Colin Poche Has Torn UCL

Tampa Bay Rays left-handed reliever Colin Poche (elbow) was put on the 45-day injured list on Tuesday with a torn left ulnar collateral ligament, and he'll miss the 2020 season. Tommy John surgery has been recommended, putting his 2021 season in jeopardy as well. Poche had a 4.08 FIP and struck out 72 hitters in […]

Nomar Mazara Placed On Injured List

Chicago White Sox outfielder Nomar Mazara (undisclosed) has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Manager Rick Renteria declined to specify why the outfielder will be on the injured list, but said that Mazara has been “under the weather.” Outfielders Leury Garcia and Adam Engel are the likely candidates to replace Mazara. Outside of DFS, […]

KBO DFS Cheat Sheets: Lineups, Starters & Matchups for 7/23/20

Welcome, Rotoballers, to my KBO DFS Cheat Sheet! These cheat sheets will include my usual KBO Starting Lineups sheet, KBO Starting Pitchers for the upcoming slate, and my KBO matchup sheets where I personally project the starting lineups for each team. Remember the KBO is an entirely different animal than MLB and small things can […]

Hunter Dozier Tests Positive For COVID-19

Kansas City Royals outfielder/third baseman Hunter Dozier has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be placed on the injured list as he heads into self-isolation. This will be a sizeable loss to the Royals lineup going into the season, as Dozier slashed .279/.348/.522 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI over 139 games last year. The […]

Francisco Mejia, Austin Hedges To Split Time Evenly

San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler confirmed catchers Francisco Mejia and Austin Hedges will play equally this season. The even timeshare negatively impacts fantasy prospects for both players, especially Mejia as the more attractive signal-caller. The 24-year-old has notched a .714 OPS in 320 plate appearances across three seasons. A former top prospect with hitting […]

James Karinchak (RP, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: It is truly a relief to once again be talking about players warranting a waiver wire selection, and in the spirit of the scale of this relief, let's kick off the 2020 MLB season by discussing one of the most promising young relievers in […]

Austin Hays (OF, BAL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: 25-year-old Austin Hays is a former highly touted prospect, and given the downtrodden nature of the Baltimore Orioles roster, is ready to take the reigns in the outfield at Camden Yards for the abbreviated 2020 MLB season. Whether or not you would slate the […]

Ryan McBroom Will Open Season As Royals Starting First Baseman

Kansas City Royals first baseman Ryan McBroom will be the team's primary first baseman to start the 2020 season. The team is currently without Ryan O'Hearn, who has been in self-isolation after a positive COVID-19 test. The 28-year-old McBroom had his first stint in the majors last year and went on to slash .293/.361/.360 with […]

Closer Conundrum: What Does Managing Like It's The Playoffs Mean?

"In a 60-game season, managers will approach every game like it's the playoffs." We've heard that refrain over and over again as we prepare for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In fact, I think I've written that sentence, or something similar, close to ten times already. But that statement brings up a natural follow-up question: How […]

Wilson Ramos Returns To Camp

New York Mets catcher Wilson Ramos returned to Mets' camp on Tuesday after a three-day absence to deal with personal matters. Mets manager Luis Rojas was noncommittal when asked about whether Ramos would be ready by Opening Day. The Mets signed catcher Rene Rivera to their 40-man roster on Sunday as insurance in the event […]

Bobby Witt Jr. Reaches Base Four Times On Tuesday

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had a remarkable game on Tuesday against the Astros, going 2-for-3 with two walks, one RBI and two runs. He hit seventh in the lineup and played third base in the game. Witt, who was selected second overall by the team in the 2019 MLB draft, appears unlikely […]

SP Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

It still doesn’t feel real, but starting on July 23rd the MLB will embark on a 60 -game sprint to the Playoffs. Then in the blink of an eye, October baseball will be here, culminating in one team lifting the most strangely won pennant in history. With the baseball season taking shape in such an […]

Jakob Junis Placed On 10-Day Injured List

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis will miss at least his first start this season. He was placed on the 10-Day injured list as he continues to make his way back to form following a positive COVID-19 test earlier in the summer. Fellow Royals starter Brad Keller is in a similar position, leaving the Royals with […]

Blue Jays Will Play Home Games At PNC Park

According to a report, the Toronto Blue Jays will play their home games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for the 2020 season. The players wanted to play in a big league stadium instead of their spring complex in Dunedin, Florida, or their Triple-A park in Buffalo, New York, and it looks like they got their […]

Brad Keller Won't Be Ready For Opening Day

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller will not be part of the Royals roster for Opening Day and will remain on the injured list as the season begins. Keller resumed baseball activities late last week after being sidelined from testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the summer. Fellow starter Jakob Junis is also going to begin […]

