RotoFeed

Patience or Panic: Zach Neto, Kazuma Okamoto, Taylor Ward

Jeffrey Farek — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:35 +0000

These 3 have combined for just 4 HR in 68 games since the ASB.

The post Patience or Panic: Zach Neto, Kazuma Okamoto, Taylor Ward appeared first on Pitcher List.

Mining the News (8/12/26)

Jeff Zimmerman — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:30:09 +0000

Some sneaky possible adds.

Source

PPP 825 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 8-12-26

Nick Pollack — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:25:58 +0000

Nick Pollack's latest episode of his SP focused Plus Pitch Podcast.

The post PPP 825 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 8-12-26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

2026 MLB Power Rankings: Week 20

Anthony Licciardi — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:30:15 +0000

It's time to take Boston seriously as a World Series contender.

The post 2026 MLB Power Rankings: Week 20 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Rolling? Don’t Trip, Just Peak

Jack Dorfman — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:30:14 +0000

If you analyze rolling wOBA and HR totals, and separate the peaks, you can see some of this season’s streakiest streakers.

Source

MLBTR Podcast: Diving Deep Into MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:41:10 +0000

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Ethan Hullihen, the author of MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, to discuss…

How Ethan started tracking payroll figures for the Pirates (2:00)
How the work started reaching strong levels of accuracy (6:35)
Expanding from just the Pirates to all 30 clubs (9:40)
The difference between cash/labor relations department payroll and the competitive balance tax payroll (16:50)
Ethan’s work getting interest in the industry, including from MLBTR, related to the concept of valley charges (19:25)
What is Ethan’s hope for having his work on the MLBTR platform? (24:05)
With the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations, what changes would Ethan like to see? (30:00)
Are there common misconceptions that people have about baseball’s financial system? (36:30)
Ethan’s work at MLB Spreadsheets, which has more than what is on MLBTR (46:30)

Check out our past episodes!

Trade Deadline Recap – listen here
Trade Deadline Preview – listen here
Chase Burns And Kyle Bradish Extended, The Reds’ Selling Strategy, And Some Pre-Deadline Trades – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Orioles Acquire Harold Rivas As PTBNL In Rutschman Trade

Steve Adams — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:11:53 +0000

The Orioles have acquired minor league outfielder Harold Rivas from the Red Sox as the player to be named later in last week’s Adley Rutschman trade, per announcements from both clubs. Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects first reported the news shortly before the formal announcements. The final trade, then, will be Rutschman and Jake Rogers (whom the Sox designated for assignment last night) to Boston in exchange for Rivas, minor league right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, minor league outfielder Enddy Azocar and big league catcher Carlos Narváez.

More to come.

Relief Pitcher Streamer Rankings Fantasy Baseball: 8/12

Rick Graham — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:09:09 +0000

The Best Reliever Streamers for Today with Updated Bullpen Usage Charts

The post Relief Pitcher Streamer Rankings Fantasy Baseball: 8/12 appeared first on Pitcher List.

MLB News & Moments: Yankees win on and off the field

Pablo Figueroa — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:30:32 +0000

Max Muncy walks it off.

The post MLB News & Moments: Yankees win on and off the field appeared first on Pitcher List.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: 8/12/26

Mitch Steinberg — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:30:19 +0000

Zack and Zac are your bats of the day.

The post Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: 8/12/26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Starting Pitcher Risers in Pitching+ From July and Early August

Corbin Young — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:30:09 +0000

Several starting pitchers have improved their Pitching+ since July. Let's examine what changed within their profile.

Source

The Opener: Skenes, Kent, Walls

Charlie Wright — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:26:39 +0000

Rays third baseman Junior Caminero slugged his 35th home run last night, moving into a tie atop the league leaderboard with three other players. It’s the latest in the season that a Tampa Bay player has led the league in home runs (h/t Tampa Bay Times/Elias Sports Bureau). The previous mark was Jose Canseco in late June of the 1999 season.

1. Skenes pulled after five innings

Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes only allowed one earned run on Tuesday against the Marlins, a step forward from his recent outings, but there were concerning signs in the start. The reigning NL Cy Young winner averaged a season-low 95.7 mph on his four-seamer. He was pulled after just 65 pitches. Skenes’ fastball velocity has been down all season, but he was still working deep into games and keeping runs off the board for the first few months of the year. He scuffled to a 6.25 ERA in July and has now gone only five innings in both starts this month.

