Matt Magill Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Magill (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the 2020 MLB season as a result. Magill came into the season as a closer option in a crowded (but not very good) Seattle bullpen, and he tossed nine scoreless innings mixed with a pair of […]

The Baller Ranks: Top 101 Relief Pitchers Weekly Rankings

We're already on the back nine of September, barreling towards the end of fantasy baseball, which means the Week 9 Relief Pitcher Baller Ranks are here for a weekly dive into how the top 101 RPs stand for the home stretch. You can check out my weekly Top 101 Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks as well. […]

Top 50 Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Redraft: Week 9 Rankings

It’s been a crazy ride this summer. The shortened 2020 fantasy season is winding down with less than two weeks remaining before the Major League Baseball playoffs begin. This will be our last update of the Top 50 redraft prospects for the year. It was a challenging season, to say the least, with no minor […]

Week 9 MLB Closers & Bullpen Usage Report

Monitoring bullpens in 2020 will be a vital task each and every day. Because of this, we'll be publishing a weekly article at RotoBaller that tracks which bullpens are being taxed and which pitchers within that bullpen are being heavily used. The idea of this column is to help you gain an inside track into which […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 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 […]

Ken Giles Lands Back On Injured List With Flexor Strain

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Ken Giles (elbow) had a long road to returning in 2020, but he made two appearances before landing back on the injured list Wednesday. Having opened the year in the club’s closer role, Giles has been supplanted by breakout performances from Rafael Dolis, Anthony Bass and Jordan Romano at the back […]

Caleb Ferguson Placed On Injured List

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson (elbow) has been placed on the injured list and is set to undergo an MRI on his elbow. Ferguson suffered the injury while pitching in the eighth inning of Tuesday's game. He was taken out of the game as the team took a look at him. Ferguson has […]

Chris Devenski Undergoes Arthroscopic Surgery

Houston Astros relief pitcher Chris Devenski underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to have a bone spur removed on Wednesday. He is expected to be make a full recovery by spring training 2021. Devenski was only able to make four appearances this year and struggled mightily in them, posting a 14.73 ERA and 2.73 […]

Kenley Jansen Unavailable To Pitch On Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen will not be available out of the bullpen on Wednesday after making relief appearances in three of the past four days. Jansen closed out the team's victories on Sunday and Tuesday, earning his 11th save of the year in the latter of the two appearances. He also had […]

Dustin May Scratched, Brusdar Graterol To Start Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May (foot) has been scratched from his scheduled start on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres. Brusdar Graterol will serve as the Dodgers opener for the contest. May took a comebacker off of his foot in his most recent start, and while it was determined there was no structural […]

Matt Harvey Headed To 10-Day Injured List

Kansas City Royals pitcher Matt Harvey was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lat strain on Wednesday afternoon. The 31-year-old suffered the injury during a relief appearance against the Tigers on Tuesday night. Harvey was horrendous in 2020, posting an 11.57 ERA and 2.74 WHIP across 11 2/3 innings. The former All-Star will […]

Kenley Jansen Picks Up 11th Save Of The Season

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen fired a scoreless ninth inning to notch the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres. It did not come easy, however, as Jansen surrendered two hits and a walk to load the bases with one out. Thankfully, the 32-year-old struck out the next two batters he […]

Adrian Morejon Serving As Opener Wednesday

San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon will serve as the team's opener on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. There was some hope that Chris Paddack (ankle) would return to start this game, but he is facing the Seattle Mariners on Friday instead. Morejon has posted a 2.53 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through 10 2/3 […]

Hector Neris Preserves Three-Run Lead For Fourth Save

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris allowed one hit and one walk but didn't allow a run to earn his fourth save of the season in a win versus the Mets on Tuesday. Neris has been pitching better since being demoted from the closer role when the team acquired Brandon Workman from Boston. Neris has […]

Edwin Diaz Strikes Out The Side In One Inning Of Work

New York Mets right-handed relief pitcher Edwin Diaz threw a scoreless inning of work on Tuesday in the Mets' 4-1 loss to the Phillies, striking out the side. Diaz has posted a ridiculous 42 strikeouts in just 20 innings to go with a 1.80 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the season. Diaz now boasts a […]

