Kevin Kramer Heads To Brewers In Trade

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Kevin Kramer has been acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Nathan Kirby. An interesting move by the Brewers to take a chance on a .152/.222/.165 hitter. This appears to be a depth move ahead of the trade deadline. Kirby has missed multiple seasons due to injury, but appears […]

Sean Reid-Foley Lands On Injured List

New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Reid-Foley (elbow) has been placed on the 10-day injured list. He is dealing with right elbow inflammation, so it's uncertain how much time he'll miss right now. Before going down, he posted a 5.23 ERA this season with a 1.50 WHIP over 20 2/3 innings. Yennsy Diaz has been […]

Cesar Valdez Activated, Isaac Mattson Optioned

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cesar Valdez (back) has been activated off the 10-day injured list on Sunday. He has been sidelined since late June due to a lower back strain. Valdez was the O's closer coming into the 2021 season, but quickly lost that spot. He carries a 5.74 ERA and 1.65 WHIP over 26 […]

Lucas Sims Likely To Return In Late July

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Lucas Sims (elbow) is hopeful that he can get back on the field by late July. Manager David Bell mentioned that Sims is more likely to return later in the month than right after the All-Star break. In the meantime, Heath Hembree, Amir Garrett and a handful of others will get […]

Jose Cisnero Has Allowed One Earned Run In His Last 22 Innings

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Jose Cisnero has allowed just one earned run in his last 22 innings entering play Sunday. The veteran's ERA over that span is a minuscule 0.41. He's also struck out 23 batters while walking just six and surrendering 10 hits. What's more, the 30-year-old has recorded three saves and eight holds […]

Gregory Soto Has Been Lights Out Lately

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Gregory Soto has been excellent as of late. The hard-throwing left-hander has allowed just six walks, four hits, and an earned run in his last 17 innings while striking out 20. The only earned run came on a home run. If you're doing the math at home, that's a minuscule 0.53 […]

Tejay Antone, Lucas Sims Targeted For Late-July Returns

Cincinnati Reds relief pitchers Tejay Antone (forearm) and Lucas Sims (elbow) are both now targeted for late-July returns, with manager David Bell saying Sims "might be a hair ahead," according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Amir Garrett could be line for save opportunities over the next few weeks but he makes for a highly volatile […]

Josh Taylor Posts 25th Consecutive Scoreless Outing

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Josh Taylor threw a scoreless inning against the Oakland Athletics Saturday, allowing two hits and striking out one batter en route to his 12th hold. It's the 25th consecutive outing for Taylor, an incredibly impressive stretch in which he lowered his season ERA from 9.72 all the way to 2.83. […]

The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Week 15

Welcome back to the Cut List. This is our weekly article looking at players who fantasy managers could consider 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 is […]

Nick Mariano's Waiver Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Welcome to July, where midsummer dreams come true and we all inch closer to championship trophies. Ideally while holding some darn good food from the grill. The waiver wire is also heating up so let's check in on players who are rostered in roughly […]

Scott Barlow Earns Save In Second Straight Game

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow earned his fourth save of the year and his second save in as many days in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. Barlow pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out one. Greg Holland, Barlow's main competitor for saves at this […]

Daniel Bard Gets The Save On Saturday

Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard earned the save on Saturday when he allowed one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over a scoreless ninth inning in a 3-2 win over the Cardinals. Bard was able to notch his 12th save of the season but it wasn't without drama. He walked Paul DeJong to start […]

James Karinchak Posts Fifth Straight Scoreless Outing

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak allowed two walks while striking out three in 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief against the Astros on Saturday. It was his fifth straight scoreless outing, as he has allowed one hit and six walks while striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings of work. His 14.2 percent walk […]

Cesar Valdez Could Be Activated On Sunday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cesar Valdez (back) could be activated from the 10-day injured list on Sunday. Although it also could be sometime after that, the veteran is nearing a return after spending time on the IL with a lower back strain. However, Valdez isn't worth much from a fantasy standpoint, primarily after his role […]

Archie Bradley Tosses Clean Inning To Earn Hold

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Archie Bradley pitched a scoreless eighth inning versus the Padres to earn a hold on Saturday. Bradley needed just 13 pitches in an efficient outing that has been rare for Philadelphia this season. The Phillies have blown 22 saves this season, six more than the next-closest team. Bradley has closing experience […]

