Fernando Rodney Roughed Up In Steel City

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Fernando Rodney coughed up four earned runs, three hits and a walk while retiring just one batter in a blown save and relief loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Rodney was staked to a 3-1 lead in the top of the 13th inning, but he couldn't hold the lead. The […]

Keone Kela Will Be Evaluated On Monday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Keone Kela (shoulder) was not available for Sunday's game against the Oakland Athletics due to tightness in his right shoulder. He left his appearance on Saturday, and general manager Neal Huntington said Kela would be evaluated on Monday. If you normally depend upon him in NL-only fantasy play, it might be […]

Blake Treinen is Unlikely Available on Sunday

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Blake Treinen (elbow) was unavailable on Saturday and is unlikely to be available for Sunday as well. Treinen is dealing with right elbow discomfort, according to manager Bob Melvin. He is set to be examined by doctors on Monday, so the Athletics will likely sit him out on Sunday. Lou Trivino […]

Shawn Kelley (RP, TEX) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: With Jose Leclerc's early season struggles showing no signs of abatement, the Rangers officially removed him from the closer role earlier this week. Shawn Kelley is one of the front-runners for saves in the aftermath of that decision. The 35-year-old has pitched 12 innings thus […]

Ty Buttrey (RP, LAA) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: We have just over a month of baseball under our belts and the Closer Carousel is already in full swing. Relievers that could see save opportunities are some of the most frequent waiver wire adds, but also are some of the most frequent drops […]

The Cut List (Week 6) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome to May. Whether you've hung on to a player since draft season, or picked up a hot bat early on, there are always going to be players on your chopping block. Below are some of them. Stats are through Friday, May 3. As we say every week: Remember that these recommendations are for standard […]

H2H Category Streamers - Week 6 Waiver Wire

There are plenty of strategies that fantasy managers explore in hopes to get an advantage over their opponent. Heavy lineup, heavy starting pitchers, no catcher, all (or mostly) reliever staff, no reliever staff, etc. Even if you play a balanced lineup, injuries can cause holes. A few weeks without a key player won’t kill a […]

Points Leagues Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 6

Welcome to the RotoBaller waiver wire column which falls in-line with most fantasy “who should I pick up?” articles with a skew towards points leagues. Yes, there is positive correlation to standard 5x5 scoring but in our format, strikeouts, walks and non-homer extra-base hits are uniquely critical. In points leagues, specific categories matter less, and […]

Brad Hand Saves His Tenth on Saturday

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand earned his 10th save of the season on Saturday, tossing a scoreless ninth inning while allowing just a walk and striking out three. Hand needed 19 pitches to work through the ninth inning, but his three strikeouts were impressive and he lowered his ERA to 1.15.

Jeremy Jeffress Efficient On Saturday

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress pitched a perfect inning on six pitches in Saturday's game against the Mets. This now makes three perfect innings in a row since Jeffress had his two blow up starts. Josh Hader is firmly the Brewers closer, but if Jeffress can regain some of the velocity he has lost, he […]

Two-Start Pitcher Preview For Week 6: 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 Monday through Friday from 1-2 pm ET Saturdays from 5-7 pm ET You can […]

Scott Schebler Optioned To Triple-A, Cody Reed Recalled

The Cincinnati Reds optioned outfielder Scott Schebler to Triple-A on Saturday. Schebler, who stood to see a big dent put in his playing time with the promotion of Nick Senzel, will look to get his season on track in the minors. The outfielder struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .123 with 27 strikeouts […]

Lou Trivino (RP, OAK) - Closers and Saves Waiver Wire Adds

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Saves Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: After dominating for all of 2018, Oakland's closer Blake Treinen is now facing some potential challenges in 2019. As of this writing, it was reported yesterday that Treinen was dealing with elbow discomfort and is scheduled to be examined by team doctors on Monday. […]

Free Agent Frenzy: 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 […]

Luke Gregerson Activated on Saturday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (shoulder) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday. Gregerson has not pitched in the MLB this season, but should be a key part to the Red Birds bullpen. Gregerson struggled last season, so the Cardinals will likely start him out in middle relief. However, Gregerson […]

Jonathan Holder Earns Win In Relief

After New York Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton exited following just three innings with a knee injury, the Yankees went to Jonathan Holder out of the bullpen Friday night at Yankee Stadium. The 25-year-old's season thus far can be split in half in terms of productivity. While he allowed at least one run in six of […]

