Daniel Murphy Starts Hitting Off Tee

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (knee) has begun to hit balls off a tee, according to new manager Dave Martinez. The team is bringing Murphy back at a glacial pace as he recovers from debridement microfracture surgery he had back in October right after the season ended. Murphy has a history of injuries, so […]

Ben Zobrist Will Play In First Spring Game Tuesday

Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) will make his Spring Training debut on Tuesday, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Zobrist has been held out as a precaution due to back issues. The veteran is likely to play in many games his year, but both infielder Javier Baez and infielder/outfielder Ian Happ should draw more […]

Hitters Who Changed Scenes for 2018

We are just weeks away from the start of the 2018 baseball regular season, which makes it a good time to look back at the big roster moves made in this most recent offseason. I already provided a group of four pitchers who changed scenes. Now, here are four hitters who moved to different teams. For […]

Ozzie Albies Has Great Day At Plate For Braves

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies wants to lock down the job before the team breaks camp. He helped his cause on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a run. Albies is now hitting .400 and it looks like it would take a total collapse for him to not be in Atlanta when the season starts.

Nick Gordon, Brock Stassi Likely To Return Sunday

The Minnesota Twins expect to get second baseman Nick Gordon (wrist) and first baseman Brock Stassi (back) back in time to participate in Sunday's spring training game. Gordon has been sidelined since straining his wrist sliding into third base earlier in the week, while Stassi has been dealing with back spasms throughout the week. Gordon […]

RotoBaller Industry Expert Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

On Thursday, February 15th, we brought together an illustrious group of industry experts to take part in the RotoBaller Friends and Family mock draft. We'll be playing this out as a best ball league. Our participants represented sites like: Creative Sports (Lawr Michaels) Fangraphs (Alex Chamberlain) GuruElite (Ray Flowers) Fantasy Alarm (Howard Bender) CBS (Heath […]

Joe Panik (2B, SF) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~295 CURRENT ADP: 385 ANALYSIS: Over the past two seasons, Joe Panik has put up eerily similar numbers, averaging 10 homers, 64 runs and 58 RBI. The only fluctuation was his batting average, where an unlucky .245 BABIP in 2016 resulted in a significantly lower .239 BA versus his career .282. Now […]

Ben Zobrist Close To Game Action

Chicago Cubs second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) is getting close to game action and manager Joe Maddon said that he could play in games as early next week. Zobrist has been dealing with back issues for all of spring training, but Maddon has said all along that he is going to take it easy with […]

Scott Kingery Accepting Fact He Will Start In Triple-A

Philadelphia Phillies infield prospect Scott Kingery is off to a great start this Spring Training, but it means little to nothing for his chances of landing on the big league roster come Opening Day. The 23-year-old is blocked at second base by Cesar Hernandez, and it simply benefits the Phillies to keep him in the […]

Luis Urias' Callup Probably Sooner Than Later

San Diego Padres manager Andy Green offered glowing remarks about 20-year-old second baseman Luis Urias on Thursday. San Diego's No. 3 prospect is making a strong case to make the MLB Opening Day roster, pushing incumbents Carlos Asuaje and Cory Spangenberg. While logistics of team control will likely prevent him from making the squad outright, […]

Points Leagues Shortstops: Overvalued and Undervalued

As we’ve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different beast than the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that you’re making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Luckily for you, you don’t have to go it […]

Marco Hernandez Six Weeks Away From Baseball Activities

Boston Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez (shoulder) says it will be about six weeks before he can start baseball activities, reported Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Hernandez returned to camp from Boston on Tuesday. While in Boston, he had two screws removed from his shoulder, stemming from a procedure he had in May. He will be […]

Matt Duffy To Miss A Couple Days

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Matt Duffy (back), who was scratched with back spasms Tuesday, said he will only be out a couple of days. "No issues with the foot. Just a little back spasm. It'll be a couple days. It's pretty anti-climactic," Duffy said. Duffy missed all of 2017 with injuries, but he should have […]

Nick Gordon Strains Right Wrist

Minnesota Twins second baseman Nick Gordon strained his right wrist sliding into third base in a spring training game on Wednesday. The injury appears to be minor, as Gordon was able to remain in the game and was able to field a ground ball without any issues in the following half inning. Gordon is regarded […]

Dustin Pedroia Hitting Wednesday

Updating a report from Tuesday, Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) will start hitting Wednesday, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Pedroia is still recovering from offseason knee surgery, which included not only cartilage restoration in his knee but also microfracture surgery on his tibia. He started taking grounders last week. […]

