Jordan Hicks Scratched Thursday, Steven Matz Starting

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jordan Hicks has been scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles for undisclosed reasons, and left-hander Steven Matz is now listed as the starter. We'll update you as soon as we know the reason as to why Hicks was scratched from his start, so stay tuned. […]

Rocco Baldelli Cleared From COVID Protocols

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has been cleared from the league's COVID-19 protocols and will be back in the dugout for both games against the Houston Astros on Thursday. The Astros and Twins will finish Wednesday's suspended contest before playing another game. The suspended contest from Wednesday will resume in the fourth inning. Baldelli tested […]

Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report - Prospect Risers and Fallers for Week 5

Welcome to RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently-promoted top MLB prospects and rookies, making note of what I think their upside could be for fantasy baseball managers, and whether they are potential risers or fallers. In the past two weeks, we have seen a few more high-impact rookies […]

Bryan Baker To Serve As Opener Thursday

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Bryan Baker will serve as the opener on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Baker, who has a 5.40 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 11 relief appearances so far this year, hasn't recorded more than five outs in any of his outings out of the bullpen, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him […]

Cardinals Activate Edmundo Sosa From COVID Injured List

The St. Louis Cardinals activated shortstop Edmundo Sosa from the COVID-19 injured list on Thursday and optioned infielder Kramer Robertson to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Sosa has been in quarantine for a week after testing positive for the virus, but he could see the majority of playing time at shortstop in St. Louis […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings for Fantasy Baseball: The Top 101 Baller Ranks

Welcome to the middle of May, where all of those small-sample thoughts start to turn into "well, it's been a month" trends as we gaze once more into my weekly-updated top-101 starting pitcher rankings - looking at rest-of-season values. RotoBallers can once again peruse my notes regarding key movers and then scroll through the top-101 […]

Max Scherzer To Start Series Opener Against Mariners Friday

New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer will pitch the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, followed by Chris Bassitt on Saturday. Scherzer was handed his first loss of the season last Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, when he gave up three runs on 10 hits while striking out seven and walking none […]

Eduardo Escobar Not Playing Thursday

New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar is not in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Escobar could use a day of rest, as he has just one extra-base hit and is batting .205 in his first nine games in the month of May to drop his season slash line to .216/.326/.342 […]

C.J. Abrams Blasts Two Homers In First Triple-A Game

San Diego Padres shortstop C.J. Abrams hit two home runs in his first game with Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. Abrams had never played above Double-A before making the Opening Day big-league roster this year with Fernando Tatis Jr. (wrist) hurt. The 21-year-old certainly looked overmatched at the plate in his first 20 major league […]

James McCann Out With Sore Wrist

New York Mets catcher James McCann (wrist) is dealing with a sore left wrist, which is why he's not in the lineup on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. According to manager Buck Showalter, McCann's injury is "manageable," and he should be back in the lineup on Friday. It's the second straight day that the 31-year-old […]

All-In-One MLB DFS Staff Picks and Analysis 5/12/22 (Premium Content)

  All-In-One MLB DFS Staff Picks and Analysis for 5/12/22 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The MLB season is back and we here at RotoBaller are launching a brand new all-inclusive premium article that is intended to help you build winning lineups this season! This article will feature our […]

Jarrett Stidham Traded To Raiders

The New England Patriots are trading quarterback Jarrett Stidham and a seventh-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for a sixth-round pick. The 25-year-old Stidham was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Auburn. Once seen as a potential successor to Tom Brady, Stidham descended on the depth […]

Javier Baez Getting The Day Off On Thursday

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against right-hander James Kaprielian and the Oakland Athletics. Harold Castro will be covering shortstop for the game. Baez is hitting just .156/.208/.200 over 11 games in May. He hasn't homered since April 26 and has just two home runs over 22 […]

Rafael Devers Riding 16-Game On-Base Streak

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the team's 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. He has now recorded at least one hit in six consecutive games and he's reached base at least once in 16 straight. Over nine games in May, the […]

Brandon Aiyuk A Post-Hype Sleeper?

