Ke'Bryan Hayes Held Out Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (thumb) was sidelined on Thursday's game due to soreness in his left thumb. Hayes was able to get some reps in the batting cage, and the Pirates will closely monitor the injury over the next couple of days. Hayes has been mostly quiet so far in four games of spring training. […]

Oswaldo Cabrera Tests Out Center Field

New York Yankees utility fielder Oswaldo Cabrera added another position to his repertoire after playing some center field in Wednesday's 4-0 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cabrera made his first pro appearance in center field after subbing in for Harrison Bader. He even made a diving catch, demonstrating his ability to play almost anywhere on the diamond. […]

Mike Burrows Adding Slider To Repertoire

Pittsburgh Pirates top pitching prospect Mike Burrows is in the process of adding a slider to his repertoire. Burrows already possesses one of the most majestic curveballs out there that completely alters the trajectory of each at-bat. His fastball is already touching 97 mph, but he's hoping to consistently hit the upper-90s. The ninth-ranked prospect […]

Nick Lodolo To Serve As No. 2 Starter

Cincinnati Reds southpaw Nick Lodolo is expected to serve as the team's No. 2 starter in 2023. Manager David Bell slated Lodolo to start in the second game of the regular season against the Pittsburgh Pirates. A recent graduate of the Reds system, Lodolo was the organization's No. 1-ranked prospect in 2021. He quickly sped […]

Andrew Stevenson Signs With Twins

Outfielder Andrew Stevenson signed with the Minnesota Twins on a minor-league contract on Thursday. Stevenson spent the last five seasons with the Washington Nationals but mainly played in the minor leagues. In 2021, he made 213 plate appearances in the big leagues and slashed .229/.294/.339 with five homers and a .632 OPS. The 28-year-old turned […]

MLB Pitcher Prospect Graduates - Sophomore Fantasy Baseball Outlooks (NL East)

In the fourth installment of a six-part series focused on pitchers who exhausted rookie eligibility during the 2022 MLB season, I review how the pitching fundamentals of select 2023 National League East pitchers have evolved and use that information to forecast their MLB futures. Fundamentals will be quantified using my Fielding- and Ballpark-Independent Outcomes (FaBIO) […]

Five Hitter Breakouts for OBP - Infield Draft Values for Fantasy Baseball

On-base percentage. It has become a go-to statistic in baseball and fantasy baseball. It gives a better indication than average for if a player is giving his team an opportunity to put a run on the board. Some fantasy baseball owners are forward-thinking when it comes to stats and OBP is a step forward from […]

Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings - 2023 Points Leagues: Corbin Carroll, Luis Robert Jr., Steven Kwan, Lars Nootbaar

RotoBaller is constantly working to try and bring fantasy baseball managers the best advice, especially during draft season. A big part of that includes regular updates to our tiered rankings for all formats. In this article, you will find our updated fantasy baseball outfield rankings for points leagues as of March 9. In this article […]

Kolby Allard To Be Placed On Injured List

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kolby Allard (oblique) won't be ready for Opening Day. The left-hander has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right oblique strain on Thursday. That being said, Allard is going to begin the season on the injured list. There was a chance that Allard would make the Opening Day roster. Both Kyle […]

David Peterson Throws On Thursday

New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (foot) was able to face live hitters during a batting practice session on Thursday. This is good news after Peterson took a comebacker off the foot last weekend. The hope is that he won't suffer any setbacks and can get back on the mound soon. He's expected to […]

Jose Iglesias Signs Minor-League Deal

The Miami Marlins have signed shortstop Jose Iglesias to a minor-league deal on Thursday. They also reportedly signed Yulieski Gurriel as well, so they've added multiple infielders to their roster. The expectation is that Iglesias will provide utility depth to their infield. The 33-year-old is likely to compete with Garrett Hampson for a spot on […]

Yuliesky Gurriel Agrees To Deal With Marlins

The Miami Marlins have signed first baseman Yulieski Gurriel to an undisclosed deal on Thursday. The assumption is that it's going to be a one-year minor-league deal. The 38-year-old should provide depth at first base and designated hitter for Miami. Last season, Gurriel struggled at the plate with a .647 OPS and only eight home […]

Breakout Candidates At 2B For 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Second base. Some say it’s the most unheralded position in baseball, the glue of the infield. There’s been no shortage of legends who called the position home: from Roger Hornsby to Joe Morgan to Dustin Pedroia. In fantasy baseball, second base has been one of the least productive roster spots over these past few years. […]

Hunter Greene Named Opening Day Starter

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene has been named the Opening Day starter, according to the team's social team page. This doesn't come as much of a surprise considering Greene is basically their best option right now. He threw four scoreless innings versus the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. Greene has shown flashes of being a […]

