Players Association Pushing For Extended Pitch Clock In Playoffs

The Major League Baseball Players Association wants the league to soften the pitch-timer rule as the 2023 season approaches the playoffs, but commissioner Rob Manfred is leaning toward keeping the current timer in place. "I don't think there are too many folks that want to have a new rule affect a game in a pennant […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Hitters - Updates for Luis Robert Jr., Yordan Alvarez, Xander Bogaerts, Jose Altuve, Tommy Pham

The fantasy baseball season has come to a pause as the MLB All-Star break wraps up, but there are still plenty of injury headlines to keep up with. The break from action could allow several players to return from injury and become factors in fantasy lineups. Let's take a look at injured hitters including Luis […]

Junior Caminero Remains A Top-Tier Prospect

Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Junior Caminero will enter the second half after a very strong first half of the season for Double-A Montgomery. The 20-year-old out of the Dominican Republic has done nothing but perform since being acquired from the Guardians in 2021 and has been an absolute machine for Montgomery this season. On […]

Ronny Mauricio Enters Second Half On High Note

New York Mets shortstop prospect Ronny Mauricio enters the second half of the season on a high note with a .302 batting average to go along with 12 homers, 47 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 321 at-bats for Triple-A Syracuse. Mauricio, 22, has been a hot topic this season, but the Mets have yet […]

Xavier Edwards Tearing Up Triple-A

Miami Marlins infield prospect Xavier Edwards was acquired from the Rays last November, but his contributions to the big-league club have been limited due to a crowded roster. As a result, Edwards has spent most of 2023 playing at (and tearing up) the Triple-A level. The switch-hitter has developed a tremendous approach at the plate, […]

Jackson Merrill Could Be Nearing A Promotion To Double-A

San Diego Padres shortstop prospect Jackson Merrill has handled himself well this year at High-A Fort Wayne and could be nearing a promotion to Double-A if he keeps it up. He's currently slashing .280/.318/.444 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 33 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 50 runs scored in 300 plate appearances […]

Luisangel Acuna Impressing At Double-A

Texas Rangers middle-infield prospect Luisangel Acuna, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization's No. 3 prospect, has really impressed so far in 72 games (343 plate appearances) at Double-A Frisco this year. Acuna is currently slashing .315/.371/.447 with an .818 OPS, six home runs, 19 doubles, two triples, 45 RBI, 34 stolen bases […]

Brayan Rocchio Extends Hitting Streak To Nine Games

Cleveland Guardians infield prospect Brayan Rocchio hit safely again on Sunday, securing a nine-game hitting streak heading into the All-Star break. The switch-hitter is now slashing .289/.381/.414 through 76 games with Triple-A Columbus this season. Rocchio's 50-grade power has not been fully realized at the Triple-A level, going yard just twice thus far this season […]

Niko Goodrum Signs With Lotte Giants In KBO

The Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization signed free-agent infielder Niko Goodrum to a $400,000 deal on Tuesday. Goodrum will be replacing Zach Reks, who has been out with a knee injury since mid-May. The 31-year-old Goodrum has played in 402 major-league games with the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros since 2017. […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Posts Impressive First Half

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. put together an impressive first half of the 2023 season. Despite missing 20 games to start the year, Tatis hit .288 with 16 homers, 52 runs, 44 RBI, and 16 steals across 295 at-bats. He wrapped up the first half on a hot streak, hitting .387 with a […]

Matt McLain Impressing In First MLB Season

Cincinnati Reds rookie shortstop Matt McLain has only played in 50 games in his first big-league season this year, but he's been very impressive so far for the first-place Reds. Heading into this week's All-Star break, he's slashing .301/.366/.512 with an .878 OPS, seven home runs, 16 doubles, four triples, 29 RBI, seven stolen bases […]

Sean Casey To Serve As Yankees' New Hitting Coach

Former Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sean Casey will be the New York Yankees' next hitting coach, according to sources. It's expected that Casey will fill the role for the rest of the season so he can better decide if it's a position that he would like to remain in moving forward. The 49-year-old has been […]

Trevor Story Throwing From 160-170 Feet

Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (elbow) is getting closer to making his 2023 debut for the Red Sox and has been throwing from 160-170 feet. Story hasn't played yet this year due to an internal-bracing procedure he had on his right elbow in January. He will continue to work out at Fenway Park over […]

Xander Bogaerts Receives Cortisone Shot Heading Into Break

San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts received a planned cortisone shot in his left wrist after Sunday's game against the New York Mets. Bogaerts missed a few games in early June with a wrist injury and this appears to be the last step in his recovery process, even though he has managed to play through […]

