Jose Leclerc Sent For Tests On Injured Elbow

Texas Rangers pitcher and potential closer Jose Leclerc (elbow) has been sent for additional tests on his ailing elbow. General manager Chris Young is expecting to be without the high-leverage reliever for an extended period of time. The club is also without Jonathan Hernandez (elbow) for a lengthy time — as well as Joely Rodriguez […]

Buster Posey Returns To Lineup, No Long-Term Hip Issues

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (hip) rejoined the mix Sunday, returning to catching duties after missing nearly a week due to a tight right hip. Both Posey and manager Gabe Kapler declared the backstop healthy after the contest, stating that there was no long-term concern about his ability to serve as the team's primary […]

Jo Adell Receives Option To Minor League Camp

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell will not begin the year on the 26-man roster for the Major League club after being reassigned to Minor League camp Sunday. Long regarded as one of the game's top prospects, Adell struggled in his brief taste of big league action last year, slashing .161/.212/.266 across 38 games. In […]

Tampa Bay Expects Ji-Man Choi To Miss Opening Day

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/designated hitter Ji-Man Choi (knee) is set to begin the season on the injured list due to right knee inflammation. Choi appears ready to resume baseball activities in the coming days, but that would not give him enough time to ramp up for the start of the year. Without Choi in […]

Salvador Perez Inks Largest Deal In Royals History

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has re-upped with the organization on a four-year, $82 million deal, marking the largest financial commitment that the Royals have ever made to a player. Perez is coming off of a Silver Slugger-winning season in 2020, where he slashed .333/.353/.633 over 37 games. Perez's return to the diamond after […]

AL-Only Starting Pitchers: Late-Round Draft Fliers

This year more than ever, starting pitchers are a sought-after position in fantasy drafts. Understandably, with uncertainty about innings limits in 2021, fantasy managers are keen to bolster their rotations with the defacto top-tier starting pitchers available. As important as it is for your top starting pitchers to perform at an elite level, success in […]

Matt Barnes' Spring Performance Impressing Alex Cora

Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes has been absolutely dominant this spring, and his performance has caught the attention of manager Alex Cora. Cora said on Sunday that his fastball looks the best it has in years, and he has done a good job cleaning up his delivery. Barnes has thrown four scoreless innings this […]

Daulton Varsho Shows Signs Of Life With Two Hits

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Daulton Varsho showed some life on Sunday with two hits after a slow start to the spring. He's just 6-for-42 (.143) with a BB-K of 1-13 this spring. The two singles broke a seven-game hitless streak in which he struck out eight times. Varsho entered the spring as the favorite for the […]

Mets Willing To Go To $300 Million To Sign Francisco Lindor

The New York Mets are reportedly willing to go to $300 million to lock up shortstop Francisco Lindor on a multi-year contract. Extension talks between the Mets and Lindor have taken place, but there has been no real movement by either side toward ultimately reaching a deal. Both Lindor and the Mets have stated that […]

Drew Rasmussen Strikes Out Two Batters

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Drew Rasmussen threw 1.1 shutout, hitless innings and struck out two Seattle Mariners on Sunday. He's having a solid spring with two runs allowed in seven innings (2.57 ERA). He's given up just three hits but has also walked four while striking out nine batters. Rasmussen has the ability to pitch as […]

Eli White Strikes Out Four Times

Texas Rangers utility player Eli White struck out four times in as many at-bats on Sunday. He was also playing first base for the first time this spring while the club attempted to increase his versatility with an eye towards carrying him on the 26-man roster. Predominantly an outfielder, he has also seen a little […]

Wil Crowe Holds Red Sox To One Run

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Wil Crowe held the Boston Red Sox to just one run over 3.2 innings on Sunday. The young right-hander is looking to secure a spot in the rebuilding club's starting rotation to open the year. Crowe was acquired from the Washington Nationals back in December as part of the modest return for […]

Tyler Mahle Allows Five Runs In Cactus League Loss

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle struggled in an 11-6 Cactus League loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Mahle allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings of work while striking out three and walking one. All of Chicago's damage came via the homer as Mahle allowed three long balls, back-to-back shots in the first inning […]

Daily MLB Injury Roundup for March 22nd, 2021

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 22nd, 2021. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below […]

MLB Sophomores: Who Will Improve, Who Will Stumble?

