday against San Francisco.

It was Brad Boxberger's turn to close out a game Wednesday at N.Y. Yankees as part of the Rays' closer-by-committee approach. The right-handed reliever picked up his first save this season and second career save during a 6-3 win.

Boxberger retired the side in order in the ninth inning, which included strikeouts of Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter. He now has 48 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings and lowered his ERA to 2.87.

Right-hander Anthony Bass has been activated off the disabled list by the Astros, who in turn demoted left-hander Kevin Chapman to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Rangers pitcher Nick Martinez dropped his fifth decision in a row Tuesday, in an 8-3 loss to the Orioles.

Martinez's winless streak stretched to seven starts, as he trailed from the first inning, win he gave up two runs on consecutive home runs. He was charged with eight runs -- six earned -- in five innings, on seven hits and one walk, while striking out one batter on 98 pitches.

Martinez fell to 1-6 with the loss, while his ERA rose to 5.10 in 67 innings. His next start is set for Sunday against the Mets in New York.

White Sox pitcher Scott Carroll was stuck with a loss Tuesday after giving up seven earned runs on 10 hits and three walks in six-plus innings while striking out two in his team's 7-5 defeat against the Angels.

Carroll (2-5) surrendered three runs in the second inning before giving up a two-run home run in the fifth and one more run in the sixth. With six runs to his credit, he still came out for the seventh inning, walking two batters before being pulled. One of those runners came home to score as the White Sox walked two more in the inning.

Carroll owns a 5.37 ERA and 26:21 K:BB ratio in 57 innings after putting together back-to-back poor starts. He's scheduled to face the Red Sox Monday.