J.J. Putz (elbow) felt good after throwing a successful bullpen session on Saturday afternoon. Putz sounded "relieved" that the session went as well as it did, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The right-hander is currently rehabbing a strained flexor pronator and nerve irritation in his right elbow. As long as he continues to make steady progress, Putz should be able to rejoin the Diamondbacks' bullpen before the end of June. Heath Bell is serving as Arizona's closer for now.

J.J. Putz (elbow) will throw off a mound on Saturday. It will be his first time throwing from the bump since landing on the DL last month with a sprained ligament, a strained flexor pronator and nerve irritation in his right elbow. Assuming he doesn't have any setbacks, Putz should be ready to rejoin the D'Backs bullpen later this month.

J.J. Putz (elbow) could throw off a mound by next weekend. Putz will continue to throw off flat ground early in the week before hopefully progressing to the bump. There's no timetable for the closer's return, but he's obviously making some strides.

J.J. Putz (elbow) could possibly throw off a mound on Monday. Or he could play catch again, which is what he's been doing for the last week. With a sprained ligament, a strained flexor pronator and nerve irritation in his right elbow, Putz is certainly still an injury question mark. However, it sounds like he's not far off from a return if he can avoid a setback. Heath Bell has pitched surprisingly well since taking over the closer role, but Putz will probably get the job back as long as he's healthy.

J.J. Putz (elbow) has been playing catch from 90 feet and doing strengthening exercises, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Saturday. There is still no timetable for a return, and the Diamondbacks will proceed with caution with their 36-year-old closer. But it's promising that Putz is back to throwing less than a month after there were reports he could need season-ending surgery to fix his elbow problems.

J.J. Putz will not require major elbow surgery. Putz has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament, a strained flexor pronator and nerve irritation in his right elbow -- all of which can be addressed through rehab. He will try to return before the end of the 2013 season. Heath Bell has taken over Arizona's ninth-inning gig.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that "all signs point" to J.J. Putz needing major elbow surgery. Olney says that, even if the Diamondbacks opt for rest and rehab, Putz will be "out a long time." The D'Backs will go with Heath Bell as their closer for now, but David Hernandez is a better pitcher and could easily find himself in the ninth inning before long.

Diamondbacks placed RHP J.J. Putz on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow strain. Putz suffered the injury Tuesday during an appearance against the Dodgers and will likely be sidelined for an extended period of time. Heath Bell is taking over the Diamondbacks' ninth-inning gig and obviously needs to be owned in all standard fantasy leagues. David Hernandez is also a good speculative add.

According to manager Kirk Gibson, J.J. Putz left his appearance Tuesday because of elbow stiffness. If this has been an ongoing thing for Putz, it'd explain some of his struggles to date. Given his history, the safe play would be to put him on the DL, even if this is termed minor. There hasn't been any comment yet on who might close in Putz's place. David Hernandez, Matt Reynolds and Heath Bell could be part of a committee or perhaps Gibson will pick one of the three. Hernandez is the best reliever of the bunch, but Reynolds is performing better now and Bell got the job done tonight. We'd still take a chance on Hernandez first.

J.J. Putz left Tuesday's game in the ninth inning with an apparent right hand injury. Putz was shaking the hand after a leadoff walk to Nick Punto, so perhaps he was dealing with some numbness. If he's done for a while, the Diamondbacks could go to a closer-by-committee, with David Hernandez, Matt Reynolds and Heath Bell in the mix. We'd be more confident Hernandez would get the save chances if he weren't off to a somewhat disappointing start. Bell replaced Putz tonight, as Hernandez had already pitched.