What It Means:

Oakland gave their bullpen a minor makeover on Thursday, as Zach Neal was also optioned back to Triple-A Nashville, while right-hander Andrew Triggs and southpaw Daniel Coulombe were called up to replace them. Doolittle reportedly blames his recent workload for the soreness in his shoulder. Fortunately, it's in a different area than the injury that sidelined him for the majority of the 2015 season.

Doolittle has been strong in relief this season, compiling a 2.93 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 28.93 strikeout percentage over 30 2/3 innings before winding up on the disabled list. He has converted 12 of his 13 leads on the year, including four saves and one blown.