Brad Boxberger Removed From Closer Role

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Brad Boxberger has been removed from the closer role. Manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that he would play matchups in the ninth inning moving forward. Lovullo seems to prefer to use a closer-by-committee approach rather than have a single closer emerge. Since the All-Star break, Boxberger has an ERA of 7.90 and […]

Brandon Morrow To Play Catch Monday

Chicago Cubs closer Brandon Morrow (biceps) said he feels good on Monday after a light bullpen session on Sunday. The right-hander will play catch on Monday. Morrow has been out since before the All-Star break. While he's getting close to a return, manager Joe Maddon is unlikely to immediately re-insert him in the ninth-inning role […]

Kenley Jansen Will Need Offseason Surgery

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (heart) met with a cardiologist that performed his heart surgery last Thursday, and it was determined that he is 100 percent certain that Jansen will have another surgery around two weeks after the season ends. Jansen didn't join the team in Colorado for their weekend series against the Rockies, […]

Ken Giles Records 20th Straight Save

Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles only needed to record a single out to grab his 20th save of the season on Sunday afternoon. Giles was brought into the game with two runners on but managed to get Francisco Lindor out to end the contest. Giles has an ugly 5.32 ERA on the season but […]

Edwin Diaz Now At 54 Saves

Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz nailed down his 54th save of the season in the Mariners 3-2 win over the Yankees. Diaz struck out one hitter in the scoreless frame and now is eight saves away from the single-season record of 62 saves. He now has not allowed a run since August 18 and has […]

Craig Kimbrel Picks Up Fifth Win Of Season

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel recorded the win in Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. Kimbrel entered the game in the top of the ninth inning when the score was 5-5. He pitched a clean inning with two strikeouts before Mitch Moreland walked it off in the bottom half. Kimbrel now has a 5-1 […]

AL-Only Waiver Wire Team of the Week: MLB Week 24

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 […]

Raisel Iglesias Takes Fourth Loss Of Season Sunday

Cincinnati Reds closer Raisel Iglesias fell to 2-4 in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Padres. Iglesias came into the tie game in the top of the ninth inning and immediately gave up an Eric Hosmer home run before retiring the next three hitters. Despite the unfortunate outing, Iglesias has been effective for most of the […]

Scott Alexander Earns Third Save Of Season Sunday

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Scott Alexander picked up his third save of the season in Sunday's 9-6 game against the Rockies. Alexander pitched a clean ninth inning, going 1-2-3 with no strikeouts. Closer Kenley Jansen (irregular heartbeat) did not make the trip to Colorado, so Alexander was merely acting as a placeholder. Should Jansen […]

Brandon Morrow Throws Light Bullpen

Chicago Cubs closer Brandon Morrow (biceps) threw a light bullpen session on Sunday as he attempts to return before the end of the season. Morrow is now a long shot to make it back before the playoffs, and he hasn't pitched since before the All-Star break with the Cubs. In his absence, Pedro Strop has […]

The Cut List (Week 24): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 24 of the Cut List. This week I took a look at Brian Dozier, Dee Gordon, Billy Hamilton, and Matt Olson. All four players should be dropped in most standard formats as we head deeper into the fantasy playoffs. This is the most intense time of the fantasy season, so all you […]

A's Recall Nick Martini

The Oakland Athletics recalled outfielder Nick Martini and relief pitcher Ryan Dull from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday. Martini hit .257 with no homers and 12 RBI in 101 at-bats with the A's earlier this year. He's worth considering in AL-only leagues, as he could see decent playing time down the stretch against left-handed pitchers.

