FAAB Factor-AL: Changing Bullpens

Starting Pitchers:

Trevor Bauer, Indians - Bauer will be promoted back to the majors this week to take the place of recently demoted Danny Salazar. Bauer earned this promotion with increased control and a spike back up in his velocity. In his most recent start at Triple-A Columbus he got roughed up, but prior to that he had been lights out, with a 2.15 ERA and 44 strikeouts to 14 walks in 46 innings. This coming week he gets the Tigers at home and Orioles on the road, neither of which are friendly matchup. Should he get beat up in either or both starts, don't lose faith, Bauer is ready to re-prove himself in the majors. Mixed: $7; AL: $25.

Samuel Deduno, Twins - Deduno earned his first win of the season this week after giving up only two earned runs to the Mariners over six innings. On the season he has a 3.53 ERA (3.16 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to 14 walks. He has shown improved ability to miss bats this season, more along the lines of what he showed in the minors. He's a fringe starter in the AL, so don't hesitate to cut him loose should he struggle. This week he gets the Giants on the road, which is a friendly matchup. Mixed: $3; AL: $10.

Danny Duffy, Royals - Duffy carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Saturday night against the Orioles, lowering his ERA to 1.42 in the process. He has fringe command as a fly ball pitcher. The Royals have used him as a starter in the past and the results have been mixed with him getting beat up for a 4.64 ERA over 20 starts in 2011 and a 1.85 ERA over five starts in 2013. He doesn't miss enough bats to be a real difference maker, but that doesn't mean he won't have value in the short term, at least not in AL only formats. This week he gets the Angels on the road, where he should likely be sat, though it'll be tough, after his recent outing. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Nick Martinez, Rangers - Injuries to Martin Perez and Matt Harrison have forced the Rangers hand, as this week they'll turn to Martinez to start for them against the Tigers on the road. It's a tough matchup for Martinez or any starter for that matter, so owners should likely stay away. He made two starts earlier this season with good results, as he put up 10 innings with two earned runs, though he only struck out three batters with six walks, which doesn't point to future success. On the season he has a 2.38 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 11 walks. This is not likely to end well for the Rangers or fantasy owners that choose to roster him. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Drew Pomeranz, A's - Pomeranz again went out and gave the A's five shutout innings this week for the second time in a row, this time against the White Sox. Though the team would like to see him go deeper into games, it's hard to argue with the results when he's transitioning from the bullpen and striking out eight batters, as in his last outing. As part of the trade that sent Brett Anderson to Colorado, Pomeranz is now in a much better environment for success with his home ball park. This week he gets Rays and Blue Jays on the road. He needs to be owned in all AL only formats and more mixed leagues. Mixed: $5; AL: $15.

Nick Tepesch, Rangers - Tepesch gave up one earned run over 5.1 innings this week agains the Astros, as the Rangers continue to search for stability in their rotation. At Triple-A Round Rock this season he had a 1.58 ERA with 41 strikeouts and nine walks over 45.2 innings. Last season he made 17 starts for the Rangers with poor results, as he posted a 4.84 ERA. He's worth adding in AL only formats to see what he can do this time around, though expectations should remain low. This week he gets the Mariners at home.. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Relief Pitchers:

Sean Doolittle, A's - The A's closing situation is a bit murky these days, as Jim Johnson tries to work himself back into the good graces of manager Bob Melvin, yet Doolittle remains the best reliever in their bullpen. This week Doolittle picked up his second save of the season, showing he can carry the torch in the ninth inning. Really this is a move that should've been made before the season, as Doolittle is an excellent reliever and very viable candidate to take the job and run with it. Still, Johnson remains in the picture though, so it's tough to really bid up Doolittle, though he's the guy with the better skills. He is a LHP, so that might play a role in how he gets used in games, but he's good enough against RHB that is shouldn't really matter. Pick him up in any leagues where you're speculating for saves, if nothing else, he's a great reliever to help your ratios. Mixed: $5; AL: $15.

Darren O'Day, Orioles - Tommy Hunter has blown two saves in his last three appearances, giving manager Buck Showalter second thoughts about sticking with him as his closer. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as Hunter is sporting a 6.46 ERA on the season, a look that few can pull off with grace. O'Day is the likely next man up, as he is styling a 0.54 ERA, a look that few can achieve. Don't be surprised to see O'Day given a shot, as it's clear that Hunter is bringing a gas can with him to the mound. Mixed: $6; AL: $18.

Chad Qualls, Astros - This week Astros manager Bo Porter tabbed Qualls as his closer. The move makes sense as the rest of the bullpen has been awful this season, while Qualls has a 3.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts and three walks over 13.2 IP. He is good at inducing ground balls and has closer experience in the past, both of which point to a chance for future success in the ninth inning. Pick him up in any leagues where he's still available. Mixed: $6; AL: $18.

Catchers:

Steve Clevenger, Orioles - With Matt Wieters on the DL indefinitely, Clevenger remains the O's starting catcher. This week he had a 3-for-4 game with two doubles, showing he has some power. On the season he is batting .254/.302/.424 with eight doubles and no home runs over 63 PA. Expect him to continue to start behind the plate, until Wieters is healthy, which may be a while, as Tommy John surgery is still a possibility for his injured elbow. Mixed: $3; AL: $10.

