Josh James Activated Off Of Injured List

Houston Astros reliever Josh James was activated off of the 10-day injured list on Wednesday evening after missing a couple of weeks with hip discomfort. It was a quick recovery for the 27-year-old, as manager Dusty Baker was not expecting him back until the team's next homestand. James may find his way into the closer's […]

Jimmy Yacabonis Joining Mariners Bullpen

The Seattle Mariners purchased the contract of Jimmy Yacabonis from their alternate training site on Wednesday evening. The 28-year-old has not pitched yet in 2020, but he registered a 6.80 ERA and 33/24 K/BB rate in 2019. Yacabonis will stretch out the Mariners' bullpen a bit, but he holds no fantasy value for the remainder […]

Keone Kela Throws Bullpen Session Wednesday

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Keone Kela (forearm) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday afternoon. It is the first time he has pitched since August 21. The 27-year-old is always an option to close games for the Pirates, but his time to return is running out. Richard Rodriguez will continue to handle the ninth-inning duties in the […]

Ken Giles Will Not Return To Closing Right Away

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles (forearm) will not return to the closer's role immediately upon his activation from the injured list. Giles has been sidelined since July 26, so it makes sense to have him pitch in a low-leverage spot when he returns. Alas, it seems as though Giles will take over the ninth-inning […]

Robert Gsellman Out For Remainder Of 2020

New York Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday afternoon with a fractured rib. Right-handed reliever Drew Smith was recalled from the team's alternate site as a corresponding move. Gsellman labored through much of the 2020 season, as evidenced by his 9.64 ERA and 2.14 WHIP across 14 innings. […]

The Baller Ranks: Top 101 Relief Pitchers Weekly Rankings

We're into the meat of September and that means the Week 8 Relief Pitcher Baller Ranks are here for a weekly dive into how the top 101 RPs stand moving forward. You can check out my weekly Top 101 Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks as well. David Emerick rolled out an introduction to our Baller Ranks […]

Top 50 Prospects for Fantasy Baseball Redraft: Week 8 Rankings

It’s hard to believe that we’re only about three weeks away from the MLB playoffs. But it’s going to be a crazy time with lots of double-headers as teams look to solidify their playoff spots. A number of rookies will play key roles in helping their teams survive the hectic schedules over these next three […]

Week 8 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 […]

Liam Hendriks Notches 11th Save

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Liam Hendriks allowed a, hit but needed just 13 pitches to nail down his 11th save of the season Tuesday vs Houston. Hendriks picked up two strikeouts which has become par for the course for the right-hander thanks to an elite 19.7 percent swinging-strike rate. Hendriks is a rare four-category contributor […]

Rafael Dolis Closes Door For Third Save

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Rafael Dolis pitched a perfect ninth inning in the team’s 2-1 win over the Yankees, securing his third save of the year. The right-hander struck out two in the 17-pitch frame, upping his total to 24 punchouts over 20 1/3 IP while holding an excellent 1.77 ERA and 1.18. WHIP. Dolis […]

Robert Gsellman Injured On Tuesday

New York Mets relief pitcher Robert Gsellman left Tuesday’s game with trainers and was in apparent pain. The exact nature of Gsellman’s injury is unclear for now, but he looked quite uncomfortable when leaving the field, and a stint on the injured list seems very possible. Gsellman was recently bumped back to the team’s bullpen […]

Pedro Baez Throwing Simulated Game Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez (groin) is scheduled to make a simulated appearance on Wednesday. Assuming there are no setbacks, Baez could return to the team's bullpen this weekend. The reliable right-hander posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.06 WHIP through 11 1/3 innings this season, but his only fantasy value comes in leagues that […]

Ken Giles Throws Live Batting Practice Tuesday

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles (forearm) threw a successful live batting practice on Tuesday afternoon. Assuming there are no setbacks, Giles could potentially return to the team on the weekend. The 29-year-old has not appeared in a game since July 26, but he could be a worthwhile fantasy addition if he goes back to […]

Corey Knebel Activated From Injured List

The Milwaukee Brewers have activated relief pitcher Corey Knebel (hamstring) from the injured list prior to Tuesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Knebel was placed on the injured list nearly three weeks ago while dealing with a strained hamstring. Knebel struggled mightily prior to his injury this year, allowing seven earned runs in just 6 […]

