Glenn Sparkman To Stay In Bullpen

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Glenn Sparkman will remain in the bullpen for 2018, according to manager Ned Yost. Reporters asked Yost about the possibility of a rotation spot for Sparkman this season after he came in for a long relief stint on Friday, but Yost only supported the idea of Sparkman getting a chance […]

Kelvin Herrera Resumes Throwing on Saturday

Washington Nationals closer Kelvin Herrera (shoulder) threw on Saturday for the first time since winding up on the disabled list back on Wednesday. While the progress is nice to see, there is still no timetable for Herrera's return. It seems likely that the Nationals will take a cautious approach and ensure that Herrera is fully […]

Burch Smith Chased In Second Inning

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Burch Smith got roasted again on Friday as he was run out in the second inning after already giving up five earned runs. Smith has now given up five or more earned runs in three straight starts, and his season ERA sits at a frightening 6.97. Smith was a feel-good […]

Wade Davis Says Everything Is Fixed

Colorado Rockies closer Wade Davis told reporters once again that he's figured out what's wrong after Thursday's meltdown against the Dodgers. It was Davis' sixth blown save of the year and his ERA is now 5.51, but he insists that watching video of his performance revealed easy fixes he could make that would get it […]

Adam Ottavino Closes Out Dodgers

The Colorado Rockies turned to reliever Adam Ottavino to nail down the final outs in Friday's 5-4 win over the rival Dodgers, and he did it without incident. Ottavino hasn't been overly dominant in his last few outings either, but manager Bud Black had to do something after closer Wade Davis melted down again on […]

Trevor Cahill (SP/RP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Embattled starting pitcher Trevor Cahill is having a very solid year in 2018, bouncing back from a rough 2017 season in which he finished with a 4.93 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and an eye-popping 1.71 HR/9.  The 30-year-old is now playing in his 10th season […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 20

If your league doesn't have a trade deadline before September (or at all), you still have plenty of time to wheel and deal for the playoff stretch. Most of us, however, are up against Father Time and his ceaseless battle to rob us of our most precious commodity. If you're in the market to make […]

Joakim Soria to Disabled List, Adrian Houser Recalled

The Milwaukee Brewers have placed relief pitcher Joakim Soria (groin) on the 10-day disabled list due to a right groin strain and activated right-hander Adrian Houser to take his spot on the active roster. Soria seemed to have pulled something on the mound Wednesday night, however, the severity was unknown. After Corey Knebel's atrocious ninth-inning performance, […]

Jake Faria Good To Go

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jake Faria (neck), who has been bothered by a sore neck recently, threw a bullpen session on Thursday and said he's "good to go." Faria made his first appearance (in relief) on Aug. 1 after having not started a game since May 22 due to injury. He could become an option […]

Kyle Barraclough Lands On DL

The Miami Marlins placed relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough (back) on the 10-day disabled list on Friday with lower back stiffness. Outfielder Rafael Ortega was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans and relief pitcher Drew Rucinski (groin) has also been activated from the DL. It's been a bad couple weeks for Barraclough to put it nicely. He […]

Dakota Hudson Likely To Remain In Bullpen

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Dakota Hudson, who won 13 games for Triple-A Memphis this year, is expected to remain in the bullpen for the rest of the season. Hudson has made six appearances out of the bullpen for the Cardinals and has gone 2-0 with two hits allowed, one walk and four strikeouts in […]

Jose Leclerc (RP, TEX) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc appears to be making the most of a change to the closer's role. With both Keone Kela and Jake Diekman shipped off to contenders at the non-waiver trade deadline. Leclerc has seen his fantasy value sky rocket. […]

Cubs Sign Lefty Jorge De La Rosa

The Chicago Cubs have signed veteran lefty pitcher Jorge De La Rosa to a major league contract on Friday. He was released by the Diamondbacks earlier this week, but has found another landing spot on a contending team. Lefty reliever Randy Rosario has been optioned to Triple A, while Yu Darvish has been transferred to […]

Adalberto Mejia Placed On DL

The Minnesota Twins placed starting pitcher Adalberto Mejia (wrist) on the 10-day disabled list on Friday with a left wrist strain and recalled reliever Tyler Duffey and infielder Tyler Austin from Triple-A Rochester in corresponding moves. Mejia has been great for the Twins in five outings (four starts) with a 2.01 ERA, but his 5.24 […]

