Daniel Norris Won't Be Demoted To Triple A

Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris made a spot start on Friday for his first start of the season, lasting 4 2/3 innings and allowing one run while striking out five. Norris was the odd man out in the Tigers' rotation this year and had pitched out of the bullpen up to this point. There was […]

How Superior Setup Men Provide Value to Closers - AL Focus

The goal of the previous column in this series was to propose that the home runs allowed by relief pitchers have a significant impact on fantasy teams, even when those pitchers do not make the roster. While a baseball truism on some levels, home runs given up late in games tend to diminish the number […]

Keone Kela Takes Loss On Friday

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Keone Kela took his first loss of the season on Friday against the Mariners. Kela pitched the top of the ninth with the game tied. He gave up two singles, a sacrifice and a steal before Jean Segura drove in two runs with a double. Segura later scored after Kela was […]

Chris Devenski (RP) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 60% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Houston Astros relief pitcher Chris Devenski has been a very strong setup man over the last few seasons, but an injury to Ken Giles makes him the top waiver wire pickup of the week. With Giles dealing with back tightness, Devenski will be […]

Kelvin Herrera Nails Down Third Save

The Kansas City Royals may have a lot of problems with their team, but closer Kelvin Herrera certainly isn't one of them. On Friday night, Herrera stranded a baserunner en route to his third save of the season. Herrera has been lights out so far this year, racking up eight strikeouts in just 5 2/3 […]

Streaming Wars - Waiver Wire Targets for April 22

Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire all season long. This article, now in its second year, runs seven days a week. It may only be April, but it's never too early to start streaming. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis […]

Brad Boxberger Implodes Against Padres

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger took the loss on Friday night, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits while failing to record an out. Fatigue may have played a factor in Boxberger's performance, as he was pitching for the third straight day. It was the first time since 2015 that he has done […]

Alex Colome With A Win Friday Versus Minnesota

Tampa Bay Rays closer Alex Colome earned a win Friday versus Minnesota. He pitched a scoreless 1oth inning and the Rays would win in the bottom of the inning. Colome recorded an MLB-leading 47 saves in 2017, but his overall numbers elsewhere weren't as impressive as his 2016 campaign. His strikeout and walk rates both went […]

Shane Greene Blows Save Friday, Unavailable Saturday

Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene appeared in both games of Friday's doubleheader with the Kansas City Royals. He pitched effectively in the first game, but blew the save in the second game as the Tigers split. As a result of his work Friday, he's unavailable out of the bullpen on Saturday. Joe Jimenez will be […]

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 4

Is it time to overreact yet? This is what many fantasy owners are asking themselves and our writers at RotoBaller, but it's not the question you should be asking. It may be the early portion of a long season, but clearly some trends are forming. The question is: how much longer are you going to […]

Tommy Hunter Tosses Scoreless Inning In Rehab Outing

Making his rehab outing with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils Friday night, Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Tommy Hunter took yet another significant step towards making his debut with the Phillies. The 31-year-old threw 20 pitches, tossing just one inning and striking out two. He took each of the three batters he faced to full counts, resulting […]

Hector Neris Locks Up Tight Save

After second baseman Cesar Hernandez and outfielder Odubel Herrera teamed up to give the Philadelphia Phillies a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, manager Gabe Kapler handed the ball to his closer, Hector Neris. The 28-year-old has once again started his season with struggles just like he did last year, as he carried a […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/21/18): MLB DFS Lineups

We've got another day full of action ready for us on DraftKings, with an early slate starting at 1pm eastern and the featured slate kicking off at 7pm. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/21/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the […]

Eddie Butler Lands On 10-Day Disabled List, Luke Farrell Called Up

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Eddie Butler (groin) has landed on the disabled list with a right groin strain. Butler has been operating in long relief for the Cubs and doesn’t hold fantasy value. Relief pitcher Luke Farrell has been promoted to take his spot on the roster and can be avoided in all formats.