We all expect excellent rookie seasons from the most hyped prospects in baseball. But the reality is that some players just don’t hit their strides for a year or two. Other prospects start off strong but then fade away. If we look back at 2015, Corey Seager, Miguel Sano, Carlos Correa, and Kris Bryant had […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2021

I've been in the bold predictions game since 2015 and in that time I've had my share of successes. Befitting a premise that demands spicy takes, though, I've also wildly missed the mark a bunch of times (whither goest thou, Byung-Ho Park and Delino DeShields?) The format's been around long enough that you almost certainly know the […]

An Introduction to Advanced Stats for Fantasy Baseball Managers

Hello, fellow RotoBallers! Sabermetrics have become an integral tool for fantasy baseball draft prep, but a concise resource for understanding the basics can be difficult to find. Over the next two months, this series will attempt to define and explain all of the metrics fantasy owners may find useful, citing examples of how to use […]

Jake Fraley Collects Two Hits

Seattle Mariners outfielder Jake Fraley went 2-for-3 with a double on Sunday against the Brewers. He also added a stolen base. Fraley came into camp expecting to be the opening day starter in left field for the Mariners, but his cold start combined with Taylor Trammell's production could leave him on the outside looking in. […]

Keynan Middleton Strikes Out Three

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Keynan Middleton has had a spring training to forget, but took steps to get back on track Sunday, throwing a scoreless inning while striking out three. Middleton did allow two baserunners, on a hit and a walk. This marks the first scoreless outing for Middleton out of six appearances this spring. […]

Nick Mariano's Top 140 Saves+Holds Rankings

To any reader who thinks they don't have a voice here at RotoBaller, let it be known that this article came from a simple Reddit comment about how those seeking Saves+Holds reliever ranks were often overlooked. Poof, and here we are. Allow me, Nick Mariano, 2018's most accurate draft expert (top-three for RPs in '18 […]

James Paxton Strikes Out Eight

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton made his Cactus League debut Sunday and looked strong, striking out eight batters in 4 1/3 innings. Paxton allowed one run while allowing two hits and two walks. Aside from the impressive strikeout total, also important to note is that Paxton threw his fastball up to 97 MPH, signaling […]

Jeff McNeil Scores Twice In Win Over Nationals

New York Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Nationals. McNeil has had a bit of a rough spring, as he's batting just .103 so far with one walk against seven strikeouts. Still, there isn't much to worry about with the 28-year-old, as […]

Shohei Ohtani Shows Off Two-Way Ability Sunday

Los Angeles Angels outfielder/pitcher Shohei Ohtani flashed his two-way upside in Sunday's loss to the Padres. Ohtani pitched four innings, allowing two runs while walking a pair with five strikeouts- showing off a fastball that was clocked at 101.9 MPH at its peak speed. At the plate, the 26-year-old went 2-for-2 with a walk. He […]

Adam Frazier Doubles Twice In Win Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier had his sixth multi-hit performance of the spring on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in the win over the Red Sox. Frazier has been near unstoppable at the plate in Spring Training, having reached base safely in all eight games he's played in and slashing […]

Aroldis Chapman Getting Comfortable With Splitter

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman is getting more comfortable with his split-fingered fastball this spring. Chapman has relied upon his four-seam fastball-slider combo while using a changeup and splitter sparingly over the years, though he's intent on adding the latter pitch to his arsenal. One American League scout said the pitch looks "nasty"- noting […]

Brandon Lowe Extends Hitting Streak To Four Games Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe extended his hitting streak to four games on Sunday, finishing 1-for-3 in the loss to the Braves. After opening Spring Training by going 1-for-13 with five strikeouts, Lowe is now 4-for-11 with a double, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored over his last four games. Lowe […]

Ryan Yarbrough Struggles In Loss Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough struggled on Sunday afternoon, allowing six runs — five earned — on five hits and one walk, while striking out four in four innings of work against the Braves. It was Yarbrough's worst start of the spring, as he had entered the day having allowed just three hits, […]

Nick Castellanos Enjoying Strong Spring

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos is playing great baseball this spring. Castellanos is batting .414 with two home runs, six RBI, and five runs scored in 11 games. He seems poised for a rebound season after a disappointing 2020 that saw him bat just .225 with a career-worst strikeout rate- 28.5 percent- though he did […]

Teoscar Hernandez Belts First Home Run Of Spring

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a home run and two strikeouts in Sunday's loss to the Yankees. Hernandez was a strikeout victim to Gerrit Cole twice before clubbing an Asher Wojciechowski slider into right for an opposite-field home run, his first long-ball of the spring. The 28-year-old broke out in 50 […]

Chad Green Working On A Curveball

New York Yankees relief pitcher Chad Green is introducing a curveball to his arsenal this season, providing him with a possibly strong complimentary pitch to his high-spin fastball. Green had originally planned to introduce a curveball last season but temporarily scrapped the pitch because of the delayed and shortened season, though pitch-tracking systems appear to […]