36 Andrew Kittredge RP

Kittredge was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Juan Toribio of The Athletic Tampa Bay reports.

He logged two scoreless innings while walking two and striking out one on Sunday against the Mets, and the fact that he no longer qualifies as a fresh arm likely led to his demotion. Chris Archer was activated ahead of his start as a corresponding move. Kittredge will likely be back up at some point this summer.

Kittredge was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Kittredge will add extra depth to the Rays' bullpen while providing the ability to "open" a game for the club should it be required. He's appeared in 13 contests in the big leagues in 2018, posting an unsightly 9.72 ERA and 1.98 WHIP across 16.2 innings. Look for him to serve out of a middle-relief role while with the team.

The Rays optioned Kittredge to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Kittredge's demotion comes shortly after he was pummeled for six runs on six hits and a walk while failing to record an out in his 24-pitch appearance during Sunday's 17-1 loss to the Orioles. Look for the Rays to bring a fresh reliever onto the 25-man roster ahead of Monday's series opener in Kansas City.

Kittredge fired a perfect eighth inning in a loss to the Braves on Wednesday, recording two strikeouts.

Four days after making a "bullpen day" start that lasted a quick two innings, Kittredge mowed through the potent trio of Ronald Acuna, Jr., Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis on an efficient 11 pitches, retiring the first two on swinging strikeouts. The right-hander has posted scoreless efforts in three of four May appearances, lowering his ERA from 7.36 to 5.63 in the process.

Kittredge started but did not factor into the decision in a win over the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk over two innings while also recording a strikeout.

The right-hander got the call to open Friday's "bullpen day" game, but he worked up to a robust 36 pitches over his pair of frames. Ryan Yarbrough ultimately bailed out manager Kevin Cash with five scoreless frames following Kittredge's exit. Kittredge was coming off back-to-back scoreless relief outings, and he's generated a solid 2.25 ERA over his first three appearances of May overall.