Fantasy Baseball Rest Of Season Rankings: Mid-Year Updates

The All-Star break offers us fantasy baseball players a chance to breathe and reassess the battlefield before us. Pitching remains as volatile as ever thanks to midseason rule changes, the next generation is fighting uphill after missing minor-league development in 2020, and Shohei Ohtani has blossomed into a full-fledged superstar. Instead of my weekly top […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for Week 16

Wow, what a busy last few days for prospects around Major League Baseball. On Sunday, we were treated to both the MLB Futures Game — a showcase of the sport’s best prospects — and the first round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. The remainder of the 20-round draft will take place today and tomorrow. […]

Paul Sewald Picks Up One-Out Save Friday

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald appears to be firmly a part of the picture in terms of saves to start the second half of the year. Sewald relieved top reliever Kendall Graveman in this 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, giving up a single to Jared Walsh before retiring Phil Gosselin on a […]

Jordan Holloway Has An Excellent Outing On Friday

Miami Marlins rookie pitcher Jordan Holloway was excellent on Friday, tossing five innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two walks, no hits. He struck out six and earned the win, improving to 2-2 and lowering his ERA to 3.00. He set a Marlins franchise record, becoming the first Marlin to throw five innings of hitless […]

Tanner Houck Locks Down Three-Inning Save

Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck collected his first save of the year Friday, throwing the last three innings of a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees. He allowed one hit and one walk and struck out three. It's an excellent start to this stint in the major leagues for Houck, who will be […]

Reds Activate Michael Lorenzen From Injured List

The Cincinnati Reds activated right-hander Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list on Friday and moved infielder Alex Blandino (hand) to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Lorenzen will be making his season debut when he gets into a game, but he looked good on his rehab assignment in the Rookie League […]

Blue Jays To Return To Rogers Center On July 30

The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Friday that they will return home to Rogers Centre on July 30 against the Kansas City Royals after playing parts of two seasons in Buffalo, N.Y., and Dunedin, Fla., during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their home games in Toronto will be played with "robust health and safety protocols in place." […]

Ranger Suarez K's Three Marlins To Earn Save On Friday

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Ranger Suarez pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn the save in the first game of Friday's doubleheader. Suarez allowed a two-out single to Joe Panik, but whiffed the other three Marlins he faced to pick up his third save this season. Suarez has earned the last three saves for Philly […]

Art Warren Could Miss 3-6 Weeks

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that relief pitcher Art Warren (oblique) could be out for three to six weeks with his oblique injury. Oblique injuries usually require an extended stay on the injured list for pitchers, so this shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Warren has been excellent in relief for the Reds this […]

Mariners Claim Ryan Weber Off Waivers

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Ryan Weber is the newest member of the team, as he was claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. Weber has bounced around the league this year, starting with the Red Sox before being claimed by the Brewers, and now the Mariners. He's only thrown 6 2/3 innings this year in […]

Red Sox-Yankees Game Will Be Played Friday

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will be able to play Friday night's game after Thursday's postponement due to COVID-19 protocols, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. In a statement from MLB, it was announced that after conducting testing and contact tracing in the Yankees organization, it has been deemed OK for Friday's […]

Lucas Sims Should Return To Reds In August

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Lucas Sims (elbow) will most likely be back in action with the team in August, according to C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic. Sims has been out since the end of June with a sprained right elbow, and earlier reports had his return as coming by the end of July. However […]

Tejay Antone Likely To Return In August

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tejay Antone (forearm) will likely not be able to return until August, according to C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic. It had been previously reported that Antone may have been able to return by the end of July, but manager David Bell said that the more realistic timeline has Antone returning […]

Brandon Waddell Optioned To Triple-A

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Brandon Waddell has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Waddell has bounced between three teams this season, with most of his work coming with St. Louis where he posted a 4.15 ERA with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of work. He's […]

Rapid Tests Come Back Negative For Tampa Bay All-Stars

COVID-19 rapid tests performed on Tampa Bay Rays players who were at the All-Star Game have come back negative, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. While there wasn't any direct evidence that pointed to a potential positive test among the Rays All-Stars, it's still good news as concern has spread across the […]

Tigers-Twins Postponed On Friday

The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins had their scheduled doubleheader postponed on Friday due to inclement weather. Game 1 has been rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Saturday, with games starting at 1:10 pm ET and 6:10 pm ET. Game 2 has been rescheduled for August 30, which was a shared off day […]

