John Gant Moving To The Bullpen

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John Gant will move to the bullpen starting Saturday against the Pirates, per manager Mike Shildt. He owns an 11.57 ERA along with an 11:14 K: BB across 14 innings over his last four starts. The Cardinals have yet to announce who will replace Gant in the rotation, but fantasy managers […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 14

As we move past the 60-game mark, there continues to be an uptick in injuries this year, particularly soft tissue injuries. These injuries include oblique, groin, hamstring, and back injuries. Not all of the injuries are the same for each player and should be treated and evaluated on a case-by-case basis. They should not all be […]

The Bigger Picture - It Isn't Really a Marathon

"It's a marathon, not a sprint." This axiom is one of the most tired expressions in all of baseball and is often used to prevent us from ascribing significance to a slump. The baseball season is the longest among all professional sports, spanning 162 games and six months, not including spring training and postseason action. […]

Bullpen Report: Grab Setup Men Before Trade Deadline

The deeper we get into the season, the more valuable relievers become. They can help you maintain your ratios, rather than streaming risky starting pitchers. Also, saves is an entire category, so grabbing a pitcher that is next in line for saves is never a bad idea. Especially this time of year.  First, we have […]

Garrett Whitlock Earns Win In Relief Friday

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock was credited with his third win of the season Friday, having pitched two innings of relief against the New York Yankees. He allowed just one hit and struck out two, dropping his season ERA to 1.49 with a 1.16 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. With […]

Matt Barnes Records 16th Save

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes recorded his 16th save of the year Friday, closing the door against the New York Yankees. He pitched one innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Barnes has been shaky of late, recording a 4.05 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in his last seven appearances, but he's been […]

Zack Britton Dealing With Hamstring Injury

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton (hamstring) sustained a hamstring injury Friday night, per manager Aaron Boone. Britton came up limping a bit after delivering his final pitch of the night and struggled to walk down the dugout steps when exiting the game. The veteran southpaw will be evaluated tomorrow to determine the severity […]

Adam Ottavino Locks Down 14th Hold

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Adam Ottavino has been very reliable all season, and Friday was no different. Ottavino pitched a perfect eighth inning against the New York Yankees, striking out two of the three batters he faced to lock down his 14th hold of the season. He now has a 2.64 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, […]

Zack Britton Exits Friday With Apparent Leg Injury

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton (leg) exited Friday's game with an apparent leg injury, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Britton faced one batter and after getting him to fly out, Britton was seen grabbing at the back of his left leg before walking off the mound into the dugout. There's no word […]

Diego Castillo Locks Down 12th Save Friday Night

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Diego Castillo struck out the side in a perfect inning of relief on Friday night to earn his 12th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Angels. He's now converted seven straight save opportunities dating back to April, but he's had a rough month in June where […]

Danny Coulombe Starting Friday Against Indians

Minnesota Twins left-hander Danny Coulombe will make the start on Friday evening in his Twins debut against the Cleveland Indians. It will be a bullpen game, so fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting Coulombe to go deep into this ballgame. The 31-year-old southpaw had a fantastic 1.77 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 27:3 K:BB in 14 relief […]

Jose Alvarado Can't Close Out Mets On Friday

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado gave up a game-tying single to Francisco Lindor with two outs in the ninth to blow a save versus the Mets on Friday. It was a tough-luck-blown save for Alvarado as he was called on for a five-out save with just a one-run lead. Alvarado did his job in […]

Daniel Hudson Could Throw Bullpen Soon

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he's hoping that relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (elbow) will be able to throw a bullpen session either Monday or Tuesday. Hudson has been on the injured list since June 12 with elbow inflammation. The veteran right-hander has been throwing on flat ground and is nearing his return. The 34-year-old […]

Jeurys Familia Expected To Return Next Week

New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia's (hip) inflammation has been subsiding, and the expectation is that he will return from the injured list when he's eligible next week. The Mets are slowing getting healthier as we approach the All-Star break. Familia has a 3.63 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB over 22 1/3 innings […]

Michael Kopech Making Excellent Progress

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa said he saw "excellent progress" from relief pitcher Michael Kopech's (hamstring) simulated game on Friday. The plan is for Kopech to throw another simulated game on Monday. After that, the White Sox will determine if the right-hander will need to go on a rehab assignment. The 25-year-old has […]

