Sean Doolittle Playing Catch Friday

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (foot) is wearing cleats and playing catch on Friday. Doolittle is on the disabled list with a pinched nerve in his foot but should be ready to rejoin the team for the start of the second half of the season. The southpaw has been one of the best closers in […]

Aroldis Chapman Won't Pitch In All-Star Game

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman (knee) will not pitch in the All-Star game next week and is hoping to get some extra rest for his left knee. However, he will be available Friday night. Chapman had a slight knee scare last week but is fine and recorded a save for the Yanks on Thursday. […]

Luke Gregerson Back From DL, Luke Weaver Sent Down

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (knee) was activated from the 10-day disabled list on Friday, and starting pitcher Luke Weaver was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Also, reliever Tyler Lyons (elbow) was activated from the DL and John Brebbia was sent to Memphis. Gregerson has thrown only 8 1/3 innings this year due to […]

Fernando Rodney Earns 21st Save On Thursday

Minnesota Twins closer Fernando Rodney secured his 21st save of the season, closing out a 5-1 Twins victory on Thursday. Rodney came in the ninth inning after reliever Ryan Pressly loaded the bases. Rodney then induced a ground ball out at home, and then the veteran struck out Matt Duffy to end the game. Rodney […]

Kenley Jansen Notches 26th Save Of Season Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was at it again Thursday, earning his 26th save (third-most in baseball) of the season in a 3-2 game against the Padres. Jansen entered for the ninth inning up by a run and shut the door, allowing no runs on no hits and a walk with a strikeout. The […]

Sergio Romo (RP, TB) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Sergio Romo has been a man of many talents this season, pitching as a starter, middle reliever, and closer for Tampa Bay. Since moving into the closer's role, after the trade of Alex Colome, Romo has turned into […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 16

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 16. 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 16 MLB Closers and Saves Report

Another mostly quiet week in bullpens around baseball, leading up to what is sure to be a wild trade deadline in a couple of weeks. A big name closer said a big word and got himself sent to the minors. A guy who was a closer very recently is a closer again due to an […]

Week 16 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago 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 roster […]

Aroldis Chapman Gets 25th Save Thursday

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman notched his 25th save of the season Thursday against the Cleveland Indians. He struck out Rajai Davis, then got Yan Gomes to pop out and Brandon Guyer to groundout to secure the win for the Yankees. Chapman has 67 strikeouts to 15 walks. He is still one of the best […]

Seranthony Dominguez Back In Ninth Inning, Earns Save

After Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Victor Arano spent a week as the main closer, manager Gabe Kapler called on Seranthony Dominguez to once again assume that role. The 23-year-old initially took over the job by force, making 12 consecutive scoreless outings to begin his career. On Thursday, he entered with a one-run lead intact and tossed […]

Andrew Miller To Throw Batting Practice Saturday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (knee) will throw live batting practice against minor league hitters on Saturday. Miller hasn't been himself this year and has been out since May 25, but the Indians beleaguered bullpen could certainly use him back in the second half. Miller might not get many save chances with Cody Allen […]

Marco Estrada To Miss Weekend Start; Sam Gaviglio An Option

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada (hip, gluteus) will miss another start, this time during a series with the Boston Red Sox the weekend before the All-Star break. Estrada has been day-to-day with a mild glute strain, though he has not been placed on the disabled list as of yet. Estrada owners waiting for […]

Ryan Tepera Expected To Return Right After All-Star Break

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Ryan Tepera (elbow) is expected to return to the team shortly after the All-Star break. Tepera went down on June 30 with inflammation in his right elbow. He threw another successful bullpen session on Thursday and will make a rehab appearance this weekend. Before the injury, Tepera performed admirably in […]

Darren O’Day Out For Season After Hamstring Surgery

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Darren O'Day (hamstring) had surgery on Thursday and is officially out for the season. He’d been on the disabled list since June 27 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Before the injury, O’Day had a 3.60 ERA. O’Day is safe to drop from all formats, save for players in deep dynasty […]

Burch Smith Takes No-Decision In First Start

Kansas City Royals pitcher Burch Smith made his first major league start in five years on Wednesday, and he was rewarded by watching his bullpen blow a lead. After 3 1/3 innings for Smith, he exited the game with two runners on so reliever Glenn Sparkman could work out of the jam. Instead, Sparkman allowed […]

