Padres Acquire Sean Manaea From A's

The San Diego Padres acquired starting pitcher Sean Manaea and relief pitcher Aaron Holiday from the Oakland Athletics on Sunday in exchange for minor league infielder Euribiel Angeles and right-hander Adrian Martinez, according to a source. Manaea had been involved in offseason trade rumors all spring, and he'll finally be dealt just before Opening Day […]

Alek Manoah Prioritizing Changeup For 2022

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah exceeded all expectations in his rookie season in 2021. Over 20 starts, he went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while averaging 10.2 K/9. His peripheral stats mostly backed up his strong surface numbers. He had a 3.30 xERA and he limited batters to a 31.2% […]

Luke Jackson Has Torn UCL

The Atlanta Braves placed relief pitcher Luke Jackson (elbow) on the 60-day injured list with a torn right ulnar collateral ligament on Sunday. In corresponding moves, the Braves selected reliever Darren O'Day's contract and optioned left-hander Kyle Muller to Triple-A Gwinnett. Jackson, who was outstanding for the Braves in a setup role last year during […]

Will Smith Slugging .609 This Spring

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith has been making a lot of hard contact so far this spring. Over nine games and 25 plate appearances, he's slugging .609 with two home runs, two doubles and one triple. Smith is almost unanimously ranked as the No. 3 overall catcher in fantasy going into the 2022 season, […]

Joe Musgrove Struggles Over Three Spring Starts

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove was knocked around a good amount over his three Spring Training starts. He pitched 11.1 innings and allowed 18 hits, two walks and nine earned runs, amounting to a 7.15 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. He struck out 10 batters along the way. The 29-year-old appears likely to start […]

Darwinzon Hernandez To Start At Triple-A

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez will start the season at Triple-A Worcester and will make the Opening Day start in Jacksonville. The 25-year-old was hoping to open the season in Boston's bullpen as a long man, but he'll instead stay stretched out in the minors and work on his […]

J.T. Realmuto Slashing .310/.355/.517 In Spring

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has had a strong Spring Training so far. Over 10 games and 29 at-bats, he's slashing .310/.355/.517 with four extra-base hits (one home run, three doubles). The 31-year-old was limited a bit by injuries last year. He played in 134 games and compiled 17 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 73 […]

Jesse Chavez Makes Cubs Roster

Chicago Cubs veteran relief pitcher Jesse Chavez has made the team's Opening Day roster. Chavez had a tough year in the 2020 shortened season for the Texas Rangers, but he bounced back in a big way for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, posting a pristine 2.14 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP while striking out 36 […]

Lance Lynn Dealing With Knee Injury

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn (knee) left his outing early on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth inning with right knee discomfort. The White Sox will know more on his status on Sunday. The right-hander allowed seven runs (four earned) and seven hits while striking out four and walking one before […]

Jamie Steed's Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Bold predictions can be the key to fantasy seasons. Predicting players who will outperform or underperform expectations by extreme amounts can win leagues. Bold predictions can also be entirely unhelpful, speculative thoughts that are just fun to consider. And the latter is what these are! Sort of. I'm not going to tell you I think Vladimir […]

Statcast Pitch Tracking: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

When you're evaluating a pitcher by Pitch Info on FanGraphs, sometimes you see pitches that don't seem to accomplish anything. If Pitch X is seldom a strike, rarely chased outside of the zone, and not generating whiffs or a favorable batted line against, why doesn't the pitcher scrap it entirely? Some pitchers could improve by […]

Daily MLB Injury Roundup for April 3rd, 2022

RotoBaller has assembled a list of daily MLB injury updates to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy baseball (DFS) lineups, every day of the MLB season. Below is our updated list of injured MLB players for April 3rd, 2022. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below […]

Ryan Pressly Sees Velocity Dip

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly has made one outing this spring, pitching a scoreless inning with no hits, no walks, and a strikeout. However, he saw his fastball velocity at 92.4 MPH, compared to 95.4 MPH last season. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reported that Pressly is not worried about his velocity from the outing. Pressly said, […]

Jonah Heim Makes Rangers Opening Day Roster

Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim will be on the Opening Day roster after Saturday's trade of fellow backstop Jose Trevino, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Heim, 26, made his debut last season, appearing in 82 games, but hit an unimpressive .196 with 10 HRs and three stolen bases. He will presumably back up recent […]

Cardinals Extend Harrison Bader On Saturday

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed outfielder Harrison Bader to a two-year contract extension that covers his final two years of arbitration, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal is worth $10.4 million. Bader, 27, is coming off a productive 2021 in which he slashed .267/.324/.460 with 16 HRs, nine stolen bases, 45 […]

