Alex Young Tabbed For First Start Of 2020 On Saturday

Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Alex Young will enter the starting rotation for Saturday’s contest against San Diego. All seven of Young’s appearances this season have come out of relief, having yielded five runs in 9 ⅔ frames with 10 strikeouts to his credit. Young will be filling the spot of Madison Bumgarner, who is on […]

Christian Colon DFA’d, Tyler Thornburg Called Up

The Cincinnati Reds have designated infielder Christian Colon for assignment, using his roster spot to bring up right-handed pitcher Tyler Thornburg to join a rocky bullpen. Colon’s path to playing time was about to be severely hampered when Mike Moustakas (quad), who is set to be activated off the injured list Sunday, returns. The Reds’ bullpen […]

Cal Quantrill Set To Start Saturday Against Arizona

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill will enter the starting rotation for Saturday’s contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks, making his first start of 2020. Quantrill has experience with the starting staff, having made 18 starts last season to the tune of a 5.69 ERA. His numbers out of relief -- where he has spent […]

Cardinals To Return To Play On Saturday

The St. Louis Cardinals will return to the field on Saturday for a double header against the Chicago White Sox. The Cardinals have not played since July 29 and have played just five games this season. Assuming no more positive COVID-19 tests, the Cardinals will be playing a lot of games in not a lot […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 4 Waiver Wire

For a season chock full of bullpen changes and injuries already, this week was a slight cool down period. In other words, this would still probably have been a bigger bullpen news week during a normal season, but for this particular season, it seemed like a much-welcomed downswing. There were still depth chart changes, there were still […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 14th 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 […]

Top 50 Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Redraft: Week 4 Rankings

We're now a little over a sixth of the way through the 2020 MLB season and it's already shaping up to be an interesting year for freshmen players. While the two best rookies have been hitters, we've also seen impressive depth on the mound. Many of the top bats have underperformed or been stuck at […]

Rowan Wick Picks Up Third Save

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Rowan Wick picked up his third save of the season on Thursday versus the Brewers. Wick gave up his first run of the season, but was able to secure the victory for the Cubs. With Craig Kimbrel in a funk, it appears that Wick is the preferred option for saves. Wick […]

Edwin Diaz Racking Up K’s Despite Losing Closer’s Role

New York Mets right-handed pitcher Edwin Diaz had a short leash as the team’s closer to begin 2020, but that hasn’t affected his ability to rack up strikeouts in bunches. Through his first 8 ⅓ frames, he has compiled 17 strikeouts, not having yielded a run since July 30. While the Mets have utilized him […]

Kenley Jansen Reclaiming Elite Form To Begin 2020

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen appears to have found his level, returning to the elite fantasy option that he has been for most of the past decade. Yielding a staggering 5.9% Hard Hit%, Jansen has also not allowed a barrel yet this season, with the opposition delivering an average exit velocity of 82 MPH. […]

Austin Gomber Lands On COVID-19 IL, Has Not Tested Positive

St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitcher Austin Gomber is the latest member of the organization to hit the COVID-19 injured list, even as he has not tested positive. Gomber has tossed 3 ⅓ scoreless innings out of relief thus far in 2020, and figured to become a prominent piece for the pitching staff upon the team […]

Red Sox Will Deploy Bullpen For Entirety Of Friday’s Game

The Boston Red Sox pitching staff is in shambles, resulting in manager Ron Roenicke utilizing a bullpen day for Friday’s series opener against the New York Yankees. As a club, the Red Sox have posted a 5.60 ERA this year, the second-worst mark in the American League. Aside from Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez, no […]

Edinson Volquez Lands On 45-Day IL With Oblique Strain

Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Edinson Volquez has been bitten by the injury bug again, landing on the 45-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Volquez has vultured two wins out of relief thus far in 2020, but it appears that his season is likely done after just seven appearances. Having battled back from […]

Sean Doolittle Placed On IL, Seth Romero Set For Debut

Washington Nationals left-handed pitcher Sean Doolittle will hit the injured list due to fatigue in his right knee with lefty prospect Seth Romero taking his roster spot ahead of Thursday’s contest against the Mets. Doolittle had opened 2020 in the closer’s role before losing that gig as he scuffled with five runs and three homers […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 13th 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 […]

Week 4 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 […]

