Pedro Strop Hasn't Thrown Off Mound

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) has been playing catch but has yet to throw off a mound. He's been out since Sept. 13 and was optimistic he could return for the final week of the regular season. Despite Strop's optimism, it seems highly unlikely that he'll pitch in the final week of the […]

Framber Valdez Tosses Six Innings Out Of 'Pen

Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez came in to replace an injured Charlie Morton on Sunday, pitching six innings of one-run baseball against the Angels. Valdez (4-1) struck out nine batters in relief and could be in line for a start with Morton suffering from shoulder discomfort. Valdez has allowed one run or less in four […]

Yoshihisa Hirano (RP, ARI) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: After having spent eleven seasons as an elite pitcher in Japan, Yoshihisa Hirano is about to finish his first campaign in the MLB at the age of 34 with sensational results. In 64.2 IP this year Hirano boasts a 2.09 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, […]

Michael Lorenzen Draws Start Sunday

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Michael Lorenzen will get his second consecutive start in Sunday's game against the Marlins. Lorenzen was solid in his last start against the Brewers, tossing four innings of no-run ball through four innings. He should get a longer leash today against a much worse offense with a start already under his belt. […]

The Cut List (Week 26): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 26 of the Cut List. This week I took a peek at the recent performances of Nomar Mazara, Travis Shaw, Adam Eaton, and Francisco Cervelli. Now is the time to really nail your free agent acquisitions. Each move has major implications in the final days of the season. Want some waiver wire […]

Ty Buttrey (RP, LAA) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's rare, but there are still times when a player emerges on the fantasy landscape and my response is, "Who?" Such is the case with Ty Buttrey. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Red Sox back in 2012, he washed out as a starter […]

Trevor Hildenberger (RP, MIN) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Trevor Hildenberger is the closer for the Twins and, that alone, makes him a fantasy asset. There are a lot of things not to like about Hildy, the 4.55 FIP and 8.37 strikeouts per nine are a good start, […]

Mychal Givens (RP, BAL) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Mychal Givens has been getting the saves in Baltimore of late, making him a vital piece of a fantasy roster. Since the dealing of Zach Britton and Darren O'Day, Givens has a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings and has saved […]

Week 26 MLB Closers and Saves Report

Congrats on (probably) making it through the first week or two of the playoffs! I got knocked out in the first round because almost all of my hitters decided to pretty much take a week off from being on base. My closers did great though, so I'm still qualified to create this week's Closers and […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 26

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire in Week 26. One-inning middle relievers are the constant sources for holds and specialists can manage to secure a hold even with one out. However, while specialists can get many […]

Week 26 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago by completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked […]

Sergio Romo Blows Save Thursday Versus Toronto

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Sergio Romo was the last pitcher on the mound Thursday versus the Blue Jays in a major comeback loss. The Rays were up 8-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. Reliever Jaime Schultz would get rocked while getting only one out while being credited with four runs allowed. Romo […]

Pedro Strop Expects To Return By End Of Season

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring), who has been out with a right hamstring strain since last Thursday, is making progress and said on Wednesday that he expects to return to game action by the end of the regular season. "Everything is pain-free. We're not trying to do too much," Strop said. "We're letting […]

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 25)

In this week's Rookie Report, we'll be taking a look at several catchers making an impact in fantasy this month. Francisco Mejia made a splash in his first start for the Padres, hitting his first and second career home runs while driving in four in the 6-2 win over the Reds. While Mejia may have […]

Mychal Givens Earns Eighth Save Of Season Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens picked up his eighth save of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jays. Givens pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with no strikeouts and needed just eight pitches to secure the win. The 28-year-old now has a 4.33 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 30 walks in 70 2/3 […]

Justus Sheffield Escapes Jam In Debut

With the New York Yankees in command Wednesday night in the Bronx, manager Aaron Boone opted to call Justus Sheffield into the game. The 22-year-old, currently the highest-rated prospect in the New York Yankees organization, debuted against the archrival Boston Red Sox. Although his club held a nine-run lead, Sheffield clearly had some jitters, walking […]

