Luke Gregerson Faces Live Hitters on Friday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (oblique) faced live hitters on Friday in his continued return from injury. Gregerson's next step will likely be to appear in a Grapefruit League game. If he pitches well and avoids any setbacks, he may still start the season as the team's closer. For now, that job seems […]

Craig Kimbrel Still In Boston With Daughter

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel is still in Boston with his daughter Lydia, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Manager Alex Cora is very supportive of the family and stated, "That’s about Lydia. ... They’ll make a decision as a family." Kimbrel has been away from camp since Feb. 27. He did […]

Pedro Strop Expects To Pitch Next Week

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (calf) is expecting to pitch in a spring game at some point next week. Strop has been sidelined this spring with a sore calf. The Cubs have added relievers Steve Cishek and Brandon Morrow at the back end of the bullpen and also have Carl Edwards and Justin Wilson in […]

Dellin Betances (RP, NYY) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~230 CURRENT ADP: 278 ANALYSIS: At his current ADP, Dellin Betances is going undrafted in many standard leagues. While not currently a closer, Betances contributes meaningfully in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP. Since 2014, he ranks fourth with a 14.44 K/9 amongst all pitchers. He's been flat-out dominant out of the bullpen with […]

Cubs Release Justin Grimm

The Chicago Cubs announced on Thursday that they have released relief pitcher Justin Grimm. Grimm is coming off of a down season in 2017 and has struggled so far this spring. A converted starter, Grimm should be able to land on his feet in another organization.

Braves Expressing Interest in Greg Holland

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports said that the Atlanta Braves have "checked in" on free-agent closer Greg Holland. They may not have a chance, but the fact that he's from North Carolina may help their cause. Of course, if he does sign, that means relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino is no longer the closer. Don't panic on […]

Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - 2018 Fantasy Baseball

One final time before regular season baseball returns and our lives are, at last, complete, RotoBaller's staff writers are updating their 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Today, we'll be taking a look at one of the shallower positions - relief pitcher. As usual, there are a few elite options at the top, and it gets much […]

Pedro Strop Close To Returning

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (calf) said Wednesday that he is close to making his Spring Training debut. Strop has been dealing with a calf injury for most of Spring Training and will hope to be ready by Opening Day. Aside from leagues with holds, Strop doesn’t provide much help to fantasy owners.

Luke Gregerson Plays Catch on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (oblique) was able to play catch on Tuesday. Manager Mike Matheny said that Gregerson's next step should be a bullpen session, then a simulated game or even a return to a Grapefruit League game. Gregerson was seen as the favorite for the closer's role in St. Louis at […]

Cardinals Release Jordan Schafer

The St. Louis Cardinals released relief pitcher/outfielder Jordan Schafer. He was first reassigned to minor league camp but was more recently given his full release, making him a free agent. He's been on the mound and in the outfield in the minor leagues for the last two seasons, but he missed most of last year […]

Dominic Leone Suddenly the Front-Runner for Saves in St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Dominic Leone seems to have suddenly become the favorite for saves in the Cardinals bullpen. General manager John Mozeliak said that if the season were to begin Wednesday, the team's closer "would probably be Dominic Leone." The begin today part is key because Luke Gregerson, who has been considered the […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 13 - Spin Rate

Spin rate has become one of the most recognizable Statcast metrics, with supporters of a given pitcher highlighting his spin rates to make their case. Unfortunately, the baseball world has done a lousy job conveying what spin rate really means. The result has been a ton of owners who know that spin rate exists, but […]

Brad Ziegler (RP, Mia) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target end of your draft or ~275, whichever comes first CURRENT ADP: 344 ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins closer Brad Ziegler is not a flashy pickup. He is not going to overwhelm anyone with strikeouts like Craig Kimbrel, induce a ridiculous amount of ground balls like Zach Britton, or blow teams away with a triple-digit fastball like Aroldis […]

Jordan Lyles Pounded By Cubs, Headed To Bullpen

San Diego Padres pitcher Jordan Lyles was rocked in a second consecutive outing on Tuesday, giving up four earned runs, five hits and two walks in three innings. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com believes he is destined for the bullpen. Lyles has struggled this Spring to a 12.38 ERA and 2.50 WHIP in eight innings pitched. […]

Brad Brach May Not Have Entirely Sewn Up Interim Closing Job

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brad Brach may feel a bit unsettled when he checks social media after Tuesday's game. Manager Buck Showalter told the media that Brach is a "potential closer" while Zach Britton rehabs from an Achilles injury. Showalter alluded to other relievers like Mychal Givens and Darren O'Day as options, too. Pay attention to […]

