MLB Player News

Graveman was named as the Athletics' Opening Day starter Tuesday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

This will be Graveman's second consecutive Opening Day assignment. Last season, the 27-year-old came out of the gates hot with a 2.25 ERA in his first four starts, but shoulder issues limited him to 105.1 innings. He'll take the hill against the Angels in his first regular-season start of 2018, with the announcement coming in the wake of an impressive Cactus League outing against the Dodgers on Monday during which he racked up seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings while allowing only two hits.

Santiago pitched two more scoreless innings in Monday's game against the Diamondbacks and lowered his Cactus League ERA to 0.75.

Santiago is making a push for the No. 5 starter job that was presumed to be Carson Fulmer's at the onset of spring training. Since then, Fulmer allowed Santiago to creep into the picture after posting an 18.90 ERA over his first four starts. Fulmer righted himself somewhat, throwing his best game of the spring Monday, but this competition isn't over. Each pitcher will get one more opportunity later this week. Santiago is on the same schedule as Fulmer, so if manager Rick Renteria decides the young right-hander isn't ready to start the season with Chicago, the left-handed Santiago is a ready replacement.

Fulmer did not allow a hit while walking three and striking out four over four scoreless innings in Monday's start against the Diamondbacks.

Fulmer's nightmarish spring training took a pleasant turn Monday, which may have saved his spot in the White Sox's rotation. After he posted an unsightly 18.90 ERA over his first four starts, manager Rick Renteria expressed confidence in Fulmer, and the young right-hander delivered his best outing this spring. He'll get one more starting opportunity to prove he should head north to Chicago instead of east to Triple-A Charlotte.

Fulmer took the loss in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, but went five innings and allowed just two runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one.

This was Fulmer's first appearance in 10 days and just his third this spring after dealing with elbow soreness, so it was good to see him look sharp. He ramped up to 83 pitches in this one and looks on track to be ready to go for the start of the regular season, though he won't start Opening Day, as Jordan Zimmermann will get that honor.

Diaz fired a scoreless seventh inning in Sunday's 16-3 Cactus League loss to the Indians.

The hard-throwing closer hit 97 mph on the gun during his outing, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com, and he looks to be on pace for the start of the regular season. Diaz has allowed just two hits over seven innings across seven appearances this spring, and he'll look to garner a level of consistency in 2018 that he couldn't quite muster last season. Although he racked up 34 saves over 66 appearances, Diaz also lost his closer's job for a period of time. Limiting the long ball would likely go a long way towards a steadier effort this season, as Diaz's 1.36 HR/9 in 2017 was his highest of any stop in his professional career.

Coulombe earned his second hold of spring in Sunday's 14-0 Cactus League win over the White Sox, pitching a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.

Coulombe is coming off his best major-league season in 2017, one that saw him generate a solid 3.48 ERA and 13 holds over 72 appearances. The 28-year-old represents a strong lefty relief option for manager Bob Melvin, although his value remains primarily limited to formats that count holds.

Whalen was sent to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Whalen was competing for an Opening Day rotation spot but appears to have lost out to Marco Gonzales and Ariel Miranda. He'll return to Tacoma, where he posted a 6.58 ERA in 10 starts last season. He could be back with the Mariners later this season if injuries create a need in the rotation.

Fulmer is working on a slower slider with more break this spring, MLive.com reports.

Fulmer threw his slider 21.3 percent of the time last season, and it graded out fairly well. This year's version is in the mid-80s rather than hovering around 90, though it has more break. Both velocity and break are important for the pitch, so it's not clear yet whether the arsenal change will have the desired effect for Fulmer. His ERA was a solid 3.83 last year, though his xFIP was a mediocre 4.24 and his strikeout rate dropped to 16.9 percent. It's possible the re-worked slider could help him get back some strikeouts, which would make him more valuable to fantasy owners.

Alvarado's spring ERA is down to 1.13 ERA over eight outings after he fired a scoreless eighth inning in Sunday's 10-5 Grapefruit League win over the Tigers. He also recorded a strikeout.

He was solid in a bullpen role during his 2017 rookie campaign (3.64 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 29:9 K:BB over 29.7 innings), but he's taken it up a notch this spring, allowing only three hits over eight scoreless frames while also racking up 10 whiffs. Alvarado projects as a valuable left-handed option for manager Kevin Cash in 2018, and his swing-and-miss upside could afford him plenty of high-leverage, late-inning opportunities.

Whalen (0-2) allowed nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits, three walks and a hit batsman over two innings in Sunday's 16-3 Cactus League loss to the Indians. He struck out two.

He even threw a pair of throwing errors in for good measure, leading to a disastrous outing that may have put a significant dent into his rotation hopes. Whalen has been competing with southpaw Ariel Miranda for the fifth spot, and prior to Sunday, he'd been making a formidable case. The 24-year-old right-hander had come into his outing against the Indians with a sparkling 1.38 ERA over four outings, but the pristine curveball he'd often demonstrated this spring was nowhere to be found, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "Whalen has been so good all camp," manager Scott Servais said. "It was disappointing today, he didn't have his command. His last time out he had an awesome curveball and he didn't go to it enough today. It does happen and is part of the process. Understanding where he came from to where he's at right now, he's still had a really good camp."