2. Kent to make debut

Nationals left-hander Jackson Kent is expected to be added to the big-league club on Wednesday. He’ll get the ball against a red-hot Cubs squad that took the first game of the series last night. Washington selected Kent with a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. He’s put together a 3.72 ERA across 20 starts between Double-A and Triple-A this year. The 23-year-old is a consensus top-10 prospect in the organization. The Nationals continue to get younger in the rotation, with Foster Griffin and Zack Littell recently replaced by Andrew Alvarez and Jake Irvin. Kent is likely to take the spot of Miles Mikolas, leaving Trevor Williams as the only veteran on the staff.

3. Walls ends homer drought … twice

Rays shortstop Taylor Walls is known for his glove, not his bat. The light-hitting infielder had gone nearly 100 games without homering heading into Tuesday’s game. He snapped the streak with a two-run blast off Mason Barnett in the fourth inning. The switch-hitting Walls then turned around to the right side and clubbed a solo homer off Brady Basso in his next at-bat. Despite only having 24 career home runs in six seasons, it was the second time Walls had homered from both sides of the plate. The other instance came in April 2023 against the Reds. One of his home runs that game came off current teammate Casey Legumina.

Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images

Adley Rutschman Makes Sox Debut — Fantasy Hitting Recap 8/12/2026

Griffey Geiss — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:32 +0000

Breaking down Tuesday's notable hitting performances.

The post Adley Rutschman Makes Sox Debut — Fantasy Hitting Recap 8/12/2026 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Starting Pitcher Chart – August 12th, 2026

Paul Sporer — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:52:04 +0000

Ned Flanders can't wait to watch today's games with 5 of the Top 8 recommendations being left-handed!

Source

Starting Pitcher Streamer Ranks Fantasy Baseball: 8/12 & 8/13 & 8/14

Nick Pollack — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:44:19 +0000

Best SP streamers and rankings for today & tomorrow & day after.

The post Starting Pitcher Streamer Ranks Fantasy Baseball: 8/12 & 8/13 & 8/14 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (August 10 - August 16)

Nick Mariano — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:44:10 +0000

Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of our Starting Pitcher Starts and Sits column for the week ahead - Monday August 10 through Sunday August 16. As you've come to expect, this article will cover who is pitching, their opponent, and a confidence/startability score based on our tools. This supplies you with a useful start/sit […]

Daily Fantasy Baseball News and Notes | First Pitch 8/12/26

Jake Crumpler — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:03:43 +0000

Everything you need to know to win your fantasy baseball league, daily

The post Daily Fantasy Baseball News and Notes | First Pitch 8/12/26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

In The Pen 171 – AL Closing Storylines

Jake Crumpler — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:01 +0000

Rick and Jake break down the latest bullpen news and notes.

The post In The Pen 171 – AL Closing Storylines appeared first on Pitcher List.

What’s Next For CJ Abrams?

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:59:31 +0000

CJ Abrams is one of the better players in the league at the moment. He is a 25-year-old everyday shortstop with 28 home runs and 22 stolen bases. His 22.9% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate are both average-ish figures. His .287/.359/.544 batting line leads to a 144 wRC+, indicating he has been 44% better than league average at the plate. Though his defense is subpar, FanGraphs has still credited him with 3.6 wins above replacement on the year. That makes him one of the 20 most valuable position players this season.

A player of this type is usually cemented as a franchise cornerstone but that’s not the case with Abrams, for a few reasons. For one thing, the team around him is in transition. The Nats haven’t had a winning season since their World Series victory in 2019. They kicked off a rebuild a few years ago and it was going slowly enough that president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo got fired last summer. Paul Toboni took over that job a few months later, departing his previous gig as assistant general manager in Boston.

The Nats came into 2026 clearly still in rebuild mode. They traded away MacKenzie Gore in the offseason, even though he was controlled for another two seasons. There were also lots of rumors surrounding Abrams, though he is controlled for one more season than Gore. Abrams ended up staying put through the offseason. The rumors picked up again this summer but the Nats were flirting with contention and didn’t move him.

Though the team’s solid 2026 season has been a nice story, the front office has acted as though this isn’t the year. Key contributors like Curtis Mead, Luis García Jr. and Foster Griffin were traded away at the deadline. The team is still not totally buried but they are five games out of a playoff spot and would have to leapfrog four teams to get in at this point. The Playoff Odds at FanGraphs give them just a 1.8% chance of making it in. The PECOTA Standings at Baseball Prospectus have them at 2.2%.

With the focus clearly still on the future, decisions will need to be made on Abrams. Is he a building block or is he on the trade block?