Tony Gonsolin Strikes Out Eight In Stellar Performance

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin sprinkled three hits across 4 2/3 scoreless innings during Wednesday's 6-0 win over the San Diego Padres. He struck out eight batters while issuing a single walk. Gonsolin has not surrendered a run through 8 2/3 innings so far in 2020. It is unclear whether or not a full-time […]

Dellin Betances Strikes Out The Side In Mets Win

New York Mets relief pitcher Dellin Betances pitched a scoreless seventh inning striking out the side in the Mets 11-6 win over the Nationals on Wednesday. It was his third scoreless appearance in a row after being tagged for four earned runs in 1/3 inning of work against the Braves back on July 31. Notwithstanding […]

Cole Sulser Rebounds, Earns Save Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cole Sulser rebounded after a blown save Tuesday and locked down his fourth save of the season in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Phillies. Sulser pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning through the heart of the Phillies' lineup with two strikeouts. He has now converted four of six save opportunities with a […]

Jose Urquidy's Role Remains Unclear

Houston Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy (undisclosed) was scheduled to throw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday afternoon. According to team manager Dusty Baker, Urquidy's timeline to return from injury depends on the role he is going to serve with the team. The assumption is that he will return as a starter given the current lack […]

Joe Kelly's Suspension Reduced To Five Games

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly has had his suspension reduced from eight to five games following his appeal. This suspension stems from an incident with the Houston Astros back on July 28. The 32-year-old is currently sidelined with shoulder inflammation, so he will have to serve his time once he is back healthy. Kelly […]

Aroldis Chapman Set To Face Hitters Again, Recall On Horizon

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman is set to face live hitters either Thursday or Friday, his last warmup session before being activated to the Major League roster. Chapman has yet to debut in 2020 after a positive COVID-19 test earlier in the summer. Zack Britton has primarily served as the club’s closer in Chapman’s […]

Alex Colome Secures Fifth Save

Chicago White Sox closer Alex Colome picked up his fifth save of the season on Wednesday versus the Detroit Tigers. Colome threw a perfect ninth inning for the save and has yet to allow a run in eight games. Colome is entrenched in the closer’s role with the White Sox and should be owned in […]

Will Harris On Track To Be Activated Thursday

Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Will Harris (groin) is progressing toward being activated from the injured list for the club’s contest Thursday against the Mets. Manager Davey Martinez confirmed before Wednesday’s game so long as Harris was feeling strong Thursday, he would join the team’s bullpen. Inked to a $24 million deal during the off-season to […]

Robert Gsellman Named Starter for Mets on Wednesday

New York Mets relief pitcher Robert Gsellman was named the starter for the Mets on Wednesday when they face the Nationals. With the season ending injury to Noah Syndergaard (elbow), Michael Wacha (shoulder) on the injured list, and Marcus Stroman opting out for the 2020 season, the Mets are shorthanded in the rotation. The intent […]

Keone Kela To Be Activated On Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Keone Kela (COVID-19) will be activated off of the injured list before Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. The 27-year-old missed the first three weeks of the 2020 season due to a positive COVID-19 test. Kela is expected to take over the closer's role upon his return, which instantly boosts his fantasy […]

Andrew Kittredge Headed to 45-Day Injured List

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain and was placed on the 45-day injured list on Wednesday afternoon. The 30-year-old left Tuesday's game in the first inning with discomfort in his throwing arm. Unfortunately, this type of injury is synonymous with Tommy John surgery, but it is unclear at […]

Nick Burdi Undergoing Plasma Treatment

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Nick Burdi is opting to undergo a platelet-rich plasma treatment on his right forearm to avoid having surgery, according to Jason Mackey of Post-Gazette Sports. Even if the procedure goes well, Burdi's 2020 season is still over. Keone Kela (COVID-19) will likely take over the team's closing role once he is activated […]

No New Positive Tests For The Cardinals

The latest round of COVID-19 testing for the St. Louis Cardinals has reportedly not turned up any new positive results. The Cardinals have not played sine July 29th due to their COVID outbreak, but it looks like their weekend series against the Chicago White Sox might actually happen. The Cardinals are just 2-3 and will […]

Josh Hader Strikes Out Three In Save

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader walked one and struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his third save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Twins. The southpaw had been merely good through his first three appearances of 2020 but Hader looked more like his overpowering self in this […]