Ke'Bryan Hayes Day-To-Day With Wrist Inflammation

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (wrist) is officially day-to-day after an MRI showed inflammation in his wrist, according to Jake Crouse of MLB.com. X-rays on Hayes' wrist were negative after he jammed his wrist while diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt Saturday. He is out of the lineup on Sunday, and […]

Kyle Crick Rejoins Pirates Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Kyle Crick returned to the team on Sunday, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Crick had been away from the team for the birth of his child, and had to complete the COVID-19 intake procedures before he could return. He figures to be one of the Pirates' top late-inning […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Not In Lineup Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (wrist) is not in the lineup on Sunday against the Cubs. Hayes exited Saturday's game after jamming his wrist while sliding into first on a pickoff attempt. He underwent X-rays on the wrist and they came back negative, so for now managers can tentatively consider him day-to-day. Phillip Evans […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 4th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/4/21): MLB DFS Lineups

Welcome to the weekend, RotoBallers, and Happy Easter to those that celebrate. I'm thrilled to be bringing you fantasy baseball picks for DraftKings every Saturday and Sunday all season long. It's day four of the MLB season and man are some of the pitching options getting thin. This is the first main slate this season […]

MLB DFS Pitching Primer for 4/4 (Premium Content)

  MLB DFS Pitching Primer for 4/4 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard.   High-Priced Aces These are your studs who are worth paying up for on this slate. It makes sense to deploy these guys as your cash game plays on FanDuel and as your SP1 on DraftKings based […]

MLB DFS Cheat Sheet, Stacks & Avoids for 4/4/21 (Premium Content)

  MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 4/4/21 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard.    Top Tournament Stacks for 4/4/21 This section will highlight the top tournament lineup stacks of the day (depending on the size of the slate) and help you identify the pitchers that are best suited to pick on […]

Ke’Bryan Hayes’ X-Rays Are Negative

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes had x-rays taken of his sore left wrist after he left Saturday's game early and they came back negative. The promising rookie walked and scored in his lone at-bat but was later replaced by pinch hitter Erik Gonzalez in the third inning. Hayes injured the wrist while diving back […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Leaves Game Early With Hand Injury

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (hand) exited Saturday's finale with the Cubs early due to a hand injury, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The injury occurred when Hayes dove back to first base on a pickoff attempt in the first inning, and he was seen checking his left hand with trainers. […]

Spin Rate Studs to Watch Closely in 2021

On August 16, 1920 in the fifth inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians, Yankees right-hander Carl Mays wound up and delivered an unusually moist fastball in his signature submarine delivery. The batter, Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, lost the errant spitball in the twilight sun and was struck in the head by the pitch. […]

Which Pitchers With New Pitches Should We Care About? Part Two

Spring Training is coming to a close, and we're inching closer to getting to the "real thing." That means an opportunity to see which players' offseason changes can lead to true breakouts or perhaps which guys will fall back on old habits. As the games have been going on, I've been keeping track of pitchers […]

Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups - After The Draft

Draft season is over which means it's already time to shift your attention to the waiver wire! We'll break down the top options at every position throughout the 2021 fantasy baseball season but before the first pitch, here is an all-encompassing waiver wire piece to cover all the top options widely available. For our purposes, […]

MLB Betting Picks for Saturday 4/3 - Moneylines, Totals, and Runlines

If you're expecting Steve Janik's picks today, then I'm afraid you're in for a disappointment. Steve will be continuing to do the weekdays and I'll be deputizing for the Saturday slates. As well as covering baseball at RotoBaller, I also do the EPL soccer betting pieces so have experience of both aspects and will hopefully […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 2nd edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Friday Focus: (Looking For) The Heart of Opening Night

It's good to have baseball back. To call the past 12 months challenging would be a masterpiece of understatement. The pandemic has taken so much away from the world, from the trivial to the unfathomably important. There is, at last, light at the end of that particular tunnel. We are not there yet. Even the […]