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MLB Owners To Vote On Padres Sale Next Monday

Anthony Franco — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:58:56 +0000

Major League Baseball’s 29 other owners will vote on the Padres sale on Monday, according to reports from Dennis Lin of The Athletic and Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The agreement will need approval from 22 owners, the final step to finalize the transfer of majority control to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.

The vote is more or less a formality. It should be unanimously approved. Feliciano will become the team’s control person. The sale values the franchise at a record $3.9 billion. Reporting in April suggested that Feliciano would purchase a 30-40% share. It appears the number’s actually a little bit higher. Lin’s report puts it above 40%, while Sanders writes that it’s close to 45%.

Some members of the Seidler family will remain minority shareholders, as will some current minority investors. Feliciano had already been in communication with the front office leading up to the trade deadline. San Diego added around $6MM to the payroll with the trades for Robbie Ray and Casey Mize. They didn’t take on any commitments beyond this year, as those pitchers are impending free agents.

The moves pushed the Padres’ spending into the second tier of luxury tax penalization. They’re up to roughly $267MM in competitive balance tax obligations, as shown on MLBTR’s new Payroll Tracker. They’re currently positioned to pay around $7.32MM in luxury tax as repeat payors, essentially matching their overage fee from 2025. They’d gotten below the CBT line during the ’24 season.

The ownership change comes as the on-field results have turned around. The Padres pummeled the NL-leading Brewers by an 11-2 margin tonight and have won four straight. They’re 64-57, the first time they’ve been seven games above .500 since the end of May. Tonight’s win combined with losses by Philadelphia and Arizona has moved them into a three-way tie for the final two Wild Card positions in the National League.

Nationals To Select Jackson Kent

Steve Adams — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 02:40:51 +0000

August 11: Kent will start Wednesday against the Cubs, manager Blake Butera confirmed (relayed by Kyle Williams of The Baltimore Banner). Washington hasn’t announced any other moves, but multiple Nationals beat reporters noted that Mikolas was saying goodbyes to teammates after Tuesday’s game.

August 10: The Nationals are planning to select the contract of left-hander Jackson Kent from Triple-A Rochester this week, reports Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. A precise date for the southpaw’s big league debut isn’t yet clear, but it’ll be his first call to the majors when it happens.

Washington recently opened a 40-man roster spot by designating veteran righty Zack Littell for assignment. Littell’s subsequent release and the trade of Foster Griffin to Cleveland opened up a pair of spots in manager Blake Butera‘s rotation. Kent will step into Littell’s 40-man spot and into one of those vacated rotation slots, joining Cade Cavalli, Miles Mikolas, Jake Irvin and Andrew Alvarez.

Kent, 23, was the Nationals’ fourth-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2024. MLB.com currently ranks him eighth in Washington’s system. He’s ranked tenth at Baseball America and at FanGraphs.

Listed at 6’3″ and 219 pounds, Kent works primarily off a three-pitch mix (four-seamer, slider, changeup) but mixes in a very occasional curveball as a show-me fourth offering. He’s sitting 93.6 mph on his heater this year, with his slider clocking in at an average of 86.3 mph and the changeup sitting 84.7 mph. That fastball velo isn’t blazing but is up a couple ticks from last season, and Kent’s changeup has long rated as a plus pitch that’s capable generating swing-and-miss.

In 94 1/3 frames at Rochester this season, Kent sports a solid 3.72 earned run average. He’s fanned an impressive 27.2% of his opponents with better-than-average walk and ground-ball rates as well (7.8% and 47.2%, respectively). He’s done a nice job avoiding hard contact (87.6 mph average exit velocity, 29.6% hard-hit rate) and has accordingly averaged just over one homer per nine innings pitched.

Since this is Kent’s first call to the big leagues, he’ll have a full slate of three option years ahead of him. The Nats could technically burn one of those options this season if he’s sent back to Rochester for more than 20 days, but Kent is one of the system’s better arms and is being promoted at a time where there’s an obvious rotation need. In all likelihood, he’ll spend the rest of the year trying to pitch his way into the 2027 rotation mix.

There’s no way for Kent to accrue a full year of major league service at this point, so he’ll be controllable for at least six more years beyond the current season — possibly more, depending on future option decisions made by the Nats. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until at least the 2029-30 offseason.

Nick Kurtz Appears Unlikely To Return This Season

Anthony Franco — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 01:59:39 +0000

There’s a good chance that Nick Kurtz’s season is over. A’s manager Mark Kotsay tells Martín Gallegos of MLB.com that the first baseman’s right thumb will be immobilized throughout August after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection last week.

