Clayton Kershaw Throws On Saturday

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen session on Saturday. The left-hander is fully healthy, but recently withdrew from the World Baseball Classic due to an insurance issue. The 34-year-old continues to ramp up his activities, so he should be able to pitch at some point in March. The Dodgers are going […]

Seiya Suzuki Scratched On Saturday

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (oblique) was a late scratch from Saturday's Cactus League opener against the San Francisco Giants. The hope is that Suzuki was pulled as a precaution because the Cubs don't want to take any chances this early into camp. The team is calling the injury left oblique tightness, so he'll likely […]

Corbin Martin To Work Exclusively As Reliever

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Martin will work exclusively as a reliever heading into the 2023 season, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The 27-year-old has been working as both a reliever and starter throughout his career. Last season, Martin made seven appearances (two starts) with the Diamondbacks, but the results weren't favorable. Now, Martin is working […]

RotoBaller Staff Mock Draft Analysis: 12-Team Roto League Draft

Mock drafts remain an integral piece of fantasy baseball prep in 2023. Some of RotoBaller’s top minds joined up for a 12-team 5x5 Roto mock draft over on Fantrax. I’ll be delivering a round-by-round breakdown of the draft and highlighting some noteworthy picks along the way. Then I'll point out some trends, including how third […]

Ken Giles Auditions For Padres

Free-agent relief pitcher Ken Giles threw a bullpen session for the San Diego Padres on Friday at their spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. He will continue to throw bullpens every Tuesday and Friday for interested teams until he gets signed. Giles also threw for interested clubs at Arizona State on Feb. 8, but nothing […]

James Paxton To Make Spring Debut On Friday

Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton (lat) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut next Friday as the Red Sox begin to start mixing regular starters in. Paxton made just one start in 2021 and missed all of the 2022 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and he also dealt with a lat […]

Trevor Larnach Could Begin The Year In Minors

Minnesota Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach must demonstrate a lot in spring training in order to win a roster spot in 2023. The addition of infielder Donovan Solano means more time in the outfield for Joey Gallo and few designated hitter at-bats to go around. With the Twins roster being jam-packed, even a great spring from […]

Nate Pearson Preparing For Bulk Role

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Nate Pearson has missed most of the last two seasons due to injury, which is why he isn't being stretched out as a starter in spring training this year, but instead he's preparing for a bulk role. Pearson was sitting at 96-97 mph during live batting practice this week, and pitching […]

Yusei Kikuchi Has A New Curveball

Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is starting the team's Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, is featuring a new curveball in camp this spring. Kikuchi is trying to win the fifth spot in the starting rotation in spring training this year. He struggled in his first season with the Blue […]

Brandon Belt To Be Eased In At Spring Training

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) has played in seven spring training games in the last two years while managing a knee issue. The Blue Jays and the 34-year-old agreed to a plan to ease him into camp this year as a precautionary measure after he had knee surgery last September. Belt said […]

Noah Syndergaard Ready To Be Dominant Again?

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard thinks he can get back to being a dominant starter again in 2023 in his first season in LA. The 30-year-old was very average with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies last year in just a year removed from Tommy John surgery. "My recovery game is second to […]

Pirates Haven't Made An Offer To Bryan Reynolds

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds said he doesn't have an idea on whether he expects contract-extension talks to be productive with the team because the team has yet to make a new offer. Reynolds also said he's not going to set any deadline to complete a deal, so it sounds as though he'd be open […]

Barrels and Brls/BBE: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Previously, we looked at how the exit velocity is only one piece of the fantasy baseball analysis puzzle. Baseball broadcasts will commonly cite Launch Angle (LA) to complement their EV figures, but it is given in terms of degrees. LA is basically a fancy way of saying things that the fantasy community has used for […]

Second Base Draft Values for Fantasy Baseball - EDV Finds Undervalued, Overvalued Picks

And we're back to the Expected Draft Values (EDV) series, where we look at historical data to identify both over and undervalued players of all types. Whether you're targeting power, speed, power+speed, batting average+power, and so on, we've got you covered. We started with first base and now head to second base as we make […]

Daily MLB Injury Roundup for February 25th, 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 February 25th, 2023. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below […]

Vinnie Pasquantino Blasts Homer On Friday

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino came into Spring Training ready to play as he put together a strong performance in Friday's opener. The 25-year-old went 2-for-2 with a huge two-run home run in the victory over the Texas Rangers. Pasquantino was a reliable bat for the Royals last season and it doesn't appear […]

