Michael Lorenzen Could Be Back Quicker Than Expected

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) is making progress in his attempts to rehab an injured hamstring. Lorenzen threw off of a mound on Saturday and was able to run 30-yard sprints and could be activated from the injured list in a week or two. The right-hander initially feared that his season was over when […]

Amir Garrett Activated Monday

The Cincinnati Reds activated relief pitcher Amir Garrett from the paternity list on Monday and optioned infielder Alejo Lopez to Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Garrett was the most attractive fantasy option from the Reds bullpen to begin the 2021 season, but that certainly isn't the case as things stand now. The 29-year-old left-hander […]

Kirby Snead Joins Toronto On Monday

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Kirby Snead had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. To clear room for Snead on the roster, Toronto designated pitcher Jacob Barnes for assignment. Snead has been having a great year at Triple-A, going 2-0 with four saves, a 2.01 ERA, […]

Clay Holmes Traded To The Yankees

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Clay Holmes was traded to the New York Yankees on Monday, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. To complete the deal, the Yankees sent infielders Diego Castillo and Hoy Jun Park to Pittsburgh. Holmes has been a decent option in SV/HLD formats this season, as he has seven holds while […]

Seranthony Dominguez Could Begin Rehab Assignment Soon

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment later this week, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. This news comes a few days before the one-year mark since undergoing Tommy John surgery, and reports say that Dominguez is currently throwing his fastball at about 93-94 mph. He saw time […]

Corey Knebel Begins Rehab Assignment

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Corey Knebel (lat) will operate as the opener as part of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Knebel has been sidelined since April 23 with a right lat injury and Monday will be his first game action since he got hurt. Knebel was having a good season for the Dodgers […]

Richard Rodriguez Gaining Trade Interest From Oakland

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez is drawing trade interest from the Oakland Athletics ahead of Friday's trade deadline, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi reports that the Athletics are prioritizing a bullpen upgrade before the deadline, and Rodriguez would certainly fit the bill as he is 4-2 with 14 saves, a 2.82 […]

J.B. Wendelken Whiffs Two In Relief Appearance Versus Mariners

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher J.B. Wendelken recorded four outs on Sunday versus the Mariners with two coming via the strikeout. The right-hander walked one, but did not allow a run for the third time in his last four appearances. Wendelken has a 22 percent strikeout rate this season which is down 10 percent from 2019 […]

James Karinchak Earns Seventh Win Sunday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak threw one inning while allowing one walk to record his seventh win of the season in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Karinchak has shown some struggles recently as he has posted a 3.72 ERA in July and has allowed three earned runs across his previous four […]

Emmanuel Clase Locks Down Save Sunday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase threw a perfect ninth inning while striking out one to earn his 12th save of the season in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Clase has not allowed a run in his previous four outings and could be rounding back into form after a couple of tough […]

Edwin Diaz Saves 21st Game

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz saved his 21st game of the year Sunday, closing the door on the Toronto Blue Jays with three strikeouts around one walk to secure a 5-4 victory. It's Diaz's second consecutive scoreless outing after giving up runs in his previous three. Despite his struggles, which have led to […]

Matt Barnes Earns 21st Save

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes locked down his 21st save of the year Sunday, allowing just one hit in one inning of work against the New York Yankees. Barnes hasn't allowed an earned run in 11 of his last 12 appearances and is very solidly among the elite fantasy closers. His job seems […]

Brad Hand Blows Save, Takes Loss Sunday

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Brad Hand had a bad outing at the wrong time Sunday, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk in a third of an inning to blow the save and take the loss against the Baltimore Orioles. It was his fourth loss and fourth blown save on the season. […]

Drew Steckenrider Secures Third Save

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Drew Steckenrider picked up his third save of the year Sunday, throwing a scoreless inning with just one hit allowed against the Oakland Athletics to secure a 4-3 victory. He did not strike out a batter. Steckenrider is third in the pecking order for saves behind Kendall Graveman and Paul Sewald, […]

Liam Hendriks Records 24th Save

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks recorded the final six outs to record his 24th save of the season in Sunday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Hendriks entered with no outs and a runner on first base in the bottom of the eighth inning and retired three straight batters. Hendriks allowed a single to Tyrone […]