“Four weeks of no mobility. You probably can do the timeline and think through the scenarios in front of us for Nick,” Kotsay acknowledged. Kurtz has battled thumb pain since at least the middle of July. He landed on the injured list with a thumb capsule sprain that shelved him from July 10-25. Kurtz returned for a seven-game stretch in which he had only one hit before the thumb shut him back down.

Kurtz’s absence has been one of the reasons for the A’s melting down this summer. In the middle of June, they were .500 and within a half game in a wide open AL West. The A’s are a staggering 9-34 since then. While a terrible pitching staff has been the main problem, they have a punchless .233/.293/.373 team batting line since the beginning of July. Kurtz has taken 49 plate appearances in that time, hitting .114/.204/.250.

The second-year first baseman went into July with a .276/.421/.516 slash. He was tied for 13th in the majors with 19 home runs and trailed only Yordan Alvarez in on-base percentage (minimum 200 plate appearances). Only six hitters had a better OPS. Even if this was a step back from Kurtz’s otherworldly rookie season, he’s among the ten best offensive players in the game at full health.

The A’s are platooning Jeff McNeil and rookie Tommy White at first base. Donovan Walton is at the keystone when McNeil plays first. There’s not much for the A’s to learn from that arrangement. McNeil is an impending free agent who is unlikely to be back next year. Walton is a 32-year-old utility player on his fifth team. White will probably remain on the roster into 2027, but he’s a mid-tier prospect who’ll need a significantly more disciplined approach than he has shown in his first 21 career games.

Angels Sign Michael Fulmer, Hagen Danner To Minor League Deals

Anthony Franco — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:45:02 +0000

The Angels signed right-handers Michael Fulmer and Hagen Danner to minor league contracts, the team announced. Fulmer will report to Triple-A Salt Lake, while Danner has initially been assigned to the Arizona complex.

Fulmer has spent most of the season on a minor league contract with the Giants. He was released last week after spending the year with their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. The 33-year-old pitched well, turning in a sub-3.00 ERA while striking out 29% of opponents over 42 1/3 innings. Fulmer’s 11.7% walk percentage is higher than he’d like, but it’s moderate surprise that the strikeouts and run prevention didn’t earn him a look from the Giants at any point.

The former All-Star and Rookie of the Year pitched 5 2/3 MLB frames between the Cubs and Red Sox last year. That’s his only big league work since 2023. Fulmer missed the ’24 campaign after undergoing elbow surgery and has spent most of the last two seasons in Triple-A. He’s working with a 92-93 mph fastball and mixing six pitches, relying most heavily on a mid-80s curveball.

Danner, 27, has one career big league appearance. He recorded one out while a member of the Blue Jays in August 2023. Danner has spent the last three years in Triple-A and was with the Reds’ affiliate earlier this season. A former second-round pick as a catcher, Danner has pitched since 2021. He has a mid-90s fastball and struck out a quarter of opponents across 32 2/3 Triple-A frames this year. Danner also walked an untenable 16.5% of batters faced and Cincinnati released him in the middle of July.

It has been a month since Danner’s most recent game action. The Angels assigned him to the complex to build up as a result, but he’ll likely be assigned to Salt Lake before the end of the month. The Halos have a wide open bullpen, so there’s a decent chance that at least Fulmer will get a look by season’s end.

Top 100 Starting Pitchers For 2026 Fantasy Baseball 8/11: Week 21 Rankings

Nick Pollack — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:41:12 +0000

Nick's weekly Top 100 Starting Pitcher rankings update.

The post Top 100 Starting Pitchers For 2026 Fantasy Baseball 8/11: Week 21 Rankings appeared first on Pitcher List.

Dodgers Activate Blake Snell

Anthony Franco — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:07:13 +0000

The Dodgers have officially reinstated Blake Snell from the 60-day injured list. He’ll start tonight’s game against the Royals, who’ll run Michael Wacha in Game 2 of the series. Lefty Charlie Barnes was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open a spot on the pitching staff. The Dodgers transferred Blake Treinen to the 60-day injured list in the necessary 40-man roster move.

Snell is back after a three-month absence. Injuries have limited him to one start and three innings this year. The two-time Cy Young winner was delayed this spring by shoulder fatigue that traced back to the 2025 postseason. The team slow-played his buildup and didn’t activate him for his season debut until six weeks into the season. Snell made one start and promptly returned to the injured list, this time due to an elbow issue.

Testing revealed loose bodies which needed surgical removal. Snell opted for the NanoNeedle procedure that now-teammate Tarik Skubal had first tried a couple weeks earlier. That dramatically expedited Skubal’s return, as he was back on the roster within six weeks. Snell’s timeline was more in line with a typical arthroscopic surgery.