Addison Reed To Go On Paternity List

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Addison Reed will go on the paternity list to finish this week and will not travel west with the team after Wednesday's game. He'll have until Sept. 25 to return to the team for the final homestand of the season. Reed has struggled this year to a 4.67 ERA, 1.44 WHIP […]

Matt Bush, Austin Bibens-Dirkx Undergo Surgery

Texas Rangers relief pitchers Matt Bush (elbow) and Austin Bibens-Dirkx (knee) both underwent surgery on Wednesday. Bush had surgery to fix the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but it wasn't Tommy John surgery. That means he'll be ready for the second half of next year. Bibens-Dirkx should be ready for spring training. Bush […]

Roberto Osuna's Hearing Moved to Sept. 25

Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna's court hearing has been moved to Sept. 25 in Toronto. The club has a game in Toronto that night. Osuna shouldn't have to miss the game. He's become the unquestioned closer in Houston and has a 2.41 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, nine saves and an 8.2 K/9 over 19 outings with […]

Adam Ottavino Breaks Bad

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Adam Ottavino has lost his touch again. Ottavino's swung from untouchable to batting practice throughout the season, and it looks like he's returning to batting practice mode at just the wrong time of the year. With his team in the thick of a playoff race, Ottavino's given up runs in three […]

Austin Meadows Coming Up Thursday

The Tampa Bay Rays will call up outfield prospect Austin Meadows and pitchers Hoby Milner, Austin Pruitt and Chih-Wei Hu from Triple-A Durham on Thursday. Meadows was a key piece in the trade that sent starter Chris Archer to the Pirates this summer. The outfielder hit an impressive .344/.396/.771 with 10 homers and 22 RBI […]

Aroldis Chapman Activated From DL

The New York Yankees activated closer Aroldis Chapman (knee) from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. Get The flame-throwing lefty back into all starting lineups, as he could immediately be returned to his ninth-inning duties over David Robertson and Dellin Betances. Chapman is 3-0 on the year with a 2.11 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 31 saves […]

Ken Giles Records 23rd Save Of Season

Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles continued his perfect run on Tuesday. Giles faced the minimum in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles to record his 23rd save of 2018. The 27-year-old is now 23-for-23 when converting save opportunities this season. Giles possesses an unsettling 4.94 ERA for the year, but practically all of […]

Nathan Eovaldi Stellar In No-Decision

Boston Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi went six scoreless innings on Tuesday, only allowing two hits in a 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees. Eovaldi struck out five batters while walking two. It was his first start since September 3, as Eovaldi has been used out of the bullpen over the past few weeks. […]

Joe Ross (SP/RP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross is getting a late start to the 2018 season, but may be able to make an impact. Ross’ first major league start of 2018 was extremely mundane, as he didn’t strike a single batter out over five […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: You know the wide range of outcomes you’re getting with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow, yes? Everyone was quick to point out his horrible outing against Toronto, so I know you know the floor. People aren’t as vocal when someone is […]

Matt Boyd (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: I’m willing to bet that Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matt Boyd will see his ownership mark ebb above 30% due to the streamer tide, especially since he’s set to face the Royals next on the 20th. He only went 5 ⅓ innings in his […]

Michael Lorenzen Looks Strong In First Start Since 2015

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen was dominant in his first start of the season (and first start since the 2015 season) in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Brewers. Lorenzen pitched four innings, allowing one unearned run on a hit and a walk with three strikeouts. Lorenzen was on a 50-60 pitch count limit and […]

Homer Bailey Likely Done For Season

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey appears to be done for the 2018 season. The open spot in the rotation for Sunday against the Marlins will either go to Michael Lorenzen or someone else in the bullpen, according to manager Jim Riggleman. "As far as starting, yeah," Riggleman said. "Homer has indicated that he can't relieve. […]

Brandon Morrow is Out for the Season

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (biceps) has been shut down for the remainder of the season, according to manager Joe Maddon. Morrow has been sidelined since mid-July with a bone bruise in his right elbow. The Cubs will go closer-by-committee with both Morrow and Pedro Strop (hamstring) sidelined. Morrow pitched just 30 2/3 innings […]