Duane Underwood Jr. Strikes Out The Side On Opening Day

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. kicked off his 2021 season with a bang Thursday, striking out three in one perfect inning of relief in a 5-3 Opening Day victory over the Cubs. Underwood — who was acquired from the Cubs during Spring Training — showed no mercy against his former teammates, needing 18 […]

Setting an Optimal Week 1 Fantasy Baseball Lineup

Fantasy baseball is back in its rightful form! I know for some of you fantasy baseball never actually ends, but we actually have games upcoming and lineups to set. Not only that, but for the first time in two years we will be able to set our lineups in April, the way fantasy baseball is […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/2/21): MLB DFS Lineups

Happy Friday, RotoBallers! I am incredibly excited to be a part of this talented DFS crew put together at RotoBaller. I'll bring you the DraftKings DFS picks on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays throughout the season. Baseball has officially returned, and it was a wildly entertaining Opening Day. Now, we kick off this first weekend of […]

Richard Rodriguez Earns Save Against Cubs

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez allowed just one walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save of the year in a 5-3 Opening Day win. The Pirates have had quite a few good relief performances this spring, but despite a few rough outings, Rodriguez has kept the closer […]

Sam Howard Strikes Out Side, Earns Win Against Cubs

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Sam Howard struck out the side in a perfect inning of relief on Thursday, earning the win in a 5-3 Opening Day victory over the Cubs. This is Howard's second season with Pittsburgh, having posted a 3.86 ERA and 30 percent strikeout rate in 22 appearances in 2020. In SV/HLD leagues, […]

Adam Frazier Reaches Base Four Times On Opening Day

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier reached base safely four times on Opening Day, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in the win over the Cubs. Frazier managed to do a little bit of everything at the plate, as he continued to build off his […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Homers In Opening Day Win

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman hit his first home run of the season on Thursday afternoon, as he finished 1-for-5 with two RBI and a walk in the 5-3 Opening Day win against the Cubs. Hayes crushed a two-run homer to left field in his first plate appearance of the day to give Pittsburgh an early […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/1/21): MLB DFS Lineups

WE ARE BACK!!!!! Opening Day is here, and we have a nice nine-game slate on tap. There are many aces on the mound with it being Opening Day but do not worry as there are still some great places to attack with bats. Pricing is rather soft of a DK slate. You can get the […]

Anthony Alford Starting In Center For Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Anthony Alford will be the Opening Day starter in center field and will be batting eighth. Alford put up solid numbers this spring, slashing .250/.325/.472 with two home runs and two steals in 14 games. He has shown 10-homer, 20-steal potential in the minors, but he has not yet had an extended […]

Tyler Anderson, Mitch Keller To Start Against Cubs This Weekend

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Mitch Keller will be the Game 2 and Game 3 starters in the opening series against the Chicago Cubs, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Anderson had mixed results this spring, with an 18:2 K:BB ratio on one hand, while allowing 10 runs on 22 hits […]

Tony Wolters Signs One-Year Deal With Cubs

Free agent catcher Tony Wolters has signed a one-year, major-league deal with the Chicago Cubs, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The team designated relief pitcher James Norwood for assignment in a corresponding move. Wolters was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates just one day ago so it didn't take long for him to find […]

Chris Stratton A Sleeper Option For Holds, Saves

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Chris Stratton doesn't have a defined role entering 2021 but he's a favorite to pitch high-leverage innings for the club. Richard Rodriguez is expected to see a healthy number of the save opportunities but Stratton has been a reliable arm for the Pirates. He threw 30 innings for the club in 2020 […]

2021 Outfielder Rankings (Part Two) - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

The outfielder position is deep enough that it warrants another look. Read about the first few tiers right here before diving into part two ahead. When you're done, read our rankings breakdowns at Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have been updating 2021 Mixed […]

Hot Prospects To Watch: End of Spring Training

It's almost here! It's almost here! Opening Day is on Thursday!! As we all get excited for Opening Day, we're also updating our personal rankings based on Spring Training performances as we cram in the last of our drafts. And of all the spring performances to analyze, it's the prospects that will have the biggest […]

Later-Round Starting Pitchers - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns. […]