Brad Hand Picks Up a Win on Friday

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand picked up his first win of the season on Friday, evening his record at 1-1. Hand tossed a scoreless ninth inning in a tie game, allowing a hit while striking out two. The Cleveland offense would walk off in the bottom of the inning. Hand lowered his ERA to 1.23 […]

Touki Toussaint Returns To Majors, Earns Win In Relief

Atlanta Braves pitcher Touki Toussaint was called back up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday and reliever Shane Carle was optioned in a corresponding move. The 22-year-old might not be up for long, but he earned his second win of the season by allowing one run in four innings while striking out six and lowering his […]

Top 30 Impact Prospects for 2019 Redraft Leagues (Week 5)

Well, this list has changed quite a bit since the start of the year, and the pace of promotions to the Majors has picked up in recent weeks. The consistent No. 1 player in the rankings, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has now ascended to The Show. And over the past week, three other players have joined […]

Anthony Swarzak's Struggles Continue In Loss

Seattle Mariners reliever Anthony Swarzak entered the bottom of the ninth in a tie game Friday night but proceeded to give up a walk-off single to suffer his first loss of the season. The right-hander gave up the one hit and walked a pair of batters in the outing as he's now given up runs […]

Ryan Brasier Suffers Second Blown Save

Boston Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier couldn’t shut the door on the White Sox on Thursday night as he let up a three-run home run to Nick Delmonico in the ninth. Matt Barnes was brought into the eighth inning and struck out the White Sox's two, three and four hitters in order. The two earned […]

Carlos Martinez Set to Start a Rehab Assignment

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) is set to start a rehab assignment on Sunday with Single-A Peoria. Martinez will be used as a reliever once he is ready to return, as the team believes that gives him the best chance to stay healthy. He was thought of as a potential saves candidate before […]

Diego Castillo Picks Up Save For Rays

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Diego Castillo closed out the Rays 3-1 win on Thursday. He now has four saves on the season, two of which have come in the past week. It seemed like Jose Alvarado was going to be the clear-cut favorite for closing duties shortly after the season began, but he has […]

Shane Greene Named Reliever Of The Month

The strong start to Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene's season has earned the veteran closer Reliever of the Month honors for the month of April. Greene has been absolutely lights-out this season, notching 12 saves despite playing for a team that has only won 13 games. In the process, he's struck out 17 batters and walked […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 5 Waiver Wire

Last week I made a joke about this article somehow playing Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" but now this week I want to make the same joke because, well, because another one bit the dust. The Rangers will have someone new on the mound in the ninth inning when they're trying to hold onto […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Undervalued Pitchers for Week 5

Welcome back to the pitching strikeout rate risers and fallers article series! A month of baseball is in the books, meaning that we have at least a decent chunk of data to start diving into. Understanding strikeout trends and the stats behind them can help you determine what a pitcher’s overall fantasy value may be […]

Seth Maness Signs With Rangers

The Texas Rangers and veteran right-handed reliever Seth Maness have agreed to terms on a minor league deal. Maness has not pitched in the majors since 2017, but does have a career 3.21 ERA across parts of five seasons. He's mainly a middle-relief pitcher with a little closing experience. Maness will head to Triple-A, but […]

Matt Strahm Tallies Third Straight Quality Start

San Diego Padres starter Matt Strahm collected his first win Thursday, spinning six innings of two-run ball against the Atlanta Braves. Strahm was breezing through five innings before wobbling in his final frame, surrendering eight total knocks, walking none and striking out six. The 27-year-old now has three consecutive quality starts and hasn’t allowed more […]

Jake McGee, Chris Rusin Progress In Rehab

The Colorado Rockies received some positive news Thursday as a pair of their pitchers threw successful bullpen sessions. Jake McGee has been out for a month with an MCL sprain in his knee, but he threw a successful bullpen session as he inches closer towards a return. The 32-year-old has made just two appearances for […]

Adalberto Mejia to Injured List; Mike Morin Recalled

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Adalberto Mejia was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain on Thursday, and relief pitcher Mike Morin was recalled to replace him. Mejia has struggled mightily in 11 appearances this year, with an 8.74 ERA, 11-9 K-BB ratio, and 6.17 xFIP over 11 1/3 innings. Mejia also […]