Anthony Swarzak's Struggles Continue In Loss

Seattle Mariners reliever Anthony Swarzak entered the bottom of the ninth in a tie game Friday night but proceeded to give up a walk-off single to suffer his first loss of the season. The right-hander gave up the one hit and walked a pair of batters in the outing as he's now given up runs […]

Ryan Brasier Suffers Second Blown Save

Boston Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier couldn’t shut the door on the White Sox on Thursday night as he let up a three-run home run to Nick Delmonico in the ninth. Matt Barnes was brought into the eighth inning and struck out the White Sox's two, three and four hitters in order. The two earned […]

Carlos Martinez Set to Start a Rehab Assignment

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) is set to start a rehab assignment on Sunday with Single-A Peoria. Martinez will be used as a reliever once he is ready to return, as the team believes that gives him the best chance to stay healthy. He was thought of as a potential saves candidate before […]

Diego Castillo Picks Up Save For Rays

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Diego Castillo closed out the Rays 3-1 win on Thursday. He now has four saves on the season, two of which have come in the past week. It seemed like Jose Alvarado was going to be the clear-cut favorite for closing duties shortly after the season began, but he has […]

Shane Greene Named Reliever Of The Month

The strong start to Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene's season has earned the veteran closer Reliever of the Month honors for the month of April. Greene has been absolutely lights-out this season, notching 12 saves despite playing for a team that has only won 13 games. In the process, he's struck out 17 batters and walked […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 5 Waiver Wire

Last week I made a joke about this article somehow playing Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" but now this week I want to make the same joke because, well, because another one bit the dust. The Rangers will have someone new on the mound in the ninth inning when they're trying to hold onto […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Undervalued Pitchers for Week 5

Welcome back to the pitching strikeout rate risers and fallers article series! A month of baseball is in the books, meaning that we have at least a decent chunk of data to start diving into. Understanding strikeout trends and the stats behind them can help you determine what a pitcher’s overall fantasy value may be […]

Seth Maness Signs With Rangers

The Texas Rangers and veteran right-handed reliever Seth Maness have agreed to terms on a minor league deal. Maness has not pitched in the majors since 2017, but does have a career 3.21 ERA across parts of five seasons. He's mainly a middle-relief pitcher with a little closing experience. Maness will head to Triple-A, but […]

Matt Strahm Tallies Third Straight Quality Start

San Diego Padres starter Matt Strahm collected his first win Thursday, spinning six innings of two-run ball against the Atlanta Braves. Strahm was breezing through five innings before wobbling in his final frame, surrendering eight total knocks, walking none and striking out six. The 27-year-old now has three consecutive quality starts and hasn’t allowed more […]

Jake McGee, Chris Rusin Progress In Rehab

The Colorado Rockies received some positive news Thursday as a pair of their pitchers threw successful bullpen sessions. Jake McGee has been out for a month with an MCL sprain in his knee, but he threw a successful bullpen session as he inches closer towards a return. The 32-year-old has made just two appearances for […]

Adalberto Mejia to Injured List; Mike Morin Recalled

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Adalberto Mejia was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain on Thursday, and relief pitcher Mike Morin was recalled to replace him. Mejia has struggled mightily in 11 appearances this year, with an 8.74 ERA, 11-9 K-BB ratio, and 6.17 xFIP over 11 1/3 innings. Mejia also […]

Corbin Burnes Not Doomed to Bullpen

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes, who returned to the MLB club on Wednesday, is in the bullpen due to need for now, according to manager Craig Counsell. When asked if Burnes would need to be "open" to spending the rest of the year in the bullpen, Counsell responded, "I don't think it's the story for […]

Hunter Wood to 10-Day Injured List

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed relief pitcher Hunter Wood (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with right shoulder soreness and recalled pitcher Casey Sadler to replace him. Wood has appeared in four games thus far in 2019. Among the appearances were a three-inning save on April 8 and an opening act for Jalen […]

Felipe Vázquez Nails Down Save Wednesday

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vázquez notched his eighth save of the year in a 7-5 win over Texas on Wednesday. He struck out the final two hitters he faced, walked one and also allowed a hit in his designated ninth inning. It marked saves on back-to-back days for the hard-throwing southpaw, and his ERA now […]

