Rays Add Luke Bard On Minor League Deal

The Tampa Bay Rays signed right-handed pitcher Luke Bard to a minor league deal on Thursday. The 31-year-old right-hander appeared in 46 games (three starts) for the Los Angeles Angels from 2018-20, posting a 5.05 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 60 strikeouts and 18 walks in 66 innings pitched. He missed all of the 2021 […]

Ryan Helsley To Make Spring Debut Friday

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said on Thursday that relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (elbow, knee) will make his first in-game appearance this spring on Friday. Helsley had a stress reaction in his right elbow last year and also dealt with a left knee injury that required offseason surgery. The hard-throwing right-hander is working his […]

Ranger Suarez To Throw Live BP Sunday

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez will throw a live batting practice session on Sunday. Manager Joe Girardi thinks Suarez can theoretically still be ready for the first week of the regular season, but it's still too early to tell. The 26-year-old left-hander arrived late to camp due to visa issues, but he should be […]

Hyun Jin Ryu To Make Spring Debut Friday

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said that starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu remains on track to make his spring training debut on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. The 34-year-old left-hander was a late arrival to camp after working out in South Korea, and he also dealt with COVID-19 over the winter, but he was […]

Yankees, Aaron Judge Continue To Work On Contract

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was disappointed a deal wasn't reached with the team before Tuesday's deadline to avoid salary arbitration -- he asked for a raise from $10.175 million to $21 million, while the Yankees offered $17 million. But Judge is hoping fluid conversations on a one-year or long-term deal can be completed […]

Justin Verlander Still Has Work To Do

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (elbow) says he still needs to get sharper as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. Verlander threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in spring training on Wednesday and said he "felt good physically." The two-time Cy Young winner missed all of last year after having elbow reconstruction […]

Guardians Re-Sign Bryan Shaw

The Cleveland Guardians re-signed relief pitcher Bryan Shaw on Thursday, according to sources. MLB Network's Jon Heyman is reporting that the deal is for one year and $3 million and includes an option for the 2023 season. Shaw will make $9 million if he hits all his incentives and his option is exercised. The 34-year-old […]

Statcast xStats: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy analysis, and it can be easy to look at a stat called "Expected Batting Average" and blindly use it as your projection moving forward. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little bit more nuanced than that. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the "Expected […]

Seiya Suzuki Signs with Chicago Cubs - Fantasy Baseball Impact

Not since Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels has there been so much hype and expectation about a Japanese player heading to the MLB. And Seiya Suzuki certainly has the makeup to be a star. Maybe not quite as big a star as Ohtani, but a star nonetheless. Suzuki already warmed himself to […]

Finding Over/Undervalued First Basemen Using Expected Draft Values

Welcome back for another year of the FSWA-award-nominated Expected Draft Values series, where we look at historical data to identify both overvalued and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We'll start at first base and make our way around the diamond […]

Potential Home Run Risers: Fantasy Baseball Breakouts

Oftentimes in sports, we expect progression to be linear, and mainly with young players. However, as simple as it sounds, any player can get better. Particularly in baseball, which tends to be more skill-based than a sport such as football or basketball, development can happen at any time. Just take a look at the San Francisco […]

Nick Mariano's 2022 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

2022 Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove with Corbin Young - Benched with Bubba EP 454

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Corbin Young (@corbin_young21) of RotoWire and Fantrax. In this episode, Bubba and Corbin will go over all of the MLB Hot Stove action from the past few days and give all of their fantasy baseball thoughts. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. […]

Daily MLB Injury Roundup for March 24th, 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 March 24th, 2022. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below […]

Merrill Kelly Dominates In First Spring Start

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly struck out eight of the nine batters he faced in three scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants in his first Cactus League start on Wednesday. His fastball touched 94-95 mph. Kelly focused on his changeup this offseason, and he got swings and misses on the pitch on Wednesday. […]

Mackenzie Gore Looks Good Wednesday

San Diego Padres left-hander MacKenzie Gore has been adamant that he's made significant strides this year and is ready to put his struggles the last two seasons behind him, and he had another strong spring showing on Wednesday in three scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels. The 23-year-old southpaw struck out five, allowed one […]