Chris Mazza Starting Tuesday's Nightcap

Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Mazza will start the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies. Mazza threw four innings of one-run ball on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, so he will be operating on short rest. The 30-year-old owns a 6.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP through 12 innings this year. He […]

Hot Prospects To Watch: Stretch-Run Rookies

Perhaps there's nothing more tantalizing in fantasy baseball than drafting an up-and-coming prospect or rushing to the waiver wire to bid on a Triple-A call-up. With no minor leagues this year, our favorite prospects are now playing on taxi squads, making it difficult for us to fantasize about since we can't get eyes on their […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 8th 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 […]

H2H Points League Pickups, Waiver Adds: Week 8

How is there only 3.5 weeks left in the major league season? I mean, how is that even possible? Oh yeah, a worldwide pandemic (plus labor strife and inept commisioning) delayed the season by three months. With less than a month to play, that means many of you are currently in your playoffs. And filling […]

Adam Ottavino Allows Six Runs On Monday

New York Yankees relief pitcher Adam Ottavino had his worst appearance of the season on Monday, allowing six runs without recording an out against the Blue Jays. Monday’s performance made Ottavino’s ERA jump from 3.55 to 7.82 for the season, and the 34-year-old has been unusually ineffective this season after posting an ERA below 2.70 […]

Brad Hand Closes The Door For Another Save

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Monday to record his 12th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Royals. The left-hander threw 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes in the impressive performance, although his fastball topped out at 92 mph. He has yet […]

Daniel Hudson Notches Eighth Save Of 2020

Washington Nationals reliever Daniel Hudson needed just one out to pick up his eighth save of the season during Monday's 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. With the bases loaded and the tying run on deck, Hudson struck out Randy Arozarena to end the threat. It has not been the prettiest year for Hudson, […]

Brandon Workman Pitches Scoreless Ninth, Earns Win

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless ninth inning and earned the win vs the Mets Monday. Workman was brought into a tie game in the bottom of the ninth and pitched around a walk to get the game to extra innings where he was rewarded with a win thanks to a Jean […]

Hector Neris Earns Save Vs Mets Monday

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris needed only 10 pitches in the bottom of the tenth to earn a save for the Phillies Monday. Neris allowed an unearned run - the automatic runner at second base to start extra innings scored - but Neris preserved the two-run lead he was tasked to protect. Brandon Workman […]

Jorge Ona Making Debut, Luis Patino Sent To Alternate Site

The San Diego Padres called up outfielder Jorge Ona ahead of Monday’s contest against the Colorado Rockies. The 23-year-old will serve as designated hitter and bat seventh in his major league debut. To make room, reliever Luis Patino was optioned to the alternate site. Oña played in just 25 Double-A games last year but registered […]

David Peterson Ineffective On Monday Against Phillies

New York Mets left-handed pitcher David Peterson was roughed up by the Phillies on Monday in just two innings of work in the Mets' 9-8 loss. Peterson, who returned to the Mets' starting rotation after one relief appearance last week, allowed five earned runs, walked four, and allowed three hits including a home run in […]

Brandon Kintzler Blows A Save But Earns A Win

Miami Marlins closer Brandon Kintzler blew his second consecutive save on Monday, but ended up earning the win when the Marlins beat the Braves in extra innings. Kintzler started the season with nine straight saves, but he's now blown two in a row. On Monday, he allowed a run on two hits and two walks. […]

Evaluating MLB Rookie Performances for Fantasy Baseball - Week 8

We’re in the final month of the MLB regular season, meaning that the fantasy regular seasons for many of us will be over soon with playoffs right around the corner. It may be slightly harder for recently called-up rookies to make an impact the rest of the way given the short schedule to establish themselves […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the September 7th 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 […]

Archie and the Gang: Navigating the New-Look Cincinnati Bullpen

As of August 31st, the day of the 2020 MLB Trade Deadline, the Cincinnati Reds sat at a record of 15-19, placing them at fourth-place in the NL Central and well outside of the NL postseason picture in this year of the expanded playoff format. While the Cincinnati offense has been far from elite through […]

Brad Hand Picks Up 11th Save

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand picked up the save in Sunday's win over Milwaukee, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not issue a walk or record a strikeout. Hand allowed a single to Ryan Braun to begin the ninth, but got Tyrone Taylor to fly out before getting Jacob Nottingham to […]