The Dodgers had more reason to slow-play Snell’s return than the Tigers did with Skubal. Los Angeles is comfortably ticketed for a playoff berth. Snell is coming off a year in which he threw 95 1/3 innings between the regular season and postseason. This is his third straight injury-shortened year. The primary focus is on having Snell at full strength in October.

All that said, they’re surely happy to get him back amidst their worst stretch of the season. They recently lost seven straight and are 2-7 since the beginning of August. They’re still not in much danger of squandering their NL West lead but are behind Milwaukee and tied with Atlanta at the top of the National League. There’s a significant advantage to finishing as a top-two seed and avoiding the first round, even if the Dodgers would be favored over whomever snags the final Wild Card spot. Any MLB team can beat any other in a three-game series.

Snell began a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star Break and has made four minor league starts. He struggled in his most recent outing against the Angels’ Triple-A team but tossed 73 pitches and is working on six days rest tonight.

The Dodgers intend to use a six-man rotation with Snell back in the fold, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (link via Dylan Hernández of The California Post). Eric Lauer maintains his hold on a spot for at least one more turn behind Skubal, Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki. Someone will be squeezed out when Tyler Glasnow returns from the back issue that has cost him the last three months. The Dodgers have halted Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher because of a left knee concern but maintain that he’ll pitch again this season.

Treinen’s IL transfer is a procedural move. The 60-day minimum backdates to his initial placement on June 20. Treinen will be eligible to return a week from now but is unlikely to be ready by then, as he has yet to begin a rehab assignment. The veteran reliever has been sidelined by elbow inflammation.

Giants Sign Andrew Knizner, Designate Eddys Leonard For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:05:54 +0000

The Giants announced that they have signed catcher Andrew Knizner. He will take the active roster spot of fellow backstop Zach Morgan, who has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. They also reinstated outfielder Victor Bericoto from the 10-day injured list and designated infielder/outfielder Eddys Leonard for assignment. Prior to the official announcement, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to note that Knizner had a locker in the clubhouse.

The catching corps in San Francisco has been changing all year. Patrick Bailey once seemed like a long-term piece behind the plate but the Giants have instead opted to give playing time to rookies Daniel Susac, Jesús Rodríguez and Drew Cavanaugh. Along the way, Bailey was traded to the Guardians in May.

Right elbow neuritis put Rodríguez on the injured list on the first day of this month. Susac followed him there yesterday due to a patellar fracture. The Giants quickly promoted Morgan, an organizational depth type, to take Susac’s spot. They have now quickly pivoted to a more established option.

Knizner just opted out of a minor league deal with the Red Sox a few days ago. He has been having a good year in the minors. Split between the Triple-A clubs of the Rockies and Red Sox, he has a .294/.393/.552 line in 234 plate appearances. His 12.4% walk rate and 16.7% strikeout rate are both strong figures.

That kind of production hasn’t been the norm throughout his big league career, as he has a .211/.281/.316 line in 975 career plate appearances. He has also generally had poor defensive marks, though he has been closer to average in recent seasons. If he can get his major league offense anywhere near this year’s minor league numbers, he could be a serviceable stopgap for the Giants.

Leonard, 25, was just added to the roster a week ago. He stepped to the plate eight times and recorded two hits. It seems the Giants only intended for him to be called up as a temporary fill-in while they waited for Bericoto. That puts a sour coda on what had been a feel-good story.

Despite his relatively young age, it had been quite a journey for Leonard. He had a 40-man roster spot from November of 2021 through the end of the 2024 season, with the Dodgers and Tigers, without getting called up. He exhausted his option years in that span. He was then non-tendered by Detroit and spent the past year-plus stuck in the minors. He finally made it up with the Giants this month but it didn’t amount to more than a cameo.

With the trade deadline in the past, Leonard will be placed on waivers. His big league track record is minimal but he has generally performed well in the minors. This year, prior to his promotion, he made 321 Triple-A plate appearances split between the affiliates of the Brewers and Giants. He hit 16 home runs while also posting strong walk and strikeout rates of 10.3% and 19.3%, respectively. He slashed .272/.361/.509 for a 125 wRC+. He stole eight bases while playing all four infield spots and the outfield corners. If a club out there is intrigued enough to put in a claim, he can be retained for the rest of this season and six full seasons after that.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Red Sox Designate Jake Rogers For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:51:54 +0000

The Red Sox announced that catcher Jake Rogers has been designated for assignment. That opens a roster spot for fellow catcher Adley Rutschman to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list. The Sox also transferred infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the 60-day injured list.

