MLB Player News

Graveman (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Graveman is only expected to miss one start while on the disabled list, so it's not surprising to hear he'll throw a bullpen on Friday. Assuming there aren't any setbacks, he should be ready to make his April 25 scheduled start against the Angels.

Valdez was officially named the Athletics' starter for Thursday's game against the Mariners, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Valdez is set to have his contract purchased from Triple-A Nashville in order to make a spot start Thursday in place of the injured Kendall Graveman (shoulder). The 32-year-old has a 2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 12:0 K:BB through two starts (10 innings) at Triple-A this season, but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2010. Graveman is only expected to miss one start, so it will likely be a brief stint in the majors for Valdez.

Barnes was called up by the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Mike Wilner of 590 The Fan reports.

Barnes was added to the big-league roster to take the place of Matt Dermody, who was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday after struggling in his only appearance (five runs through 0.1 innings). The 27-year-old spent some time with the Blue Jays in 2016, posting a 3.95 ERA through 13.2 innings (12 appearances). It seems likely Toronto will continue to use Barnes out of the bullpen, where he has primarily served in the past, so look for the Blue Jays to recall a starter from Triple-A to fill in for Aaron Sanchez when Toronto needs a fifth starter April 22 against the Angels.

Valdez will likely have his contract purchased from Triple-A Nashville in order to make a spot start this week for the A's, ESPN's Enrique Rojas reports.

The A's need a spot starter to fill in for Kendall Graveman (shoulder), who is on the DL and expected to miss just one start. That means Valdez, who would have started on Wednesday for Nashville, could be inserted into the rotation Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. A Wednesday start would give Jesse Hahn an extra day of rest, but Hahn is currently listed as the probable starter for Wednesday, so we will operate under the assumption that Valdez will start Thursday at home against the Mariners. Valdez, 32, has a 2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 12:0 K:BB in 10 innings (two starts) at Triple-A this season, but has not pitched in the majors since 2010. He posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 114:13 K:BB in 138.1 innings with the Astros' Triple-A affiliate last year, so elite control appears to be his top skill.

Shaw dealt a clean seventh inning in Monday's win over the Twins en route to his second hold of 2017.

Shaw's 11-pitch appearance was a nice rebound from Sunday's ugly effort (two runs on three hits in one inning). Coming into the contest versus the Twins, the 29-year-old had surrendered four runs on seven hits and two walks in his previous four innings, so Monday's effort was a calming event for Shaw's owners.

Barnes is expected to fill the closer role Tuesday after Craig Kimbrel pitched for a third straight day Monday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Barnes had been unavailable Monday after he pitched two straight games but should be available for duty Tuesday against the Blue Jays. While his spot as an eighth-inning reliever seemingly puts him in position to close Tuesday if needed, manager John Farrell is also a believer in matchups. With Kimbrel unavailable, Farrell could use left-handers for important ninth-inning outs. That means Robbie Ross or Robby Scott could also be in position for a save opportunity.

Johnson has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to start for Boston on Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Bill Ballou of the Providence Journal reports.

Johnson is the fill-in starter for Eduardo Rodriguez, who is away from the team on paternity leave. For the PawSox this season, Johnson has shown improvement in strike throwing relative to his spring outings. This is expected to be a one-start call-up for Johnson, but it's an important start in terms of how the organization views its starting depth. Johnson, Henry Owens, Kyle Kendrick and Roenis Elias are all in the mix for starts this season, should the need arise.

Devenski pitched two perfect innings and struck out four batters in Houston's 3-0 win over the Angels on Monday.

Devesnki struck out the side in the sixth and then punctuated his night by striking out Mike Trout on three pitches to end the seventh. The right-hander, who's been dubbed "The Dragon," has been sublime to start the 2017 season. He's struck out 21 over 11 innings spanning four outings. He's a unique weapon to be deployed anytime in a game and is typically used for more than three outs.

Chapman recorded two outs to collect his fourth save of the season during Monday's win over Chicago.

The elite closer hasn't allowed a run this season and has eight strikeouts through 5.1 innings. With the Yankees boasting a 9-4 record and scoring runs in bunches, Chapman can be expected to continue seeing enough save opportunities to remain a high-end fantasy asset.

Giles pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts for his third save of the year in Monday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Giles is a perfect 3-for-3 in save chances in 2017 despite being hit with a loss already and allowing five runs in six innings of work. The flamethrower's elite strikeout rate (16.5 K/9) and ability to keep the ball in the yard make him a near-elite fantasy fireman. It also helps that he's closing things out for an Astros team that's favored to win the AL West.