Javier Baez An Option In Center Field

With injuries to Detroit Tigers outfielders Austin Meadows (arm), Matt Vierling (shoulder) and Wenceel Perez (back), the team's plans at center field remain a question mark heading into Opening Day on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Detroit recently signed veteran Manuel Margot, but manager A.J. Hinch indicated the tam plans to use him mostly […]

What Are Statcast xStats? Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball (2025)

Welcome RotoBallers to our overview of Statcast Expected Statistics (xStats). This article is a deeper dive into xStats and is part of our ongoing series "Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball." In this article, we'll explain what Statcast's xStats are and how they work in layman's terms anyone can understand. We'll also look at how well […]

7 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions - Scott Engel's 2025 Picks

Drafting your fantasy baseball team is only the beginning of the 2025 journey. In real life, baseball is a constant game of adjustments, and you will always have to make your own adjustments as a fantasy player because rosters are so large and there is more work to be done in this game than in […]

Pablo Reyes Could Make Opening Day Roster

New York Yankees infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes is emerging as a favorite to make the Opening Day roster. According to Chris Kirschner, Reyes appears to be higher on the current depth chart than infielder Oswald Peraza. During spring training, Reyes has posted a strong .326/.434/.488 slash line with one double and two long balls. He has […]

Colby Thomas Returns To Action

Athletics outfield prospect Colby Thomas (knee) returned to Cactus League action this weekend. Last week, Thomas suffered a knee injury after being hit by a line drive. However, after sitting out for a few days, Thomas was cleared to return. The Mercer product was competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster but was […]

Kyle Stowers Makes Opening Day Roster

Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers has made the team's Opening Day roster, reports Isaac Azout. Whether he has won the starting left-field job is yet to be known, but he should at least see some playing time as part of a platoon. He hasn't exactly shown out during Spring Training, batting just .162 with a […]

Isaac Paredes To Bat Second And Yordan Alvarez To Bat Third

Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes is set to bat in the two-hole entering the season, with outfielder Yordan Alvarez batting third, according to manager Joe Espada. Paredes will be looking to take advantage of the Crawford Boxes in short left field of Daikin Park and perform like the player he was in 2023 when […]

Cam Smith Hits Two-Run Triple In Monday's Exhibition Contest

Houston Astros outfield prospect Cam Smith started in right field for the Astros' exhibition game on Monday against their Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, and went 1-for-3 with a two-run triple and a run scored. It was the 22-year-old's first game at Houston's home field now that the team has wrapped up Grapefruit […]

Brandon Lockridge Expected To Platoon With Jason Heyward

San Diego Padres outfielder Brandon Lockridge has been told he will make the Opening Day roster, and he's expected to platoon in left field with Jason Heyward to begin the season, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. Lockridge, who bats right-handed, will be on the short side of the platoon with Heyward, primarily entering the starting […]

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Makes Opening Day Roster

Minnesota Twins outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has been informed that he has made the team's Opening Day roster. Keirsey beats out former first-rounder Austin Martin for the team's last outfield spot to open the regular season. The 27-year-old former fourth-rounder in 2018 out of the University of Utah made his MLB debut in 2024 but […]

Austin Martin Optioned To Triple-A

Minnesota Twins outfielder Austin Martin was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press' Betsy Helfand. Martin lost out on the final outfield spot on the Opening Day roster to DaShawn Keirsey after hitting .275 (11-for-40) with two doubles, five RBI, three stolen bases and seven runs scored in […]

Nolan Jones Expected To Be In Strong Side Of Platoon In Right Field

MLB.com's Tim Stebbins writes that the bulk of Cleveland Guardians new outfielder Nolan Jones' at-bats this year are expected to come in right field against right-handed pitchers. After the Guardians acquired Jones from the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, they also optioned left-handed-hitter Will Brennan to Triple-A Columbus. Jhonkensy Noel is expected to get starts in […]

Mookie Betts Works Out Monday, Optimistic About Playing On Tuesday

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (illness) was able to keep food down on Monday and also worked out at Dodgers Stadium, according to manager Dave Roberts. Betts is optimistic that he will play in the final Freeway Series game on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels after sitting out on Monday. The 32-year-old eight-time […]

Wenceel Perez Expected To Be Out A Month With Back Inflammation

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said that outfielder Wenceel Perez (back) is expected to be out at least a month to begin the season due to lower-back inflammation. Perez is scheduled to receive an injection in his back later this week. The Tigers have been hit hard with injuries to their outfielders […]

Tigers Move Parker Meadows To 60-Day Injured List

The Detroit Tigers moved outfielder Parker Meadows (arm) to the 60-day injured list on Monday to make space on the 40-man roster for recently-signed outfielder Manuel Margot. Meadows is dealing with a nerve issue in his right arm and will be shut down for at least four weeks before he can attempt to throw again. […]

