Edwin Diaz Converts First Save Opportunity Of Season

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure the Mets 1-0 Opening Day win against the Braves on Friday. Diaz allowed only a walk, while striking out two in his one inning of work. Diaz notched his first save of the season. Earlier in July manager Luis Rojas did […]

Brandon Kintzler Earns The 50th Save Of His Career

Miami Marlins closer Brandon Kintzler picked up the save in his Marlins debut on Opening Day, allowing just one hit while wrapping up a scoreless ninth inning to save a 5-2 win. Kintzler won't put up huge strikeout numbers, but he should be locked into the ninth inning in Miami, and that will be valuable […]

Diego Castillo Lands On Paternity List

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed reliever Diego Castillo will begin the 2020 season on the paternity list, with utilityman Daniel Robertson having been recalled to take his spot on the 30-man roster. Castillo, who racked up a whopping 10.6 K/9 out of relief last season, figured to factor prominently into the back end of the Rays’ […]

Tyler Rogers Takes Loss Thursday

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tyler Rogers had a poor first outing in Thursday's 8-1 loss to the Dodgers. He came into the game to start the seventh inning with the score 1-1 and proceeded to allow four runs on three hits while only recording two outs before being pulled. The 29-year-old was thought to […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the July 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 […]

Drew Steckenrider Likely Out For The Season

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Drew Steckenrider was placed on the 45-day injured list due to right triceps tendinitis. It's likely the righty won't pitch again until the 2021 season. Steckenrider showed some promise in the past, but injuries have limited him to just 14 1/3 innings since 2018. He was expected to work near the […]

Hunter Harvey Placed On IL Thursday With Elbow Soreness

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Hunter Harvey was placed on the 10-day IL Thursday with muscular soreness in his right elbow area. However, manager Brandon Hyde described the O's caution with him as “conservative”. The 25-year-old was a former first-round pick but has never managed to stay healthy. He has an exciting arsenal of pitches and […]

Postseason Expanded To 16 Teams For 2020

Major League Baseball and the Players Association announced on Thursday that the 2020 playoffs will expand to 16 teams, beginning with eight best-of-three wild-card series preceding the Division Series. The higher seeds in the wild-card series will host all three games, which will be scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29 through Friday, Oct. 2. The entire […]

Giovanny Gallegos Expected To Join The Team Soon

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (undisclosed) is expected to join the Cardinals in a few days. The team listed just 29 players on the Opening Day 30-man roster, saving a spot for Gallegos. He is a bit behind due to reporting late to Summer Camp, but should be back in the bullpen before […]

White Sox Designate Carson Fulmer For Assignment

The Chicago White Sox have designated pitcher Carson Fulmer for assignment. Fulmer was the White Sox first-round pick and chosen eighth overall in 2015. Between four seasons in the big leagues as both a starter and reliever, Fulmer owns an uninspiring 6.56 ERA over 44 games (15 starts). It’s possible that Fulmer can slip through […]

Adrian Morejon, Michel Baez Surprising Roster Cuts

San Diego Padres pitchers Adrian Morejon and Michel Baez were surprisingly left off the Opening Day roster. Both prospects debuted in 2019 and were expected to fill middle relief roles this season, but neither showed enough in camp to stick. Morejon also projects as a starter so his demotion is likely tied to a longer-term […]

Nate Pearson, Ryan Borucki Optioned To Taxi Squad

The Toronto Blue Jays have optioned starting pitchers Nate Pearson and Ryan Borucki to their taxi squad ahead of Thursday’s roster cutoff. Pearson will likely be called up after the 29th, so the Jays gain an extra year of team control, and he’ll presumably join the starting rotation during its second time through. Borucki’s option […]

RotoBaller Experts League No. 2 Draft Recap

Here at RotoBaller, there is no such thing as being in too many fantasy baseball leagues. Some of the writers here are lucky enough to participate in The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational, which pits writers, analysts, and experts from all across the baseball community against each other. One RotoBaller writer even started a relievers-only bullpen […]

Updated Points League Rankings Risers and Fallers (July)

Is it feasible to do a weekly H2H league in 2020? Sure. Is it a great idea? Not really. With just under 10 weeks of actual baseball, the whole "sprint" metaphor will become real in a hurry. Total points leagues aren't as popular but make a lot more sense over the course of a 60-game season. […]

Kwang-Hyun Kim Earns An Exhibition Game Save

St. Louis Cardinals closer Kwang-Hyun Kim earned a save in Wednesday's exhibition win over the Kansas City Royals. Kim threw just 15 pitches and struck out the side in his first appearance since surprisingly being named closer. Giovanny Gallegos was expected to close until Jordan Hicks was ready, but then Gallegos was late to Summer […]