A's May Hold Onto Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea

Interested teams are getting the impression that the Oakland Athletics may hold onto starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. Some teams believe they are open to dealing Manaea, but it's quite possible now that they keep both pitchers, at least to begin the 2022 season. The A's have already traded Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson […]

Jose Barrero Undergoes Surgery, Out Six Weeks

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jose Barrero (hand) had successful surgery on the hamate bone in his left hand and is expected to be out for six weeks. Barrero was hoping to compete for the starting job at shortstop to open the season, but that will now be Kyle Farmer's job early in 2022. The 23-year-old has […]

Tommy Pham Agrees With Reds On One-Year Deal

Free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations. The deal includes a mutual option for the 2023 season and is pending a physical. The 34-year-old hit .229 last year with 24 doubles, 15 home runs, 49 RBI, 74 runs […]

DJ Stewart Will Undergo X-Ray On Injured Hand

Baltimore Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart (hand) will undergo an X-ray on his injured hand. He exited Wednesday's spring training game against the New York Yankees after being hit in the knuckle by a pitch in the top of the sixth inning. The 28-year-old went 1-for-3 with a strikeout before exiting. He slashed .204/.324/.374 with 12 […]

Eric Lauer Fully Recovered From Groin Issue

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that left-hander Eric Lauer (groin) is "full go" after being scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start against the White Sox on Tuesday. His groin injury is considered minor, and he was able to throw a side session on Wednesday. The 26-year-old owned a 7-5 record with a […]

Odubel Herrera Could Miss 4-6 Weeks

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera (oblique) could miss four to six weeks due to a mild strain in his right oblique. He is expected to miss Opening Day, and it's unclear when he'll be ready to return to action. The 30-year-old re-signed on a one-year deal with the Phillies during the offseason. Herrera slashed .260/.310/.416 […]

Stephen Vogt Signs With The Athletics

Free-agent catcher Stephen Vogt signed with the Oakland A's on Wednesday. The 37-year-old rejoins the Athletics, where he spent most of his career from 2013-2017 in Oakland and was named a two-time All-Star. He underwent sports hernia surgery in mid-October but is expected to fully recover before Opening Day. Vogt will serve as the backup […]

Tyler Mahle Named Reds Opening Day Starter

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell named right-hander Tyler Mahle as the team's Opening Day starter against the Atlanta Braves on April 7. With Sonny Gray traded to the Twins and Luis Castillo (shoulder) dealing with shoulder soreness, the Reds tabbed Mahle to start the team's opener. The 27-year-old was the subject of many trade rumors […]

Adam Wainwright Pitches Three Innings On Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright got the start in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros and pitched three innings. He allowed two runs on three hits while striking out three and not issuing a walk. One of the hits he allowed was a two-run home run. Wainwright proved last season that […]

Sixto Sanchez On An Extended No-Throw Program

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez (shoulder) told reporters on Wednesday that he is two weeks into a six-week no-throwing period. Sanchez missed all of 2021 and most of 2020 due to injury, and questions have started to pop up around the Marlins regarding the talented 23-year-old's conditioning. The upside remains sky-high on Sanchez, but […]

Teoscar Hernandez Could Return This Weekend

The Toronto Blue Jays are hopeful that outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (wrist) will return to the Grapefruit League lineup by Saturday. Hernandez continues to make improvement while recovering from a mild left wrist sprain that he suffered diving for a ball earlier in camp. He has been taking fly balls and hit off a tee on […]

Hanser Alberto Joins Dodgers

Free-agent second baseman Hanser Alberto joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in spring camp on Tuesday. It's unclear if he's in camp on a major league or minor league deal. The 29-year-old spent last year with the Kansas City Royals, hitting .270/.291/.402 with two home runs, 24 RBI and 25 runs scored in 255 plate appearances […]

Mike Clevinger Looks Good In Minor League Outing

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Mike Clevinger (elbow) tossed three perfect innings in 41 pitches against Chicago White Sox minor-leaguers on Wednesday in his first time on a mound in a competitive setting this spring. Clevinger sat at 94-95 mph throughout his outing and threw all of his pitches. It's great news for the 31-year-old […]