Phillies Place Sam Coonrod On Injured List

The Philadelphia Phillies placed relief pitcher Sam Coonrod (forearm) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with right forearm tendinitis. The move is retroactive to June 24. In corresponding moves, infielder Nick Maton and right-hander Neftali Feliz were called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander David Hale was designated for assignment. On the year, Coonrod […]

Astros-Tigers Game Postponed Due To Rain

The scheduled matchup between the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers for Friday night has been postponed due to rain, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, with Game 1 scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. Managers should make sure to […]

Jose Alvarado To Start Getting Save Opportunities

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado will get the first crack at save opportunities for now, manager Joe Girardi said on Friday. The decision to move Alvarado into a closing role comes on the heels of Hector Neris blowing his third straight save in a 13-12 loss to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Alvarado owns […]

Erick Fedde (SP/RP, WSH) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: With eleven starts in eleven appearances, Erick Fedde might be poised to shed eligibility as a reliever, but with his biggest problem as a pitcher being solved this season, his name is officially on the radar. In 55.1 IP this year he […]

Jorge Alcala Takes Loss Thursday

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jorge Alcala was charged with his second loss of the season in Thursday's defeat to the Cleveland Indians. Alcala entered the game in the top of the eighth inning but quickly got into trouble after two leadoff singles. He was pulled after intentionally walking Jose Ramirez to load the bases, then […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 14 Waiver Wire

So it's not a super common expression, but sometimes, when a pitcher makes a hitter look really bad (usually on a breaking ball), you'll hear announcers say he "undressed him" with the pitch. Well, here's the thing: this week, we've had actual pitchers undress on the field. Manfred League Baseball began enforcing the sticky stuff rules this […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings

With the final week of June upon us, we are all crossing the season's 50% checkpoint. As we all know, that means it's the perfect time to change rules for pitchers...sigh. Manfred shenanigans aside, we push on with my top 101 RP Baller Ranks are geared towards traditional 5x5 roto leagues with some mentions for […]

Fantasy Baseball Trade Targets for Week 13

Sometimes fantasy baseball can resemble the stock market. You want the best portfolio of players without having to pay too much for them. Sometimes to achieve the optimal team, you need to make trades. The best way to gain added value is to trade away an over-performing player for one in a rut. This way, […]

James Karinchak Records Ninth Save Thursday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak recorded his ninth save of the season in Thursday night's 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins by allowing just one hit in the ninth inning. Although Karinchak did not strike anyone out in this one, he still had a solid frame by allowing just the one hit. He has […]

Kyle Barraclough Signs Minors Deal With Twins

The Minnesota Twins have signed relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough to a minor league deal. The veteran righty reliever was released by the New York Yankees earlier this month. Before getting cut, Barraclough posted a 4.21 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 24/11 K/BB ratio across 14 innings in Triple-A. He has not pitched in the MLB since […]

Bryan Abreu Begins Rehab Assignment

Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu (calf) began a minor league rehab assignment on Thursday in Triple-A. He has been sidelined since late May due to a lingering calf injury. It sounds like the 24-year-old should be back in the Astros bullpen soon. Hopefully he can return in roughly a week, assuming he doesn't suffer a […]

Brad Brach Earns Save On Thursday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Brad Brach threw a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. Brach struck out two and allowed one hit on the way to earning his first save since the 2018 season. The veteran reliever should be in line to pitch in more high-leverage situations with […]

Justin Steele Set To Begin Rehab Assignment

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Justin Steele (hamstring) is heading to Triple-A to begin a rehab assignment. He has been sidelined since late May due to a right hamstring strain. However, Steele was an excellent bullpen option for the Cubs before going down. He posted a 2.03 ERA, 21/7 K/BB ratio and 1.05 WHIP over 13 […]

Joe Smith To Throw Bullpen Session Friday

Houston Astros relief pitcher Joe Smith (elbow) will throw a bullpen session on Friday. It sounds like Smith will use his whole arsenal at the session in Detroit. The hope is that things go well and Smith can be activated shortly after the session. However, he might be asked to go on a rehab assignment, […]

Scott Alexander Pitching In Triple-A On Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Scott Alexander (shoulder) will pitch for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. This is an advancement for Alexander after he was pitching in Low-A while rehabbing his shoulder. The move to Triple-A means Alexander is getting closer to a return. He is not eligible to return from the 60-day injured list […]