Mychal Givens Earns Fourth Save Of Season Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens pitched a clean ninth inning on Tuesday against the Mets to pick up his fourth save of the season. Givens pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. He has now converted four of six save opportunities with a 4.73 ERA in 59 innings this season. While Givens is worth a […]

Dellin Betances Allows First Home Run In Three Months

Entering Tuesday night’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances had once again established himself as one of the best relievers in the sport. After all, he’d allowed just one run since the end of May, striking out 49 batters across that span. On this day, however, he would […]

Xavier Cedeno Picks Up The Save On Tuesday

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Xavier Cedeno picked up his first save of the season on Tuesday versus the Tigers. The White Sox have had four saves go to four different pitchers since Joakim Soria was dealt. The White Sox closer situation is one to avoid in all formats as they don’t have a clear […]

Ross Stripling May Not Be Available Tuesday

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling (back) is dealing with a sore back muscle and may not be available out of the bullpen on Tuesday, according to manager Dave Roberts. Stripling, an All-Star this year, has been moved to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for Hyun-Jin Ryu. It kills most of his […]

Kenley Jansen Making Progress

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (heart) ran sprints on Tuesday and will throw to hitters on Wednesday and Friday. He's optimistic that he will be cleared to return after a follow-up exam with a cardiologist next Monday. Jansen continues to wear a wireless heart monitor around his chest. It looks like Jansen's irregular heartbeat […]

Will Smith Unavailable Tuesday

San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy wants to avoid using closer Will Smith on Tuesday after the lefty reliever threw 20 pitches to earn the save on Monday. Smith has thrown back-to-back days. The southpaw has been great with Hunter Strickland sidelined, posting a 2.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 and nine saves. Because of […]

Alex Wood Activated From DL, Starting Tuesday

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated starting pitcher Alex Wood (hip, groin) from the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday, and he's starting against the Giants. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers placed relief pitcher John Axford (leg) on the disabled list with a fractured right fibula. The left-hander missed just one turn in the rotation and […]

Koda Glover Taking Over As Closer

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said relief pitcher Koda Glover will be the official closer with Ryan Madson (back) landing on the disabled list. However, Glover is unlikely to be available on Tuesday after pitching back-to-back days. Justin Miller would likely fill in Tuesday if a save situation arises. Glover has only tossed 1 2/3 […]

Antonio Senzatela Throws Live Batting Practice

Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela (shoulder) threw live batting practice on Tuesday and said he felt in tip-top shape. He can return from the disabled list on Wednesday. The right-hander has been a swingman for the Rockies this year, making 15 appearances (five starts) and pitching to a 4.56 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 37 strikeouts […]

Sean Doolittle Throws Off Mound

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (foot) threw off a mound Tuesday and is testing some mechanical adjustments that will allow him to pitch the rest of the year without further damaging his foot. That's not the most encouraging update. The Nationals desperately need their closer back with Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson also landing on […]

Jake Thompson Acquired by Brewers

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jake Thompson has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. The Phillies designated Thompson for assignment last Friday to make room for newly acquired Justin Bour. The Brewers have optioned Thompson to Triple-A Colorado Springs, so he won't be with the MLB team right away. Thompson should be […]

Ryan Madson Goes On DL

The Washington Nationals placed relief pitcher Ryan Madson (back) on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday. In corresponding moves, relief pitchers Trevor Gott and Tim Collins were called up. Sammy Solis was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse and Erick Fedde (shoulder) was moved to the 60-day DL. The Nats bullpen is now officially a mess with […]

Garrett Hampson Called Up

Colorado Rockies infield prospect Garrett Hampson was recalled from the minors on Tuesday. Relief pitcher Scott Obert was put on the paternity list in a corresponding move. Hampson does have six hits in his first 20 at-bats (.300) in the major leagues, but he's not likely to be up long or play much. He's the […]

Cory Gearrin Could See Save Opportunities

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Cory Gearrin has been carving out a nice role with the Rangers since being acquired from the San Francisco Giants. Gearrin has been working in Rangers victories, with seven of his previous eight outings coming in games that the Rangers went on to win. Since coming to the Rangers, Gearrin has […]

Phillies Option J.P. Crawford

The Philadelphia Phillies optioned shortstop J.P. Crawford to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday and recalled relief pitcher Hector Neris in a corresponding move. Crawford has struggled mightily and has hit under .200 this year. With Asdrubal Cabrera now at the 6, Crawford is the odd man out on the infield. Neris had an ugly 6.90 […]

