Brandon Guyer Announces Retirement
Free-agent outfielder Brandon Guyer announced his retirement from baseball on Monday. The 34-year-old was a member of the 2016 American League-champion Cleveland Indians. He had a career .274 batting average and an .824 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Guyer also had 24 home runs in his 671 career at-bats. He went to spring training with the... Read More
Astros Cancel Workout On Monday
The Houston Astros canceled their workout on Monday because they are still awaiting the results from Friday's COVID-19 tests, according to sources. The Washington Nationals also canceled their Monday workout for the same reason. Teams are emphasizing the priority of player health and safety, but the Astros are "optimistic that this process will be ironed... Read More
Nationals Cancel Workouts On Monday
The Washington Nationals have canceled their workouts on Monday because the results from their Friday coronavirus tests have still not shown up, according to sources. The Oakland Athletics also canceled a workout on Sunday because they hadn't received the results of their COVID-19 tests. MLB testers didn't show up to Angels camp on Sunday either.... Read More
Nick Markakis Elects To Sit Out 2020 Season
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker announced on Monday that outfielder Nick Markakis has elected to skip the 2020 season due to concerns around COVID-19. Markakis makes the decision after Atlanta announced that four players tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, including first baseman Freddie Freeman. Markakis, 36, is a .288/.358/.424 hitter with 188 home... Read More
Josh Naylor Getting Reps At First Base
San Diego Padres outfielder Josh Naylor is seeing action at first base early in summer camp. Expected to compete for at-bats with outfielders Wil Myers and Franchy Cordero, reps at first could improve his playing prospects. Naylor debuted with a modest 89 wRC+ in 2019, launching eight homers in 279 plate appearances. Possessing strong plate... Read More
Aaron Nola Still Absent From Phillies Camp
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is not at Phillies Summer Camp, but has not been placed on the COVID-19 Injured List. Nola, as well as outfielder Adam Haseley and catcher Christian Bethancourt, are being kept away from the team amid COVID-19 protocols. The Phillies had seven players test positive for COVID-19 last week and... Read More
Melky Cabrera May See Time At First Base
New York Mets outfielder Melky Cabrera will work out at first base in addition to the outfield, according to manager Luis Rojas. With Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith rostered, the decision to work Cabrera out at first base is strictly to provide the Mets versatility during the shortened season. Cabrera is more likely to see... Read More
Yoenis Cespedes Impresses In Camp
New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (heel, ankle) drew rave reviews from fellow outfielder Michael Conforto and manager Luis Rojas on Saturday. Conforto stated that Cespedes looks motivated, "like a monster," and praised his light defensive work. Although it appears that Cespedes is well on the road to full health ahead of the season opener... Read More
Byron Buxton Away From Camp For Birth Of Son
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (shoulder) has not arrived to summer camp yet because he just welcomed his second child into the world. Buxton underwent shoulder surgery last September and hadn't played in any games when spring training was shut down in March. He should be ready for the start of the season in late... Read More
Jose Martinez Not Present Friday
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/outfielder Jose Martinez was not present for the team's first summer camp workout on Friday, and it wasn't because of a travel issue. Martinez has been working out at Tropicana Field for most of the shutdown, so this brings in speculation that he may have tested positive for COVID-19. Pitchers Yonny... Read More
Charlie Blackmon Won't Be Available For Start Of Camp
Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon will not be available for the start of summer camp on Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19, according to manager Bud Black. Pitchers Phil Diehl and Ryan Castellani have already returned after testing negative. It's unclear how long Blackmon will be out or if it'll have an effect on his... Read More
Tommy Pham Tests Positive For COVID-19
San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller said that outfielder Tommy Pham tested positive for COVID-19, but he is asymptomatic. It means that Pham will get a late start to summer camp. A top-20 fantasy outfielder because of his mix of power and speed, the 32-year-old hit .273/.369/.450 with 21 home runs, 68 RBI, 77... Read More
DJ Stewart A Full-Go For Camp
Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that outfielder DJ Stewart (ankle), who had right ankle surgery last fall, is "full-go" for summer camp. Stewart should have a good chance to win the Opening Day job in right field. Before his injury in 2019, he was hitting .238/.317/.381 with four home runs and 15 RBI in... Read More
Luis Robert Expected To Be Starting Center Fielder
Coming off a 32-homer, 36-steal, 1.001-OPS season in the minors, Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert is expected to open the year as the team's starting center fielder in his rookie season. Robert is the team's top prospect and comes in at No. 3 overall, per MLB Pipeline. There's massive power/speed potential with the 22-year-old,... Read More
Troy Stokes Jr. Has Surgery For Broken Hand
Detroit Tigers outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. (hand) suffered a broken bone in his hand and underwent surgery to fix it, according to manager Ron Gardenhire. It's the reason why Stokes was left out of the team's player pool for the upcoming season. The 24-year-old is looking unlikely to be ready for the start of the... Read More
