Jose Altuve No Baseball Activities For Two Months

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (thumb) underwent surgery on Wednesday for his broken thumb. It will be two months before Altuve can even begin baseball activities, so it'll probably be June before he can return to Houston’s lineup. Once Altuve is back to playing, he will be one of the top hitters in the […]

Kyle Hendricks Has Three Bullpen Sessions Lined Up

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) will throw three additional bullpens before progressing to live batting practice. Hendricks threw a 30-pitch session on March 17 and said he now feels like he's in Spring Training mode instead of rehab mode. He isn't someone to target in your drafts right now and will probably only […]

Brandon Nimmo Could Be Ready For Games This Weekend

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (ankle, knee) may play in Grapefruit League games this weekend. Nimmo played in a minor league game on Wednesday, and manager Buck Showalter said he's hopeful Nimmo and reliever Brooks Raley (hamstring) will play this weekend. Nimmo suffered a sprained right knee and ankle last Friday, but he seems […]

Shohei Ohtani Will Throw In Minor League Game Friday

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani won't throw in another Spring Training game before Opening Day. Ohtani is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game Friday before opening the year against Oakland on March 30. The two-way star closed out the final game of the World Baseball Classic, but that won't hinder […]

Drew Rucinski To Miss Next Start, IL Stint Possible

Oakland A's starting pitcher Drew Rucinski (hamstring) will miss his next scheduled start due to left hamstring tightness. His status for the beginning of the season is now in doubt. Kyle Muller or JP Sears could take Rucinski's place if he is to miss time. Rucinski was probably only on the radar in deep leagues […]

Jackson Chourio Wows In Limited Spring Training

Baseball's seventh-ranked prospect Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has impressed in spring training. While he collected two hits in just nine at-bats, when Chourio hit the ball, he hit it hard. In a game against the Great Britain WBC team, the 19-year-old rocketed two doubles and threw out a runner at home. He cut through […]

Kyle Tucker Should Be Fine Moving Forward

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (ankle) is said to have sustained a minor ankle sprain during the World Baseball Classic. Astros general manager Dana Brown said he should be fine, however. It doesn't sound like anything serious for Tucker, who fouled a ball off himself during the WBC. It's good news for the Astros and […]

Ranger Suarez Likely To Begin Year On IL

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (forearm) is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season. The lefty still has inflammation in his left forearm and could begin the year on the injured list. He was sent for an MRI on Tuesday, and there was no structural damage. Matt Strahm seems like the […]

Carlos Carrasco Scratched From Thursday's Start

New York Mets starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco will not pitch on Thursday as scheduled. Carrasco was supposed to start a minor league game for the Mets but will receive some elbow maintenance instead. Manager Buck Showalter said the starter receives the maintenance periodically and will make a minor league start Tuesday instead. Carrasco is more of an […]

Orioles Reassign Colton Cowser

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Colton Cowser has been reassigned to minor-league camp. Cowser struggled to make contact this spring, but showed his power with three homers and nine RBI to go along with a .212 batting average in 33 at-bats. The fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft, the left-hander made a strong splash in […]

Heston Kjerstad Gets Reassigned

The Baltimore Orioles have reassigned outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad to minor-league camp. Kjerstad, 24, put together an impressive spring with a .381 batting average to go along with four homers and nine RBI in 48 at-bats. The teams first-round pick in 2020 has shown power with his left-handed swing, but has also been aggressive early […]

Jordan Lawlar Underwhelms In Spring Training

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Jordan Lawlar, the 11th-ranked prospect in baseball, has underwhelmed this spring. Lawlar went 2-for-13 at the plate with two walks and one RBI. Scouts don't consider his hit tool a strength, but many were disappointed that he couldn't display his plus speed and power in spring training. The 20-year-old is unlikely to […]

Curtis Mead Optioned To Minor League Camp

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Curtis Mead was recently optioned by to their minor league camp. In nine spring training games, the Rays' No.2 prospect went 5-for-22 with two home runs. In 2022, Mead batted his way to AAA-Durham after putting up a wOBA of .412 to start the season for AA-Montgomery. In 20 games […]

Oswald Peraza Continues To Struggle

New York Yankees shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza went 0-for-4 versus the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Peraza entered camp as the favorite to win the shortstop job, but has struggled to the tune of a .188 batting average to go along with one homer, one RBI and a pair of stolen bases. The 22-year-old made his […]

Chris Taylor (2B/OF, LAD) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 275 CURRENT ADP: ~295 overall ANALYSIS: Chris Taylor is coming off his worst campaign since he was a Seattle Mariner. His average was down to .221, he hit just 10 home runs, and he collected 45 runs and 43 RBI across 118 games. Taylor also dealt with numerous ailments and […]

