Ian Kennedy Knocks Down Second Save
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Ian Kennedy may have finally found his calling. Though he's making a ridiculous $14 million a year, Kennedy's work in the bullpen has at least finally returned a little value. Kennedy's velocity is up, and his ERA is way down at 1.15 after the first month of the season. Kennedy […]
Jose Leclerc To Be Removed From Closer Role
Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward has revealed his intentions to remove Jose Leclerc from the closer role after a series of bad outings that have contributed to his 8.44 ERA. Expect pitchers Shawn Kelley and Chris Martin to get a boost to their fantasy value, as they are next in line to be closing out […]
Roenis Elias Was Unavailable Tuesday
Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Roenis Elias, who leads the team with four saves, was unavailable on Tuesday against the Cubs with some soreness. The left-hander has been the best bet for saves from a fantasy perspective with Hunter Strickland injured. He has a nice 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 14 K's in 16 2/3 innings and […]
Nick Burdi To Seek Third Opinion On Arm
Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Nick Burdi will seek a third opinion on his right arm as he deals with a strained right biceps tendon and flexor-mass injury. The 26-year-old has already been revealed to have no structural damage, which is a good sign. Regardless, Burdi will continue to seek medical opinions as he looks to avoid […]
Brandon Morrow Should Return This Year
Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein is optimistic that relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (elbow) will pitch again this year after he recently received an injection for his right elbow. The right-hander hasn't pitched since July 15 of last year and underwent surgery in November. At this point, Morrow might not be back in the first half […]
Brad Hand Saves His Ninth With a Perfect Ninth Inning
Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand earned his ninth save on Tuesday, tossing a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout. Hand needed just 12 pitches to mow through a completely unimposing Marlins lineup. Hand lowered his ERA to 1.32 and is one of the best closers in the American League.
John Gant Earns His Sixth Hold on Tuesday
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Gant picked up his sixth hold of the year on Tuesday, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out two. Gant's ERA dropped to 0.90 but peripheral stats show he's been very lucky so far. Those in holds leagues should look to sell high, […]
Fantasy Baseball Five Up: After Hours With RotoBaller Radio
Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and keeps you updated with all the latest news and analysis Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - Monday through Friday from 6-7 am ET. You can also find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, SoundCloud and on iTunes […]
Zack Godley Heads to the Bullpen
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Godley has been demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen on Tuesday, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Godley had a 7.58 ERA through six starts this season, so hopefully he'll have better success in the bullpen. Jon Duplantier is expected to take over in the rotation, but nothing has officially […]
Luke Gregerson Should Rejoin Cardinals Soon
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (shoulder) should be ready to rejoin the Cardinals bullpen by the end of this week. He has joined the team in Washington, D.C., and is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Wednesday. Gregerson hasn't appeared in a Major League game yet this year, but he […]
Lou Trivino Expects To Return Wednesday
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino (thumb) was up to 96 mph with his fastball during a live batting practice session on Tuesday and expects to be available to pitch on Wednesday. Trivino, who has a nice 1.42 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings, has been out since April 17 but […]
Edwin Diaz Unavailable Tuesday
New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz is unavailable on Tuesday after pitching in three straight games. Reliever Jeurys Familia will serve in the closer role if the need arises, and manager Mickey Callaway said he will use Familia for a multi-inning save if necessary. Diaz allowed a homer on Monday but still has a nice […]
Orioles-White Sox Postponed Tuesday
The game between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White has been postponed on Tuesday due to inclement weather. It'll be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. Orioles starter Andrew Cashner and White Sox starter Ivan Nova will likely be pushed back until Wednesday. Make sure you take any players from either team […]
Yonny Chirinos Earns Another Win
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Yonny Chirinos earned the win on Monday over the Royals. He entered the game in the second inning after the opener, Ryne Stanek, and proceeded to throw 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out four and walking one. He’s become a good source of wins (tied for second in MLB) […]
D.J. Johnson Optioned To Triple-A
The Colorado Rockies optioned D.J. Johnson to Triple-A to make room for their returning ace, Kyle Freeland. Johnson has had a horrific first month to the season in the Rockies bullpen, posting a 5.59 ERA on a ridiculous 9/9 K/BB ratio. In a bullpen where just about everyone has struggled, Johnson had started to right […]
