MLB Player News

Chapman (shoulder) may begin a throwing program Saturday, ESPN.com reports.

Chapman has been shut down since May 12 with inflammation in his rotator cuff, but he's scheduled to visit a doctor on Friday and will begin moving forward in the rehab process if given medical clearance. Once the lefty begins throwing, he'll likely have to head out on a rehab assignment before resuming the closing duties in the Bronx. While he remains without a firm timeline right now, Chapman's recovery timetable should become a bit clearer when he starts to ramp up participation in baseball activities.

Betances struck out all three batters he faced Wednesday to pick up his fourth save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Royals.

As expected, Betances has been dominant since taking over the closer spot from Aroldis Chapman (shoulder), converting four straight save chances while allowing only one hit with a 7:0 K:BB in 3.2 innings. Chapman will be re-evaluated Monday, which could give fantasy GMs invested in Betances a better idea of how long he'll continue racking up saves.

Colome recorded his 12th save with a clean ninth inning against the Angels on Wednesday.

He needed only 10 pitches (six strikes) to get the job done. Colome's sitting on a tidy 2.14 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, and he's 12-for-14 in save tries. The strikeout rate's dropped noticeably, but he's remained quite effective nonetheless. He's not among the game's top few closers, but Colome's one of the finest arms in the middle of the pack.

Garton was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Garton will give the Rays an extra healthy arm out of the bullpen after Diego Moreno (shoulder) was moved to the 10-day disabled list. The Rays are lacking in capable setup arms in front of closer Alex Colome, but Garton isn't a strong candidate to see much usage in the seventh or eighth inning. Garton had submitted a 0.59 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 15.1 innings with Durham, but owns a 4.75 ERA and 34:12 K:BB in 41.2 career innings in the big leagues.

Pagan was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.

Pagan was recalled Monday to act as a long reliever for Seattle, but after firing four strong innings in relief Tuesday night, the Mariners will send him back to the minors in exchange for a fresh arm. Pagan's strong performance could warrant another look in the big leagues in the near future, but for the time being, Rob Whalen will take his spot in the majors.

Whalen was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.

With all the injury woes plaguing the Mariners' pitching staff, Whalen will be summoned from the minors to provide some fresh innings. He seems like a candidate to fill the long-relief role in the bullpen after Emilio Pagan was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, but as per Bob Dutton of The News Tribune, Whalen is also a candidate to start Saturday's game versus the Red Sox.

Almonte was named the starter for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

With Nathan Karns (forearm) landing on the disabled list, Almonte will step up to take his turn in the rotation. The 24-year-old has been lights-out with Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season, sporting a 1.86 ERA in six starts and a relief appearance, so he'll look to carry that success into the big leagues. Karns isn't expected to miss too much time, so this very well could be Almonte's lone start in the majors in the near future.

Tate (shoulder) is "close" to being assigned to a full-season affiliate, per Yankees farm director Gary Denbo, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.

He is currently pitching in extended spring training while he rehabs a shoulder injury. Tate is still something of a mystery, as the Rangers tried to change his mechanics and then traded him to the Yankees when the results were poor. The Yankees have had a lot of recent success with maximizing the abilities of their pitching prospects, so it is possible that Tate's stock could take off once he starts pitching this year, presumably at Low-A or High-A.

Neal had his contract selected from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

Neal has produced well in a swingman role for the Sounds, posting a 3.89 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, so he'll head up to the big leagues to replace recently injured Bobby Wahl (undisclosed). Neal could be an option for a spot start if Jesse Hahn (triceps) is unable to make his next start, otherwise he'll likely fill a long-relief role out of Oakland's bullpen.

The Rangers could clear Diekman (abdomen) to do some light throwing this week, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Diekman is in the very initial stages of the rehab process and isn't expected to come off the 60-day disabled list until well after the All-Star break after recently undergoing his third and final operation to address ulcerative colitis. The Rangers will count anything they get from the left-hander this season as a bonus.