Mookie Betts Out Of Monday's Lineup

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (illness) remains out of the team's lineup for Monday's exhibition contest against the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Angels. Veteran Miguel Rojas is at the 6 and will bat eighth for the Blue. Betts came down with an illness shortly before the Dodgers left for Tokyo, Japan, for a two-game series […]

Lars Nootbaar Set To Hit Leadoff, Masyn Winn Ninth On Opening Day

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is starting in left field and batting leadoff for Monday's exhibition game against Triple-A Memphis, with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold noting that it's the same lineup that manager Oliver Marmol plans to use on Opening Day this Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, shortstop Masyn Winn is […]

Cam Smith Starting In Right Field On Monday

Houston Astros prospect Cam Smith is making the start in right field and is hitting sixth for Monday's exhibition contest against Triple-A Sugar Land. The Astros haven't made any official decisions on their final roster for Opening Day this Thursday, but the fact that the 22-year-old Smith is in the lineup at all on Monday […]

Victor Robles Returns To The Field On Monday

Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles (hand) got the start in right field and was batting leadoff for Monday's Cactus League game against the San Diego Padres. Robles is back in action to begin the week after he was pulled from Saturday's exhibition game early against the Chicago White Sox when he was hit by a […]

Multi-Position Eligible Hitters To Draft - Fantasy Baseball Targets and Sleepers (2025)

As Opening Day draws near and managers figure out who they are targeting in the earlier draft rounds, perhaps the later rounds remain a little unsettled. What type of hitter should you take there? Maybe someone who can help with batting average or steals? High-upside lottery tickets? The best choice could be a player who […]

Exit Velocity Standouts (EV50) - Power Hitters On The Rise for Fantasy Baseball

Like any data filter, there's a mix of notable and noisy ones. That's especially true when we use intentional or arbitrary cutoffs. All stats require context, so we include other metrics with a newer Statcast metric called EV50. Baseball Savant defines EV50 as the average of the hardest 50 percent of a player's batted balls, […]

Spring Training Risers and Fallers for Fantasy Baseball - Hitter ADP Trends

When considering risers and fallers in fantasy baseball drafts, there are many reasons why a player could be moving up or down. Team injuries, context, performance in spring training, playing time concerns, and roster additions are all reasons to impact a player's ADP in fantasy baseball. In this piece, before the season starts, we'll focus […]

Sal Frelick Back In The Lineup Monday

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (calf) will return to the team's lineup on Monday for their spring training finale against the Colorado Rockies. The 24-year-old has been out of action since last Tuesday after experiencing mild calf soreness. Fortunately for him, he only missed a handful of games due to the discomfort. It's good news […]

Justin Crawford Starting Season At Triple-A

Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford will open the season at the Triple-A level. After posting an impressive .364/.462/.364 slash line during spring training, Crawford was rewarded with a promotion to the minor leagues. Last season, the No. 3 ranked prospect in the Philadelphia system began the campaign with High-A before moving up to Double-A. […]

Manuel Margot Signed By The Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers signed outfielder Manuel Margot, the 30-year-old journeyman from the Dominican Republic, after the Milwaukee Brewers released him on Saturday. Margot is a career .254 hitter and will now play for his fifth MLB team since being called to the big leagues in 2016. Margot provides a safety net and consistent floor for […]

Tirso Ornelas Optioned To Triple-A

The San Diego Padres have optioned outfield prospect Tirso Ornelas to Triple-A El Paso. Ornelas was in contention to make the Opening Day roster. During camp, he performed quite well, tallying 15 hits across 23 contests with a .294/.368/.451 slash line. He tallied five doubles with a home run and a 6:6 BB:K. Last summer, […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Rankings and Tiers - Top 750 Players (Roto Leagues)

Spring is officially here, and we are a few days away from one of the most exciting times of the baseball season, Opening Day. Injuries continue to pile up, and the rankings have shifted. At RotoBaller HQ we are always updating our rankings through Opening Day, and are back today with our MLB team's updated […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Rankings and Tiers - Top 800 Players (H2H Points Leagues)

Fantasy baseball H2H points leagues continue to grow in popularity each year. The scoring settings differ between the fantasy baseball platforms -- and in this article, we have a general consensus of rankings for all sites with our updated 2025 fantasy baseball H2H points league rankings for the top 800 players. You can also see […]

7 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions - Dan Palyo's 2025 Picks

Who doesn't love some preseason bold predictions? I usually try to avoid making extremely hyperbolic statements and predictions and tend to focus more on grinding the data to find the answers I am looking for, but what fun is that? "Go big or go home" is what they say, right? If you're going to be […]

Zac Veen Optioned To Minors

Colorado Rockies outfielder Zac Veen has been optioned to minor league camp on Sunday. The Rockies have been some interesting decisions lately. Veen should be close to MLB ready after putting up decent numbers in the minor leagues last season. Instead, the Rockies will keep journeyman Nick Martini on the roster. Hopefully, Veen is able […]