Brandon Lowe Having Strong Spring

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman/outfielder Brandon Lowe is having a great spring to this point, batting .333 with a home run, six RBI, five walks, and four strikeouts in 21 at-bats. Spring stats should always be taken with a grain of salt, but Lowe's performance has to be encouraging for fantasy managers. The 27-year-old slashed […]

Luis Castillo and Lucas Sims Throw Bullpens Saturday

Cincinnati Reds right-handers Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Lucas Sims (elbow) threw bullpen sessions on Saturday, according to Bobby Nightengale. The duo will begin the season on the 10-day injured list but shouldn't miss much time, expected to be ready by late April at the latest. Castillo is looking to keep his momentum going after pitching […]

Jorge Polanco Has Just Two Hits This Spring

Minnesota Twins second baseman/shortstop Jorge Polanco has gotten off to a very slow start this spring, slashing .077/.172/.231 with one home run, two RBI, and nine strikeouts in 26 at-bats. Fantasy managers would prefer to see him hitting better, but he had a solid 2021 season, slashing .269/.323/.503 with 33 HR, 98 RBI, and 11 […]

Lance Lynn Injured In Saturday's Spring Game

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn left Saturday's Cactus League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with an apparent leg injury. He pitched 3.1 innings before his exit, walking one and striking out five while allowing four earned runs. After throwing a pitch, Lynn walked off the mound and limped to the dugout, according to […]

Javier Baez Having Slow Spring

Detroit Tigers second baseman/shortstop Javier Baez has not gotten off to the best start with his new team this spring. The 29-year-old signed a six-year, $140 million contract this off-season, but is batting just .222 with a .370 slugging percentage, no walks, and five strikeouts in 27 at-bats. Baez's role with the team is solidified […]

Wade LeBlanc Retires Saturday

Free-agent left-hander Wade LeBlanc is calling it a career after 13 seasons in the big leagues, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The 37-year-old had an up and down career altogether but will end with a lifetime ERA of 4.54, spending time with nine clubs. LeBlanc went unsigned during the offseason but pitched in […]

Kevin Gausman To Start Second Game Of Season

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman will start the team's second game of the season at home against the Rangers, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Jays this off-season, but Jose Berrios will get the Opening Day nod. The 31-year-old had a stellar 2021 season, going 14-6 […]

Randy Arozarena Doubles Saturday

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena went 1-for-3 with a double in an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in Grapefruit League action on Saturday. Arozarena is having an excellent spring, hitting .455 with three runs and four RBI across 22 at-bats. After making a name for himself in the 2020 postseason, the 27-year-old has […]

Giancarlo Stanton Walks Twice On Saturday

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 0-for-1 with two walks and a strikeout in a 10-0 win over the Atlanta Braves in Grapefruit League action on Saturday. Stanton enjoyed a relatively healthy season in 2021 and finished with 35 homers in 139 games played. The veteran slugger possesses huge power upside in his bat, […]

Austin Riley Hitting .190 This Spring

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in a 10-0 loss to the New York Yankees in Grapefruit League action on Saturday. Riley was a breakout star in 2021, smacking 33 homers while hitting .303 with 91 runs and 107 RBI in 160 games. The 25-year-old possesses impressive power and should […]

Adalberto Mondesi Hitting .273 This Spring

Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi is having a solid spring as he prepares for the start of the regular season. Mondesi is hitting .273 with one homer, four runs and three RBI across 22 at-bats. Injuries limited Mondesi to just 35 games in 2021, although the speedy infielder still managed to steal 15 bases […]

Cedric Mullins Having A Slow Spring

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins is off to a slow start in Grapefruit League action this spring. Mullins is hitting just .130 with one homer, three runs, two RBI, and a steal over 23 at-bats. The 27-year-old outfielder enjoyed a breakout season in 2021, hitting .291 with 30 homers, 91 runs, 59 RBI, and 30 […]

Eloy Jimenez Enjoying A Solid Spring

Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez is putting together a solid spring as he gears up for the regular season. Jimenez is hitting .286 with two homers, three runs, and seven RBI over 28 at-bats in Cactus League action. The 25-year-old appeared in just 55 games for the White Sox in 2021 due to injury […]

Hunter Renfroe Dealing With Back Tightness

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Hunter Renfroe (back) was scratched from Saturday's spring training game against the Seattle Mariners with lower back tightness. According to Brewers manager Craig Counsell, the injury is "nothing serious." The 30-year-old is considered day-to-day, but Opening Day is a few days away. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the situation. He slashed […]

George Springer Continues Hot Spring

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer has been swinging a hot bat thus far this spring. After going 2-for-3 with a double and a run in a 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Phillies in Grapefruit League action on Saturday, Springer is hitting .615 with one homer, four runs, and two RBI over 13 at-bats. The […]