Austin Riley Unlikely To Return Until Monday

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (intercostal) is unlikely to play until Monday's series opener against the Washington Nationals. Riley is taking batting practice on Friday, and the Braves are just being extra cautious in keeping the right-handed-hitting slugger out for his 11th straight game. Manager Brian Snitker said he isn't surprised if Riley ends […]

Austin Riley Not Returning On Friday

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (intercostal) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Riley will be missing his 11th straight start and will probably land on the injured list this weekend if he's unable to return by Sunday due to a left-intercostal strain. However, the 27-year-old […]

Cade Povich - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 10)

BALLER MOVE: Stash in Deeper Leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: John Means is injured again, and it could be a lengthy absence. While the team does have Cole Irvin on the roster, who has pitched well this year and can step in a starter's role, they could begin to look at two starters - Cade Povich and Chayce […]

Ray Kerr Called Up And Starting On Friday

The Atlanta Braves recalled left-hander Ray Kerr from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, and he will make the start in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road. It will be the first start of Kerr's major-league career, although he's appeared in 33 games the last three seasons in a relief role for Atlanta […]

Braves Sign Joey Wendle To Major-League Deal

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent infielder Joey Wendle to a major-league contract on Friday and optioned infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move. Wendle has landed with another team quickly after he was released by the Mets earlier this week after going 8-for-36 (.222) with no home runs, one RBI and three […]

Braves Place AJ Smith-Shawver On 15-Day Injured List

The Atlanta Braves placed rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver (oblique) on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a strained left oblique muscle and recalled left-hander Ray Kerr from Triple-A Durham in order to start on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith-Shawver must have injured his oblique in his start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday […]

Sean Murphy Goes Deep In Another Rehab Game

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique), who hasn't played since injuring his oblique on Opening Day, looks to be close to making a return to the big leagues. Murphy went 2-for-6 with the second home run on his minor-league rehab assignment, a double, two RBI, a run scored and two strikeouts for Triple-A Gwinnett on […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Hitters - Updates for Trea Turner, Austin Riley, James Wood, Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez, TJ Friedl, and more

Heading into Friday's MLB slate, there are several key hitters dealing with injuries. Injuries complicate fantasy baseball lineup decisions, so it's important to stay in the know. That said, let's take a look at injured hitters Trea Turner, Austin Riley, James Wood, Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez, TJ Friedl, and more. This is our weekly […]

2024 MLB Power Rankings for All 30 Teams: Week 9 Updates

Is the dust finally settling after two months of baseball is finally in the books? A few teams continue to move up or down the rankings, but most teams have settled into more predictable patterns of winning...or losing. Remember, I will be factoring in past performance, the current level of performance, overall talent, and preseason […]

AJ Smith-Shawver Impresses In First Start Of 2024

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver looked good in his season debut on Thursday as he tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. He struck out four batters while walking two. The 21-year-old is the Braves' top prospect and has a legitimate chance at sticking in the team's starting […]

Ian Mejia - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis (Week 9)

PROSPECT: Ian Mejia, SP, Atlanta Braves CURRENT LEVEL: Double-A 2024 STATS: 8 G, 8 GS, 4-0, 42.2 IP, 1.69 ERA, 2.74 FIP, 11.39 K/9, 3.59 BB/9, 0.42 HR/9, 47.8 GB%, .231 BABIP ANALYSIS: Mejia was a diamond in the rough, landing with the Braves as an 11th-round pick back in 2022. He has maintained low walk […]

Spencer Schwellenbach Extends Scoreless Streak To 17 Innings

Atlanta Braves starting pitching prospect Spencer Schwellenbach tossed seven shutout frames on Wednesday, allowed only two hits, and struck out eight to extend his impressive scoreless streak to 17 ⅔ innings. Through his first two starts at Double-A, the number three prospect in the Atlanta system has yet to allow a run and is riding […]

Travis d'Arnaud Resting On Thursday

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud will get a day to rest in the matinee affair on Thursday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs to wrap up the series. With d'Arnaud on the bench, Chadwick Tromp will do the catching for right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver and will hit in the eight spot against Cubs right-hander Ben […]

Austin Riley Still Sidelined Against Cubs

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (intercostal) remains sidelined for the series finale at Wrigley Field on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. It's a mild surprise that Atlanta hasn't put Riley on the injured list yet, as this will be his 10th straight missed game due to a left-intercostal strain. The good news is that […]

AJ Smith-Shawver - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Outlook and Analysis for Week 9 (2024)

PROSPECT: AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Atlanta Braves BALLER MOVE: Add or Stream in 14+ Team Leagues 2024 STATS: 1-2, 6.10 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 35 strikeouts at Triple-A Gwinnett ANALYSIS: The Braves have activated right-handed starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his 2024 season debut against the Chicago Cubs today at 2:20 PM EST. […]

Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups: Luis Matos, Joey Ortiz, Reed Garrett, David Fry, Shane Baz, Alec Burleson

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of the mid-week fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings list for Week 9 -- May 20 through May 26 -- to help you stay on top of the waiver wire, especially in leagues that allow daily moves. The Guardians recently promoted outfielder Jonathan Rodriguez from Triple-A Columbus, while Atlanta Braves […]

Top 101 Starting Pitchers: Fantasy Baseball Rankings (Week 9 Updates) - The Baller Ranks

Howdy, RotoBallers, as we gather for my weekly top 101 SP Baller Ranks breakdown. June is approaching, which means almost one-third of the season is behind us! It's a marathon but that doesn't mean we can't make each mile count with the Week 9 edition of my weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks! Some key hot […]

MLB DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/23/24) - Today's Top Lineups

Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! In classic pre-weekend fashion, we've got a paired-down slate on our hands. However, a six-game slate is pretty big compared to most Thursdays this season.  Today's slate is likely about how the big four pitchers fare. Zack Wheeler, Luis Gil, Paul Skenes, and Luis Castillo take the mound and will be top-rated picks […]

Chris Clegg's Dynasty Fantasy Baseball News, Notes, and Buys/Sells (Week 9)

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to my Week 9 fantasy baseball news, notes, and buys/sells for dynasty leagues. This weekly series will take a look at various prospects, dynasty news, and discuss fantasy implications. If you enjoy dynasty baseball, you know it is a fast-paced game. Keeping up with the Joneses per se keeps you in the […]

Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash (Week 9): Redraft Rankings

After receiving prospect promotions early and often in the month of April, it's been much quieter on the prospect front here in May outside of the debut of some guy named Paul Skenes. You may have heard of him. He's pretty good. That's usually how it goes with prospect promotions. We'll get a bunch in […]

Owen Murphy Strikes Out 11 In Latest Outing

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Owen Murphy was the club's first-round pick in 2022 and has flashed significant upside ever since making his pro debut. The right-hander has good spin behind his offerings, making up for a lack of velocity likely caused by his relatively undersized 6-foot-1 frame. His fastball registers in the low 90s. He […]

Ian Mejia Strikes Out 11 In No-Hitter

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Ian Mejia was a diamond in the rough of sorts, landing with the club as an 11th-round pick back in 2022. He has maintained low walk rates and decent strikeout rates throughout his first few seasons of pro ball but has noticeably allowed too much loud contact, including home runs. In […]

AJ Smith-Shawver To Make 2024 Debut On Thursday

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his 2024 debut on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The 21-year-old right-hander is the Braves' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he could have a shot to stick around as Atlanta's No. 5 starter if he impresses in […]

Hot MLB Prospects to Watch for Fantasy Baseball - Week 9

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We're heading into Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season. The minor league baseball season is off to a hot start, providing us with plenty of big plays and impressive prospect performances. It's imperative to monitor the top fantasy baseball prospects who have turned heads thus far. The players listed here are […]

Are You For Real? Surprising Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Starts From Matt Waldron and Alek Manoah

Welcome back to "Are You For Real?", a weekly column where we take starting pitchers who had surprisingly good starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legit or just smoke and mirrors. This time we've got two interesting righthanders to look at. First, we'll dive into knuckleballer […]

AJ Smith-Shawver Has Third Consecutive Rough Start

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver finished April with a 7.11 ERA over 12 2/3 innings. He'd struck out 16 batters but allowed 12 hits and eight walks. After his first appearance in May, he left his struggles behind. On May 1, he threw five shutout innings and struck out five, allowing just three hits and a […]

Sean Murphy Goes Deep In First Rehab Game

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) went 1-for-3 with a 449-foot home run, two runs scored and a walk in his first minor-league rehab game on Tuesday night for Triple-A Gwinnett while playing seven innings behind the plate. Not only was it a good sign to see the 29-year-old hit a no-doubt blast to straightaway […]

Fantasy Baseball MVPs Early in the 2024 Season

We are more than a quarter of the way through the MLB regular season. There is still plenty of time to make up ground, but standings are starting to round into form in fantasy leagues. Yahoo has an interesting feature that tracks players who appear the most often on teams ranked into the top 500 […]

Austin Riley Missing Another Game

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (intercostal) is sitting yet again on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The longer Riley sits out, the more likely him landing on the injured list is. The 27-year-old power-hitting right-hander has been sidelined since May 12 with left-intercostal inflammation, but the good news is that he […]

Week 9 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups Include: Luis Matos, Jonny DeLuca, Jo Adell, Joey Ortiz, Davis Schneider, Adam Ottavino, more

Here we are again fellow RotoBallers, back with another edition of our waiver wire rankings to help you win! Today, we will review our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 9 (May 20 - May 26) of the 2024 MLB season. Injuries continue to pile up as Max Muncy, Austin Riley, and Justin Wilson […]