Sean Manaea (SP, SFG) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 270 CURRENT ADP: ~290 overall ANALYSIS: All of Manaea's ERA indicators suggest that his 4.96 ERA was not entirely his fault. His xERA of 4.05 and xFIP of 3.96 are both in line with his 3.9 SIERA. Home runs were a big problem as he allowed 29 long balls last […]

Whit Merrifield (2B/OF, TOR) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 175 CURRENT ADP: ~190 overall ANALYSIS: I think a lot of drafters just view Merrifield as a guy at the end of his rope. He's 34 now and had his first bad fantasy season in 2022 when he played 139 games, hit 11 homers, stole 16 bases, and hit just […]

Hunter Brown Scratched On Wednesday

Houston Astros pitching prospect Hunter Brown (back) has been scratched from Wednesday's start due to lower back stiffness. Brown, 24, is the teams top pitching prospect and has been set to replace Lance McCullers (forearm) to open the season. Brown succeeded in his first taste of the big leagues in 2022 with a 0.89 ERA […]

Brett Baty Survives Another Round Of Cuts

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty survived another round of cuts on Wednesday and will remain in camp with the team. The Mets demoted top prospect, Francisco Alvarez, but Baty's strong spring has made the team strongly consider him entering Opening Day. The 23-year-old has been white-hot this spring with a .342 batting average […]

Mets Demote Francisco Alvarez

New York Mets catcher prospect Francisco Alvarez has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Alvarez, 21, is the clubs top prospect, but struggled mightily in Spring Training. In 28 at-bats, the youngster only recorded three hits and one RBI. In addition to his poor hitting, the Mets wanted to have a veteran behind the dish for […]

Trevor Rogers (SP, MIA) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 230 CURRENT ADP: ~245 overall ANALYSIS: Rogers is definitely a guy who I think qualifies as a bounce-back candidate. He's just a year removed from a 2021 campaign where he finished with a 2.64 ERA across 25 starts for Miami. Was that season just a complete mirage? I don't think […]

Christopher Morel (2B/OF, CHC) - 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 245 CURRENT ADP: ~260 overall ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs utilityman Christopher Morel exceeded expectations during his rookie campaign in 2022. Signed by Chicago as an international free agent in 2015, the 23-year-old made his debut with the club in May. Brought on as a pinch-hitter for Patrick Wisdom in the eighth inning, Morel hit a […]

Late-Round Third Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Targets

Welcome officially to the 2023 fantasy baseball season! Late-round picks in fantasy baseball can often be the difference between a mediocre team and a championship contender. While it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of selecting big-name players early in the draft, finding those hidden gems in the later rounds is equally essential. […]

Ben Rosener's Fantasy Baseball Beat: Orlando Arcia And Nolan Jones News Updates

The offseason is officially no more, but Spring training is here, and with it comes the daily influx of baseball news that fantasy managers have missed in the last few months. Lineup news, actual games happening, constant waiver wire moves, pitching assignments, and bullpen usage. Baseball is back, and so too is fantasy baseball, with drafts […]

2023 Fantasy Baseball AL Tout Wars Draft Recap

This past Saturday, I was honored to be participating in my first-ever AL Tout Wars draft. The long-standing industry league was kind enough to find my writing and analysis worthy of inclusion into their prestigious league and despite never having participated in an AL-only (or NL-only) league before, I was thrilled to accept. The draft […]

Daily MLB Injury Roundup for March 22nd, 2023

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, 2023. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below […]

Shintaro Fujinami To Receive Extra Rest Between Regular Season Starts

The Oakland Athletics plan to slot starting pitcher Shintaro Fujinami into the rotation every sixth or even seventh day to mirror his previous workload in Japan, per SF Chronicles' Matt Kawahara. The 28-year-old has shown both strikeout upside and command issues this spring, compiling a 4.26 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in […]

Juan Soto's Oblique Strain Deemed "Minimal"

San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin said that the results of outfielder Juan Soto's (oblique) MRI suggest that his oblique strain is "minimal". The 24-year-old suffered a strained left oblique while playing in a minor-league game on Sunday. The team expects him to resume swinging in the coming days and is optimistic that he could […]

Clayton Kershaw Pitches Well Tuesday

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw turned in a solid start in Tuesday's Cactus League 4-2 win over the Guardians. Kershaw pitched 5 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks with three strikeouts. While the veteran has a 5.11 ERA over three starts, he said that he feels great physically. This […]

Byron Buxton To Serve Primarily As DH

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Tuesday that he would like to have outfielder Byron Buxton (knee) in the lineup as much as possible this season, which means he could serve primarily as Minnesota’s designated hitter rather than play center field. The 29-year-old made his spring debut in Tuesday's Grapefruit League 5-2 win over the […]