Mike Dunn Receiving Injection For AC Joint

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Mike Dunn is scheduled to receive a platelet-rich injection on Thursday in hopes of helping his inflamed AC joint. The injury was suffered almost immediately upon his return from the disabled list in late June, and he told reporters that the injection is really the best bet for him to get […]

Jerry Vasto Demoted To Triple-A

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jerry Vasto made it to the majors, but that's about all he can say. Vasto had been in the Rockies bullpen for weeks, but he only made one appearance and it was atrocious. Vasto was blown up by the Diamondbacks in early June, and he never pitched again. With Bryan Shaw […]

Bryan Shaw Activated, Finishes Blowout

The Colorado Rockies activated relief pitcher Bryan Shaw from the disabled list on Wednesday, and he got his first refresher in major league pitching right away as he was called upon to get the final three outs of a 19-2 destruction of the Diamondbacks. Shaw had been sidelined since June 24 with a strained calf, […]

Phillies Interested In Zach Britton

The Philadelphia Phillies are interested in Orioles closer Zach Britton and have spoken about him with Orioles officials, according to a major league source. The Phils also like shortstop Manny Machado, but at the moment they find Baltimore's asking price for him to be too steep. Philadelphia's best shot at landing Machado might come in […]

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 15)

I'm glad I led off last week's article with Kyle Tucker because the Astros made me look great. They called him up this past weekend and it looks like it's going to take a small adjustment period for Tucker to get adjusted to MLB pitching. We'll get to that later. The calendar turning to July seems […]

Jose Alvarado Out Until After All-Star Break

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jose Alvarado has left the team due to a family emergency. There are not a lot of details being given but the word is that he is out until at least after the All-Star break. It is clear that the Rays are willing to use Alvarado as a closer when […]

Edwin Diaz Gets 36th Save

Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz struck out the side in the ninth for his 36th save of the season Wednesday. The Mariners blanked the Los Angeles Angeles 3-0 Wednesday behind seven shutout innings by Marco Gonzalez. Diaz is the Major League leader in saves, and is on pace to break the single-season saves record of […]

Felipe Vázquez Strikes Out Side for 20th Save Wednesday

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez struck out three batters in the ninth inning Wednesday to secure his 20th save of the season. Vazquez now has 55 strikeouts in just 39 1/3 innings pitched, and a 31 percent strikeout rate. He has walked 17 hitters. The Bucs will have a four game series with the Milwaukee […]

Addison Reed Dealing With Elbow Impingement

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Addison Reed's (elbow) MRI exam showed an elbow impingement, according to manager Paul Molitor. Reed's poor results in 2018 may be attributed to his elbow injury, but it's hard to say. He hasn't panned out as a potential closer for the Twins, and incumbent closer Fernando Rodney has been good enough […]

Ken Giles Sent To Minors

The Houston Astros optioned relief pitcher Ken Giles to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday after his ninth-inning meltdown Tuesday that led to a loss. It will be his first time in Triple-A since before he made his major league debut with the Phillies in June of 2014. Giles has fallen on hard times ever since the […]

Nate Jones Throwing Off Mound

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Nate Jones (arm) is throwing off a mound on Wednesday. There remains no timetable for Jones' return, however. He had a 2.55 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 9.9 K/9 in 24 2/3 innings with four saves before his injury. Joakim Soria has pitched well in the ninth inning in Jones' […]

Shane Greene To Come Off DL Friday

Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene (shoulder) will be activated from the disabled list on Friday. Greene missed minimal time on the DL and should immediately return to the ninth-inning role, which means Joe Jimenez will go back to a setup role. Greene has posted a 4.03 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 for Detroit this […]

Sergio Romo Picks Up Easy Save

Tampa Bay Rays closer Sergio Romo pitched a clean inning Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers to pick up his 11th save of the season. Romo struck out two in the 4-2 victory. The 35-year-old has been used in many roles this season but has settled in as the closer for manager Kevin Cash lately. His […]

Andrew Miller Throws Off Mound

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (knee) threw off a mound Wednesday. He could be on track to rejoin Cleveland right after the All-Star break. The dominant lefty hasn't been himself in 2018, posting a 4.40 ERA and 1.61 WHIP, but he does have a nasty 14.4 K/9 and remains relevant in holds leagues for […]