Sean Doolittle Could Return To Nationals This Week

In an update to an earlier news post, Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that closer Sean Doolittle could be activated from the disabled list early this week, per MLB.com's Jamal Collier. Doolittle is currently 81% owned, which means he is out there in some leagues. Given this recent news, those interested in saves should […]

Mychal Givens Blows Save, Takes Loss Saturday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens fell to 0-7 in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Royals. Givens entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning up by a run and proceeded to give up a walk and a walk-off home run to end the game. He has now converted five of nine save opportunities […]

Sean Doolittle Throws Another Sim Game Sunday

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (toe) said that he felt Sunday's simulated game was an improvement over Friday's, per the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes. Doolittle has been out since the beginning of July with left toe inflammation, and while he said his foot felt fine today, nothing was mentioned about next steps for recovery. With […]

The Cut List (Week 23): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 23 of the Cut List. Corey Dickerson, Michael Conforto, Maikel Franco, and Max Kepler should be cut in all standard league formats as we head into playoff time. You should be scouring the free agent list so you can put yourself in the best position to win each day. Believe me, the […]

Hunter Strickland Takes Loss Saturday

San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland fell to 3-4 in Saturday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Mets. Strickland entered to pitch the 11th inning and allowed a run on a hit and no walks with a strikeout. He has done a decent job since returning from the disabled list with a hand injury, allowing three […]

Kenley Jansen Earns Second Straight Save

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen earned a save for the second straight game in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit and no walks with a strikeout. After a recent rough period, it looks like the stud may be finding his rhythm again. Jansen now has […]

Angels Recall Junichi Tazawa

The Los Angeles Angels will recall reliever Junichi Tazawa as one of their September call-ups. Tazawa has had an ugly season, sporting a 9.00 ERA in 20 big league innings. He is nothing more than middle relief depth, and should not be owned in any fantasy formats.

Ken Giles Picks Up 19th Save Of Season

Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles continued his stretch of dominance on Friday night against the Miami Marlins. Giles allowed two baserunners but left them both stranded as he grabbed his 19th save of 2018. While the 27-year-old has an inflated 5.62 ERA on the season, it is misleading as most of the runs have […]

Kirby Yates Placed On Bereavement List

The San Diego Padres placed closer Kirby Yates on the bereavement list on Friday and called up reliever Rowan Wick in a corresponding move. Yates has been the team's closer ever since Brad Hand was traded to the Indians in late July. He's been solid and should be owned in all leagues, but he will […]

Steven Wright Activated Off Of Disabled List

Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright (knee) was activated off of the 10-day disabled list on Saturday morning. Wright had been out of commission since June 23, and now he will head back to the Red Sox bullpen. Wright was actually a solid streaming option before succumbing to injury, as he allowed one run or […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 23

You probably aren't technically able to make trades in your leagues by this point in the season, but it's never too late to buy or sell from the plethora of talented players available in fantasy baseball waiver pools. Instead of trading assets with other owners, you can "buy" players that have been overlooked or recently discarded […]

Kenley Jansen Returns To Closer's Role Friday, Earns Save

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was back in the saddle in Friday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks. After being given a break from the role two games ago due to a rough stretch, Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning, working around a Paul Goldschmidt double with no walks and a strikeout. Despite his recent […]

Arodys Vizcaino To Make Rehab Appearance Sunday

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder) will pitch for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday. Vizcaino has been out the entire second half, but he had a 1.65 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 9.4 K/9 and 15 saves before his injury. The Braves will probably want him closing again, but they'll likely ease him back into the ninth […]

Andrew Miller Could Throw Sunday Or Monday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (shoulder) could resume throwing on Sunday or Monday. Miller's season has been a disappointing one due to injuries, and he hasn't been his dominant self as a result. He has a 3.38 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in just 24 innings on the year. The left-hander should be […]

Brewers Acquire Xavier Cedeno

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired relief pitcher Xavier Cedeno from the Chicago White Sox on Friday, according to sources. While Cedeno isn't expected to be in the mix for saves with his new team, the left-hander is a valuable acquisition as a setup man with the Brewers fighting for a playoff spot. Cedeno has a 2.84 […]