Ranger Suarez Earns First Save For Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Ranger Suarez pitched a clean ninth inning to earn his first save of the season. Suarez faced the heart of the Padres' batting order with a two-run lead and got through the outing without issue while picking up a strikeout. The right-hander hadn't earned a save at any level since rookie-ball […]

Heath Hembree Picks Up Second Straight Save

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Heath Hembree tossed a scoreless ninth inning to save a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Hembree struck out two and allowed one hit in the frame. The veteran reliever has been busy of late, having picked up a save on consecutive nights. Hembree now has a 2-3 record, 5.06 […]

Rookie Report: Prospect Risers and Fallers for Week 14

Welcome to the latest edition of RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently promoted 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. We have seen 150 rookies make their MLB […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 15

As we move past the July 4th weekend and make our way to the All-Star game, there continues to be an increase in injuries this year compared to prior years, particularly of the soft tissue variety. These injuries include oblique, groin, hamstring, and back injuries. Not all of the injuries are the same for each player […]

Yimi Garcia Picks Up Save Number 13 On Saturday

Miami Marlins closer Yimi Garcia saved his 13th game of the season in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. Garcia was asked to deliver the one-run win for the Marlins and did just that, allowing only an infield hit in a scoreless ninth inning that included a strikeout of Ronald Acuña, who represented the […]

Jordan Romano’s Scoreless Streak Snapped On Saturday

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jordan Romano gave up two runs to the Rays on Saturday in a non-save situation as his club went on to a 6-3 victory. The right-hander walked the first two batters of the inning and both came around to score on a two-out single by Kevin Kiermaier, snapping his 18-inning scoreless […]

Jose Mujica Recalled From Triple-A

Colorado Rockies right-hander Jose Mujica has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. Reliever Antonio Santos was optioned in a corresponding move. Mujica put up a 6.91 ERA in nine starts (43 innings) at the Triple-A level but will likely work as a reliever with the big league club. He put up a 12.46 ERA over 4 […]

Anthony Bender Strikes Out All Six On Friday

Miami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender struck out all six batters he faced in Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Coming off the first actual poor outing of his major league career, Bender was impeccable in this one, throwing 29 pitches (21 strikes) in his two innings of work. Bender has a 0.74 ERA […]

David Hess Acquired By Marlins

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher David Hess was traded to the Miami Marlins for right-handed pitching prospect Justin Sterner and cash considerations, according to the Miami Herald. Hess was impressive at Triple-A Durham this season, earning a 2.81 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP and 37 strikeouts to just five walks across 32 innings, including two […]

Yency Almonte Implodes On Friday

Colorado Rockies reliever Yency Almonte was destroyed on Friday night when he allowed six runs (five earned) on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in a 9-3 loss to the Cardinals. The Rockies held a narrow 3-2 lead heading into the ninth inning before reliever Justin Lawrence blew the save, prompting the game […]

Michael Fulmer Could Return After All-Star Break

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Michael Fulmer's (neck) visit with Dr. Keith Meister confirmed a previous diagnosis of no shoulder issues, according to MLB.com. Fulmer, who was placed on the 10-day injured list last weekend with a right cervical spine strain, is headed to Low-A Lakeland and is not expected to back until after the All-Star […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 15 Waiver Wire

There's a very important holiday coming up this weekend and you will see fireworks lighting up the sky in celebration: the mid-point of the Major League Baseball season. Some teams have already played their 81st game, but most clubs will reach that number at some point this weekend. After the 2020 season, nothing else can […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings

We're onto July, meaning it's the second half of the season and our time to gripe about the All-Star Game selections. Pitchers are still adjusting to life with sticky checks and all we can do is put on a brave face. Hit the All-Star break in stride with my top 101 RP Baller Ranks, which […]

The Bigger Picture - Where We've Gone Wrong This Year

Expectations are a dangerous thing. They can dictate our decision-making processes well into the future and prevent us from seeing things as they truly are. The baseball season is the longest of any professional team sport, spanning eight full months including spring training. That means a lot will change throughout the course of the season […]

Ryan Pressly Locks Down 13th Save Friday

Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly nailed down his 13th save of the season Friday in a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The 32-year-old gave up a leadoff single to start the ninth but rebounded to close out the game with two strikeouts. The 2019 All-Star has been stellar during the 2021 campaign, converting […]