Jonathan Hernandez Seeks To Remain In Relief For 2021

Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Jonathan Hernandez has excelled out of relief this season, a role that he has grown so comfortable in that he has informed the organization that he wants to stay in the bullpen for 2021. Having made 113 starts in the Minor Leagues (and two last season for the Rangers), Hernandez has […]

Aroldis Chapman Now Throwing A Splitter

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has added a splitter to his arsenal, throwing the pitch for the first time in his career against the Blue Jays on Thursday. At 91.4 mph, Chapman’s splitter would be the fastest among pitchers who have thrown at least 250 pitches this season, and the pitch generated a swinging-strike […]

Cincinnati Releases Nate Jones Friday

Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher Nate Jones was released by the organization Friday after having been designated for assignment Tuesday. Jones had begun the year in high leverage situations out of the bullpen, but compiled a 6.27 ERA over 21 appearances. Injuries have kept Jones from working more than 30 innings in a single season since […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 25th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Edwin Diaz Converts Sixth Save On Thursday

New York Mets right-handed relief pitcher Edwin Diaz picked up his sixth save of the season in the Mets' 3-2 win over the Nationals on Thursday. Diaz was a little shaky in the outing allowing two hits and one earned run in his one inning of work, but he got the job done. Diaz has […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 10 and Bold Predictions Revisited!

So this is it, huh? Playoffs after just 10 weeks of regular season play feels weird, but it's better than nothing, right? Congratulations to all of our readers who made it to the championship in their fantasy leagues, here's hoping this weekend goes well and helps you bring a title home! This week, we'll take […]

J.B. Wendelken Hits Injured List, James Kaprielian Recalled

Oakland Athletics right-handed pitcher J.B. Wendelken (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list prior to Thursday’s contest versus the Dodgers, with righty James Kaprielian taking his spot on the active roster. Wendelken has been a crucial cog in the Oakland bullpen, compiling a 1.80 ERA across 21 appearances this season. With a career-high 11.2 K/9 […]

Nick Goody Gets Designated For Assignment Thursday

Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Nick Goody was designated for assignment Thursday, with the club adding infielder Andrew Romine to the active roster in his place. Goody made 17 appearances (one start) for Texas this year, recording his first career save back in July. Despite posting a 9.00 ERA, Goody’s K/9 sat at 10.6, with an […]

Aaron Bummer, Carlos Rodon Rejoin Roster Thursday

Chicago White Sox left-handed pitchers Aaron Bummer (biceps) and Carlos Rodon (shoulder) were both activated off of the injured list prior to Thursday’s contest versus Cleveland. Bummer has been a crucial cog in the Chicago bullpen over the last two years, having allowed just one run with 12 strikeouts in 7 ⅓ IP this year. […]

Freddy Peralta Hits Paternity List, Eric Lauer Rejoins Roster

Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta was placed on the paternity list prior to Thursday’s contest versus the Cardinals, which effectively removes any remaining fantasy intrigue that he had in 2020. With the placement requiring at least three days away from the club, left-hander Eric Lauer was recalled to rejoin the roster. Peralta excelled out […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 24th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Yoshihisa Hirano Notches Ugly Fourth Save

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Yoshihisa Hirano gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in securing his fourth save on Wednesday against the Astros. This outing raised Hirano's ERA to 3.75 and his WHIP to 1.75 on the year. The Mariners will head to Oakland to take on the 33-21 Athletics on Friday […]

Kyle Zimmer Placed On 10-Day Injured List

Kansas City Royals starter Kyle Zimmer (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday afternoon. The 29-year-old is dealing with neuritis in his right elbow, effectively ending his season. Zimmer posted a 1.57 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 26/10 K/BB through 23 innings in 2020. The former top prospect was a reliable relief option […]

Austin Gomber Likely Starting Sunday's Season Finale

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Austin Gomber will likely start on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to manager Mike Shildt. The 26-year-old tossed six scoreless innings in his most recent start against the Kansas City Royals. Gomber owns a stellar 1.80 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 25 innings this season. He will be a viable […]

Scott Oberg Undergoes Thoracic Outlet Surgery Wednesday

Colorado Rockies reliever Scott Oberg underwent successful thoracic outlet surgery on Wednesday afternoon. Oberg has been dealing with blood clots over the past two seasons, and the procedure is supposed to stop their formation. The 30-year-old did not make a single appearance in 2020, but he posted a 6-1 record, 2.25 ERA, and five saves […]