Robert Gsellman Likely Headed To The Injured List

New York Mets relief pitcher Robert Gsellman (triceps) is likely headed to the injured list to begin the season due to his right triceps issue. The expectation is that the IL stint will be backdated and Gsellman should be back with the team roughly a week into the season. In 2019, Gsellman produced a 4.66 […]

Aroldis Chapman Still Testing Positive For Coronavirus

New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman is still testing positive for coronavirus as of Wednesday. Chapman is now mostly symptom-free according to manager Aaron Boone, but Chapman is ineligible to rejoin the team until he tests negative twice over a 24-hour period. Given that Chapman will likely need time to get back into game […]

Cubs Name Alec Mills The Fifth Starter

The Chicago Cubs have named starting pitcher Alec Mills their fifth starter to open the season. Mills had a 2.75 ERA over nine appearances (four starts) for the Cubs in 2019. He also struck out 42 batters over 36 innings. With Jose Quintana (thumb) not expected to miss much time, Mills place in the rotation […]

Cardinals Release Brett Cecil

The St. Louis Cardinals released relief pitcher Brett Cecil on Wednesday. Cecil was on the final year of a $30.5 million deal, and was reportedly working on a new sidearm delivery in Summer Camp. Apparently, the new delivery did not impress the Cardinals enough, and now Cecil is a free agent. He could catch on […]

Ryan Pressly Will Be Closer Out Of The Gate

Houston Astros reliever Ryan Pressly will serve as the closer when the Astros open their 60-game season on Friday. Manager Dusty Baker insists that incumbent closer Roberto Osuna is heathy but just isn't ramped up and ready for game action. Enter Pressly, who has been dealing with a blister on his pitching hand but will […]

Adam Conley Has A Rough Day On Tuesday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Adam Conley had an awful outing in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Atlanta Braves. Conley ended up getting just one out, but allowed four runs on three hits and two walks. He also allowed both runners he inherited to score, leading to an eight-run inning. Conley has shown promising signs in […]

Kodi Whitley Makes The Opening Day Roster

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kodi Whitley has made the Opening Day roster, according to beat writer Derrick Goold. Whitley was drafted in the 27th round of the 2017 draft and has put up excellent numbers in his minor league career. In 156 2/3 minor league innings, Whitley has posted a 2.01 ERA while consistently striking […]

Freddy Peralta Confirmed As Sunday Starter

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta has been confirmed as the Sunday starter, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Manager Craig Counsell said that Peralta will start the Brewers third game of the season Sunday against the Cubs. Counsell told the media to not ''get stuck'' on traditional starting roles, so Peralta won't necessarily be guaranteed turns […]

Colin Poche Has Torn UCL

Tampa Bay Rays left-handed reliever Colin Poche (elbow) was put on the 45-day injured list on Tuesday with a torn left ulnar collateral ligament, and he'll miss the 2020 season. Tommy John surgery has been recommended, putting his 2021 season in jeopardy as well. Poche had a 4.08 FIP and struck out 72 hitters in […]

James Karinchak (RP, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: It is truly a relief to once again be talking about players warranting a waiver wire selection, and in the spirit of the scale of this relief, let's kick off the 2020 MLB season by discussing one of the most promising young relievers in […]

Closer Conundrum: What Does Managing Like It's The Playoffs Mean?

"In a 60-game season, managers will approach every game like it's the playoffs." We've heard that refrain over and over again as we prepare for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In fact, I think I've written that sentence, or something similar, close to ten times already. But that statement brings up a natural follow-up question: How […]

Fantasy Baseball: Category Deflation - Pitchers

Calling all roto players! As you all prepare for the shortened season, I'm sure you are wondering how your strategies may change and how to approach certain categories, particularly for pitching staffs. Well, I have been thinking about the same things as you and will lay out some of my thoughts on how you can […]

Dodgers Sign Jake McGee

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed relief pitcher Jake McGee on Tuesday. He'll provide left-handed bullpen depth for the Dodgers after he was released last week by the Rockies, who must pay the bulk of his pro-rated $9 million salary in 2020. The 33-year-old southpaw had a tough time pitching in the thin air of Colorado […]

Cody Reed Makes 30-Man Roster

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Cody Reed made the Opening Day roster as the team gets ready to start their regular season. Reed will open the year pitching out of the bullpen. The southpaw was once regarded as one of the more promising arms in the Cincy pipeline but he's seen his star fade over the past […]

Kwang-Hyun Kim Could Start The Season As Closer

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim will start the season in the bullpen and will likely be the primary closer, according to manager Mike Schildt. Carlos Martinez earned a rotation spot, pushing Kim into the bullpen. Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley will throw significant innings and will have a chance to close if Kim struggles, […]