Points Leagues Third Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued

Most fantasy baseball analysis is geared toward rotisserie and head-to-head formats. Given the popularity of those setups, that's understandable. But plenty of folks out there play in points leagues, and player values can change quite a bit in that format compared to the more mainstream variants. This series is aimed at identifying some of the players […]

Jason Kipnis Off to a Great Start This Spring

Cleveland Indians second baseman/outfielder Jason Kipnis is off to a great start in Cactus League play this year. He hit two home runs on Tuesday, recording four RBI in a win over the Oakland Athletics. It's still February, so Kipnis' fast start may ultimately mean nothing, but his hot start is nice to see after […]

Ian Happ Hits Second Home Run

Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ian Happ hit his second leadoff homer of the spring versus the White Sox on Tuesday. The Cubs have floated names around for the leadoff spot in the order, but Happ has made a strong impression. The rookie forced his way up to the big leagues last year and hasn’t looked back. Happ […]

Dustin Pedroia To Start Hitting Soon

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) will start hitting on the field soon, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Pedroia is still recovering from offseason knee surgery. He started taking grounders last week. While hitting on the field is good news, Pedroia is still a long way from running the bases.

Matt Carpenter "Not Concerned At All" About His Back

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said he is "not concerned at all" about his sore back. Carpenter experienced discomfort in his back nine days ago in Cardinals camp and has yet to resume "baseball activities." The extent of his activity has been standing in the batter's box during batting practice without taking any swings. […]

Marco Hernandez Returns To Camp

Boston Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez returned to camp Tuesday after his second shoulder procedure in a year, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. A week ago, Hernandez returned to Boston after doctors determined that pins put in his shoulder last May needed to be removed. The initial report was Hernandez would return when he was […]

Cory Spangenberg Injures Wrist During Workout

AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports San Diego Padres infielder Cory Spangenberg jammed his wrist and will be out a "short period of time." Spangenberg was expected to compete with second baseman Carlos Asuaje for playing time at second base. His absence will open more opportunities for Jose Pirela, who will see action at second due to the […]

Ben Zobrist Could Get Game Action This Week

Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) could see some game action this week. Zobrist missed the beginning of spring training with back soreness, but in recent days has been on the field and even took some swings in the batting cage. The Cubs are taking it easy with the veteran, and he should be good […]

Top 500: Mixed Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (February)

Spring training is officially here! To celebrate, today we are here to look at our staff's updated 2018 fantasy baseball mixed league rankings for February and the top 500 players. Our rankings are updated weekly, but enough changes have taken place recently (see humidor, Arizona) to release a new overall list. Over the next few weeks we will also be publishing individual tiered […]

Jonathan Schoop Connects For Homer In Loss

Remember when we were worried about Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop missing a game because of bursitis in his left elbow? Pfft. It looks like it was all for nothing. Schoop had the elbow drained and he's looking healthy, hitting a three-run jack in the fourth inning of Monday's 8-6 loss to the Tigers. […]

Ben Zobrist Returns For Fielding Drills

Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) was on the field Monday doing fielding drills. Zobrist missed the first few days of spring training with back stiffness and manager Joe Maddon has stated how he doesn’t want to push the veteran. Zobrist hit in the batting cages the other day and should be fine heading into 2018. […]

Ozzie Albies Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our rankings debate with a look at a young player whose draft stock seems to be rising by the day and could be a make-or-break selection in many drafts. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, […]

Points Leagues Second Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued

Points leagues are less popular than the traditional rotisserie or head-to-head scoring formats. Consequently, most fantasy analysis is geared toward the latter styles. As anyone who’s played in a points league before knows, though, player values can be quite a bit different under those settings. All week, I’ll be offering my thoughts on potential points […]

Jonathan Schoop Goes Hitless In First Spring Training Game

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (elbow) may have gone 0-for-3 in Saturday night's 1-1 tie with the Twins, but manager Buck Showalter must have been thrilled that he was able to even put him in the lineup. Schoop had missed the opener with bursitis in his left elbow. He's a durable second baseman and hopefully […]

Jonathan Schoop Expects To Play Saturday Night

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (elbow) is feeling much better and expects to play in the spring training game Saturday night. Schoop was held out Friday with his minor injury, but barring any setbacks, there should be nothing to worry about. After posting a breakout season in 2017 (.293, 32 homers, 105 RBI), Schoop […]