Luis Avilan Has Torn UCL

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Luis Avilan (elbow) has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will likely require Tommy John surgery, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Avilan had made two appearances this week, throwing 38 pitches on Tuesday and 39 pitches on Thursday — both of which were his highest pitch totals in […]

Twins-Angels Game Saturday Postponed Due To COVID-19

The Minnesota Twins-Los Angeles Angels matchup scheduled for Saturday night has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Twins organization, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. He adds that at least one Twins player tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. There is no word yet as to how many players may be affected, or […]

Joely Rodriguez Activated, Could See High-Leverage Innings

Texas Rangers pitcher Joely Rodriguez(ankle) has been activated from the injured list and is available for Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. The hard-throwing lefty appeared in 12 games last season for the Texas Rangers and produced a 33% strikeout rate with three holds. He'll likely see more high-leverage innings for the club in 2021 […]

Tommy Milone To Start Second Game Of Doubleheader

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Tommy Milone will start the second game of the club's doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. Robbie Ray had originally been scheduled to start on Saturday but he has been pushed back to Sunday. He's made just one start this season since being activated from the injured list so […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 4

There has been an injury trend that is hard to miss to start the 2021 season. There have been a lot of muscle/tendon sprains/strains to start the season. These injuries include oblique, groin, hamstring, and back injuries. Not all of the injuries are alike for each player and should be treated and evaluated on a […]

Devin Williams Struggles Continue

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Devin Williams allowed two earned runs over an inning of relief in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Pirates. Williams allowed just one earned run all season and was named NL Rookie of the Year in 2020, but he has now given up at least one earned run in three of his […]

Randy Dobnak Charged With The Loss Friday

Minnesota Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak was saddled with his third loss of the season in Friday's defeat at the hands of the Angels. Dobnak entered the game in relief of Lewis Thorpe in the fifth inning and worked an impressive frame, striking out two before unraveling in the sixth and seven innings, surrendering six hits […]

Lewis Thorpe Allows Two Runs In Four Innings

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Lewis Thorpe didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Angels. Thorpe pitched four innings, surrendering two runs on three hits while fanning two batters compared to one free pass. He did generate eight swinging strikes, all of which came on his slider, though Thorpe's fastball noticeably had […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 17th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Kolby Allard Strong Again, Could See Role Expand

Texas Rangers pitcher Kolby Allard threw three shutout innings of relief during the club's 5-2 loss on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. The lefty did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out five batters. He regularly found the strike zone and threw 32 of his 45 pitches for strikes (71%). With a […]

Michael King Optioned To Yankees Alternate Site

New York Yankees pitcher Michael King was optioned to the team's alternate site following Friday's game, the team announced on Twitter. Pitching behind an opener against the Rays, King tossed three scoreless innings and allowed two hits and three walks while striking out four batters. Friday was King's second appearance of the season, as he […]

Cesar Valdez Earns Third Save Of Season Friday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cesar Valdez picked up his third save of the season in Friday's 5-2 win over the Rangers. Valdez entered to pitch the ninth inning up by three and things got a bit interesting. He got the first out, then Adolis Garcia reached first on a Maikel Franco throwing error. Valdez was […]

Nick Nelson Saddled With The Loss Friday

New York Yankees pitcher Nick Nelson took the loss in Friday's 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Rays. Nelson served as an opener for New York, pitching one inning and allowing two runs on two hits with a pair of walks and strikeouts. Command was an issue for the 25-year-old, as 15 of his […]

Yimi Garcia Picks Up His Third Save On Friday

Miami Marlins closer Yimi Garcia earned his third save of the season in Friday's win over the San Francisco Giants. Garcia allowed one hit and recorded a strikeout in his inning of work, lowering his ERA to 1.08. He's excelled in the closer's role since taking over for a thoroughly ineffective Anthony Bass after Bass […]

Anthony Bass Earns A Win On Friday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bass earned a win in relief against the San Francisco Giants on Friday evening. Bass threw a perfect eighth inning, striking out one and throwing just eight pitches (seven strikes). The win improved his record to 1-2 and lowered his ERA to an even 9.00. Bass has pitched much better […]

