J.T. Realmuto To Get X-Ray At The End Of The Week

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (thumb) will receive an X-ray at the end of the week to determine if he can remove the cast on his broken thumb, according to manager Joe Girardi. While Realmuto hopes to be ready by Opening Day, there's still a chance that he'll need to miss the start of the […]

Nelson Cruz Crushes Three-Run Home Run Wednesday

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in his first Grapefruit League action against the Red Sox on Wednesday. Cruz hammered a two-seam fastball up in the zone over the wall in left field for his first- and very loud- hit of the spring. The home run was absolutely […]

Hyun-Jin Ryu To Make Grapefruit Debut Friday

Toronto Blue Jays ace Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to make his 2021 Grapefruit League debut on Friday against the Orioles. The left-hander was a finalist for the American League Cy Young last year after he posted an excellent 2.69 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings in his first year in […]

Elieser Hernandez Pitches Two Innings On Wednesday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Elieser Hernandez got the start on Wednesday and went two innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two. The run he allowed came on a solo home run by Kyle Schwarber. Hernandez was hard to hit last season before missing time with an injury. He'll take the third […]

Anthony Rendon Making Spring Debut Wednesday

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will make his Cactus League debut on Wednesday after missing some time earlier this week due to general soreness. The Angels are just playing it safe with their star third baseman, and Rendon should be ready in plenty of time for Opening Day. The 30-year-old remains a top-five […]

Clayton Kershaw Could Make Spring Debut Soon

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, and manager Dave Roberts said that he'll either throw to hitters in live batting practice one more time or make his spring training debut three days from now. Kershaw is no longer the cream of the crop in terms of fantasy aces, […]

Alex Colome Roughed Up In Grapefruit League Debut

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome was roughed up in his spring debut with his new team. Colome pitched one inning, surrendering five hits and four runs- including one home run- while fanning one batter. The veteran reliever threw mostly fastballs and cutters, though he allowed a ton of loud contact- five balls traveled at […]

Nick Lodolo Impresses In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, the team's No. 1 prospect, flashed his mid-90s fastball and a work-in-progress breaking ball in his spring debut against the Angels on Tuesday night. Lodolo was able to work a scoreless inning in the Cactus League game. The seventh overall pick in 2019 out of TCU went 0-1 with a […]

Shogo Akiyama Still Not At Camp

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama has been away from camp since Friday due to personal reasons, and a date for his return has not been announced. "I don't expect it to be much longer, though," Reds manager David Bell said. "I would expect to have him back in camp here in the next few coming […]

Jesse Winker Battling Sore Hip

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker (hip) isn't concerned that he'll miss much time while battling a sore right hip this spring that caused him to be scratched from the Cactus League lineup on Monday and Tuesday. Winker is taking a couple of days off and has the luxury of not battling for a 26-man roster […]

Jose Berrios Looks Sharp In Spring Debut

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Jose Berrios looked sharp in his Grapefruit League debut against the Red Sox on Wednesday. Berrios pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out three batters on a total of 26 pitches. The Puerto-Rican right-hander had a good mix of pitches between his fastball, curveball, sinker, […]

Hunter Greene Brings Elite Heat In Spring Debut

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene displayed some impressive velocity in his long-awaited spring training start against the Angels on Tuesday. The first three pitches to leadoff hitter David Fletcher registered at 101, 102 and 103 mph, respectively. The 21-year-old right-hander is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the team's No. 2 prospect. He allowed three […]

Jacob deGrom To Start Saturday Against Houston

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom will make his 2021 Grapefruit League debut Saturday when he faces the Houston Astros. deGrom already appears to be in midseason form during these early days of spring training, having hit 99mph with his fastball last Tuesday. deGrom finished 2020 with a 4-2 record, a 2.38 ERA, a […]

Adalberto Mondesi Takes Batting Practice Wednesday Morning

Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (foot) has yet to make his spring training debut. He's been sidelined with a foot injury that was sustained when he was hit by a pitch before camp started. However, on Wednesday morning, he took part in batting practice and also ran the bases and did some fielding drills. […]

Zach Eflin Impressive In Spring Debut

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin threw two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday against the Tigers. Eflin struck out three, including back-to-back strikeouts to end a dominant first inning where he needed just 11 pitches. The 26-year-old righty is coming off a strong season where he posted a career-best 3.97 ERA and […]