Astros Select Brice Matthews With 28th Pick

The Houston Astros have selected shortstop Brice Matthews with the 28th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. A Nebraska product, Matthews was ranked as the 57th-best draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, but the Astros evidently like what they see in the 21-year-old and perhaps could try to sign him below slot value. Matthews runs […]

Aidan Miller Selected By Phillies 27th Overall

The Philadelphia Phillies have selected shortstop Aidan Miller with the 27th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Mitchell (FL) product was MLB Pipeline's No. 13 draft prospect, so the fact that he fell this far has to be a delight for the Phillies. Miller is a talented right-handed hitter with great strength and bat […]

George Lombard Jr. Selected 26th By Yankees

The New York Yankees have selected shortstop George Lombard Jr. with the 26th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Gulliver Prep (FL) product has plenty of pop and runs fairly well, giving him the potential to deliver a lot of extra-base hits. Defensively, he has enough arm strength to play third base, but […]

Mariners Select Colt Emerson With The No. 22 Overall Pick

With the draft held in Seattle during All-Star weekend, the Seattle Mariners drew the biggest cheer as they made the 22nd overall selection, their first of five on the first night. With the pick, they selected Ohio high school shortstop Colt Emerson. Emerson becomes the first Ohio high school position player drafted in the first […]

Arjun Nimmala Selected 20th Overall By Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have selected shortstop Arjun Nimmala with the 20th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Strawberry Crest (FL) product is arguably the best prep shortstop in the draft, so the Jays have to be thrilled that he fell to the back half of the first round. The toolsy 17-year-old controls […]

Rays Use 19th Pick On Brayden Taylor

With the 19th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected shortstop Brayden Taylor. While the Rays sometimes use their draft picks in unorthodox ways, Taylor is far from a surprise. The TCU product has shown defensive prowess on the left side of the infield; he has an arm strong enough for […]

Jacob Gonzalez Picked 15th By White Sox

The Chicago White Sox selected University of Mississippi shortstop Jacob Gonzalez with the 15th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. Gonzalez was the national freshman of the year in 2021 and then led Ole Miss to a College World Series title in 2022. Mississippi fell off big this year, but Gonzalez improved his overall game, […]

Matt Shaw Selected By Cubs With 13th Pick

The Chicago Cubs drafted University of Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw with the 13th selection in the 2023 MLB draft. Shaw draws a lot of comparisons to former Maryland infielder Brandon Lowe, now with the Rays. Shaw was the Cape Cod MVP last summer before hitting .341/.445/.697 for the Terrapins with 24 home runs and 18 […]

Diamondbacks Draft Tommy Troy With 12th Pick

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Stanford infielder Tommy Troy with the 12th selection in the 2023 MLB draft. Troy becomes the first Stanford player drafted in the first round since Nico Hoerner and Kris Bubic were both selected in the 2018 first round. Troy posted a balanced line in 2023, with a .394/.478/.699 slash line. He […]

Jacob Wilson Taken Sixth Overall By A's In 2023 Draft

Grand Canyon University shortstop Jacob Wilson was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the sixth pick in the 2023 MLB draft. Wilson is the son of former MLB shortstop Jack Wilson. He is widely considered to have the best eye and contact skills at the draft, and like his father, he's an elite defender at […]

Jackson Holliday Promoted To Double-A

Baltimore Orioles prospect Jackson Holliday is getting promoted from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie. The 19-year-old has played well since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, so it's obvious he hasn't wasted any time to make an impact. At this rate, Holliday is progressing faster than anticipated, although it's anyone's guess […]

Ha-Seong Kim Back In The Lineup On Sunday

San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim (toe) is back in the lineup on Sunday, starting at second base and batting leadoff against Max Scherzer and the New York Mets. Kim missed Saturday's game after he hurt his toe while kicking a water cooler in frustration. Kim has put together a solid first half of the […]

Brandon Crawford Sitting Out On Sunday

San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Colorado Rockies. The veteran shortstop left Saturday's contest early with hamstring tightness, so the Giants are giving him an extra day of rest right before the All-Star break. Casey Schmitt is filling in at shortstop and batting […]

Brendan Donovan Not In The Lineup On Sunday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Donovan has been dealing with a sore arm for the last few weeks, forcing him to be in and out of the lineup. He's had trouble throwing the ball so he's just been at DH […]

Nick Mariano's Waiver Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The MLB All-Star break offers a breather. A time for reflection, and a time to strategize. Collect yourself and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the first half. Fire off some trade offers and make a clear strategy for the coming months. Do you […]

Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 16

Welcome to Week 16 and our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for hitters. These fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups are for the week of July 10 - July 16, looking at players below ~50% rostered on ESPN, Yahoo!, or Fantrax. We'll be doing this points league roundup every week here at RotoBaller because we know […]