Pedro Strop Out For Rest Of Season

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) will not pitch again in the regular season after an MRI exam showed a moderate left hamstring strain. It's unknown if he'd be able to return if Chicago makes the playoffs. Manager Joe Maddon curiously left Strop in to hit for himself on Thursday with the team up […]

Russell Martin Activated From Paternity List

The Toronto Blue Jays activated catcher Russell Martin from the paternity list on Friday and also activated relief pitcher Joe Biagini (oblique) from the 10-day disabled list. Martin has been terrible this year for Toronto, hitting .194/.338/.325 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI. He will continue to lose playing time down the stretch to […]

Sam Gaviglio Mediocre In Short Thursday Outing

Toronto Blue Jays starter Sam Gaviglio allowed two runs on six hits across 3 1/3 innings of work in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Gaviglio walked one and struck out one in the no-decision. Gaviglio is not a viable fantasy option this season. He has a low strikeout rate and is prone […]

Craig Kimbrel Records 40th Save Of Season

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out Thursday's 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He induced two fly-outs and got Danny Jansen to go down swinging. Kimbrel has returned to stellar form after a couple of inept weeks in August. He has yet to allow a hit […]

Jose Alvarado (RP, TB) - Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jose Alvarado should be owned in more leagues based on his 2.14 ERA alone, but, here we are, with him free in more than 70% of leagues. Yes, he has walked 4.12 batters per nine on the season, […]

Trevor Hildenberger (RP, MIN): Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Trevor Hildenberger is the closer for the Twins and, that alone, makes him a fantasy asset. There are a lot of things not to like about Hildy, the 4.45 FIP and 8.26 strikeouts per nine are a good start, […]

Mychal Givens Earns Multi-Inning Save Thursday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens earned his seventh save of the season in Thursday's 5-3 win over the A's. Givens entered the game in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, one out, and the bases loaded. He was able to escape the jam with a strikeout and flyout, and then pitched a clean ninth […]

Kenley Jansen Has Shaky Outing Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen had a subpar outing in a non-save situation in Thursday's 9-7 win over the Cardinals. Jansen entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a four-run lead and proceeded to allow two runs (one earned) on a hit and two walks with no strikeouts. Jansen has been a top […]

Week 25 MLB Closers and Saves Report

If you're still reading this, you're most likely either in the playoffs or winding down the year in a rotisserie league. Either way: congrats! This week was another interesting one in bullpens across the league, one that will certainly affect not only the fantasy playoffs but also the real MLB playoffs next month. There's bullpen […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 25

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 25. 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 25 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 […]

Seung Hwan Oh Dealing With Tight Hamstring

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh (hamstring) has been fighting left hamstring tightness for the last couple of days and wasn't used in the series against the Diamondbacks as a result. Manager Bud Black said Oh is day-to-day. “I’m feeling good,” Oh said. “I’ve done all the testing with the trainers, and there’s no […]

Pedro Strop Expected To Miss A Couple Weeks

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) is expected to miss a couple of weeks after hurting his left hamstring on Thursday. Strop got hurt when he tried to leg out an infield hit on Thursday. Manager Joe Maddon said that he doesn’t know who will close with Strop sidelined. Jesse Chavez, Steve Cishek and […]

Pedro Strop Exits Early On Thursday

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) exited Thursday’s contest early. Strop stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and hurt his leg trying to beat the throw to first base. The Cubs broadcast crew said that it appeared that Strop left with a tight hamstring and there should be more information after the […]

Scott Oberg Keeps Perfect ERA In September

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Scott Oberg continued his flawless September on Wednesday by tossing two scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks. Oberg upped his September total to 7 2/3 innings pitched, and he's recorded a stellar 10/1 K/BB ratio over that time. He's also yet to give up a hit for the month. Oberg isn't going […]

Wade Davis Vultures Win On Wednesday

Colorado Rockies closer Wade Davis lucked into a win on Wednesday night when teammate DJ LeMahieu blasted a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Davis has had a tumultuous season that has featured a whopping 39 saves while also developing a 4.55 ERA, but he's been quite solid for the […]