Jeurys Familia Scheduled To Pitch On Thursday

New York Mets reliever Jeurys Familia (shoulder) is scheduled to return and pitch on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Familia hasn’t pitched since last Thursday when he got touched up and said his shoulder was tight. After throwing a bullpen session Tuesday, he declared himself ready to go. We wouldn’t worry about Familia’s struggles or his tight […]

Arodys Vizcaino Gives Up Three Runs In Loss To Phillies

This headline about Atlanta Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino would have been a lot more upsetting had it happened during the regular season. Since it's spring training and he wasn't even pitching in a save situation, it's all good. However, he's posted a 7.20 ERA. We still like him as a late-round pick as a low-end […]

Mike Montgomery Makes Tweak In Delivery

Chicago Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery believes that a tweak in his delivery will make him better equipped to handle both starting and bullpen work. Montgomery has noticed that by taking a shorter stride in his delivery, he is seeing a sharper break on his curveball and other pitches. Montgomery will be the next man up […]

Giants Won’t Make Move For Greg Holland

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports that the San Francisco Giants won’t be going after free-agent closer Greg Holland. It’s no surprise, as there has never been much talk about Holland being an option for the Giants. Baggarly also notes the Giants preference to keep compensatory picks as well as staying below the competitive-balance act. […]

Greg Holland Unlikely To Go To Royals

Former All-Star closer Greg Holland is unlikely to sign with the Kansas City Royals, according to Bob Nightengale. The Royals are already looking at a payroll of about $120 million, so although they're in the market for a reliever, Holland's price tag is expected to be outside their range. Holland continues to be hotly pursued […]

No Timetable For Colin Rea's Return

San Diego Padres manager Andy Green indicates there is no timetable for starting pitcher Colin Rea (shoulder, elbow) to resume throwing. The 27-year-old righty has been shut down since early March with a strained lat in his throwing shoulder. This likely rules out Rea, who missed all of 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery, as […]

Chris Young Shines, Luis Perdomo Stumbles Again

Two San Diego Padres pitchers contending for starting gigs are moving in opposite directions. Starting Sunday, pitcher Luis Perdomo scuffled, allowing five earned runs and a 3.00 WHIP in three innings against the San Francisco Giants. Coming in relief, pitcher Chris Young fired four innings of shutout ball, retiring five via strikeout. Perdomo's edge heading […]

After Clean Inning, Kenley Jansen Will Pitch In Cactus League Game Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (hamstring) threw a clean 1-2-3 inning on Monday in the team's "B" game, striking out two. He said afterwards his hamstring and leg felt fine. His next appearance will be in a Cactus League game on Thursday. The Dodgers have been brining Jansen along slowly this spring. He's pitched […]

Yovani Gallardo Moving To Relief Role

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo will move to a relief role, beginning with his next spring outing. The veteran right-hander posted a career-worst 5.72 ERA while posting a 1.52 WHIP and 6.5 K/9 in 28 games (22 starts) for Seattle last year, and he's become useless to fantasy owners, especially in a relief role. […]

Danny Salazar Will Throw a Weighted Baseball

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Danny Salazar (shoulder) will progress to throwing a weighted baseball in his recovery from right rotator cuff inflammation. He'd been on a long-toss program, so the progression to a weighted ball is a step in the right direction. He's already been ruled out for Opening Day, but it's unclear just how far […]

Alex Reyes Pitches in an Intrasquad Game on Sunday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Alex Reyes (elbow) pitched in an intrasquad game on Sunday. It was the first game-like action for Reyes, who is returning from Tommy John Surgery. He's been throwing live batting practice for a few weeks now, but this was his first time back on a mound in a somewhat competitive […]

Francisco Liriano Will Be In Starting Rotation

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Francisco Liriano entered camp fighting for a spot in the starting rotation. On Sunday, manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters that as long as the veteran lefty is healthy, he will have his spot. Liriano has a career 4.15 ERA and 1,642 strikeouts over 14 MLB seasons, but limped to a 5.66 […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 12 - Pitch Info

One of the most fundamental questions in fantasy sports is if a player's current performance is sustainable. More than any other sport, baseball has a slew of statistical measures that can be dissected numerous ways to analyze player performance. Pitch Info is a publicly available pitch tracking system that provides a lot of different data […]

Kelvin Herrera Is Settling Down

Kansas City Royals closer Kelvin Herrera started 2018 spring training right where he left off in 2017 by walking too many batters and laboring through innings he made difficult for himself. This week, he started to seem to get his timing right, though. Over the last nine days, Herrera has made three appearances and only […]

Adam Ottavino Still Struggles With Control

Colorado Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino almost made it to the big time. Sure, he's been in the majors for nearly a decade, but he was tagged for years as a closer of the future without ever really taking hold of the chance. Instead, his wildness always held him back. Colorado snaked him last year by […]