MLB Player News

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.

Leone, who began 2017 with a relatively insignificant bullpen role, has taken over a high-leverage job since early July, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Leone was picked up off waivers by the Jays in November after he posted a 4.07 ERA over his first three seasons with Seattle and Arizona. The right-hander has turned in a career-best 2.52 and 1.04 WHIP through 42 games this year. "Shoot, he's been good all year, he really has," manager John Gibbons said. "He's been a workhorse for us, too. He's been used in the middle innings, but he can really fill any role for you. He'll throw multiple innings. He's done a lot of good things." Leone has four holds over his last 10 appearances.

Zych notched his 10th hold in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Royals, firing a scoreless sixth inning and recording two strikeouts.

Zych fired nine of his 13 pitches for strikes while posting his 12th scoreless effort in the last 14 appearances. The 27-year-old right-hander continues to see a brisk workload and has shown no ill effects from making a career-high 40 appearances thus far. Zych's solid 2.23 ERA, 10 holds and 32 strikeouts over 36.1 innings give him value in AL-only and deep formats that count holds.

Gonsalves was promoted to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, Michael Avallone of MiLB.com reports.

After registering his sixth straight win with Double-A Chattanooga on Friday while dropping his season ERA to 2.68 (along with a 1.03 WHIP and 9.9 K/9) over 87.1 innings, Gonsalves will now get a chance to test himself at the minors' top level before the campaign draws to a close. The 23-year-old is still regaining some velocity after an early-season shoulder injury kept his fastball in the 88-92 mph range in his initial starts with Chattanooga, making his achievements to date all the more impressive. The southpaw could enter 2018 as the Twins' top pitching prospect.