Joe Kelly Injures Hamstring On Sunday

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly (hamstring) injured his hamstring while fielding a ground ball in the ninth inning and will be re-evaluated on Monday, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. Kelly suffered the injury on the first play of the ninth inning, but was able to finish out the […]

Ryan Pressly Locks Up 18th Save

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly struck out one batter through a scoreless ninth inning in the Astros 3-1 win over the Rangers on Sunday. Pressly picked up his 18th save of the season and has not blown a save since May 29. The Astros have been piling up the victories and there was a time […]

Matt Wisler Implodes In The Eighth Inning On Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Wisler (3-4) allowed two runs on two hits and a hit batter in 1/3 of an inning during Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians. He was tagged with his third loss of the season. The 28-year-old entered the eighth frame to protect a 2-1 lead but was saddled with the […]

Carlos Estevez Takes The Loss On Sunday

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez took the loss on Sunday when he allowed one run on two hits over one inning in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Estevez entered in the eighth inning to try and preserve a 2-2 tie but wasn't able to get the job done. He coughed up […]

Josiah Gray Goes Four Innings In First Start

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Josiah Gray made his second career appearance and first start of his career in Sunday's no-decision versus the Colorado Rockies. Gray tossed four frames and allowed three hits, two runs, four walks and struck out six. Not the best outing, but also not the worst for the youngster. Gray is […]

Points Leagues Pitchers: Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 18

We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best […]

The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Week 18

Welcome back to The Cut List. This is our weekly article looking at players who fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look. We'll look at players who are worthy of a drop, players who are worth monitoring for replacing, and someone on the hot seat who […]

The Bigger Picture - Post-Trade Deadline Pickups Are Key

The MLB trade deadline is one week away as of this writing and the first big deal has already gone down. Baseball's version of the Highlander, Nelson Cruz, has moved to Tampa Bay. It comes as no shock that the Twins are sellers this year; they are currently 17.5 games behind first place in the […]

Joakim Soria (RP, ARI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Though he's a prime candidate to be dealt ahead of next weekend's trade deadline, Joakim Soria is the clear top dog in the Arizona bullpen right now. That makes it surprising to see him languishing on the waiver wire in over two-thirds of leagues […]

Nick Anderson Scheduled For Another Rehab Start

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Nick Anderson (elbow) will participate in another rehab outing on Monday. The 31-year-old hasn't played this season as he continues to work his way back from partially torn UCL. The righty recorded two strikeouts during an inning of work on Friday during an outing in the Florida Complex League and […]

Jonathan Loaisiga Takes Loss Against Red Sox

New York Yankees relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga struggled mightily against the Red Sox Sunday. Loaisiga matched his season-high by allowing four earned runs to Boston on four hits. The right-hander surrendered a hit to each of the batters he faced, yielding an average exit velocity of 94.6 MPH. Fortunately, these types of performances have been […]

Ranger Suarez Secures Save Versus Braves On Sunday

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Ranger Suarez picked up his fourth save of the season on Sunday against the Braves. Aaron Nola was the story of the afternoon, but his 116th pitch of the game was hit for a homer with two outs in the ninth. This allowed Suarez to enter the game and the left-hander […]

Tyler Alexander Will Start On Tuesday

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tyler Alexander will start for the team on Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins. Alexander has made 28 appearances for the Tigers this season, pitching to a 4.24 ERA and a 4.47 FIP while striking out 41 batters and walking just 11 in 46.2 innings. Four of his 28 appearances have been starts, […]

Ethan Small Could Be A Call-Up Candidate For Milwaukee

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ethan Small could see some time in the majors during the second half of the season, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. General Manager Matt Arnold said that the team will be looking to acquire bullpen help at the trade deadline, and mentioned Small as a possible candidate for a call […]

Lucas Sims To Begin Rehab Assignment Tuesday

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Lucas Sims (elbow) will begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Louisville, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Sims has been sidelined since late June with a right elbow sprain, but before then he was becoming one of the top relievers in Cincinnati's bullpen, having gone 4-0 with […]