Jakob Junis Shifts To Bullpen Role To Finish 2020

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis was recalled to the club’s active roster ahead of Wednesday’s contest versus St. Louis and is now expected to appear out of relief over the season’s final few days. Initially set to be a full-time starter, the club will utilize him in shorter stints out of relief in […]

Joe Kelly Starts In Place Of Julio Urias On Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly will start Wednesday’s contest against Oakland in place of southpaw Julio Urias, who was scratched prior to first pitch, but Urias will ultimately toss the bulk of innings. Kelly has yet to allow a run in 10 appearances this season, having held opposing batters to a .192 average across […]

Brandon Workman Takes Loss In Extra Innings

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Brandon Workman allowed two runs (one earned) in an extra-innings loss to the Nationals on Tuesday. This game wasn't entirely on Workman, as Washington started the inning with a runner at second, but the former Red Sox reliever did retire just one of four batters faced. He has a brutal 6.72 […]

Edwin Diaz Picks Up Fifth Save On Tuesday

New York Mets right-handed relief pitcher Edwin Diaz threw a scoreless inning of work on Tuesday in the Mets' 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays to earn his fifth save of the season. He allowed only one hit and struck out one. Notwithstanding his ninth-inning meltdowns and a tenuous hold on the closer job […]

Seth Lugo Bounces Back With Quality Start

New York Mets pitcher Seth Lugo picked up his third win of the season in the Mets' 5-2 victory over the Rays on Tuesday. Lugo, coming off of his worst start of the season last Thursday in which he went only 1 2/3 and allowed six earned runs, bounced back by going 6 1/3 innings […]

Week 10 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report

Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which […]

Matt Strahm Activated Off Of Injured List

San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Strahm (knee) was activated off of the 10-day injured list on Tuesday afternoon. The 28-year-old has not appeared in a game since Sept. 10 due to knee inflammation. Strahm owns a stingy 2.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 14/3 K/BB through 19 innings out of the bullpen in 2020. He is […]

Yankees Option Michael King To Alternate Site

New York Yankees pitcher Michael King was optioned to the team’s alternate site on Tuesday. King was rocked for five runs over 2.2 innings in a spot start on Monday, and he’s likely done for the season as a result of Tuesday’s roster move. King posted a 7.76 ERA over 26.2 innings this season, and […]

Robbie Ray Starting Wednesday's Game Versus Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays starter Robbie Ray will take the mound for Wednesday's game against the New York Yankees. The 28-year-old continues to struggle with control, making him a volatile fantasy option any time he is in the starting rotation. Ray owns a 7.17 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, and 63/41 K/BB through 47 2/3 innings in 2020. […]

Michael Wacha Starting Wednesday's Game

New York Mets starter Michael Wacha is set to start Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 29-year-old most recently threw four innings of one-run ball in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 16. The appearance sets up ace right-hander Jacob deGrom to start Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals. Wacha is not […]

Adam Ottavino Tosses Scoreless Inning

New York Yankees relief pitcher Adam Ottavino threw a scoreless inning with no baserunners allowed and two strikeouts against the Blue Jays on Monday. Two poor outings from earlier this season have pushed Ottavino’s ERA up to 6.06 for the season even with Monday’s strong performance, but his swinging-strike rate is down at 8.5%, in […]

Michael King Struggles On Monday

New York Yankees pitcher Michael King allowed five runs over only 2 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Monday. A third inning that saw the Blue Jays string together four hits did King in, leading to reliever Jonathan Loaisiga coming in and allowing two of King’s runners to score. Despite his poor results, King […]

Cal Quantrill Starting Tuesday, Shane Bieber Pushed Back

Cleveland Indians pitcher Cal Quantrill will start Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox, while Shane Bieber will start Wednesday's game. This decision lines Bieber up perfectly to start the Indians' postseason opener. Likely, Quantrill will only pitch a couple of innings, but he owns respectable ratios in 2020. The 25-year-old has posted a 2.52 […]

Dellin Betances May Return This Week

New York Mets reliever Dellin Betances (lat) may return to the team this week, according to manager Luis Rojas. The 32-year-old has not appeared in a contest since August 29, but he threw a successful simulated game last week. Through 10 1/3 innings in 2020, Betances posted a 6.10 ERA and 8/7 K/BB. He is […]

Jordan Romano Scheduled For Bullpen Session Tuesday

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jordan Romano (finger) is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Tuesday afternoon, and if all goes well, he may be back with the team for their final series of the season. Romano has not appeared in a game since August 29 due to a strain in a finger on his […]