Aaron Bummer Activated, Reynaldo Lopez Recalled

The Chicago White Sox activated relief pitcher Aaron Bummer (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list and recalled right-hander Reynaldo Lopez from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. In corresponding moves, relievers Jace Fry and Matt Foster were optioned to Charlotte. Bummer has been out all month with a strained hamstring, but he'll return to a late-inning setup […]

Closers and Saves Report - Waiver Wire and Trade Deadline Chatter

We here at RotoBaller's Closers and Saves Report believe that there should be something like the Home Run Derby, but for relief pitchers. Not a skills competition, or a strike throwing contest, or a velocity race. Just an actual Home Run Derby, but with relief pitchers. Our money is on Daniel Camarena. With the All-Star […]

Using K-BB% To Find Relievers to Add for the Second Half

A couple of weeks ago, I used June's K-BB% leaderboard to look at which starting pitchers might provide value in the second half. In that article, I explained why I loved the metric so much by stating: If a pitcher has a high strikeout rate (K%), then we know he is effective because we know […]

Ryan Thompson Will Throw Bullpen Session Friday Or Saturday

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Thompson (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday or Saturday. The 29-year-old was shut down for a few days on July 8 after feeling shoulder discomfort. He will begin a rehab assignment soon and could return to the Rays bullpen later this month. The Rays right-hander owned a 2.38 ERA, […]

Oliver Drake Suffers Minor Setback

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Oliver Drake (elbow) is dealing with neck/back soreness and will have a couple of days off. He was expected to begin a rehab assignment with the Rays' Florida Complex League affiliate on Tuesday but suffered a minor setback. The 34-year-old is without a timetable for a return and remains day-to-day. Drake […]

Nick Anderson Will Throw Live BP On Friday

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Anderson (elbow) will throw live batting practice in Port Charlotte on Friday. He recently threw a bullpen session last Saturday and felt good afterward. The 31-year-old has been sidelined all season due to a partially torn UCL. Anderson will continue to ramp up his activity and is expected to return […]

Matt Strahm Expected Back By End Of Month

San Diego Padres reliever Matt Strahm (knee) is expected back by the end of this month. Recovering from offseason right knee surgery, the 29-year-old southpaw has been throwing in simulated games and his return would certainly bolster a beaten Friars pitching staff. Strahm has been an anchor in the bullpen the past three seasons, appearing […]

Pedro Baez Beginning His Rehab Assignment

Houston Astros relief pitcher Pedro Baez (shoulder) is starting a minor league rehab assignment on Thursday with Single-A Fayetteville. Baez was able to throw live batting practice last week and is progressing from a shoulder injury that has kept him out for all of this year so far. The 33-year-old right-hander spent the first seven […]

Jonathan Loaisiga One Of Three Yankees Positive Tests

Updating an ongoing story, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga was one of three players -- pitchers Nestor Cortes and Wandy Peralta being the others -- with confirmed positive COVID-19 tests. Three more players have tested positive with rapid tests but are awaiting confirmation. It's the reason why […]

Three Yankees Players Have Tested Positive For COVID-19

Updating a previous report, the New York Yankees have three players who have tested positive for COVID-19. General manager Brian Cashman noted the three positive tests and that the club is awaiting results on three more tests, also believed to be positive. Jonathan Loaisiga, Wandy Peralta, and Nestor Cortes have all been placed on the […]

Yankees-Red Sox Postponed Thursday

Due to a major COVID-19 issue, the game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed. The Yankees are the team with a major COVID-19 issue, so stay tuned for more details on whatever that entails. The Yankees-Red Sox game was the only game on the slate […]

Art Warren To The 10-Day Injured List

The Cincinnati Reds placed relief pitcher Art Warren (oblique) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a left oblique strain. Warren injured his oblique in an outing last Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander has been excellent for the Reds out of the bullpen in 18 outings (14 1/3 innings), giving up just […]

Heath Hembree (RP, CIN) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Reds have used a variety of relievers in the ninth inning this year, as expected, but it's unlikely many anticipated Heath Hembree being one of them. The veteran has six saves on the season, nailing down five of the team's last six opportunities headed […]

Wandy Peralta, Nestor Cortes Placed On COVID-19 Injured List

New York Yankees pitchers Wandy Peralta and Nestor Cortes have been placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Thursday. It's not yet clear whether Peralta and Cortes have contracted the virus, though they'd be able to return sooner if they aren't dealing with positive tests. Peralta has struggled this season, pitching to a 5.26 ERA […]