Closers and Saves Bullpen Report for Fantasy Baseball - AL Edition

We are so back. Spring training is underway, people are already overreacting to meaningless games, and somehow several top-tier free agents are still unemployed. It's always a fun time in the baseball world as hope springs eternal for most teams (some try their best to be realistic, but even then you can see the slightest... Read More

Ian Gibaut Could Miss Opening Day

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Ian Gibaut (forearm) appears to be in danger of missing Opening Day. Reds' manager David Bell recently mentioned that Gibaut has yet to resume throwing after being shut down last week. The 30-year-old is still recovering from a forearm issue and is considered "close" for Opening Day. The right-hander was a... Read More

Mason Miller Electric On Friday

Oakland A's pitcher Mason Miller was electric in his lone inning of work in Friday's Cactus League game versus the Kansas City Royals. The 25-year-old struck out the side on 16 pitches, reaching 101 mph on nine of his fastballs and even reached 103 mph on another. Miller showed power stuff in his 10-outing debut... Read More

David Bednar Still The Closer For Pirates

Despite the offseason addition of left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman and his seven All-Star selections, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander David Bednar remains the team's primary closer heading into the 2024 season. Bednar, who has been an All-Star each of the last two years himself, received a call from manager Derek Shelton after Chapman's signing, reassuring him of... Read More

Raisel Iglesias Makes Spring Debut Friday

Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias made his Grapefruit League debut on Friday in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. He entered in the fourth frame and had a scoreless inning of work, with his only blemish being a two-out double to infield prospect Jackson Holliday. In his first full season with the Braves in 2023,... Read More

Jose Soriano To Be Stretched Out As A Starter

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jose Soriano will be stretched out as a starter this spring and will start Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He still has a chance to end up in the bullpen but new Angels skipper Ron Washington wanted to give the 25-year-old a crack at the rotation. Soriano made his big-league... Read More

Gregory Santos Progressing Well In Throwing Program

Seattle Mariners pitcher Gregory Santos (lat) is progressing well early in his throwing program, according to M's general manager Justin Hollander. Santos was cleared to begin a throwing program on Tuesday and the early reports are positive at this time. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Feb. 3 for two minor... Read More

Yuki Matsui Resumes Playing Catch

San Diego Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui (back) has resumed playing catch in camp on Friday. The 28-year-old reliever was shut down from throwing last weekend due to inflammation in his back, but it wasn't a serious concern and he's already back to throwing. It remains unclear when he'll be able to get into another Cactus... Read More

Matt Brash Could Resume Throwing Next Week

An MRI exam on Seattle Mariners right-hander Matt Brash (elbow) confirmed that he's dealing with medial right-elbow inflammation, and he could resume throwing in camp next week, according to general manager Justin Hollander. It's great news after a recent report earlier this week suggested that Brash could be dealing with a serious arm injury. The... Read More

Tanner Rainey Not Worried About Velocity

Washington Nationals right-hander Tanner Rainey, who returned late last year from Tommy John surgery, had a perfect inning in his Grapefruit League outing on Thursday and threw only nine pitches (six strikes). His fastball topped out at 92 mph, though, which was a bit alarming since he averaged 97 mph on his fastball before his... Read More

Kyle Finnegan Evolving With New Sweeper

Washington Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan tried out a new sweeper for the first time in a Grapefruit League game on Wednesday. "Finnegan's always been toying around with trying to get a third pitch," manager Davey Martinez said. "Cause everything he throws is hard. So, he wanted to create some kind of deception, more or less."... Read More

Andres Munoz Strikes Out Two In Spring Debut

Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz made his spring debut on Thursday in a 6-5 Cactus League loss to the Chicago White Sox. The righty pitched one inning, needing just eight pitches to get through it. He got Peyton Burdick to pop out on the first pitch he saw and struck out both Brett Phillips and... Read More

How To Use MLB Prospect Rankings Lists to Win Fantasy Baseball Leagues

There are many excellent sources to get prospect information for MLB fantasy leagues. Some, like Baseball America, have been putting together prospect lists for 30+ years. Others are fairly new to the game but have excellent writers and evaluators to offer plenty of insight. What does all of that mean for your fantasy league, though?... Read More

Jimmy Lambert, Joe Barlow Dealing With Shoulder Soreness

Chicago White Sox relief pitchers Jimmy Lambert and Joe Barlow are both dealing with shoulder soreness in camp. Lambert will be sideline for 10 to 14 days, while Barlow could be out even longer. Lambert has not pitched since making his Cactus League debut on Feb. 25 and is going to be out for some... Read More

Andrew Wantz Moving Into Starting Role

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Andrew Wantz has moved into a starting role, at least for now, according to skipper Ron Washington. Washington said the reason for it is the team's need for depth in the starting rotation. Wantz hasn't been a starter since the 2019 season in the minor leagues, but he'll remain stretched out... Read More