Rutschman will be making his team debut tonight. A surprising deadline day trade sent him from the Orioles to the Red Sox, with Boston parting with a notable package of talent to acquire him. Rutschman is a former first overall pick and was one of the best catchers in the majors for much of the 2022 through 2024 seasons but he has largely been hurt and less effective from midway through the 2024 season to the present. He was on the IL due to left wrist inflammation at the time of the deal.

The Sox have made a big bet that Rutschman can get back on track, ideally with better health. He had a .276/.365/.449 career batting line through June 27th when he was hit on the hand by a foul ball. Since then, while battling various injuries, he has a .220/.306/.360 line. He will hopefully help the Sox finish strong here in 2026 and is also under club control for 2027. Given the amount of prospect capital the Sox surrendered in acquiring him, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they tried to lock him up beyond next year with an extension.

Rogers was also acquired in that same trade but his presence on the Boston roster always felt temporary. The Red Sox sent Carlos Narváez to Baltimore in the swap. That would have left them with just Connor Wong in their catching corps. Rogers, who was just acquired by the Orioles from the Tigers in a DFA trade a few days prior, was thrown into the deal and looked set to team up with Wong until Rutschman returned.

Few teams go with a three-catcher setup, so it always seemed possible Rogers would be squeezed out for Rutschman’s return and that has indeed proven to be the case. Rogers has enough service time where he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent, so he has been designated for assignment instead.

Rogers is a good defensive catcher but his offensive approach has generally been imbalanced. He has some power, as he showed by hitting 21 home runs in 2023, but he ends up with low batting averages thanks to big strikeout numbers and low speed. Since that 2023 season, he has a .192/.267/.343 line in 604 big league plate appearances.

That lack of offense has pushed him to fringe roster status. The Tigers have Dillon Dingler cemented as the catcher of the future and recently decided to give Eduardo Valencia some run as the backup. The Orioles grabbed Rogers temporarily while Rutschman and Samuel Basallo were both on the IL. The Sox took him, as mentioned, as a stopgap while waiting for Rutschman to get healthy.

With the trade deadline now passed, Rogers will be on waivers soon. Though he is making $3.05MM this year, with about $765K still to be paid out, he could still garner interest. Despite the lack of offense, he’s a serviceable backup thanks to his glovework. When Detroit designated him for assignment, he didn’t even make it to the waiver wire as the O’s sent minor league righty Zane Barnhart the other way to skip the line.

The O’s now have Narváez but are still waiting for Basallo to get back. They have Yohel Pozo on the roster but he has options. The Giants just put Daniel Susac on the IL and are currently rolling with two inexperienced backstops in Drew Cavanaugh and Zach Morgan. The White Sox acquired Joey Bart at the deadline to cover for Kyle Teel‘s injury absence but then Bart suffered a hand fracture when hit by a pitch in his third game after that trade.

As for Kiner-Falefa, the Sox didn’t have to make this move now. It opens up a 40-man spot but the Rogers move did that as well, so Boston is now down to 38. There’s no real harm, as he has been on the IL due to forearm inflammation for almost 60 days already anyway and hasn’t shown any sign of a return in the near future. With two open roster spots, the Sox have some flexibility to call guys up from the minors, sign free agents and/or claim players from the waiver wire.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Rangers Select Jarred Kelenic, Designate Jonah Bride For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:45:50 +0000

The Rangers announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Jarred Kelenic. In a corresponding move, infielder Jonah Bride has been designated for assignment.

It was just two days ago that Texas added Bride to the roster while optioning outfielder Alejandro Osuna. That left the Rangers with a bit of a lopsided roster. They had three primary outfielders in Brandon Nimmo, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford, but they didn’t really have an outfielder on the bench. Cam Cauley has some outfield experience but is more of an infielder. They have quickly opted to make a change.

The switch gets Kelenic to the majors for a third time this year. He began the campaign with the White Sox on a minor league and was on their roster for about a month starting in late April. After getting designated for assignment and electing free agency, he got ten days on the Texas roster in June. After being designated for assignment again and electing free agency, he returned to the Rangers on a minor league deal. He was released from that deal in July but quickly re-signed.

The book on Kelenic is that he is a former top prospect who has continually hit throughout his minor league career, including a huge .310/.408/.584 line this year, but hasn’t been able to put it together in the majors. He now has 1,557 big league plate appearances with 50 home runs but a 30.8% strikeout rate. Overall, he has a .211/.283/.372 line and 84 wRC+. That includes a .213/.304/.295 line this year. He has exhausted his option years along the way, which has led to all the transactions.