Mike Trout On The Fence About Playing In 2020
With Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and his wife, Jessica, expecting their first child in August, he is discussing the possibility of sitting out in 2020 on a daily basis. "Honestly, I still don't feel comfortable," Trout told reporters Friday. The three-time American League MVP continues to have discussions with general manager Billy Eppler... Read More
Yoenis Cespedes Ramps Up To Sprinting
New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (heel, ankle) was able to ramp up to sprinting speed while quarantined. Cespedes, named to the Mets 60-man player pool, is coming off of heel and ankle injuries that have kept him sidelined since July of 2018. The Mets have indicated that they want to see him in person... Read More
2020 MLB All-Star Game Canceled
Due to health circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Baseball announced on Friday that the All-Star game will not be played in 2020 for the first time since World War II. The Dodgers, who had been scheduled to host the game, will host the next available All-Star game in 2022. The Braves will... Read More
Delino DeShields Tests Positive For COVID-19
Cleveland Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said that outfielder Delino DeShields tested positive for COVID-19 before arriving to camp this week. DeShields has been experiencing mild symptoms and is waiting to test negative before traveling to Cleveland for summer camp. The 27-year-old figures to be outfield depth in Cleveland this year, mainly in... Read More
Dylan Carlson Could Make Bid For Opening Day Roster
St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Dylan Carlson, baseball's No. 17 prospect, was making a strong bid for an Opening Day roster spot when spring training was postponed, hitting .313/.436/.469 in 39 plate appearances. Cardinals outfielders had a .755 OPS last year, which ranked 20th in the league and was the lowest among teams that made... Read More
Eugenio Suarez, Nick Senzel 100% Healthy
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell told reporters on Friday that both third baseman Eugenio Suarez (shoulder) and outfielder Nick Senzel (shoulder) are "100 percent" medically speaking. Suarez injured his right shoulder during the winter while Senzel was injured back in September. The delay to the start of the regular season wound up being positive for... Read More
Baltimore Orioles: Top 10 Dynasty Prospects
The Baltimore Orioles will be our next stop on the farm to evaluate the best prospects on each MLB team. Once the 2020 MLB season begins, it may turn out that Minor League systems will be more important than usual. Franchises are losing money during the pandemic layoff, so many teams will be looking for... Read More
Short-Season Draft Risers and Fallers: RotoBaller Staff Picks
Recently, the RotoBaller MLB staff provided their thoughts on the best draft strategies for a shortened season. You can read that article right here. The fantasy baseball season is ready to kick up (finally) but things won't be the same as usual. Some players may be more appealing now that they've had time to work... Read More
Washington Nationals: Top 10 Dynasty Prospects
The Washington Nationals will be our next stop on the farm to evaluate the best prospects on each MLB team. Once the 2020 MLB season begins, it may turn out that Minor League systems will be more important than usual. Franchises are losing money during the pandemic layoff, so many teams will be looking for... Read More
30 Burning Questions (and Answers) for 2020 Fantasy Baseball
Upon hearing that Major League Baseball was finally set to return to action and the fantasy season was back, a million questions popped in my head. Sadly, I forgot most of them by the next day so I'm left with just 30, coincidentally a nice even number. Actually, my initial plan was to do 60... Read More
Top DH Options for National League Teams
There is finally a plan for Major League Baseball in 2020! After months of negotiations and discussions, baseball is tentatively scheduled to open up in late July, and with it, a couple of new rules. The most notable new rule for 2020 is the implementation of the designated hitter in the National League, which certainly... Read More
Aaron Judge Faces Live Pitching
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (rib) faced starting pitcher Gerrit Cole during a simulated game on Thursday. The Yankees are optimistic that Judge will be ready for the start of the season, and facing live pitching is an important step in that direction. If Judge doesn’t experience significant soreness in the next few days,... Read More
Hunter Pence The Obvious Candidate For DH
San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence is the obvious candidate for the team's designated hitter spot this year given his age (37) and the fact that he's coming off a season with the Rangers where he mostly served as the DH while also dealing with injury and posting an OPS of .910. Pablo Sandoval could... Read More
Wil Myers Likely To Take Most Of His At-Bats As DH
San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers was seemingly left to compete for playing time with 22-year-old Josh Naylor and 25-year-old Franchy Cordero in 2020 after the Padres traded for outfielders Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham. Myers had a down year in 2019, but he had a 112 OPS+ in his first four seasons in San... Read More
Andrew Toles Suffering From Mental Illness
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles, who was arrested after he was found sleeping behind the Key West International Airport in Florida last week, has been in at least 20 mental health facilities since 2019. His sister, Morgan Toles, said "we didn't know whether he was dead or alive." His family seeks legal guardianship, but... Read More