Glenn Otto Strikes Out Five Batters

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Glenn Otto experienced mixed results during Friday's Cactus League opener. The right-hander struck out five batters over two innings of work. However, he also walked a batter and gave up two runs on a two-run home run in the opening frame. The good news is, Otto rebounded nicely, but he'll still […]

Nick Martinez Tosses Two Scoreless Innings

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nick Martinez didn't need to shake off any rust during his Cactus League debut on Friday. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings in what ended up being a loss to the Seattle Mariners. Martinez allowed three hits, but struck out four batters during his brief time on the mound. The […]

Ronny Henriquez To Be Sidelined One Week

Minnesota Twins pitcher Ronny Henriquez (elbow) is set to miss at least a week of action. The organization plans to shut down the 22-year-old for about a week before they re-evaluate his elbow soreness. He was already a long shot to make the roster, but this certainly isn't going to help. Henriquez allowed three earned […]

Jaylin Davis Signs Minor-League Deal

The New York Mets have signed outfielder Jaylin Davis to a minor-league deal on Friday. The right-handed slugger will receive an invitation to Spring Training, but isn't expected to make the big league roster. Last season, Davis hit .203/.312/.334 with seven homers at Triple-A in the Red Sox organization. The power potential is certainly there […]

Sixto Sanchez Not Expected To Be Ready Until Midseason

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez (shoulder) continues to work his way back slowly from lingering injuries. The organization doesn't believe that Sanchez will be ready to pitch until mid-season. It's a shame, but not shocking considering Sanchez hasn't pitched since the 2020 campaign. He reportedly lost 50 pounds this offseason and appears to be […]

CJ Abrams Expected To Begin Year Near Bottom Of Lineup

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he thinks both infielders CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia could be top-of-the-order hitters eventually, but they are both expected to hit near the bottom of the regular lineup when the 2023 season begins. When Abrams joined the team in mid-August in 2022, he hit mostly seventh, eighth or even […]

Graham Ashcraft Looks Good In Live BP Session

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft (ankle) had to leave his last live batting practice session early after he was hit by a comebacker on his right ankle. However, he threw another live batting practice session on Friday and looked like himself. The 25-year-old appears to be just fine. In his first taste of MLB action […]

Kyle Hendricks Feels Good After Throwing Friday

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) felt good on Friday after throwing a 10-pitch, touch-and-feel bullpen session for the first time throwing off a mound since July 5 of last year. Hendricks expects to throw two more touch-and-feel bullpens before a series of full bullpen sessions. "I can be patient when I need to […]

German Marquez Set For Live BP Session Saturday

Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Saturday. Marquez is taking things slow early in spring training after coming into camp dealing with a sore left hamstring. It's not a serious issue, so the 28-year-old should be just fine for Opening Day, barring a setback in […]

Alek Manoah Has Contract Renewed

The Toronto Blue Jays have renewed starting pitcher Alek Manoah's contract. He'll earn $745,650 in 2023, according to an industry source. The MLB minimum this year is $720,000. Manoah took a renewal last year as well and made $706,200 rather than accepting the team's scale-based raise. The 25-year-old right-hander finished third in the American League […]

Cole Waites Hopes To Resume Throwing Monday

San Francisco Giants right-hander Cole Waites (lat) said he will be re-evaluated on Sunday and hopes to begin throwing again in camp on Monday. Waites is recovering from a right lat strain that he suffered before spring training, so he's a bit behind the other starters in camp. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in […]

Caleb Smith Being Stretched Out As A Starter

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Caleb Smith is being stretched out as a starter in spring training, according to pitching coach Oscar Marin. The 31-year-old southpaw served as a reliever in 2022 with the Arizona Diamondbacks before a torn elbow ligament ended his season. However, Smith didn't need surgery on his elbow and reported to camp healthy […]

Rony Garcia Working As Reliever This Spring

Detroit Tigers right-hander Rony Garcia will be working out of the bullpen this spring, but the door isn't closed forever for him in a starting role. "His best route to this team will be in that bridge role of being stretched out to two and three innings," manager A.J. Hinch said. In his third MLB […]

Kyle Wright Encouraged After First Bullpen

Atlanta Braves right-hander Kyle Wright (shoulder) said he "felt really good" after his first bullpen session of spring training on Friday. Wright ended up throwing 23 fastballs. The 27-year-old entered camp behind the other pitchers due to a right shoulder injury that required an injection last month. It's unknown if he'll be ready for the […]