The strange sequence of events sends Bride into DFA limbo. With the trade deadline now in the past, he’ll have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. He has a .220/.311/.312 line in his big league career. He had a nice showing in the minors before being called up, putting up a .282/.401/.425 line. He has big league experience at the three non-shortstop infield positions.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Fantasy Reliever Rankings: Closers, Holds & SOLDs – 8/11

Rick Graham — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:05:57 +0000

Top 100 Relief Pitcher Rankings for Fantasy Baseball Leagues in 2026

The post Fantasy Reliever Rankings: Closers, Holds & SOLDs – 8/11 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Brewers Re-Sign Bryse Wilson

Anthony Franco — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 21:59:49 +0000

The Brewers announced they’ve re-signed righty Bryse Wilson on a big league deal. The Pro Edge Sports Management client jumps right back into the bullpen after electing free agency yesterday. Milwaukee designated Lyon Richardson for assignment to create space on the active and 40-man rosters.

It’s essentially a reversal of Milwaukee’s move from last Saturday, when they selected Richardson’s minor league contract while designating Wilson for assignment. That was about availability rather than any issue with Wilson’s performance. He’d thrown three innings and 34 pitches on Friday, which would’ve taken him out for Saturday and likely the entire weekend.

Wilson has performed pretty well since signing with the Brewers shortly before the All-Star Break. He has taken the ball six times and worked 13 2/3 innings of four-run ball. Wilson has recorded 10 strikeouts without issuing a walk. He had one rough outing in San Francisco on July 29 but has otherwise been a competent source of mop-up innings.

The 28-year-old played a similar role in Milwaukee between 2023-24. He has had far more success in a Brewers uniform than with any other team. Wilson has a 3.37 ERA across 93 appearances with Milwaukee but has an ERA above 5.00 for every other club for which he’s pitched (excluding a one-off appearance for Philadelphia earlier this season). He has appeared for six teams overall, three this season alone. Wilson combined for three appearances between the Phillies and Cubs before circling back to Milwaukee.

Wilson is out of options, so he can’t be sent down without first clearing waivers. He has the right to elect free agency every time he clears. The Brewers knew this was the likely outcome when they designated him last week but can now plug him back into the bullpen as a fresh arm after three days rest.

It’s the same story for Richardson. The 26-year-old righty is also out of options and can elect free agency every time he clears waivers. He made his first and potentially only appearance with the Brewers last night. Richardson worked 1 2/3 scoreless frames with a walk and a strikeout to finish a 3-2 loss in San Diego. He came in just after Logan Henderson allowed a go-ahead home run to Jackson Merrill. Richardson did his job keeping the game close but Milwaukee wasn’t able to muster an equalizer against the elite back-end duo of Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller.

Richardson has pitched parts of four MLB seasons. Until last night, that had come entirely with the Reds — for whom he posted a 6.67 ERA over 56 2/3 innings. Richardson will go on waivers this week and seems likely to clear and test free agency, as he did after being designated for assignment by Cincinnati in June.

Yankees Recall Bradley Hanner For MLB Debut

Anthony Franco — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 21:25:44 +0000

The Yankees announced they’ve recalled reliever Bradley Hanner from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He takes the bullpen spot of Kervin Castro, who lands on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 10) with right elbow neuritis. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report Hanner’s promotion.

It’s the first big league call for the 27-year-old Hanner, who has spent the year in Scranton. It is nevertheless technically a “recall,” as the Yankees selected Hanner’s contract shortly after the All-Star Break and immediately optioned him back to Triple-A. That came in response to him triggering an opt-out in his minor league deal, which required the Yankees to put him on the 40-man roster or let him test free agency.

Hanner’s performance made that an easy decision for the front office. He has been among the best Triple-A relievers this year, pitching to a 2.10 ERA while striking out 29% of opponents over 51 1/3 innings. Hanner’s 11.4% walk percentage is higher than ideal and reflects the below-average control he has had throughout his professional career. The stuff clearly played against minor league hitters, even as he’s not especially overpowering. He’s averaging 93.4 mph on his four-seam fastball while mixing in a sinker, cutter and sweeper.

A 21st round draftee by the Twins in 2019, Hanner has never been a premium prospect. He didn’t make it beyond High-A in the Minnesota system before the Guardians added him in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft. Hanner spent a couple seasons in the Cleveland organization, but they allowed him to walk in minor league free agency after he posted a 4.74 ERA in Triple-A last year.

