J.J. Putz (elbow) will make a third rehab appearance Friday, with the goal being to activate him next Tuesday if all goes well.

Putz has had back-to-back scoreless appearances for the Arizona League Diamondbacks and his elbow appears to be feeling good. His return means David Hernandez, who is 7-for-7 in save chances while allowing just one baserunner while filling in for Putz, will be pushed back into a setup role.

J.J. Putz (elbow) tossed a perfect inning Tuesday night in his second minor league rehab appearance with the Arizona League Diamondbacks.

All three outs were on ground balls. Putz has back-to-back scoreless appearances during his rehab stint and should be back with the Diamondbacks rather quickly. David Hernandez will return to a set-up role once he does.

J.J. Putz (elbow) won't be activated from the disabled list until next week at the earliest.

Putz threw about 30 pitches Thursday and "felt good," but the D'Backs would prefer that he show he can pitch on back-to-back days before activating him. He hurt the elbow after pitching three days in a row. "It's not that he doesn't feel good," manager Kirk Gibson said. "We're going to throw him (Friday), we'll wait a couple days, and then we'll throw him again... We have to make the decision, do we want to bring him back knowing that we can only pitch him one day and then we have to give him a day off maybe two days off? I would probably say no."

J.J. Putz (elbow) will rejoin the Diamondbacks immediately after the All-Star break.

Putz's bullpen session Sunday went well, but the D'Backs want to be extra cautious. He is expected to miss the series against the Dodgers before likely returning the following week against the Brewers. David Hernandez owners can keep him active for one more week.

J.J. Putz (elbow) had a successful 27-pitch bullpen session Sunday.

Putz was able to throw all of his pitches and said he had no pain in his elbow. He's scheduled for another session on Thursday and, assuming that goes well, he'll likely be activated from the disabled list for the start of the second half. It sounds like Sunday might be the last chance David Hernandez owners have to squeeze out one more save.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said J.J. Putz (elbow) will regain his closer job once healthy.

David Hernandez has converted all five of his save chances while Putz has been out and has done so in dominating fashion. But, Gibson left little doubt that Putz is still his guy in the ninth inning. "Do I even have to answer that question?" Gibson said. It's no surprise, as Putz pitched quite well before his injury. He'll throw a full bullpen session Sunday, and if that goes well, he could be back just after the All-Star break, though Gibson left open the possibility that it could be a little longer. "I said he'd be ready after the All-Star Game, but I didn't say when," the manager said.

J.J. Putz (elbow) threw lightly off a mound Friday.

Putz only threw about 10 pitches, but it's still a nice sign of progress. He's expected to ramp up the intensity for a full bullpen session Sunday. If all goes well, he could return from the disabled list as soon as he's eligible on July 16. David Hernandez will continue to handle ninth-inning duties for now.

J.J. Putz (elbow) played catch Tuesday for the second straight day without incident.

Putz threw for 10 minutes from a distance of approximately 90 feet. He hopes to throw from a bullpen mound on Sunday. Putz is eligible to return from the disabled list on July 16 and aims to avoid a minor league rehab assignment. David Hernandez will continue to handle save chances in the interim.

J.J. Putz has been given a cortisone injection for his sore elbow.

Putz wouldn't have been able to throw for five days after the injection, which helped convince the D'Backs to go ahead an place him on the disabled list. They're hoping he'll be good to go right after the All-Star break, but we're not sure that's realistic. Putz said his elbow started bothering him after he worked three consecutive games last week, so when (if) he does return, we would expect the D'Backs to tread cautiously with his workload.

Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers is "hopeful" J.J. Putz (elbow) will be able to return following the All-Star break.

That would seem to be the best-case scenario for somebody with Putz's injury history, so don't be surprised if he ends up returning closer to the end of the month. David Hernandez is the early favorite for saves in Putz's absence, but it wouldn't be stunning if the Diamondbacks ended up going with a closer-by-committee approach.

Diamondbacks placed RHP J.J. Putz on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 29, with right elbow tendinitis.

Troubling news given his history, but not entirely surprising, either. Though he was very effective to begin the season, Putz had a 6.17 ERA and blew four saves in June. David Hernandez should be favorite to close here, so he makes for a solid add in most mixed leagues. Look for the D-Backs to be active on the trade front if Putz requires a lengthy absence.

J.J. Putz earned his 20th save Thursday in the Diamondbacks' 5-3 win over the Royals.

Putz hit a few rough patches earlier this month, but he's registered two straight scoreless frames and looks to be right back on track. The right-hander has a 2.53 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through 32 innings.

J.J. Putz blew his third save of the season on Thursday, surrendering a run on two hits in the ninth inning, although the Diamondbacks prevailed 3-2 in extra innings.

If you recently traded for Putz, we extend our sympathy. He has gone through a serious rough patch this month, blowing three save opportunities and yielding at least one earned run in four of seven outings. He still has a .270 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, and opponents are hitting only .202 against him. The last two weeks might be a mere short-term correction of his lights-out start to the season, or it could signal a more significant realignment toward his career numbers.

J.J. Putz returned to action on Monday June 13.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said that he expects J.J. Putz (back) to be available Friday night against the Marlins.

Putz was unavailable Thursday due to neck and lower back stiffness, but reported improvement upon arriving to the ballpark Friday. David Hernandez, who closed out Thursday's game, would likely fill in if he needs another day.

J.J. Putz blew his second save of the season in last night's extra-inning loss to the Pirates.

He gave up a ground rule double to Andrew McCutchen followed by an RBI single by Neil Walker to tie the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Pirates would eventually win on a walkoff homer by McCutchen in the bottom of the 12th. Putz successfully converted each of his first 16 save chances, but has blown two out of his last three. However, he still has an outstanding 2.00 ERA and 27/6 K/BB ratio over 27 innings. He's been one of the better bargain closers in fantasy until this point.

J.J. Putz hasn't allowed an earned run in 13 appearances this month.

He's successfully converted his first 16 saves for the Diamondbacks, shattering Byung-Hyun Kim's franchise record of 10. The 33-year-old Putz posted a 3.60 ERA in April and has whittled that number down to 1.57 with 13 scoreless innings in May. Pitching for the first-place Diamondbacks, Putz has significant fantasy value.

J.J. Putz hasn't allowed an earned run in May.

He's successfully converted 12 straight saves for the Diamondbacks, breaking Byung-Hyun Kim's franchise record of 10. The 33-year-old has helped to turn around Arizona's formerly putrid bullpen and easily justified his two-year, $10 million contract. Putz boats a 1.89 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 19/5 K/BB ratio through 19 innings.

J.J. Putz nabbed his eighth save of the season Saturday with a scoreless ninth inning against the Dodgers.

Putz allowed a hit and walked a batter, but was able to reel it in and shut down the minor threat. He now has a 2.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the young season.

J.J. Putz earned his sixth save of the season by protecting a one-run lead against the Cubs Sunday.

This one wasn't easy for Putz. He gave up a leadoff double, but was able to induce a game-ending double play off the bat of Jeff Baker. Putz remains a good bet to hold the closing gig all season.