Kenley Jansen Expected To Miss A Month

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is expected to miss a month while recovering from an irregular heartbeat, per MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Jansen was hospitalized prior to Thursday's game. This is huge news for Jansen owners, as they will now be without him for the end of the regular season and some of the postseason. […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 20

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 20. 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 20 MLB Closers and Saves Report

The dust finally settled after the trade deadline, and teams are starting to set their bullpens and pitching rotations up for the stretch run. Things can still change with waiver claims and post-deadline waiver trades, but any big names that were going to move already have. Brad Hand is settling in nicely in the Cleveland […]

Week 20 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 Earns His 14th Save

Tampa Bay Rays closer Sergio Romo bounced back Thursday versus the Orioles from his terrible outing the day before. Coming into a one-run lead in the ninth inning, Romo would retire all three batters he faced to earn his 14th save of the season. In the past three days, he has earned a win, a […]

Aaron Boone Thinks Aroldis Chapman Is Fine

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone thinks closer Aroldis Chapman is physically fine after another subpar outing on Thursday. Chapman walked two and struck out two in a non-save situation against the Rangers on Thursday, and his velocity was a bit down as well. This comes after he gave up two earned runs and walked […]

Kenley Jansen Out For Rest Of Rockies Series

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen suffered from an irregular heartbeat on Thursday and was taken to a local hospital, according to manager Dave Roberts. Jansen will return to Los Angeles and will miss the rest of the series against the Rockies this weekend. Roberts said Jansen's condition is stable. It's a concerning issue, but […]

Kenley Jansen Under The Weather

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (illness) is under the weather on Thursday and will not be available out of the bullpen. It's nothing to worry about. Jansen started off slow but has rebounded and sports a 2.15 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.1 K/9 and 32 saves in 51 outings this year. He could be back […]

A's Acquire Fernando Rodney

The Oakland Athletics acquired relief pitcher Fernando Rodney from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for minor league right-hander Dakota Chalmers. Rodney has a 3.09 ERA and 25 saves on the season in 46 appearances for Minnesota. The trade saps basically all of the veteran's fantasy value, though, as he'll pitch in a setup role […]

Joakim Soria Has Groin Strain

Updating a previous report, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Joakim Soria (groin) suffered a mild right groin strain in his outing against the Padres on Thursday in which he gave up a game-winning grand slam. Only one of the four runs was charged to Soria, but he was charged with a blown save anyway. It's unclear […]

Corey Knebel To Be Given A Break

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said closer Corey Knebel will not be used in the ninth inning his next time out. “The next time out, we’ll give him an easier spot, for sure. But at some point, we’re going to try to work to get him back to big spots in the game," Counsell said. […]

Sam Tuivailala Lands on 10-Day DL

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Sam Tuivailala (Achilles) has been placed on the 10-day disabled list on Thursday. He suffered a strained right Achilles tendon while trying to catch Rougned Odor in a rundown on Wednesday. Tuivailala was only worth owing in leagues where holds are valued, but there's a good chance that he's done for […]

Joakim Soria Leaves Game With Injury

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Joakim Soria left Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres due to injury. It's unclear what happened to Soria, but he only recorded one out before being forced to exit the game. Hopefully it's just a day-to-day issue because the Brewers can't afford to lose Soria right now.

Andrew Miller Earns a Win on Thursday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller earned the win on Thursday, tossing a perfect inning, including a strikeout. Miller pitched the ninth inning of a tie game after Brad Hand had pitched the eighth. Cleveland won in the bottom of the ninth, giving Miller the win and moving his record to 2-3.

Mychal Givens Earns Third Save Of Season Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens picked up his third save of the season in Wednesday's 5-4 game against the Rays. Givens pitched a clean ninth inning, allowing no runs, hits, or walks with no strikeouts. Hopefully, he can find success into his new role now that things have settled with the O's roster. Givens is […]

Getting Into Contention - Preparing For the Stretch Run

While some teams are in full rebuild mode, other teams are consolidating and improving for the big push at the end of the season. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of a fire sale and acquire some useful players. Use your assets to contend now by managing your draft picks and minor league […]