Framber Valdez Dealing With Serious Finger Injury

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (finger) suffered a serious finger injury on Tuesday that is expected to keep him out for an extended period of time. The left-hander took a line drive off his hand during spring training action on Tuesday and could be forced to miss the beginning of the 2021 regular season. […]

Twins Showing Interest In Danny Santana

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Danny Santana is drawing interest from the Minnesota Twins. It's unclear what kind of deal Santana would be seeking, though the Twins are reportedly only interested in minor league deals at this point, per Dan Hayes of the Athletic. The 30-year-old struggled with an elbow injury in the shortened 2020 season but is […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: FIP/xFIP

The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy owners encounter is FIP. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching, and attempts to measure a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting cast. According to the DIPS theory, pitchers control only Ks, BBs, and home runs allowed. Therefore, Ks, walks, and dingers are […]

Jason Vosler Impressing Giants At Spring Training

San Francisco Giants third baseman Jason Vosler may have a path to a role in the big leagues this season, per NBC Sports' Alex Pavlovic. Vosler, who has spent his career in the minors, signed a big league deal with the Giants in November. The 27-year-old went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one off of Walker […]

12-Team Mixed League Tout Wars Draft Recap with Alex Fast - Benched with Bubba (Episode 348)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) of PitcherList. They will recap the recent Tout Wars draft that they took place in on Tuesday. It was a new format so they will discuss research, strategy, the draft, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. […]

Cubs Sign Eric Sogard To Minor League Deal

Free-agent utility man Eric Sogard has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Sogard was linked to a few teams, including the Twins, but he'll sign on with the Cubs as a non-roster invitee after the Brewers declined his $4.5 million option for 2021. The 34-year-old had a down year last season after […]

Yordan Alvarez Taking Batting Practice Swings

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knees) took some batting practice swings off of a pitching machine on Wednesday. The Astros are understandably taking things easy with Alvarez, who had a lost 2020 season due to knee injuries. It's unlikely that the 23-year-old slugger will play the outfield, though that suits fantasy managers just fine if […]

Nelson Cruz In Lineup Wednesday For First Spring Action

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz is in the lineup Wednesday for his Grapefruit League debut against the Red Sox. Manager Rocco Baldelli said that the team would ease their 40-year-old slugger into the action, much the same way they would with third baseman Josh Donaldson. Cruz has hit above .300 in each of the […]

Juan Soto To Make Spring Debut Wednesday

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto (foot) will be in the lineup for his spring debut against the Marlins on Wednesday. Soto sat out the team's exhibition opener on Monday after fouling a ball off his right foot, though it turned out to be just a precautionary measure. The 22-year-old put up monster numbers in the […]

Jon Lester To Have Minor Surgery

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester is having minor surgery to remove his thyroid gland. The Nationals reportedly were aware of this but decided to take care of it during the spring- though manager Davey Martinez believes that Lester could be back pitching in a week. The 37-year-old left-hander signed a one-year deal with Washington […]

Michael Fulmer Slated To Start Saturday

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulmer is expected to make his spring debut on Saturday against the Orioles. Fulmer left the team's campsite on Friday to be with his wife for the birth of their child- and he'll have to pass through the team's intake screening and COVID protocols before he can return. The 2016 […]

Sixto Sanchez Building Up To Game Action

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez is being eased into game action this spring. Sanchez threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, though the team wants to have him throw a couple of live sessions before he takes the mound for any Grapefruit League action- per MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. Sanchez is coming off a promising […]

Harold Ramirez (OF, CLE) - 2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

The Cleveland Indians finished the shortened 2020 season 10 games above .500 and earned a Wild Card spot out of the A.L. Central. They had this success despite having one of the worst-performing outfields in all of baseball. In 2021, they should be much better in the outfield with a hopeful rebound from Oscar Mercado […]

Gio Gonzalez Signs With Marlins

Free-agent starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez has just signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Gonzalez, who had fielded offers from other organizations, was hoping to land an offer with his hometown team and has. Gonzalez compiled a 4.83 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 34 strikeouts across 31 2/3 innings pitched in 2020. While […]

Kike Hernandez Goes Yard Against Rays

Boston Red Sox second baseman Kike Hernandez hit a home run off Rays reliever David Hess in Tuesday's 9-3 blowout win. Hernandez is coming off a lackluster 2020 campaign in which he only managed to slash .230/.270/.410 with five home runs. He should get plenty of playing time in Boston as the starting second baseman and […]