David Lombardi of The Athletic offered his take on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's volatile 2021 season. "Aiyuk started off camp hot but suffered a hamstring injury. Threw off rhythm work with the offense. It takes consistency to click in the precise world of the NFL. After a half season of consistent work, […]

Luis Robert Slashing .424/.486/.545 In May

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert has been red-hot at the plate so far in May. He's recorded at least one hit in each of his eight games this month while slashing .424/.486/.545. The 24-year-old currently has a .362 xBA on the year, which is the best in the majors among players with 90-plus plate […]

Bryce Harper Swipes Three Bags In Series Against Mariners

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper had a fantastic three-game series against the Seattle Mariners this week. He went 6-for-11 for two doubles, two walks and three runs scored. Most surprisingly, he attempted three stolen bases in the series and was successful on each occasion. The 29-year-old now has six stolen bases over 31 games on […]

Shohei Ohtani Allows One Run Over Six Innings Against Rays

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani turned in his third quality start of the year in Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He pitched six innings and allowed two hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out five. He wound up with a no decision in the game. The 27-year-old phenom […]

Andrew Vaughn Goes 0-For-4 In First Rehab Game

Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Vaughn (hand) played in his first rehab game at Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday. He slotted in at designated hitter and struggled at the plate, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Vaughn has been out since April 29 due to a bruised right hand. The White Sox haven't revealed their intentions for […]

Jon Heasley To Be Called Up To Start Thursday's Game

The Kansas City Royals will be calling up right-handed pitcher Jon Heasley from Triple-A to start Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers. The 25-year-old is ranked as the team's No. 9 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. He made his first three starts in the majors last year and went 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA and […]

Brooks Raley Records His Third Save On Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Brooks Raley closed out the team's 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. He pitched a scoreless 10th inning, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out one. The 33-year-old is now 3-for-3 in save opportunities on the year and he has a 1.80 ERA and […]

Mark Melancon Torched For Four Runs On Wednesday

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Mark Melancon had a rough outing in a non-save situation during Wednesday's game against the Miami Marlins. He entered in the ninth inning of a 3-3 tie and wound up giving up three hits, one walk and four earned runs while recording only two outs. He was tagged for his fourth loss […]

Taylor Ward Homers Off The Bench On Wednesday

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (hamstring) was held out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays due to a sore hamstring. However, he entered the game as a pinch-hitter and went on to go 1-for-2 with a two-run home run. Ward sat out each of the team's previous two […]

Breakout Hitters to Watch for Fantasy Baseball Week 6

Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of my "Breakout Hitters To Watch" series. What we're doing here is taking good, close look at the hitting data each week to see which hitters are standing out the most. The idea is to find hitters that have made changes and/or really improved this season to find start-worthy […]

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (5/12/22): Today's Top NBA DFS Lineups

We're teed up for a pair of critical Game 6 battles Thursday, and in each case, the team facing elimination is at home. That, combined with the urgency inherent in such a high-stakes environment, should help make for some highly competitive matchups. The other good piece of news from a DFS perspective is that the […]

T.J. Oshie Pots Two More Goals

Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie maintained his good scoring form in Wednesday's Game 5 against Florida, going for two goals in a 5-3 defeat. He tied a franchise record in the first period by scoring a power-play goal in a third straight playoff game and put the Capitals 3-0 up early in the second before […]

Carter Verhaeghe Explodes For Five Points In Wednesday's Win

Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe was unconscious in Wednesday's Game 5 against Washington, factoring in all of the team's goals in a 5-3 win. He set a new franchise record with five points in a playoff game, tallying two goals and three assists. Verhaeghe's work in 19:24 of action also consisted of three shots, one […]

Brett Baty Hits Second Home Run For Double-A Binghamton

New York Mets third base prospect Brett Baty went 3-for-4 with three runs, one walk and a two-run home run for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday. It was just the second home run of the year for the Mets first round pick in 2019. Despite the lack of power in early showing this season, Baty is […]

MMA DFS Value Picks - UFC Vegas 54: Blachowicz Vs Rakic (Premium Content)

Alright, that was a weird one, wasn't it? UFC 274 arrived offering two title fights and ended with what? One? Half of one? Yikes. Oliveira surrendered the belt after weighing in at 155.5 instead of 155 so his first-round victory went for nothing. Before that Carla Esparza defeated Rosa Namajunas and snatched the W Strawweight […]

Jake Guentzel Stays Hot With Two More Goals

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel continued his prolific postseason with a pair of goals in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers. He had a game-high six shots on goal in total and saw three further efforts miss the target. Guentzel has scored in all five games in the series and boasts seven markers and eight […]