Manny Machado Amongst Baseball's Hottest Hitters

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado enters the second half as one of baseball's hottest hitters. Since June 15 (24 games), the five-time All-Star leads the NL with a 1.093 OPS. Through 353 plate appearances, Machado owns a .267/.354/.479 slash with 15 bombs, nine steals and 113 runs-plus-RBI, doing most of his damage in […]

Statcast Leaderboard - Exit Velocity Midseason Review

It's All-Star time, sadly. I say that because there is precious little baseball to watch this week. This presents the opportunity for reflection, so we will once again look back on the first half leaderboard for Statcast. This time, we will review the top players in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, and barrels. As […]

Chris Paddack To Kick Off Second Half On Friday

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Chris Paddack will take the mound on Friday for the team's first game out of the All-Star break. Paddack started off the year doing well over his first nine starts, posting a 3.61 ERA and 20.6 percent strikeout rate over 42 1/3 innings of work. However over his last 10 […]

Hunter Renfroe (OF, BOS) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 47% of leagues ANALYSIS: Renfroe has gained quite a reputation for being an all-or-nothing type of fantasy player. His abhorrent .156 average with the Rays last year set that in stone. His .263 average in the first half of this season is 15 points better […]

Luis Urias (2B/SS/3B, MIL) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: The multi-position eligibility, especially in leagues with shallow benches, is intoxicating, isn't it? The .279 BABIP in the first half is a touch low, so there is hope that the .237 average can increase a little. Still, who can't use 14 […]

Ryan Weathers Receives Encouraging Diagnosis

The San Diego Padres believe starter Ryan Weathers (foot) could return by mid-August. Weathers was forced from Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning after taking an ugly spill making a defensive play. The 21-year-old southpaw has been a pleasant surprise for the Friars, registering a 2.91 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over […]

Blake Snell, Yu Darvish Expected Back Right After Break

San Diego Padres starting pitchers Blake Snell (illness) and Yu Darvish (back, hip) are both expected to rejoin the rotation right after the All-Star break. The Padres plan to go with Chris Paddack, Snell and Joe Musgrove to start the second half against the Washington Nationals, with Darvish starting the first game on the road […]

Ryan Weathers Undergoing Tests On His Achilles

San Diego Padres left-hander Ryan Weathers (Achilles) is undergoing tests on his Achilles on Sunday after leaving his start early with what was initially thought to be an ankle/knee injury against the Colorado Rockies. While his knee and ankle are OK, an Achilles injury could also be troubling, so stay tuned for an update soon. […]

Padres Grab Jackson Merrill With First-Round Pick

The San Diego Padres selected high school shortstop Jackson Merrill with the 27th overall selection in the 2021 amateur draft. He was ranked by Rotoballer as the 26th-best talent available. He uses the whole field and looks like he's going to have average-or-better power. He also has a chance to stick at shortstop although he […]

The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Week 16

Welcome back to the Cut List. This is our weekly article looking at players who fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look. We'll look at players who are worthy of a drop, players who are worth monitoring for replacing, and someone on the hot seat who […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 16

We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best […]

Ryan Weathers Exits Sunday With Apparent Knee Injury

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ryan Weathers (knee) exited his start on Sunday with an apparent knee injury, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune. Acee adds that while attempting to make a tag play, Weathers' cleat appeared to get caught in the dirt, and after being seen grabbing at his knee […]

Yu Darvish Heads To Injured List

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (hip) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with left hip inflammation, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The move is retroactive to July 9, meaning he won't be eligible to start until the fourth game after the break. Nabil Crismatt has been recalled from Triple-A El […]

MLB DFS Cheat Sheet, Stacks and Avoids for 7/11/21 (Premium Content)

  MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 7/11 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard.      Top Tournament Stacks for 7/11/21 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 […]

Hunter Renfroe (OF, BOS) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 49% of leagues ANALYSIS: Renfroe has gained quite a reputation for being an all-or-nothing type of fantasy player. His abhorrent .156 average with the Rays last year set that in stone. His .262 average so far this season is 14 points better than his previous […]

MLB Prospects Mock Draft - 2021 Amateur Draft Rankings

The 2021 MLB amateur draft is just around the corner. The first round will be held on Sunday evening with subsequent rounds to follow on Monday and Tuesday. Last year’s draft was just five rounds due to the pandemic, down from the usual 40 rounds. This year’s draft jumps up to 20 rounds. I expect […]