Robert Stephenson Unsure If He'll Be Ready By Opening Day

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder) said he's confident he'll be pitching in spring training games, but he's not sure it will be enough games for him to be active on Opening Day in late March. Stephenson is working his way back from right-shoulder soreness in camp and was able to play catch on... Read More

Sean Hjelle A Possibility For Giants Rotation

With San Francisco Giants right-hander Tristan Beck (arm) now facing a potentially lengthy absence due to an aneurysm in his arm, manager Bob Melvin mentioned 26-year-old Sean Hjelle as a candidate to enter the starting rotation for the beginning of the 2024 season with Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) to open the year... Read More

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Pitchers - Updates for Justin Verlander, Walker Buehler, Matt Brash, Robert Stephenson, and more

The 2024 MLB season hasn't started yet, but there are already injury concerns for top hurlers ahead of the new campaign. With fantasy baseball drafts in full swing, these bumps and bruises are sure to have an impact on a few stud pitchers' ADPs. Let's take a look at injured pitchers Justin Verlander, Walker Buehler,... Read More

Spin Rate: Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

Spin rate has become one of the most recognizable Statcast metrics, with supporters of a given pitcher highlighting his spin rates to make their case. Unfortunately, the baseball world has done a lousy job of conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of fantasy managers who know spin rate exists,... Read More

Camilo Doval Efficient In First Outing This Spring

San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval was very efficient during Monday's Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Angels. He pitched one full inning but required just eight pitches, all of which were strikes. He surrendered one hit and struck out two batters along the way. Doval has emerged as a very effective relief arm,... Read More

Pablo Lopez, Jhoan Duran Beat Up Wednesday

Minnesota Twins Opening Day starter Pablo Lopez and closer Jhoan Duran were beat up in the team's 12-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. In total, Twins pitchers allowed 17 hits. Lopez, who struck out two and gave up three hits in his two innings of work, surrendered a two-run homer to... Read More

A's To Ease Mason Miller Into Closer's Role?

Oakland Athletics right-hander Mason Miller, along with Dany Jimenez and Trevor Gott, could get an opportunity to close out games this season. However, when asked about the possibility of Miller seeing save chances, manager Mark Kotsay indicated he'd like to see Miller succeed in high-leverage spots and gradually move up the ladder rather than anoint... Read More

Trevor Stephan Shut Down For Three Weeks

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Trevor Stephan (elbow) has a deep bone bruise in his throwing elbow and will be shut down for three weeks. There won't be enough time for Stephan to recover in time to be ready for Opening Day at the end of March, so he'll be forced to open the 2024 season on... Read More

Angels Confirm That Carlos Estevez Is The Closer

Los Angeles Angels skipper Ron Washington confirmed that right-hander Carlos Estevez is the team's closer to open the season. "Right now, we've got him as a closer," Washington said. "So we don't need to talk about that." The 31-year-old is coming off a season that saw him register a 3.90 ERA with 78 strikeouts in... Read More

Robert Stephenson Dealing With Shoulder Soreness

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder) is dealing with some right-shoulder soreness in camp but is playing catch on Wednesday. It's the reason why Stephenson hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game yet, although it's a good sign that he's playing catch in Wednesday, and he still has enough time to get ready for... Read More

Matt Brash Could Miss Significant Time

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Brash (elbow) could be sidelined for a significant amount of time with a serious right-elbow injury. Brash and the Mariners are in the process of trying to determine exactly what is wrong with his elbow, but there's the possibility that he could have to sit out the entire 2024 season.... Read More

Top 300 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: AL-Only Leagues (February 2024 Update)

Welcome back to more fantasy baseball rankings! It's an exciting time for baseball fans as spring training begins and Opening Day is around the corner. For fantasy managers who still play in old-school leagues such as AL-Only or NL-Only formats, we've got you covered. Today, we will look at our 2024 AL-Only fantasy baseball roto rankings.... Read More

Jesse Scholtens Done For Season With Torn UCL

Chicago White Sox right-hander Jesse Scholtens (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list on Tuesday and is scheduled to have surgery to fix a torn UCL in his right elbow on Friday. The 29-year-old will in turn miss all of the 2024 season. The move to place Scholtens on the 60-day IL was made... Read More

Tristan Beck Dealing With Hand Discomfort

The San Francisco Giants said that right-hander Tristan Beck (hand) went back to San Francisco to see doctors because of right-hand discomfort. Beck and Keaton Winn (elbow) were the favorites to round out San Fran's starting rotation to begin the year with Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) not ready, but now both Beck... Read More

Craig Kimbrel Expects To Make Spring Debut Thursday

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel (quadriceps) threw a live batting practice session on Monday at camp and said he felt great. Kimbrel expects to make his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday. Kimbrel dealt with quadriceps soreness over the weekend and was shut down for a few days as a precaution. The 35-year-old veteran reliever is... Read More