Geoff Hartlieb Throws Perfect Inning Against Yankees

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Geoff Hartlieb threw a perfect inning of relief on Saturday in a 7-5 loss to the Yankees. Hartlieb opened up the fifth innings with back-to-back strikeouts against Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu before getting Aaron Judge to ground out to second to end the inning. Hartlieb has not allowed a baserunner […]

Richard Rodriguez Holds Yankees Scoreless Saturday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez tossed a scoreless third inning against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing only one hit while striking out two in the loss. Facing the heart of the Yankees order, Rodriguez got swinging strikeouts against Aaron Judge and Luke Voit, and made Giancarlo Stanton pop out in foul territory, while Aaron […]

Daniel Bard To Close Games For The Rockies

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard has been named the team's closer, according to manager Bud Black. Nick Groke of The Athletic said that the 35-year-old right-hander will be used as the team's primary ninth-inning man "at least to start the season." Fellow reliever Scott Oberg, who was a dark horse candidate to win the […]

Pitcher Targets Under $10 - Salary Cap League Values

Snake drafts are the more common method, but salary cap leagues offer a more complex flavor to your draft day. That's not for everyone, and that's fine; part of the beauty of fantasy baseball lies in its high degree of customizability. Salary cap drafts take longer, and they're much less straightforward than snakes, but for […]

Liam Hendriks Makes Spring Debut Friday

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks made his Spring Training debut on Friday, tossing a scoreless inning against the Rangers in a 3-2 loss. Hendriks allowed no baserunners while picking up a swinging strikeout against Charlie Culberson in the fifth inning. It was a good start to the year for Hendriks, who will be […]

Michael Kopech Dealing With Tight Calf

Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech (calf) was originally scheduled to pitch in a Cactus League game on Friday against the Rangers, but he felt tightness in his calf and instead threw a bullpen session. Right-handed reliever Matt Foster also had a setback in spring training with what manager Tony La Russa described as […]

Craig Kimbrel Struggling Through Delivery Issues

Chicago Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel was charged with four runs in two-thirds of an inning in Friday's Cactus League game against the Brewers. The veteran right-hander has been sorting through delivery issues this spring and has allowed nine runs on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout in 2 2/3 innings. Although it's still […]

Joakim Soria Struggles, Takes Loss Friday Against Angels

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Joakim Soria was rocked for four runs on three hits in one inning of work on Friday afternoon, earning him the loss against the Angels. Soria struggled with command, throwing two wild pitches with one of them resulting in a batter reaching base on a strikeout. The outing was a stark […]

Brent Suter Gets Hit By Line Drive, Avoids Serious Injury

Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitcher Brent Suter (hand) was hit by a line drive in the left hand during an intrasquad game Friday, but the injury does not appear serious. Suter is set to undergo further evaluation Saturday before Milwaukee makes any decision about his status moving forward. Set to be one of the anchors of […]

Edgar Santana Tosses Perfect Inning Against Blue Jays Friday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Edgar Santana allowed no baserunners while striking out two in a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Friday afternoon. Santana has not allowed a baserunner so far this spring, while striking out four in three innings of work. He has not pitched in a major league game since 2018, as […]

Hunter Harvey Exits Friday With Oblique Injury

Baltimore Orioles right-handed relief pitcher Hunter Harvey (oblique) made it just one pitch through his appearance Friday before departing with a left oblique injury. While Harvey appears to be fortunate in having escaped another shoulder/arm ailment, obliques can be finicky and take extended periods to heal. After having been a heralded prospect coming up through […]

Wade Davis Looking Good In Spring Action

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Wade Davis has pitched well so far this spring. He's made four appearances and has allowed two hits, two walks and no runs over four innings. He's yet to record his first strikeout. His velocity is up from last year, which is encouraging. Last year, he had an abysmal time […]

Josh Staumont Should Make Spring Debut Soon

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Josh Staumont saw his arrival at camp delayed due to undisclosed reasons. However, he's with the team now and he threw one inning during a simulated game on Thursday. He should be able to make his Cactus League debut soon. The right-handed Staumont was a solid arm out of the […]

Blake Cederlind Placed On Injured List With UCL Strain

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Blake Cederlind (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list with a UCL strain in his right elbow, according to MLB.com's Jake Crouse. Crouse reports that Cederlind sustained the injury in Wednesday night's game when he was pulled after allowing a run on one hit, two walks and a hit batter while […]

