Ryan Thompson Optioned To Alternate Training Site

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Ryan Thompson was optioned to the team's alternate training site on Wednesday evening. The team had to reach the 28-person roster limit prior to Thursday's contest. Thompson impressed during summer camp, but never found a concrete role for himself in the Rays' bullpen. He posted a 1.50 ERA with four strikeouts […]

Brandon Kintzler Picks Up His Second Save

Miami Marlins closer Brandon Kintzler picked up his second save of the season in Game 1 of Wednesday's double header. Kintzler became the first Marlins pitcher to pitch just the seventh inning and earn a save. While he won't strike out a ton of hitters, Kintzler is good at getting guys out and should hold […]

Zach Britton Picks Up His Fifth Save

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton picked up his fifth save of the season with a clean inning against the Phillies on Wednesday. The Yankees had provided the fourth most save opportunities coming into Wednesday, and Britton has been excellent so far, having allowed only two baserunners over his first five appearances. Even with […]

Jose Quintana To Throw Simulated Game On Thursday

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jose Quintana (thumb) is scheduled to throw a two-inning simulated game on Thursday. Quintana threw a trio of bullpen sessions over the past week without reporting discomfort, and the Cubs are now focusing on stretching Quintana out so that he can pitch deeper into games. As long as Thursday’s game goes […]

Nick Burdi Shut Down For 2020 Year, Bucs Bullpen In Flux

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Nick Burdi has been placed on the 45-day injured list due to a right elbow injury, ending his 2020 campaign just as it was beginning. Having notched his first big league save back on July 28, Burdi was holding down the Pirates’ closer’s role for the time being, having showcased a […]

Josh James Headed For Bullpen Role To Bolster Relief Corps

Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Josh James made two shaky starts to kick off 2020 and manager Dusty Baker announced Wednesday that he would be heading to the bullpen for the time being. James has walked a Major League-high 11 batters in his six innings this year, and with Houston’s bullpen trying to keep itself above […]

Kenley Jansen Says Conditioning Improving Each Week

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen said he is still recovering from his bout with COVID-19. Jansen feels his conditioning getting better week-by-week and believes he'll look back in October and see how much better it will be. Still, the 32-year-old has looked pretty good for someone who arrived at summer camp late, pitching five […]

Kwang-Hyun Kim To Join The Rotation

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim, who was working as the team's closer, will leave the bullpen and join the rotation. Kim had a 2.51 ERA and an impressive 180/38 K/BB ratio in the KBO. He was originally signed to be a starter, so it was surprising to see him open the season in the […]

Rafael Montero Close To Returning

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Rafael Montero (elbow) threw an inning on Wednesday and the Rangers alternative site. Montero has been sidelined with elbow tendinitis, but appears to be on track to join the club at some point this weekend. With the Rangers losing Jose Leclerc (shoulder), Montero could find himself in the closer role. Montero […]

Keone Kela Throws Bullpen Session

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Keone Kela (COVID-19) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday. Manager Derek Shelton said on Tuesday that Kela would close once he’s activated, but there is currently no timetable for his return. Kela had a 2.12 ERA in 29 2/3 innings for the Pirates in 2019 and owners looking for saves should be […]

Alex Reyes Recalled To Big League Roster

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Alex Reyes will join the Major League roster ahead of Friday’s game against the Cubs. Reyes, who rejoined the team in July after having tested positive for COVID-19, has been unable to remain healthy enough to impact the Cardinals since 2016. Heralded as one of the game’s premier pitching prospects, […]

Ariel Jurado Acquired By Mets, Joins Alternate Camp

Right-handed pitcher Ariel Jurado was a primetime prospect coming up through the Rangers’ organization, but after two lackluster big league seasons, the 24-year-old was designated for assignment, whereby the Mets claimed him Wednesday. Despite having 44 appearances (26 starts) to his resume, Jurado was reassigned to the team’s alternate training site. Not much jumps off […]

Aroldis Chapman Throws ‘Pen Wednesday, Return Not Close

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has been cleared from the bout with COVID-19 that has kept him sidelined thus far in 2020, but the southpaw isn’t exactly close to returning to game action for the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Chapman would throw a bullpen session Wednesday, noting that there would need to […]

Trevor May Shuts The Door To Earn Save

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Trevor May was called out of the bullpen to pitch the ninth after fellow reliever Caleb Thielbar ran out of gas. May came into the game after the Pirates scored two runs and got two quick outs on five pitches to notch his first save of the 2020 season. May has […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 5th 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 […]

