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.