Michael Lorenzen Looks Good In Tuesday Start

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen pitched well in his first start of the 2020 season after making 15 appearances out of the bullpen. Lorenzen allowed one run over five innings while striking out six and scattering four hits in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The right-hander joined the rotation to cover for right-hander […]

Jeremy Jeffress Blows Save

Chicago Cubs closer Jeremy Jeffress entered Tuesday’s game with a 0.98 ERA, but he blew the save against the Indians. Jeffress allowed two walks and one hit, which was a two-run shot by Francisco Lindor to tie the game. Jeffress has been having a great season as the Cubs closer, and fantasy managers shouldn’t be […]

Keone Kela Unlikely To Return In 2020

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Keone Kela (forearm) is unlikely to return this season, according to general manager Ben Cherington. Kela resumed throwing last week, but he has not appeared in a game since August 21 and is running out of time. The 27-year-old was expected to serve as the Pirates' closer before the injury woes. In […]

Andrew Triggs Hits The Injured List

Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Andrew Triggs was placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s contest versus Miami, paving the way for Tanner Houck to join the active roster and make his first big league start. Triggs is dealing with radial nerve irritation in his pitching arm, likely ending his 2020 campaign. In […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 15th 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 […]

Giants-Mariners Contests Postponed Tuesday, Wednesday

The San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners have had their contests planned for Tuesday and Wednesday at T-Mobile Park postponed due to poor air quality in the Pacific Northwest stemming from the string of wildfires that have caused significant smoke in the area. The clubs were scheduled for a two-game set, which will now be […]

Steve Cohen Signs Agreement To Buy The Mets

Steve Cohen, the billionaire hedge fund manager of Point72 Asset Management, has signed an agreement with Sterling Equities to buy a majority stake in the New York Mets. The transaction is subject to the approval of the other Major League Baseball owners and is worth slightly more than $2.4 billion. Once ratified, Cohen will own […]

Edwin Diaz Posts Elite Metrics As Numbers Trend Upward

New York Mets right-handed relief pitcher Edwin Diaz was much-maligned entering the 2020 season, but after striking out 39 batters in his first 19 innings, he has officially re-entered top-tier closer status. His 49.4% whiff rate is tops in the majors while also ranking among the game’s elite in xBA (.148), xSLG (.240), xwOBA (.236), […]

H2H Points League Pickups, Waiver Adds: Week 9

The end is nigh. If you're reading this, then congratulations! You're probably in the playoffs. But that doesn't mean you can take the foot off the gas. With the possibility of games being suddenly canceled still hanging over the final few weeks of play, you always have to be ready to quickly sub in replacements. […]

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

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Congratulations to those of you staying focused while the undisciplined get distracted by fantasy football. These next two weeks will be chaotic, what with doubleheaders and matchups representing such an increased percentage of the baseball season. Harness the lightning and let's get these titles. […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates for Week 9

Injuries are commonplace in all sports. Baseball has seen the rate of injury continue to rise over the past few years. In fantasy, if someone is not in the medical field, it is hard to gauge how long a player will be out and whether they need to be replaced in a lineup. Sometimes this […]

Evaluating MLB Rookie Performances for Fantasy Baseball - Week 9

If you’re looking for a newcomer to boost your rotation or lineup down the stretch, there could be a few recent call-ups worth considering. As for dynasty owners, whether you’re competing down the stretch or building for next year, there will certainly be several names to keep on your radar through the season’s final stretch. […]

The Cut List (Week 9) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome back to the Cut List. In recent weeks we switched up the format of this article a bit, to cover a larger pool of players and to discuss trends being seen by fantasy baseball managers across a large number of leagues, based on ESPN's 25 most dropped players in the past week. Injuries have always […]

Matt Barnes (RP, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups Week 9

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Leagues ANALYSIS: It's been a rough season for Red Sox pitching in 2020 by just about every metric you can look at. Since Brandon Workman was traded to the Phillies, Matt Barnes is now the one guy to roster out of a bad Boston […]

Rafael Dolis (RP, TOR) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rafael Dolis had a seven-year MLB hiatus, but after an extended run over in Japan, he has been a pivotal asset in the Blue Jays bullpen for the 2020 campaign. Ken Giles may have just returned from the IL and is slated to be […]