Roberto Osuna Holding Showcase Friday

Free-agent relief pitcher Roberto Osuna (elbow) is holding a showcase for interested teams on Friday, March 12, at Tetelo Vargas Stadium in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. The 26-year-old right-hander threw just 4 1/3 innings with the Astros in 2020 due to an elbow injury, but he was able to avoid Tommy John surgery […]

John Gant Lined Up As The Fifth Starter

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher John Gant is currently lined up to be the team's fifth starter once the regular season begins. Cardinals writer Derrick Goold noted that Gant has been pitching on the same days as Opening Day starter Jack Flaherty, which would line him up with the Cardinals schedule to be the fifth […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/12) - Severino Beginning Build Up

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Amir Garrett Throws Bullpen Session On Thursday

Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett (forearm) threw a pain-free bullpen session on Thursday prior to his team's 7-4 Cactus League win over the Chicago White Sox. Garrett has been dealing with a sore left forearm since camp opened, but he sounded optimistic in talking to reporters on Thursday, saying, "You always have … these little nagging […]

Roenis Elias Exits Game With Injury

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Roenis Elias (elbow) left the Mariners spring game on Thursday with an apparent injury. Elias reportedly felt discomfort in his elbow while facing the first Dodgers batter of his outing. Elias seemed to have an inside track on a role in the Mariners bullpen after his hot start to spring, with four […]

Adrian Morejon The Favorite For Fifth Rotation Spot?

While San Diego Padres starting pitcher Adrian Morejon has walked way too many hitters this spring, he's the favorite over left-handers MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers to open as the fifth starter if Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is eased into the start of the regular season. Morejon has already shown that his stuff plays in the […]

Rafael Montero Blows A Save

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Rafael Montero recorded his first blown save of the spring Thursday. Montero entered the game in the fifth inning with the Mariners leading the Dodgers by a score of 4-2 and promptly gave up three hits and two runs, though one was unearned. Through his first two Cactus League appearances, Montero […]

Dan Altavilla Likely To Win Final Bullpen Job

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Dan Altavilla is the likeliest candidate to win the final spot in the bullpen over Tim Hill, Taylor Williams and Michael Baez. Altavilla pitched meaningful innings down the stretch last year and is out of minor-league options. Hill, a left-hander, still has options. He'll almost certainly join the team if […]

Chad Green, Darren O'Day, Justin Wilson To Have Bigger Roles

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boon mentioned relievers Chad Green, Darren O'Day and Justin Wilson among those who are projected to have added responsibilities with Zach Britton (elbow) out for three to four months. Boone expects the assignments in the later innings to be fluid and matchup-based in front of closer Aroldis Chapman. With Chapman […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook (3/11) - Hiura Endures Spring Struggles

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. Thankfully, we have real, live baseball being played every day again, and while it doesn't count for anything, these exhibition games gives us the smallest glimmer into players and teams heading into the new season. We're officially through the first week of spring training games […]

Anthony Bass Adds Another Scoreless Inning On Thursday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bass tossed another scoreless inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. Bass threw the seventh inning, allowing just one walk while striking out one. Bass is projected to be the Marlins closer based on manager Don Mattingly's comments earlier this spring and has not done anything to […]

Anthony Bender Strikes Out Three On Thursday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender pitched 1 1/3 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. Bender struck out three without allowing anyone to reach base. He's yet to allow a run this spring and is averaging almost 98 mph on his fastball. Bender was a 20th round pick from the 2016 […]

Kirby Yates Makes First Spring Appearance

Toronto Blue Jays veteran reliever Kirby Yates made his first spring appearance against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. He allowed a couple of hits in his one shutout inning but needed just nine pitches to retire the side. Yates' fastball normally sits around 93-94 mph and he was mostly 92-93 mph on Thursday despite a […]

Jordan Hicks Reaches Another Milestone

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks (elbow) faced the Nationals in a B game on Wednesday for the first time since June of 2019. The hard-throwing right-hander had a 1-2-3 inning on just 11 pitches, striking out one and inducing two groundouts. Hicks recently flashed 102 mph on the radar gun in a live […]

Scott Oberg Set To Make Spring Debut Friday

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Scott Oberg will make his spring training debut on Friday against the Giants, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Oberg has not pitched in a game since 2019 when he was shut down with blood clotting in his arm. He underwent thoracic outlet surgery back in September in order to correct […]

Franklin Perez Throws Scoreless Inning In Spring Debut

Detroit Tigers pitcher Franklin Perez made his first appearance this spring against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. He gave up one walk and no hits and didn't record a strikeout. The 23-year-old Perez was the Tigers' top prospect in 2018, but he's struggled with lat and shoulder injuries over the past few years and his […]