Blake Parker Earns A Save On Tuesday

Minnesota Twins reliever Blake Parker earned his first save of the season in closing out a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Parker pitched a scoreless 10th inning, walking one and striking out one in the process. The Minnesota closer situation has been murky this season, with Parker, Trevor May, and Taylor […]

NL-Only Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Anthony Swarzak Picks Up Save For Mariners

Fresh off the injured list, the Seattle Mariners wasted no time in giving relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak a high-leverage situation to work out of on Tuesday. He came into the game relieving Marco Gonzales with one out and runners on the corners in a 2-1 game. He then proceeded to strike out Albert Pujols before inducing […]

Justin Wilson Escapes With Save

The New York Mets nearly blew a four-run lead Tuesday night at Marlins Park, but managed to escape. With Edwin Diaz unavailable after appearing in a non-save situation Monday night, Justin Wilson was tasked with preserving the lead. By the time the former Chicago Cub entered, the lead was already in peril. He escaped a […]

Shawn Armstrong Could Return Next Homestand

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong (oblique) will make a few minor league rehab outings and could return from the injured list on the team's next homestand. With closer Hunter Strickland (lat) out two months, Seattle's save's picture is wide open and includes arms like Chasen Bradford, Roenis Elias, Matthew Festa, Cory Gearrin, Nick Rumbelow […]

Aroldis Chapman Stumbles, Takes Loss

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman was faced with a non-save situation Tuesday night in the Bronx. The Cuban native entered in the ninth inning of a tied game and ominously allowed a leadoff walk before a double quickly put the Detroit Tigers ahead. He would allow a second run before escaping, getting tagged with […]

Blue Jays Release Bud Norris From Minor League Deal

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Bud Norris was released from his minor league contract on Tuesday, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Norris made three appearances with the Jays in spring training but the team kept him in extended spring training to get more work. The team was out of space on the 25-man roster after […]

Dellin Betances To Face Hitters Soon

New York Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances (shoulder) will face hitters soon and is likely to return quickly after he reaches that step in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement. The hard-throwing righty's injury isn't too serious, so he should be able to make his season debut this month, barring setbacks. Even in the […]

Adrian Sampson Goes Six Innings Monday

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Adrian Sampson put up some good numbers against the Houston Astros on Monday. Sampson came in as relief for starter Drew Smyly in the fourth innings and pitched the rest of the game. After being called up from Triple-A earlier in the day Sampson's performance, giving up just one run in […]

Kyle Zimmer Finally Reaches The Bigs

Kansas City Royals pitcher Kyle Zimmer finally did it. Drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft, Zimmer has been snakebit when it came to injuries for his entire career, having gone through multiple surgeries and lost seasons due to arm issues. However, his dream came true on Sunday as Zimmer made his major […]

Anthony Swarzak Expected To Return Tuesday

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak (shoulder) is expected to come off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday after missing most of spring training with a lingering issue in his right shoulder. The 33-year-old was excellent for the White Sox and Brewers in 2017, but he was 0-2 with a 6.15 ERA in just 29 […]

Roenis Elias Picks Up Save For Seattle

Seattle Mariners reliever Roenis Elias notched his first career save Monday night over the Angels as he threw a clean ninth inning. With Hunter Strickland (lat) on the 60-day injured list, the M's will likely approach the ninth inning with a committee, making it a frustrating situation all around for fantasy purposes. Elias, Cory Gearrin and […]

Josh Hader Gets Third Save Monday

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader is now 3-for-3 in save chances this season and has yet to give up a run in the absence of Jeremy Jeffress and Corey Knebel. Hader is an elite closing option for the time being and potentially even when Jeffress returns.

Jake McGee Leaves Early Due To Knee Injury

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jake McGee was pulled early on Monday against the Rays after he told the trainers something in his knee "felt kind of funny." McGee had thrown 1 1/3 clean innings prior to suffering the injury, but he was removed after a short discussion with the training staff. After the game, McGee […]

Matt Strahm Pummeled By Diamondbacks

San Diego Padres starter Matt Strahm was rocked for five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Strahm served up a leadoff home run to D-backs outfielder Adam Jones and it was downhill from there. He was rattled the entire outing, allowing eight hits and three walks while striking out two. […]