Sean Doolittle Throws Simulated Game Friday

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (foot) was encouraged with his simulated game on Friday and will throw another one on Sunday or Monday. Doolittle is finally nearing a return and could return to the ninth-inning role sometime next week if he avoids setbacks. With Doolittle still out, Kelvin Herrera done for the year and Ryan […]

Cubs Signing Jaime Garcia

The Chicago Cubs are signing free-agent starting pitcher Jaime Garcia to a minor league deal on Friday. Garcia held left-handed batters to a .188 average with the Blue Jays this year, and the Cubs plan to give him a few relief appearances in the minors before they give him a look. Overall for Toronto this […]

Dodgers Trade For Ryan Madson

The Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring relief pitcher Ryan Madson from the Washington Nationals on Friday, according to a source. It's unknown what the Dodgers are sending to the Nationals. Madson hasn't been all that effective this year in D.C. (5.28 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, four saves), but the 38-year-old brings veteran experience to a bullpen […]

Rockies Acquire Drew Butera

The Colorado Rockies acquired catcher Drew Butera from the Kansas City Royals on Friday in exchange for relief pitcher Jerry Vasto. Butera hit just .188 with two home runs and 18 RBI in 51 games for the Royals this year. He's well off the fantasy radar.

Shane Greene Earns 28th Save With Perfect Ninth Inning

Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene earned his 28th save of the season on the road Thursday, shutting out the Yankees with a perfect inning to secure the victory. The Tigers took the lead in the top of the inning with back-to-back homers off Dellin Betances, and Greene sealed the deal in the bottom half. Despite […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 23

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire in Week 23. One-inning middle relievers are the constant sources for holds and specialists can manage to secure a hold even with one out. However, while specialists can get many […]

Week 23 MLB Closers and Saves Report

This week was another interesting one in the bullpens around the league. The Phillies continued to be unpredictable, the Nationals continued to struggle to end games with a lead, and the Twins seem to have finally settled on a ninth-inning arm. Meanwhile, formerly elite closers are struggling in Cleveland and Los Angeles, but only one […]

Week 23 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago by completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked […]

Pedro Strop Earns 11th Save Thursday

Chicago Cubs reliever Pedro Strop continued to perform in the role of the closer Thursday against Atlanta. Strop came in and recorded three straight outs to close out the one-run victory. The save would be his 11th of the season. Jesse Chavez has picked up the occasional save along the way but it still appears […]

Dellin Betances Blows Save In Defeat

The New York Yankees seemed headed to another slugfest-style victory Thursday night in the series opener against the Detroit Tigers. They were leading 7-5 heading into the ninth when Dellin Betances was summoned to close it out. The result would be Betances' worst outing in quite some time, as he surrendered two home runs and […]

Hector Neris Back In Mix For Saves

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris, who was sent to the minors twice in the middle of the season, struck out two hitters on seven total pitches with the go-ahead run on second base on Wednesday night and appears to be back in the mix in the late innings in high-leverage situations. He has allowed […]

Brad Hand Collects 30th Save Of Season

Cleveland Indians reliever Brad Hand worked around a Miguel Sano solo shot in the top of the ninth inning to pick up his 30th save of 2018. Given Cody Allen's recent struggles, it seems that Hand is now the preferred closer for manager Terry Francona. In the 16 appearances Hand has had since being traded […]

Jerry Blevins Clears Trade Waivers

New York Mets relief pitcher Jerry Blevins has cleared revocable trade waivers, according to a source. That means Blevins can be dealt to any team by the deadline this Friday. Blevins could be useful left-handed arm out of the bullpen for a contending club. He has a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8.7 K/9 in […]

Mychal Givens Earns Fifth Save Of Season Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens notched his fifth save of the season on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. Givens entered the game up by five runs in the top of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out Teoscar Hernandez to end the game. He has now converted five of […]

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 22)

Same report, new management this week, as I will take over the Rookie Report for Max for the remainder of the season. I've been writing about the hot prospects dynasty owners should be keeping an eye on this year, and now I'll also be diving into the best rookies for fantasy owners to pay attention […]