Seth Lugo Picks Up Third Hold On Saturday

New York Mets relief pitcher Seth Lugo picked up his third hold of the season on Saturday in the Mets 4-1 victory over the San Diego Padres. Lugo pitched a scoreless eighth inning allowing one walk while striking out three batters. Since Lugo returned from the 60-day injured list on June 2, he has allowed […]

Edwin Diaz Works Clean Inning To Get Twelfth Save

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz picked up his twelfth save of the season on Saturday, pitching a clean ninth inning against the Padres. Diaz struck out one batter in his one inning of work to secure the Mets 4-1 victory. Diaz has been excellent in save situations in 2021, having converted 12 of […]

Hector Neris Blows Save Versus Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris allowed three runs in the ninth inning on Saturday to take his fourth blown save this season in 13 save opportunities. Neris looks unhittable at times, then there are other times where he issues free-passes to get in trouble. That was the case in this game as he walked […]

Dylan Floro Earns A Save On Saturday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Dylan Floro earned his second save of the season in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. Floro was called on to lock down the two-run lead in the ninth inning with Yimi Garcia unavailable after pitching two days in a row. Floro did exactly as asked, retiring the side in […]

Trevor Cahill Heading Back To The IL

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Trevor Cahill (calf) is going back on the 10-day injured list. This isn't good news for the veteran, who was freshly activated from the IL a few days ago after missing three weeks because of the same ailment, a left calf strain. The 33-year-old was recently shifted to a bullpen role after […]

Hunter Strickland Heading To Milwaukee

The Los Angeles Angeles traded pitcher Hunter Strickland to Milwaukee on Saturday for cash considerations. The journeyman recorded a 1.69 ERA throughout 13 games in Tampa Bay earlier in the year before being dealt to Los Angeles in May. However, he saw a significant regression in production while wearing an Angels' uniform, positing a miserable […]

Daniel Hudson Placed On 10-Day IL

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list. The veteran had an MRI on Friday, which revealed right elbow inflammation. While Hudson is a two-time Tommy John recipient, manager Dave Martinez indicated that the issue is in the "back of the elbow," so the team isn't overly concerned, primarily […]

Zack Britton Reinstated From Injured List Saturday

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton (elbow) has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list Saturday. The Yankees designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment and optioned pitcher Brooks Kriske to Triple-A Scranton. Britton has missed the first two months of the season while recovering from an offseason elbow procedure. The veteran southpaw pitched […]

Jose Alvarado's Control Makes Him Hard To Trust

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado is one of the best relievers in baseball when he's on, but bouts with wildness make the flame-thrower difficult to rely on in fantasy. Alvarado is among the hardest throwers in the game. His 100-plus MPH sinker is elite and almost always induces weak contact and ground balls when […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 12

We are now two full months into the 2021 season. Most MLB teams have played at least 60 games, or the equivalent to last year’s shortened season. Most in the sports medicine field did expect there to be an uptick in injuries this year especially because of the broken/unusual offseason the players had, the stopping […]

Rookie Report: Prospect Risers and Fallers for Week 11

Welcome to the latest edition of RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently promoted MLB prospects and rookies , making note of what I think their upside could be for fantasy baseball managers, and whether they are potential risers or fallers. We have seen 120 rookies make their MLB […]

Lou Trivino Picks Up Relief Win On Friday

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win on Friday versus the Royals. Trivino was called on to get out of a jam left by co-closer Jake Diekman in the eighth inning. Trivino escaped the inning and followed that up with a scoreless ninth to preserve the tie […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 12 Waiver Wire

With another week of injuries, committees, and blown saves behind us, fantasy managers are starting to see more and more how important having a good bullpen can be. Having the right relievers on a fantasy roster can make up for a somewhat subpar starting rotation, and ensuring you knock all pitching categories out of the […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings

June is heating up and with it, the craziness that is bullpen management. Stay vigilant with your budget and note other people's remaining funds. By now, you should be able to ascertain the market price for new closers and how your league is trending. As always, let me help guide the way! My top 101 […]

Bullpen Report: Finding Elite Ratio and Strikeout Relievers

Sticky stuff is all the rage in the baseball world right now. Will we see pitchers suddenly losing strikeouts due to a reduce in spin rate? Will ERAs suddenly shoot up leading to more offense? Will that early round ace you drafted suddenly turn into a pumpkin? These are all the questions that fantasy baseball […]