Carlos Martinez Still Hopes To Be Starter
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder), who is expected to pitch out of the bullpen next month, said he still wants to pitch in a starting role after the All-Star break. He'll head to the team's spring complex in Florida this week and will face hitters in live batting practice Monday and Thursday. "I […]
Edwin Diaz Charged With First Loss Of Season
New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz entered Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds in a non-save situation. He would induce a pair of flyouts and a groundout, throwing an economic 11 pitches, but would be tagged with the loss. That's because the 25-year-old allowed a solo home run, breaking a 4-4 tie. The home […]
Luke Gregerson Likely to Be Activated on Tuesday
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (shoulder) has joined the team on Monday and could be activated on Tuesday. Gregerson was pitching elite during his rehab appearances, so it sounds like he's ready to return to the Red Birds bullpen. Gregerson won't have a bunch of fantasy value, but could be helpful if he's […]
Closer Situation Murky In Tampa
The Tampa Bay Rays closer situation has been a tough one to predict lately. Reliever Jose Alvarado had been excellent to start the year and looked like he would keep the ninth-inning duties, but three saves from Emilio Pagan in the last week have brought up questions. On Sunday, Alvarado was called on in the eighth […]
Seung Hwan Oh Melts Down
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh watched it all fall apart on Sunday after he already had two outs in the eighth inning while being spotted a two-run lead. He'd given up a single, but otherwise, it looked like he had it all under control. A second single wasn't ideal, but still, no big […]
Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 5
We are just over a month into the fantasy baseball season and it is a prime time to buy in on players whose production could be legit/should be better or hop off a heater before the floors caves in. As we all should know, baseball is a game of ebbs and flows. When there is […]
The Cut List (Week 5) - Time to Let Go?
Welcome to the final week of cuts in which you can still be told, "It's only April." However, you will not be told that. About one-sixth the season is now complete; that's still not much in the big scheme of things, but if you wait too long, suddenly it's the All-Star Break and someone has […]
Kenley Jansen Nails Down His 10th Save
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen worked around a double and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday's 7-6 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates to secure his 10th save. He also recorded a pair of strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 3.07. He has nailed down 10 of his 11 save opportunities while […]
T.J. McFarland Nearly Ready To Return From Injury
Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher T.J. McFarland (shoulder) is nearing a return from the 10-day injured list after a bout with shoulder inflammation. It's possible he could be back as soon as Tuesday, as the team designated reliever Matt Koch for assignment over the weekend, and they optioned Jon Duplantier to Triple-A Reno on Sunday after […]
Matt Andriese Not Considered As Candidate To Start
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Matt Andriese is not considered as a candidate for the starting rotation, as the team ponders changes. The long reliever has pitched well in the back end of the bullpen and manager Torey Lovullo doesn't want to ruin the bullpen chemistry. "He hasn't really entered the equation for me because he's […]
Jon Duplantier Optioned Out After Nice Outing
Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Jon Duplantier allowed just one hit and two walks with four strikeouts over four scoreless frames of extra-innings relief in Sunday's 6-5 home loss against the Chicago Cubs. He threw 34 of his 58 pitches for strikes and was optioned out to Triple-A Reno after the game for a fresh arm. […]
Blake Parker Saves Fifth Game
Minnesota Twins closer Blake Parker pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Parker struck out two and earned his fifth save of the season in the win. The veteran reliever has been a solid presence at the back of the Minnesota bullpen, emerging as the team's preferred […]
Jerry Blevins Shipped Out, Lou Trivino Nearly Ready
The Oakland Athletics traded relief pitcher Jerry Blevins to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday for cash considerations or a player to be named later. It's a good sign that relief pitcher Lou Trivino (thumb), who has been on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb injury, might be ready to return for the […]
Blake Treinen Falls Apart North Of The Border
Oakland Athletics closer Blake Treinen coughed up four earned runs, five hits and two walks with a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings of work in a relief loss in extra innings on Sunday in Toronto. He entered the game in a tie ball game and not a save situation, and he threw 39 pitches as […]
Sergio Romo (RP, MIA) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sergio Romo - not trendier upside plays like Adam Conley, Drew Steckenrider, Nick Anderson, or Taysom Guerrero - has emerged as the primary ninth-inning option for Miami. He's locked down their last three save situations, with clean innings in all of those games. […]