MLB Player News

Fulmer (elbow) is scheduled to resume throwing after meeting with a doctor Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Fulmer will play light catch for the first time since landing on the disabled list, and if all goes well, he'll likely progress to a bullpen session. The 24-year-old doesn't seem too worried about the issue, as he said the inflammation in his elbow has been gone for four or five days, but the Tigers will still play it safe by having him checked out by a doctor. If everything checks out, Fulmer could indeed be back after a very brief stay on the DL.

Norris (groin) said he felt great after throwing a 40-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

This is encouraging news, as Norris continues to work his way back from a groin injury that has kept him sidelined since early July. Tuesday marked his second successful bullpen three days, and he was able to get up and down twice with no issues. The Tigers haven't announced the next step in his recovery, but the 24-year-old appears to be inching closer to a rehab assignment.

Lopez was confirmed as the starting pitcher for Friday's game against the Royals, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Lopez is set to join the White Sox's rotation after compiling a 3.79 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 121 innings (22 starts) for Triple-A Charlotte this season. He'll replace Mike Pelfrey in the starting rotation, as Pelfrey was shifted to the bullpen to accommodate Lopez's arrival. The 23-year-old should be looked at in most AL-only formats along with deeper mixed leagues.

Valdez was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

This could help explain Valdez's struggles during his most recent start, as he was lit up for six runs in 3.1 innings. There is no estimated return date for him at this point, and it remains unclear whether he will rejoin the starting rotation when he does return given his unsightly 10.32 ERA over his previous three starts. Leonel Campos was recalled from Triple-A to take his place on the roster, though his replacement in the rotation has yet to be named.

Valdez was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with a right shoulder impingement, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

After impressing in his initial start with the Blue Jays on July 25, tossing six innings of one-run ball, Valdez failed to get out of the fourth inning in his subsequent two turns, yielding a combined 13 runs (12 earned) over 5.1 frames. The shoulder issue may have factored into Valdez's back-to-back poor outings, but that won't necessarily earn him another look in the rotation once he eventually regains health. In the meantime, the Blue Jays will have to sift through their pool of minor-league starters to find a rotation replacement for Valdez, who was initially on track to pitch Wednesday against the Yankees.

Shaw, who is having one of his worst seasons in years, has been plagued by a major-drop off in the effectiveness of his slider, SB Nation reports.

Now in his seventh MLB season, Shaw owns a career-high 3.51 ERA and is on pace to notch fewer than 20 holds for the first time since 2013. Last year, the setup man owned a career-best 25.1 percent strikeout rate in large part because he induced swinging strikes on 20.6 percent of his sliders. This year, that number is down to 10.8 percent. Shaw's slider is missing the late break that made the pitch so effective in recent campaigns, and without that good movement, he's simply not as useful as he once was in deep formats.

Junis was optioned back to Triple-A Omaha on Monday after tossing a gem in Sunday's spot start against Seattle.

The move comes as expected after Junis was added to be the 26th man for Sunday's doubleheader. He's 4-2 with a 4.70 ERA in 10 games (seven starts) with the big-league club this season. At Triple-A, hitters have been overpowered by the 24-year-old in 2017 (2.92 ERA and 86 strikeouts through 71 innings), and it's widely expected Junis will be a mainstay in the Royals' rotation next season.

Belisle pitched a scoreless ninth inning to collect his second save of the season during Monday's win over Milwaukee.

Belisle picked up his first save of the season Sunday, and he was right back out to record his second Monday. The Twins were expected to roll with a committee approach to close out games after dealing Brandon Kintzler, but it's probably Belisle's job to loss at this point. Belisle should thus be owned in all fantasy formats, but just keep in mind that his 4.43 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 7.5 K/9 aren't strong supporting statistics.

Paredes was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Paredes tossed 4.1 scoreless innings in his most recent stint with the big club, but he'll head back to Triple-A as the Angels swap him out for a fresh bullpen arm in Jose Alvarez. The 22-year-old has impressed in the minors this season, compiling a 2.17 ERA and 52 strikeouts across 45.2 innings, so he'll likely see another shot with the Angels before the season is over.

Covey (oblique) is transferring his rehab assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Covey, who kicked off a rehab assignment with in Arizona last week, compiled five strikeouts through five scoreless innings (three starts) with the White Sox's rookie-level affiliate. He's been sidelined since May 23 with an oblique injury, so he'll likely need a few outings with the Knights before he's ready to rejoin the big club. Barring any injuries to the major-league starting rotation, Covey will likely slot back into White Sox's bullpen after compiling an 8.12 ERA and 1.81 WHIP through eight starts with the big club earlier in the season.