Corner Infielders:

Jesus Aguilar, Indians - The Indians recalled Aguilar from Triple-A Columbus this week, after Nyjer Morgan landed on the DL. At Columbus, Aguilar was ripping it up with a .298/.395/.519 batting line and seven home runs over 152 PA. He figures to see only limited playing time however, thus limiting his value. Mixed: No; AL: $2.

Kyle Blanks, A's - The A's traded for Blanks this week from the Padres. He's expected to hit against LHB in a platoon with Brandon Moss, which limits his value. For his career, he's a .237/.336/.397 hitter against LHP, which suggests he is not likely to hit well. He has shown power in the past, but most of that was in the minors. Take a flyer on him in AL only formats. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Brock Holt, Red Sox - Will Middlebrooks landed on the DL on Saturday with a broken finger in his right hand, thus the need to recall up Holt from Triple-A Pawtucket. While there, he hit .315/.380/.454 with one home run over 121 PA. He has never hit for power or stolen many bases, so his upside is limited. Still, getting playing time in this lineup, he should be useful for his counting stats, if he continues to hit. Mixed: $2; AL: $7.

Luis Jimenez, Angels - Jimenez was recalled this week from Triple-A Salt Lake, after Ian Stewart hit the DL. At Salt Lake he hit .265/.308/.540 with eight home runs and five stolen bases over 121 PA. He should see steady playing time until Stewart returns, which figures to be the minimum amount of time, as he's dealing with a bruised hand after getting hit by a pitch. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Paul Konerko, White Sox - Konerko figures to see increased playing time, now that Jose Abreu is on the DL with an ankle injury. On the season the 38-year old is only batting .208/.259/.333 with one home run over 54 PA. He should hit somewhat better than this with regular at-bats, though the power is likely to stay down. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Jonathan Singleton, Astros - Keep stashing Singleton in all leagues, as he is close to coming up once we're into June and Super 2 dates have passed. He's hitting a hot .276/.387/.586 with 12 homers at Triple-A Oklahoma City. It's a matter of when and not if he'll be called up to help the Astros lowly offense. The list of first base prospects in the AL starts and pretty much ends with him, so scoop him up in all formats. Mixed: $7; AL: $25.

Middle Infielders:

Grant Green, Angels - Green got his bat going this week going 6-for-17 with a double and home run. Right now he's seeing steady playing time between second base and left field, though he is traditionally an infielder. Last season at Triple-A Salt Lake he hit .325/.379/.500 with 11 home runs over 415 PA. Find a place for him in AL only formats, until Josh Hamilton (thumb) is ready to return. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Eduardo Nunez, Twins - Called up last week from Triple-A Rochester, Nunez has started to hit this week with the Twins, going 8-for-26 since being called up with one home run. He's currently seeing playing time at third base and left field, but he's traditionally a shortstop and third baseman by glove. He's shown decent speed in the past, though that has yet to surface in his time with the Twins. Mixed: $2; AL: $8.

Sean Rodriguez, Rays - With Ben Zobrist (thumb) landing on the DL, the Rays figure to go with Rodriguez most games at second base. This season he has hit .242/.288/.516 with four home runs over 66 PA. The power spike is a welcomed development for Rodriguez, who has never hit more than nine home runs in a season in the majors. He's shown speed in the past, but not any in the last three seasons. Expect him to be a decent fill-in, until Zobrist comes back. Mixed: $3; AL: $10.

Outfielders:

Adam Eaton, White Sox - Eaton was activated from the DL this Sunday, after dealing with a hamstring injury. Before he got hurt, he was hitting .276/.363/.378 with one home run and two stolen bases over 113 PA. He should show more power and speed than that as the leadoff hitter for the White Sox. Last season with the Diamondbacks, he hit .252/.314/.360 with three home runs and five stolen bases over 277 PA. Pick him up in any mixed leagues where he was dropped. Mixed: $8; AL: Owned.

Nick Franklin, Mariners - Franklin is close to getting recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to help the M's in their outfield. He's currently dealing with a back issue, but once he's over that, he's likely to get the call. He's hit .376/.481/.633 with seven home runs and six stolen bases at Tacoma. There's also talk that he could replace the struggling Brad Miller at shortstop. Either way, he's a good speculative add in AL only formats this week. Mixed: $3; AL: $12.

James Jones, Mariners - Since being called back up, Jones has been stringing together the hits for the Marines in the leadoff role. He has gotten his batting line up to .333/.395/.487 over 44 PA. He's still looking for his first home run of the season, though owners shouldn't hold their breath as he didn't hit for much power in the minors. He needs to be owned in more AL only and mixed formats as long as he's leading off. Mixed: $4; AL: $14.

Chris Parmelee, Twins - Parmelee hit two home runs this week, pushing his batting line up to .276/.323/.483 over 31 PA on the season. He's been seeing time in right field, as Chris Colabello continues to cool off. Parmelee didn't show much power in the minors, though he did get off to a good start this season at Triple-A Rochester, hitting .305/.378/.542 with seven home runs over 135 PA. Pick him up in any AL only format where he's still available. Mixed: $4; AL: $15.

Note: If you have anyone else you'd like me to discuss, just drop a line in the comments section.