Matt Shoemaker Takes Loss

Minnesota Twins pitcher Matt Shoemaker took his eighth loss of the season in Friday's defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros. Shoemaker entered a tie game in the eighth inning and pitched a 1-2-3 scoreless frame- then the wheels fell off in the ninth. The veteran righty surrendered a leadoff single followed by an […]

Closer Josh Hader Up To 15 Saves On Season

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader allowed a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday, striking out two and earning a save over the Pirates. Hader allowed a single to Bryan Reynolds but still locked down his 15th save in as many chances. The 27-year-old southpaw lowered his season ERA to 0.73 and hasn't given up […]

Garrett Whitlock Credited With Win In Relief

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock was credited with his second win of the season Friday, as he threw the eighth and ninth innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. Whitlock allowed no runs on two hits and a walk and struck out three. Whitlock was forced to work out of a jam in this […]

Ryan Sherriff Sent To Triple-A Durham

Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Ryan Sherriff has been optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday. The Rays needed to open a roster spot for newly acquired pitcher Matt Wisler. The left-hander has pitched in just four innings in 2021, compiling a 2.70 ERA. Sherriff being sent down to the minor leagues will not play a […]

Enoli Paredes Heads To The 10-Day IL

Houston Astros pitcher Enoli Paredes (shoulder) has been moved to the 10-day injured list. The 25-year-old exited Thursday's matchup against the Red Sox and was later diagnosed with a strained right shoulder. Paredes has appeared in 12 games this season, racking up a 6.23 ERA throughout just 8.2 innings of work. The 25-year-old has upside […]

Hirokazu Sawamura Avoids IL, Available Friday

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura will not need to go on the injured list, according to manager Alex Cora, and is in fact a "full go" Friday. Sawamura had been unavailable Thursday night with a hip injury. With a 2.63 ERA, 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings, and five holds, Sawamura has been an […]

Tejay Antone Likely To Spend Minimal Time On IL

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tejay Antone (forearm) is expected to only need to spend the minimum amount of time on the injured list before he returns to action, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Antone was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday with right forearm inflammation, with the transaction retroactive to Tuesday. This […]

Keynan Middleton and Yacksel Rios Demoted To Triple-A

Seattle Mariners relief pitchers Keynan Middleton and Yacksel Rios were sent to Triple-A Tacoma Friday to make room on the active roster for Justin Dunn and Kendall Graveman, who were both returning from the injured list. Middleton is more surprising of the two demotions, as he has four saves on the year, but he has […]

Kendall Graveman Activated From IL

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Kendall Graveman has been activated from the 10-day injured list and will be available out of the bullpen Friday against Cleveland. Graveman has not pitched since May 23, but he has had a dominant year up to that point, allowing zero runs and just six hits across 14 appearances and 58 […]

Madison Bumgarner, J.B. Bukauskas Begin To Throw

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (shoulder) and relief pitcher J.B. Bukauskas (elbow) are throwing, as they continue to work their way back from injury, according to Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Bumgarner has been sidelined for a week with left shoulder inflammation, while Bukauskas has been out for nearly a month with a right […]

Tejay Antone Will Be Placed On Injured List Friday

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tejay Antone will be placed on the team's injured list before Friday's contest per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. The ailment that landed Antone on the injured list is undisclosed. Antone is the Reds best relief pitcher as he carries a 1-0 record with a 1.41 ERA in 32 innings […]

Fantasy Baseball Trade Targets for Week 11

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, […]

Paul Fry (RP, BAL) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: At 28, Paul Fry has already been a seasoned resident for the Baltimore Orioles over the last four seasons, and since his hiccup year in 2019 he has steadily improved over time, and he has started 2021 looking flat-out dominant. The alumnus […]

Jesus Luzardo Allows Three Runs To Royals On Thursday

Oakland Athletics pitcher Jesus Luzardo allowed three earned runs in just one inning in a relief appearance against the Royals on Thursday. The left-hander has now allowed five runs in his last two outings, spanning just three innings. His ERA has shot up to 5.91 with unflattering peripheral numbers like a 5.01 FIP. Luzardo's long-term […]

Trevor Rosenthal Progressing Rapidly

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (shoulder) is reportedly progressing rapidly through his strength program, according to manager Bob Melvin. The veteran has not thrown a pitch for the big league roster yet due to injury. Rosenthal has not even played catch yet, but the organization is hopeful for a return by August. It's uncertain […]