Daily Fantasy Baseball Streamers - MLB Hitter, Pitcher Lineup Picks for Sunday 7/11

Welcome to another edition of our daily fantasy baseball streamers! Are you playing in leagues with daily moves and looking to beef up those rosters? We here at RotoBaller are there for you and all of your streaming needs. Whether you are just trying to get that elusive category win or you are trying to […]

FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks (7/11/21): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

Hello RotoBallers! We have a nice-sized Sunday main slate to dissect with lots of batting and pitching options for us to consider. We have some good pitching options on this slate so we will need to figure out which one can get us a few strikeouts and a win while also choosing between some great […]

Austin Nola Kicks Off Rehab Assignment With Two Hits

San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola (knee) reached base in all three of his plate appearances, including two hits, and played five innings at first base in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A El Paso on Friday. The 31-year-old backstop has been on the injured list since late May with a left knee sprain. He's […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 16

Hopefully the next installment of this article series will have a lot more positive news (players returning) than newly injured players. It also happens to be that a good amount of players' return timelines coincide with the All-Star break. Please keep checking for injury updates as lineups lock next week. Also, please keep in mind […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (7/10/21): MLB DFS Lineups

We've got a chopped up Saturday slate on tap for us. There's a turbo slate for the two-game matinee, an early slate for the six-game afternoon slate. I will concentrate on the six-game "main" slate in the evening. My friends at Rotoballer will have the earlier slates covered, so we've got your back for an […]

Daily Fantasy Baseball Streamers - MLB Hitter, Pitcher Lineup Picks for Saturday 7/10

Welcome to another edition of our daily fantasy baseball streamers! Are you playing in leagues with daily moves and looking to beef up those rosters? We here at RotoBaller are there for you and all of your streaming needs. Whether you are just trying to get that elusive category win or you are trying to […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (7/10/21): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

We've got a split-slate on the final Saturday before the All-Star break. As always, check out Jorge Pucks' analysis of the afternoon slate here. In this space, we'll be breaking down the main slate which begins at 7:15 ET featuring 80 percent of the NL Central going toe-to-toe along with the Yankees throwing out their […]

Victor Caratini Sitting Out Friday

San Diego Padres catcher Victor Caratini (thumb) is out of the starting lineup on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Caratini took a foul tip off his thumb on Thursday and was removed from the game eventually, but X-rays came back negative and fantasy managers should consider the backstop day-to-day. Caratini isn't an offensive force but […]

Yu Darvish Unlikely To Pitch In All-Star Game

San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler said that it's "unlikely" that starting pitcher Yu Darvish (back, hip) will pitch in the All-Star game next week after he dealt with more back and hip tightness in his disastrous outing against the Washington Nationals. Apparently Darvish has been dealing with these issues for the last several weeks, […]

Drew Pomeranz Goes Back On The Injured List

The San Diego Padres placed left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz (forearm) back on the 10-day injured list on Friday with left forearm inflammation. It's been a tough year for Pomeranz due to injuries, as he also missed seven weeks earlier in 2021 with a left shoulder impingement and lat tightness. However, manager Jayce Tingler is hoping […]

Reiss Knehr Called Up To Start Friday

San Diego Padres pitching prospect Reiss Knehr was called up by the team on Friday and will start in place of Blake Snell (illness) against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. Knehr, one of the team's best pitching prospects, was previously pitching at Double-A, where he owned a 3.90 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old […]

Blake Snell Back On The Injured List

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Blake Snell (illness) is going back on the 10-day injured list on Friday with gastroenteritis. The hurler was scheduled to take the mound for a start at home against the Colorado Rockies, but his stomach issues have returned. He returned from the injured list and made his July 4 start […]

Austin Nola Feeling Closer To A Return

San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola (knee) said he "feels pretty close" to a return and continues to catch bullpen sessions and go through baserunning drills while using a knee brace. Nola could be sent on a rehab assignment within the next couple of days, according to manager Jayce Tingler. The Padres hope to get […]

Victor Caratini Injures Thumb Thursday

San Diego Padres catcher Victor Caratini (thumb) took a foul tip to his thumb in the 9-8 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Caratini attempted to play through the pain but was eventually removed from the contest in the sixth inning. X-rays came back negative, but he should be considered day-to-day. Don't be surprised […]