Harrison Bader To Undergo Additional Testing

New York Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader (oblique) is set to undergo further testing after "feeling something" in his oblique on Wednesday. Hopefully, this is only the Yankees being extremely cautious with Bader. The 28-year-old might only end up missing a few games, assuming that the tests come back clean. Otherwise, Bader could very well begin […]

3 Potential Shortstop Busts For 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Once upon a time, the shortstop position was comparable to catchers in fantasy baseball in that nobody wanted to roster them, but the rules said you had to. Things couldn't be more different in 2023, as the shortstop position is filled with a blend of established stars and young guns that are literally oozing upside. […]

Third Basemen to Target or Avoid at ADP - Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis

We continue our ADP positional series with the always interesting hot corner. This position has long been known for power and elite, top-end talent. That's still the case in 2023, but the problem is this position dries up more quickly than it used to. Let's begin by taking a look at third base ADP since […]

Mike Yastrzemski (OF, SFG) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 400 CURRENT ADP: ~430 overall ANALYSIS: Things went horribly for Yastrzemski last year, as he had the worst year of his young career by far, slashing .214/.305/.392. His career line now sits at .242/.326/.465 - so that itself is enough reason to believe in a bounce-back campaign is on the […]

Sean Bouchard Needs Surgery On Biceps

Colorado Rockies outfielder Sean Bouchard (biceps) was diagnosed with a left distal biceps rupture, which means surgery. Bouchard and the Rockies are holding out hope he won't miss the entire 2023 season. He was injured in the first inning of the team's Cactus League game on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels. Even if the […]

Carlos Santana (1B, PIT) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 450 CURRENT ADP: ~540 overall ANALYSIS: I'm beating the "shift ban" drum here, but Santana is set to benefit from that as the league shifted on him in nearly all of his PAs as a lefty last year. The Pirates saw an opportunity there and scooped him up, and PNC […]

Aaron Bummer Throws First Bullpen Thursday

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Aaron Bummer (lat) threw his first bullpen session on Thursday at normal effort. Bummer said he'll have to see how he recovers on Friday, but the session went off as planned and he's feeling good. The 29-year-old left-hander entered spring training with some soreness in his left lat, so the […]

Carlos Correa Leaves Camp For Birth Of Child

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa has left the team's spring training camp for the birth of his second son, Kenzo. Correa shouldn't be away from the team for more than a few days. The 28-year-old had a very eventful offseason, almost landing two giant free-agent deals with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets […]

Collin Snider Looking Good This Spring

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Collin Snider has looked good so far in Cactus League games, allowing just one hit and no runs while walking none and striking out three in three relief innings to this point. The 27-year-old right-hander is unlikely to have a high-leverage role in KC's bullpen in 2023, but he's one […]

Scott Effross Resumes Throwing Program

New York Yankees relief pitcher Scott Effross (elbow), who had Tommy John surgery last October, started a throwing program on Monday. He's still in the early going of his rehab from elbow reconstruction. There's a chance that the 29-year-old right-hander could make it back for the Yankees at the tail end of the 2023 season, […]

Masyn Winn Impressing In Camp

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop prospect Masyn Winn has been turning heads in spring training so far. So far in Grapefruit League play, he's gone 7-for-18 (.389) with a homer, double, two RBI, five runs scored and three stolen bases in seven games played. It's nice to see, but the 20-year-old has yet to play at […]

Josh VanMeter Scratched With Leg Tendinitis

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Josh VanMeter (leg) was scratched from the Cactus League lineup on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants due to lower left leg tendinitis. In his place, Andruw Monasterio will start at the keystone and hit eighth against Giants right-hander Sean Hjelle. The 27-year-old VanMeter is in spring training with the Brew […]

Michael Conforto Playing The Outfield Thursday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto (shoulder) is playing the outfield in a Cactus League game on Thursday for the first time since 2021. He's officially starting in right field and batting leadoff against the Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Freddy Peralta. Conforto's shoulder rehab has gone well in spring training, so he'll be a real […]

Clarke Schmidt, Domingo German Likely To Start In Rotation

With the injuries to New York Yankees starting pitchers Carlos Rodon (forearm) and Frankie Montas (shoulder), it's reasonable to assume that both Clarke Schmidt and Domingo German will start the 2023 season in the starting rotation. General manager Brian Cashman mentioned Deivi Garcia among those who could provide depth. Schmidt is the more attractive option […]

Oswald Peraza Back In Grapefruit Lineup Thursday

New York Yankees shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza (leg) is back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Nick Pivetta, and he's starting at shortstop and batting seventh in the lineup. The 22-year-old injured his left leg last week and has been held out of the spring lineup […]

Bryce Harper Unsure If He'll Play Outfield In 2023

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper (elbow) said he misses playing right field but has no idea if he'll be able to play in the outfield in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He'll know more about his timeline for a return after he has a physical on Thursday. Harper is just now reporting to spring […]