Sauceda's Slants: More POWA to your Outfield

We recently introduced our new hitter metric, POWA (which stands for Prediction of wOBA Attempt), to more appropriately align and weight new Statcast metrics to better predict future performance. You can read the introductory piece for the full details and a 2019 POWA leaderboard, but the gist of it is: POWA is nearly 10% more […]

Fantasy Baseball: Category Deflation - Pitchers

Calling all roto players! As you all prepare for the shortened season, I'm sure you are wondering how your strategies may change and how to approach certain categories, particularly for pitching staffs. Well, I have been thinking about the same things as you and will lay out some of my thoughts on how you can […]

Trevor Williams Hopes To Use Curveball More

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams threw six curveballs during the exhibition game against the Indians on Monday. The right-hander used the pitch just six times in 2018 and 21 times last year, but he's hoping to use it more often and more effectively in 2020. Williams was charged with one run over 2 2/3 […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Unlikely To Make Opening Day Roster

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, the team's No. 2 prospect, took part in a light workout on Monday after missing all of the summer camp workouts after testing positive for COVID-19. He tested negative twice and was cleared by doctors, but he likely missed too much time in camp to have a shot at […]

Cole Tucker Makes Outfield Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Cole Tucker made his outfield debut in an exhibition game against the Indians on Monday and made a highlight-reel catch in center field. The former first-round pick figures he last played in the outfield when he was 14 or 15 years old. The Pirates told Tucker that shortstop remains his primary position, […]

John Ryan Murphy To Be Backup Catcher

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher John Ryan Murphy, who was added to the 40-man roster on Sunday, is primed to be the backup to Jacob Stallings after Luke Maile underwent season-ending surgery to fix a fractured right index finger last Friday. Murphy was a non-roster invitee at spring training on a minor league deal. The 29-year-old is […]

Kevin Cron With Team In L.A.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Kevin Cron (hamstring), who is dealing with a sore left hamstring, traveled with the team to Los Angeles for their exhibition game. It doesn't sound like a very serious injury, so Cron should be on the club's Opening Day roster, barring a setback. The 27-year-old right-handed power hitter hit just .211 […]

Diamondbacks Hopeful On Christian Walker

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the team is hopeful that first baseman Christian Walker (groin) will be ready for Opening Day on Friday. Walker is dealing with a strained right groin and worked out at Chase Field on Sunday. The 29-year-old was officially diagnosed with a Grade 1 right groin strain but is confident […]

Kyle Gibson Roughed Up In Exhibition Start

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kyle Gibson did not have the warm-up to the regular season that he was hoping for on Tuesday night. Gibson went five innings while working on his fastball command, but the results were not great as the Rangers fell 5-1 to the Colorado Rockies. The former Twins pitcher allowed five runs, […]

Yoenis Cespedes Expects To DH On Opening Day

New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes said he expects to be the designated hitter on Friday, July 24, when the team opens the season against the Braves. Because of injuries to his feet and legs, Friday will be Cespedes' first major league game in more than two years. The right-handed slugger is feeling good and […]

Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt Don't Make Opening Day Roster

New York Yankees pitching prospects Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt will start the season at the team's alternate training site. Manager Aaron Boone said the team thinks the 21-year-old Garcia needs more seasoning after his rough exhibition start on Monday against the Phillies. Schmidt's absence on the 40-man roster hurt his case for breaking camp […]

Michael King A Candidate To Open Third Game

New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael King earned a spot on the Opening Day roster as one of the standouts of summer camp, and the 25-year-old is a candidate to open the third game of the season against the Nationals, along with Chad Green and Jonathan Loaisiga. King is the team's No. 25 prospect, per […]

Dodgers Sign Jake McGee

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed relief pitcher Jake McGee on Tuesday. He'll provide left-handed bullpen depth for the Dodgers after he was released last week by the Rockies, who must pay the bulk of his pro-rated $9 million salary in 2020. The 33-year-old southpaw had a tough time pitching in the thin air of Colorado […]

Nate Pearson Touched Up In Exhibition Start

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson got a starting rotation audition on Tuesday in an exhibition start versus the Red Sox, but early struggles hurt the youngster. After recording two outs and allowing four runs in the first inning, Pearson was bailed out of the frame on a pitch count that the team had […]

Corbin Burnes To Start Saturday Against Cubs

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes will start the team's second game against the Cubs, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Burnes had electric stuff last year but really struggled with command and confidence, eventually seeing a sports psychologist in the offseason. Since reporting to camp in February, his stuff has been perhaps even better, touching the […]