Andrew Miller To Be Activated Monday

The Cleveland Indians plan to activate relief pitcher Andrew Miller (shoulder) from the disabled list on Monday. It's been a tough year for Miller due to multiple trips to the disabled list this season. However, he looks to be finally healthy after a cortisone shot and could help owners down the stretch with his fine […]

Bud Norris Takes a Loss on Saturday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Bud Norris took the loss on Saturday, lowering his record to 3-5. He came into the ninth inning of a tie game and issued two walks while only getting one out and allowing the game winning run to score. Norris seems to have lost his closer's job, but he was […]

Aroldis Chapman Plays Catch Friday

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman (knee) played catch up to 90 feet on Friday and everything went well. Chapman has been making slow progress, but there remains no timetable for his return, and he's running out of time to make an impact for fantasy owners down the stretch. Until he returns, David Robertson, Dellin […]

Cody Allen Picks Up a Save on Saturday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Cody Allen picked up his 26th save of the season on Saturday, tossing a scoreless ninth inning to lead his team to a 9-8 win. Allen allowed a hit and struck out a batter in his inning of work. Allen lowered his ERA to 4.23. While Brad Hand still seems to […]

Matt Barnes Dealing With Hip Inflammation

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes (hip) is dealing with left hip inflammation and underwent an MRI exam on Thursday, according to manager Alex Cora. However, he could be back in a few days. Despite pitching in a setup role, Barnes has been very useful to the Red Sox and for fantasy owners in […]

Kenta Maeda Earns Second Save Of Season Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda picked up his second save of the season in Friday's 4-2 game against the Rockies. Teammate Scott Alexander started the ninth inning up by two runs but was replaced by Maeda after giving up a single and getting an out. Maeda was able to get the next two outs […]

Brad Boxberger Nails Down 32nd Save

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger recorded his 32nd save on Friday, recording two outs without allowing a baserunner in a 5-3 victory against the Braves. It was a good turn around outing for Boxberger, who had taken consecutive losses in his last two appearances. Despite his recent issues, Boxberger still has a firm grip on […]

Angels Recall Williams Jerez

The Los Angeles Angels have recalled right-hander Williams Jerez from Triple-A. With rosters expanded, Jerez is very likely going to spend the rest of the season in LA's bullpen. In nine big league innings, Jerez has a 6.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Unless your league is very deep and counts holds, Jerez should be ignored […]

Nationals Activate Sean Doolittle

The Washington Nationals activated closer Sean Doolittle (foot) from the disabled list on Friday. Doolittle has been out for the last two months, so the Nats may ease him back into the ninth-inning role. The left-hander should still be owned everywhere, though, as he had posted a clean 1.45 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 22 saves and […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 24

The baseball season is on its last legs, but it's never too late to buy or sell from the plethora of talented players available in fantasy baseball waiver pools. Instead of trading assets with other owners, you can "buy" players that have been overlooked or recently discarded on the wire. In this case, think of it […]

Andrew Miller Has Encouraging Bullpen

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (shoulder) threw a successful bullpen session on Thursday for the first time since he went on the disabled list on Aug. 29 with a left shoulder impingement. Pitching coach Carl Willis told manager Terry Francona that the "ball came out really hot." Miller said he feels great after receiving […]

Trevor Hildenberger (RP, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Trevor Hildenberger has not had a great season, there's really no other way of spinning it. He's sitting at a 4.31 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 59/22 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and has allowed an eye-popping 11 homers on the year. His […]

Ryan Yarbrough (SP/RP, TB) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 14% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Yarbrough has allowed just 15 batters to reach base and two to score in his last five appearances, spanning 21 innings. Only one of those was an official start, as he is most often been used […]

Week 24 MLB Closers and Saves Report

Many long and circuitous roads have brought us to the fantasy baseball playoffs, my friends. Baseball season is a long one with so many games to keep track of each and every day, so a legitimate congratulations goes out to all of you who made it to the playoffs in your leagues. I made it […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 24

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 24. 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 24 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 […]

Jesse Chavez Earns Third Save Thursday

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Jesse Chavez closed out the game Thursday versus Washington. After the Cubs took a two-run lead in the top of the 10th, Chavez came in and earned the save after a little trouble, though no runs scored. The save was his third of the season, after having earned three saves total […]

Pedro Strop Earns Win Thursday Versus Washington

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop earned a win Thursday versus the Nationals. He came into a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning and held Washington scoreless to send it to extra innings. The Cubs would score in the next half-inning and win which earned Strop his fifth win of the season. […]