Deeper AL-Only Waiver Wire Sleepers for Week 5

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

The Fantasy Injury Exam Room - Yelich, Tatis and More

In our weekly feature in collaboration with Inside Injuries, we take a comprehensive look into major injuries and their Fantasy implications. The medical team at Inside Injuries breaks down each player’s outlook from physical perspectives. RotoBaller then provides in-depth fantasy recommendations based on the impact of every injury breakdown. It’s an unrivaled combination of medical […]

Deeper NL-Only Waiver Wire Sleepers for Week 5

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Greg Holland Secures Seventh Save In Home Win

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Greg Holland worked around a walk issued in a scoreless ninth inning in Wednesday's 3-2 win against the New York Yankees to secure his seventh save of the season. Holland threw 13 of his 23 pitches for strikes, as he continues to pitch well. The closer is 7-for-7 with just two hits […]

Jon Duplantier Unlikely As Starting Option For Now

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Jon Duplantier isn't expected to be inserted into the starting rotation in place of the demoted Zack Godley, at least not yet. General manager Dan Hazen said that Duplantier hasn't been stretched out enough in the minors to be used in the short term. Anyway, Duplantier isn't eligible to be recalled […]

Ty Buttrey Secures Two-Inning Save In Home Win

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ty Buttrey allowed just two hits with two strikeouts over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-3 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays as he secured his first save of the season while lowering his ERA to 1.13. He threw just 11 pitches in the eighth inning, so manager Brad Ausmus […]

Bryan Shaw Finds Ugly Success

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Bryan Shaw was signed to be the critical guy who got the big outs in tight situations, but that hasn't worked out, so he's instead been moved to a much less stressful role that gives him big leads or losing scores. That's kind of worked. Shaw has posted a phenomenal 0.95 […]

Jalen Beeks Impresses

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jalen Beeks pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in the first game of the doubleheader on Wednesday. Beeks followed opener Ryne Stanek, who dug the Rays into a three-run deficit in the first inning. Beeks only allowed one hit, two walks and struck out six on the day. He is used in a […]

Corbin Burnes Will Pitch In Relief

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes, who was called up from the minors on Wednesday, will pitch out of the bullpen for the time being. Manager Craig Counsell said the thinking with Burnes has changed after the team signed left-hander Gio Gonzalez to help out their rotation. Burnes gave up three hits and three earned runs […]

Mychal Givens Earns Multi-Inning Save Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Mychal Givens notched his second save of the season in Game 1's 5-4 win over the White Sox. Givens came into the game in the eighth inning to get the final out and pitched the ninth as well, allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts overall. He now leads […]

Jeurys Familia Goes On Injured List

The New York Mets placed relief pitcher Jeurys Familia on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with right shoulder soreness after he blew the save against the Reds on Tuesday night. Familia's MRI exam showed no structural damage and just a bony growth that has bothered him off and on for years. He received a […]

David Robertson Still Sore

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher David Robertson (elbow) is still feeling soreness in his right elbow. He's been on the injured list since April 15. Robertson got off on the wrong foot in his first season in Philly and there remains no timetable for his return. He should return to a high-leverage role when he's healthy, […]

Ian Kennedy Knocks Down Second Save

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Ian Kennedy may have finally found his calling. Though he's making a ridiculous $14 million a year, Kennedy's work in the bullpen has at least finally returned a little value. Kennedy's velocity is up, and his ERA is way down at 1.15 after the first month of the season. Kennedy […]

Jose Leclerc To Be Removed From Closer Role

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward has revealed his intentions to remove Jose Leclerc from the closer role after a series of bad outings that have contributed to his 8.44 ERA. Expect pitchers Shawn Kelley and Chris Martin to get a boost to their fantasy value, as they are next in line to be closing out […]

Roenis Elias Was Unavailable Tuesday

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Roenis Elias, who leads the team with four saves, was unavailable on Tuesday against the Cubs with some soreness. The left-hander has been the best bet for saves from a fantasy perspective with Hunter Strickland injured. He has a nice 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 14 K's in 16 2/3 innings and […]

Nick Burdi To Seek Third Opinion On Arm

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Nick Burdi will seek a third opinion on his right arm as he deals with a strained right biceps tendon and flexor-mass injury. The 26-year-old has already been revealed to have no structural damage, which is a good sign. Regardless, Burdi will continue to seek medical opinions as he looks to avoid […]