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for April 21

Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. Even with only a week and a half of the season in the books, we are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on […]

Blue Jays Activate Kendrys Morales

The Toronto Blue Jays have activated designated Kendrys Morales (hamstring) from the 10-day disabled list. Morales was suffering from a hamstring strain but only ended up missing the minimum amount of time. Morales’ playing time situation remains unclear, however. With Curtis Granderson admirably filling in as designated hitter and recently called up outfielder Teoscar Hernandez lighting […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/20/18): MLB DFS Lineups

We finally get a Friday with all 30 teams in one slate (KC/DET is a double-header). Do not mess this up for us, weather! Now that most teams have played at least 15 games (c’mon, Minnesota), I’ll start to use 2017 and 2018 stats when addressing a player’s ISO. In this article, I will be […]

Derek Law Demoted

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Derek Law has been sent down to Triple-A. Law was recently promoted to help the club eat up some innings in the bullpen, but he is no longer needed. Law gave up three runs (two earned) in two appereances. His demotion will open up a roster spot for Friday’s starter […]

Chad Bell Optioned, Warwick Saupold and Mike Gerber Called Up

The Detroit Tigers have made a series of roster moves in preparation for Friday's doubleheader with Kansas City. Reliever Chad Bell has been sent to Triple-A Toledo and fellow relief arm Warwick Saupold has been recalled. In addition, the Tigers have called up outfield prospect Mike Gerber. Bell and Saupold are essentially non-factors from a […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 3

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 3. Bottom line: the more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that could be the […]

MLB Closers and Saves Report - Week 3

Week 3 saw some surprising disappointments and some surprising great performances. It's already been a season of rising and falling, and we're still more than a week away from May. We've already had a manager get fired, closers lose their jobs, and other closers get sometimes-dreaded votes of confidence from their managers. It's been a […]

Week 4 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 […]

Mark Melancon Expected To Play Catch In A Week

San Francisco Giants closer Mark Melancon (forearm) is expected to play catch in about a week. Melancon has yet to pitch this year and said in the spring that he did not feel 100 percent. With Hunter Strickland holding down the fort in the ninth inning and Melancon overcoming multiple injuries in his time with […]

Tommy Hunter Has Rehab Assignment Friday

Still without having made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies, right-hander Tommy Hunter (hamstring) continues to move closer towards the major leagues. The 31-year-old, on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, pitched in an extended spring training game last week and will take yet another step forward on Friday. Hunter will pitch for the Double-A […]

David Robertson Gets Into And Out Of Massive Jam In Win

In the eighth inning of Thursday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Yankees held a 4-2 lead and sent reliever David Robertson to the mound. The usually steady 33-year-old ran into a world of trouble, as he allowed a leadoff hit and an ensuing pair of walks, loading the bases with […]

Zach Britton Will Throw Off Half Mound

Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton will throw off half a mound as he makes his way back from an Achilles injury. That's good news for a team that's struggled with its bullpen this season, with both Brad Brach and Darren O'Day looking shaky. Hopefully, the season won't already be out of hand when he returns. […]

Tommy Kahnle's Absence Estimated At Three Weeks

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided the media with an update on reliever Tommy Kahnle, who is currently on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. The 28-year-old also has tendinitis in his biceps and will be shut down from throwing for 10 days. According to Boone, the entire process, including rehab, will take […]

Tyler Thornburg To Throw On Friday

Boston Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) will throw on Friday, according to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston. The next plan is for him to return to Boston on the upcoming homestand for regular tests. There is no set timetable following the tests, so we will have to wait and see. It has been […]

Luis Perdomo Sent To Minors, Kirby Yates Activated

Confirming speculation, San Diego Padres starter Luis Perdomo was optioned Thursday to Triple-A El Paso. Right-handed reliever Kirby Yates (ankle) will be activated from the disabled list Friday. Perdomo had struggled mightily in four starts to a 8.36 ERA and 2.50 WHIP. The Padres haven't announced Perdomo's replacement, but might stick with starter/reliever Robbie Erlin […]

Zach Britton Progressing in Rehab

Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton is showing the first signs in his return from the Achilles he ruptured over the winter. He's scheduled to throw off a half mound on Friday in Baltimore, marking the first time he'll be on a mound all season. This is big news for an Orioles team that has seen […]