Fantasy Exam Room: RotoBaller & Inside Injuries

In our new weekly feature in collaboration with Inside Injuries, we take a comprehensive look into major injuries and their Fantasy implications. The medical team at Inside Injuries breaks down each player’s outlook from physical perspectives. RotoBaller then provides in-depth fantasy recommendations based on the impact of every injury breakdown. It’s an unrivaled combination of […]

Blaine Hardy Impressive Out Of Bullpen

Detroit Tigers reliever Blaine Hardy pitched quite well on Monday in a loss to the Yankees. Hardy entered in the sixth inning after Tyson Ross was chased and delivered 1 2/3 innings of perfect ball while striking out two. Hardy was solid out of the bullpen last year for the Tigers, with a 3.56 ERA […]

Will Smith Nails Down His Second Save

San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith worked two scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts in the ninth inning on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers for his second save of the season. Smith has converted each of his first two save attempts while striking out four batters in two innings and he […]

Drew Steckenrider Gives Up Four Runs In Inning To Forget

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Drew Steckenrider pitched one inning, giving up three hits, four earned runs and no walks while striking out two in the 7-3 loss to the New York Mets on Monday. Steckenrider was called upon in a 3-3 tie to hopefully give the Marlins a chance to walk it off in the […]

Roberto Osuna Locks Down First Save Of 2019

Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout in the 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers for the save on Monday. This was likely Osuna's first save many this year, as he remains not only one of the top closing options in baseball, but his team will give him plenty of leads […]

Brad Peacock Dominates In Quality Start Against Rangers

Houston Astros starting pitcher Brad Peacock went 6 2/3 innings, giving up two hits, one earned run and no walks while striking out five in the 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers. The Astros offense has been anemic to start the year, but thankfully some timely pitching performances have helped them steal a couple of […]

Julio Urias Looks Excellent Monday

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias pitched a fantastic outing, going five scoreless innings and racking up seven strikeouts on Monday. Due to Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill still not being available to pitch due to injury, Urias will start again on April 7 at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. He has massive […]

Richard Bleier Escapes With Save Monday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Richard Bleier narrowly earned his first save of the season in Monday's 6-5 win against the Blue Jays. Teammate Mike Wright started the ninth inning but was pulled after allowing a leadoff single. Bleier then entered with a three-run lead but allowed Wright's run to score and a run of his […]

Edwin Diaz Walks Tightrope, Escapes Jam

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz faced his first precarious situation this season, as he entered Monday night's game in Miami for a non-save appearance. With his team up by four runs, the 25-year-old allowed a walk to the first batter, before allowing a pair of hits. After that, however, he struck out the final […]

Adam Ottavino Continues Strong Start With Yankees

The best reliever out of the New York Yankees bullpen thus far in 2019 has been Adam Ottavino. The New York native, who was signed from Colorado over the winter, made his third appearance of the season Monday night, firing a scoreless inning while picking up two more strikeouts. At this point, it's clear that […]

Domingo German Overcomes Walks To Earn Win

Thrown into the starting rotation due to injuries, New York Yankees right-hander Domingo German was not excellent, but was solid enough to earn a victory Monday night in the Bronx. The 26-year-old fired five one-hit innings, overcoming five walks by limiting Detroit to just one hit while recording seven strikeouts. While he allowed one run, […]

Matt Wisler Acquired By Padres

Cincinnati Red starting pitcher Matt Wisler has been traded to the San Diego Padres for right-handed pitching prospect Diomar Lopez. Wisler was placed on waivers last week but was out of minor league options, so he will have to report to the Padres 25-man roster. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by the Padres in 2011 […]

Brad Hand Saves His Second Game of the Season on Monday

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand closed out Monday's win over the Chicago White Sox, earning his second save. Hand struck out two in a hitless inning. He threw 13 of his 20 pitches for strikes and has yet to allow a run this season. He should be one of the better fantasy closers in the […]

John Gant Picks Up a Save on Monday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Gant picked up his first save of the season on Monday, tossing a scoreless inning while allowing just a walk. Gant won't be the usual closer for the Cardinals, but Andrew Miller and Jordan Hicks had already been used in Monday's extra-inning game, so Gant was the next guy […]

Jordan Hicks Picks Up a Win With Two Scoreless Innings on Monday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks picked up his first win of the season on Monday, tossing two scoreless innings. He allowed just one walk and struck out two. Hicks had a rough outing on Sunday, but came out firing on Monday. One of the more interesting fantasy relievers, Hicks will have Andrew Miller […]