Brad Hand Locks Down Save Tuesday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Brad Hand struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning against the Reds on Tuesday en route to his third save of the season. There was some uncertainty regarding Hand's role after he took the loss on July 29 and then gave way to James Karinchak in a save situation […]

James Karinchak Not Given Save Opportunity Tuesday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak recorded the final out of the eighth inning Tuesday against the Reds with a strikeout before giving way to Brad Hand for the save chance. After Karinchak earned his first career save last week, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com speculated that Karinchak was "not going to be giving up that […]

Hot Prospects To Watch: Close Call-Ups and Hot Starters

Perhaps there's nothing more tantalizing in fantasy baseball than drafting an up-and-coming prospect or rushing to the waiver wire to bid on a Triple-A call-up. With no minor leagues this year, our favorite prospects are now playing on taxi squads, making it difficult for us to fantasize about since we can't get eyes on their […]

Red Sox Building Darwinzon Hernandez Up For Multiple Innings

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez (COVID) has continued to throw at the team’s alternate site and is getting stretched out to throw multiple innings. There’s no word for sure if they want him to start games in Beantown this season, but they could certainly use an upgrade to their starting staff. Hernandez was […]

Elieser Hernandez A Streaming Candidate Wednesday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Elieser Hernandez will get the ball Wednesday versus the Orioles for his first start of the 2020 season in a streamable matchup. Baltimore hitters have hit relatively well so far this season, but they remain a very beatable lineup as seen by the shutout pitched by the Marlins in Tuesday’s game. […]

Ryan Yarbrough Faces Challenging Test Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough is off to a hot start to the season, holding a 1.54 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in two starts so far. He’ll face a tougher Red Sox lineup on Wednesday who has mashed lefties to a .301 BA while proving difficult to strike out with an 18.8% K-rate. […]

Sean Newcomb Looking To Rebound Versus Jays

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb has struggled through two starts this season, but has a chance to right the ship Wednesday versus the Blue Jays. Toronto hitters have hit a paltry .196 against southpaws this season, with no homers and a league-low .477 OPS. Their sample size is a bit smaller than most teams […]

Luis Patino Could Start For Padres

San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler says it’s “on the table” that pitcher Luis Patino could enter the starting rotation. Patino was called up on Tuesday and will initially work out of the bullpen, but as one of the most talented pitching prospects in the league, he may force the Padres hand if he reaches […]

Yadier Molina And Paul DeJong Among Players Cardinals Put On Injured List

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (COVID-19) and shortstop Paul DeJong (COVID-19) are among six players who have been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. The other players are pitchers Carlos Martinez, Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley along with shortstop Edmundo Sosa. Matt Wieters is likely to see the most at-bats with Molina out and […]

Will Smith Could Return Soon

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Will Smith (COVID-19) will throw in simulated-game conditions Thursday. If Smith feels good, then the team is ready to activate him. Smith is recovering from a positive COVID-19 test and the lefty will compete with Mark Melancon for save chances. Smith is coming off of a strong 2019 campaign and is […]

Roberto Osuna May Need Tommy John Surgery

Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna (elbow) received an initial diagnosis to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow on Tuesday. The team is seeking a second opinion, but it will seemingly put an end to his 2020 season regardless. If Osuna were to undergo the procedure, he would likely miss all of the 2021 […]

Keone Kela "Will Close" Upon Return

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on Tuesday that reliever Keone Kela "will close he comes back." Kela tested positive for COVID-19 back on June 30 and was finally cleared to resume workouts on Sunday, but there is still no timetable for a return. The right-hander was terrific in primarily a set-up role a season […]

Roberto Osuna's Injury "Doesn't Look Real Good"

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker spoke about closer Roberto Osuna (elbow) to a radio host on Tuesday, and his words weren't encouraging. Baker stated that he "doesn't look real good, actually. He went and had an MRI yesterday. He's in our prayers and in our thoughts. The reality is it's probably not really good news." […]

Padres Promoting Prospect Luis Patino Tuesday

The San Diego Padres are promoting pitching prospect Luis Patino ahead of Tuesday's game versus the Dodgers. The 20-year-old is the 27th ranked prospect by MLB and third in the Padres system despite only throwing 7.2 career innings above High-A. Reports have come from the team's alternate site that he's been lights-out and will join […]

Taylor Rogers Earns Win On Monday Night

Minnesota Twins closer Taylor Rogers pitched the ninth inning in a non-save situation on Monday night against the Pirates. Rogers gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth and got the win thanks to Nelson Cruz' game-winning single. The 29-year-old now has a 0.00 ERA through four innings in 2020, with four strikeouts, one hit […]