Wily Peralta Locks Down Seventh Save

Kansas City Royals closer Wily Peralta looked sharp again as he finished off his seventh save of the season on Monday night. It was Peralta's first save in the month of August due to poor team play, but he worked around a walk without an issue to take care of business. Peralta was roughed up […]

Robinson Cano Reinstated Tuesday

Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has officially been reinstated from his suspension on Tuesday. Reliever Casey Lawrence was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma and reliever Sam Tuivailala (Achilles) was moved to the 60-day disabled list in corresponding moves. Cano will return to more of a utility role on the Mariners infield and should see time […]

Joakim Soria To Be Out More Than 10 Days

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Joakim Soria (groin) will be out for more than the minimum 10 days while on the disabled list, according to manager Craig Counsell. Soria was injured late last week in an outing where he allowed a game-winning grand slam. He's been effective overall with a 2.44 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 11.2 […]

Brad Keller Beats Blue Jays

Kansas City Royals rookie Brad Keller tossed seven strong innings against Toronto on Monday to pick up his fifth win of the season. Keller struck out four while allowing only one earned run and four hits to even his record. Keller has been a complete surprise for the Royals this year as he's stepped in […]

John Axford Suffers Broken Fibula

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher John Axford (leg) suffered a break to the tip of his fibula after he was hit by a comebacker on Sunday, and he could be out for three weeks. He's expected to be put on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday. Axford has been in more of a middle-relief role […]

Glenn Sparkman Recalled From Triple-A

The Kansas City Royals recalled pitcher Glenn Sparkman from Triple-A Omaha mere hours after sending him there. Sparkman was originally demoted to make room for Blaine Boyer as he came off the disabled list, but less than 18 hours later, Sparkman was recalled to take Danny Duffy's spot as he was placed on the DL. […]

Kenley Jansen Needed Electric Shock For Heart

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (heart), who called 911 to report an irregular heartbeat last week, said his situation required that doctors in Denver use an electrical shock to get his heart back in rhythm. He is now feeling good and was upbeat after throwing a 16-pitch, "touch-and-feel" bullpen session. There remains no timetable […]

NL-Only Waiver Wire Team of the Week: MLB Week 20

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 […]

Relief Pitchers Deeper Dive - Week 20

Today and every Tuesday moving forward throughout the 2018 MLB season, we will take a deep dive into some of the lesser-owned relief pitchers on the market that are worth keeping tabs on. This can be a good tool for those in deeper holds leagues, although any pitcher in a position to make a move on […]

Koda Glover Blows Ninth Inning on Monday

Nationals relief pitcher Koda Glover was put in the game during the bottom of the ninth Monday evening and gave up a walk-off home run to Paul DeJong. This was Glover's third appearance since activation from the disabled list and first opportunity in the ninth inning. With relievers Sean Doolittle, Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson […]

Zach Britton Yankee Woes Continue

Ever since he was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles via trade, Zach Britton has been far from effective with the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old is sporting an 8.53 ERA across his last seven appearances, surrendering six runs on six innings of work. On Monday night against the New York Mets, he allowed another run […]

Carlos Martinez Will Return in the Bullpen

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) will return to the Cardinals as a relief pitcher. Interim manager Mike Shildt said it would take too long for Martinez to build back up to a starter, so making him a reliever made more sense. Martinez threw a bullpen session on Monday and is expected to […]

CC Sabathia Suffered Knee Injury, Ronald Torreyes Called Up

Updating a previous post, New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (knee) has been placed on the disabled list with inflammation in his right knee. Starter George Kontos was called up to take his place on the roster. The Yankees continued making moves, transferring left-hander Jordan Montgomery (elbow) to the 60-day DL. The optioned first […]

Ryan Madson is Dealing with Back Pain

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Ryan Madson (back) could be headed to the disabled list after Sunday's meltdown against the Chicago Cubs. The veteran righty gave up a game winning grand slam to David Bote in the ninth inning on Sunday. Afterwards, Madson admitted he's been dealing with back pain that makes it difficult for him […]

Blaine Boyer Activated, Sent To Bullpen

Kansas City Royals pitcher Blaine Boyer was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Sunday and assigned to the bullpen. Boyer had been DLed since May due to a strained back, and he took the place of Glenn Sparkman who was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. The 37-year-old was absolutely atrocious to start the season, so […]