Jose Alvarado Earns Eighth Save Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jose Alvarado finished off the game Wednesday versus the Indians. He would pitch a perfect ninth inning to finish off the 3-1. Alvarado would strike out two while earning his eighth save of the season. Sergio Romo is still called the closer for the team but Jose Alvarado, Chaz Roe, and […]

Kenley Jansen Pitches Scoreless Inning Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Reds. Jansen pitched the ninth inning, allowing no hits or walks with a strikeout. He had not traveled to Colorado for the team's previous series with the Rockies due to his irregular heart condition. While […]

Aroldis Chapman Could Rejoin Team Next Week

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman (knee) threw a side session on Wednesday and will go back to New York to get treatment, according to manager Aaron Boone. Boone also said he expects Chapman to throw another side session or simulated game and possibly rejoin the team "sometime next week." It's great news for fantasy […]

Brandon Morrow Set To Move To Simulated Games

Chicago Cubs closer Brandon Morrow (biceps) had a successful bullpen session on Wednesday and hopes to pitch in simulated games by the end of next week. At this point, the Cubs are probably just hoping that Morrow might be an option for a potential postseason run. He hasn't pitched in the majors since before the […]

Cody Allen Gets the Save on Tuesday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Cody Allen worked a scoreless ninth inning and earned a save on Tuesday. It was Allen's 27th save of the season. While Brad Hand had seemingly worked his way into the ninth inning, a string of shaky performances combined with eight straight scoreless appearances for Allen led to the latter being […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow has seen his fantasy stock drop a bit. It’s like a guy can’t implode every once in a while without everyone freaking out. The entire fantasy community became a Glasnow expert after Toronto lit him up […]

Raisel Iglesias Earns 26th Save Of Season Tuesday

Cincinnati Reds closer Raisel Iglesias notched his 26th save of the season in Tuesday's 3-1 game against the Dodgers. Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing no hits and a walk with a strikeout. He now has a 2.51 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and 21 walks in 64 2/3 IP this season. He remains an upper-end […]

Sonny Gray Takes Loss In Return To Rotation

Perhaps with an eye toward the American League wild-card game, the New York Yankees re-inserted Sonny Gray into the starting rotation in a possible attempt to line up their rotation just right for three weeks from now. Gray, who's had a season to forget, only lasted three innings Tuesday night, surrendering three runs, all coming […]

Seranthony Dominguez Falls Apart Again

The Philadelphia Phillies' playoff chances are looking bleaker by the day and Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals felt like a major blow. The club, coming off a loss in the first game of the day, held a 6-3 lead heading into the ninth inning. Seranthony Dominguez, who first entered the game in the […]

Brandon Morrow To Throw Bullpen Wednesday

Chicago Cubs closer Brandon Morrow (biceps) will throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. Morrow has been out since before the All-Star break but is trying to return before the end of the regular season. There's no guarantee he will, and he surely won't be thrust right back into the closer's role even if he does. […]

Brad Peacock Away From Team With Illness

Houston Astros relief pitcher Brad Peacock (illness) has been diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, and manager A.J. Hinch said the reliever is away from the team. The right-hander has been great this year with a 2.98 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. He has been useful for his ratios […]

Matt Barnes Throws On Flat Ground

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes (hip) threw off flat ground on Tuesday. Barnes is getting closer to a return to the team's bullpen to close out the season. The right-hander sports a 3.39 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and outstanding 14.2 K/9 in 58 outings. Barnes isn't a candidate for saves, but his impressive strikeout […]

Nate Jones Activated From DL

The Chicago White Sox activated relief pitcher Nate Jones (arm) from the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday. Jones has been out since June 12 and had a 2.55 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 9.9 K/9 and four saves in 27 outings before his injury. He could return to high-leverage situations down the stretch, but Jace Fry is […]

Liam Hendriks Throwing Harder

Oakland Athletics pitcher Liam Hendriks, who recently started three games and came on in relief in another in an eight-day span, picked up velocity after tinkering with his mechanics in the minor leagues before his latest call-up. He was designated for assignment in late July but cleared waivers and remained with the club. "He's throwing […]