Yimi Garcia (MIA, RP) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 48 Percent of Leagues ANALYSIS: The first major bullpen shakeup happened in Miami with Anthony Bass out and Yimi Garcia in as the closer of choice for manager Don Mattingly. After Bass blew his first two save chances, Miami turned to Garcia who nailed down both of his save […]

Raisel Iglesias Hoping To Get Back In Groove

Los Angeles Angels closer Raisel Iglesias and Co. will host the Twins beginning Friday. It has been a mixed bag for Iglesias thus far this season but his last two outings were promising. After allowing runs in three straight appearances, Iglesias has struck the last four batters he has faced spanning two appearances. The 31-year-old […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 16th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Fantasy Baseball Buy Lows and Sell Highs - Trade Targets for Week 3

The baseball season is less than 10% over, and already we are forced to make player decisions. The hardest part is trying to figure out which players will help you for the rest of the season and which are just having a hot streak that will fade faster than a blue Ford in sunlight. And […]

Rookie Report: Prospect Risers and Fallers for Week 3

Welcome to the 2021 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. It’s early in the season and we’ve already […]

The Big Picture - Closer Committees Are Here to Stay

The fireman has morphed into a fire department. We've seen this trend coming in recent years but it appears that the days of a Major League team having a single definitive closer are all but over. The instability that came with the 2020 season brought an increased reliance on middle relievers to spread out innings. […]

Red Sox - White Sox Game Postponed Friday

Friday's game between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox has been postponed due to snow in Boston. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. The team's will now begin their three-game series on Saturday with Dylan Cease on the mound for the White Sox and Nick Pivetta […]

Mets - Rockies Game Postponed Friday

The Friday evening game between the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies has been postponed due to inclement weather. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday. Fantasy managers in DFS and in season-long leagues with daily lineups should act accordingly. The Mets have been one of the most unlucky teams in 2021 when […]

Camilo Doval Called Up By Giants

The San Francisco Giants have called up relief pitcher Camilo Doval. He will be taking the roster spot of Johnny Cueto (lat), who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 lat strain on Friday. This is Doval's first call-up to the Majors. He has a 100 mph fastball and has shown […]

Emmanuel Clase Throwing Gas

Cleveland Indians right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase is the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball. He has averaged 100.1 mph on his cutter, making him the only Major Leaguer to average triple digits through the first two weeks of the 2021 season. Clase missed all of last year after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, but he's […]

Michael Kopech Good At Avoiding Contact

Chicago White Sox rookie right-hander Michael Kopech has generated a 23.7 percent swing-and-miss rate early this season. The mark is seventh-best among the 391 pitchers with at least 50 pitches thrown so far this season. Kopech averages 97 mph with his fastball and pairs it with a dirty slider that hitters have a tough time […]

Nick Nelson Starting For Yankees On Friday

The New York Yankees are going with pitcher Nick Nelson as an opener in Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Michael King will follow Nelson in relief. Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated that he wanted to give the team's starters an extra day of rest. Jordan Montgomery will take the mound on Saturday with […]

Yency Almonte Takes The Loss On Thursday

Colorado Rockies right-hander Yency Almonte took the loss on Thursday against the Dodgers when he surrendered three runs on one hit with two walks and a strikeout in just two-thirds of an inning. Almonte entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Rockies clinging to a 7-5 lead. He struck out […]

Hansel Robles Struggles Against Red Sox

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Hansel Robles struggled mightily in Thursday's outing against the Red Sox. Robles entered the game in an attempt to preserve starting pitcher Michael Pineda's seven-inning gem, but the results weren't pretty. He didn't have command of the strike zone, as he hit a batter, walked two, and was charged with three […]

Scott Barlow Records Two-Inning Save On Thursday

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow became the latest Royals reliever to earn a save on Thursday. Barlow came on in the eighth inning of Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays and went on to pitch two innings, allowing two hits, no walks and no runs while striking out one. He earned his […]