Hanner is in his first of three minor league option years, so the Yankees can send him back to Scranton at any point. They’ve had a strong bullpen but don’t have a ton of optionable depth, as Angel Chivilli is now their only pure reliever in the minors who is on the 40-man roster.

Rockies To Designate Edouard Julien For Assignment, Recall Zac Veen

Steve Adams — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:27:15 +0000

The Rockies are set to designate infielder Edouard Julien for assignment and recall outfielder Zac Veen from Triple-A Albuquerque, reports Kyle Newman of the Denver Post.

Colorado added Julien and righty Pierson Ohl from the Twins in an offseason swap sending minor league righty Jace Kaminska back to Minnesota. Kaminska still hasn’t made his way back from 2024 Tommy John surgery. Ohl underwent his own Tommy John procedure during spring training, and Julien has now lost his roster spot. So far, that minor swap hasn’t been fruitful for any of the involved parties.

Julien, 27, has been the Rockies’ primary second baseman this season. He’s played shaky defense and struggled at the plate, hitting just .208/.322/.292 with three homers in 276 turns at the plate. Julien has a huge 14.1% walk rate but has also fanned in nearly 26% of his plate appearances and been shielded almost entirely from left-handed pitching (just 26 plate appearances).

Prior to his big league debut with the Twins, Julien was a highly touted prospect. A lack of defensive value meant he’d always have to hit to stay on the big league roster, but he did that in spades throughout his minor league tenure. The Quebec-born infielder posted at least an .891 OPS at every minor league level and was hailed as a potential OBP machine who’d spend the bulk of his time at second base, first base or designated hitter. In five minor league seasons, he hit .277/.428/.472.

The walks have carried over to the majors, but Julien’s hit tool and power have regressed and his defense has never come around. He hit .263/.381/.459 in 109 games as a rookie with the ’23 Twins but has just a .208/.307/.313 line in 785 plate appearances since. He’s out of minor league options, so the Rockies had no choice but to designate him for assignment. There’s a good chance he’ll now clear waivers, though perhaps a non-contending team will see if a change of scenery can reawaken some of his slumbering tools in the batter’s box.

More to come.

Trey Yesavage Undergoes Meniscus Surgery

Anthony Franco — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:22:20 +0000

Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage underwent surgery to repair the meniscus injury in his left knee, manager John Schneider tells reporters (including Mitch Bannon of The Athletic). The team is calling him week to week and has not closed the door on him returning this season.

More to come.

Reds Select Michael Toglia

Steve Adams — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:21:58 +0000

The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of first baseman/outfielder Michael Toglia from Triple-A Louisville and activated lefty Nick Lodolo from the 15-day injured list. Cincinnati opened a 40-man roster spot for Toglia by transferring Hunter Greene — who’s set to undergo UCL surgery — from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. They optioned right-hander Zach McCambley and infielder/outfielder Ivan Johnson to Triple-A to open active roster spots for Toglia and Lodolo. (Johnson was technically optioned postgame on Sunday.)

Toglia is in his first season with the Reds organization. The 27-year-old switch-hitter was the Rockies’ first-round pick out of UCLA in 2019 and has logged action in parts of four seasons with the Rox (2022-25). He’s shown big power with untenable levels of swing-and-miss in his game. Toglia swatted 25 homers in only 116 games with the 2024 Rockies, but he’s fanned in at least 32% of his plate appearances in each of his four big league seasons. He’s a career .201/.278/.389 hitter with 42 home runs, a 9.5% walk rate and a massive 35% strikeout rate in 1067 major league plate appearances.

Cincinnati added Toglia on a minor league deal over the winter after Colorado dropped him from the 40-man roster. He’s had a nice season in Louisville, slashing .273/.373/.547 with 22 dingers in only 402 trips to the plate. Toglia hasn’t struck out at quite as high a level as he has in the big leagues, but his current 25.6% mark is still on the high side for a soon-to-be 28-year-old with ample Triple-A and MLB experience. He has, however, walked at a 13.9% clip — the second-best mark of his professional career.

The Reds traded Nathaniel Lowe to the Guardians on the day of the trade deadline and are facing a notable absence for utilityman Spencer Steer due to a wrist strain. That’ll open up some at-bats at first base and designated hitter for Toglia, though he’ll still have to contend with Rookie of the Year candidate Sal Stewart and veteran Eugenio Suarez getting reps in those lineup spots. Toglia has nearly identical platoon splits in his career but strikes out more and hits for a bit less power when batting from the left side of the plate. This season in Triple-A, however, he’s fared better as a lefty.

Cincinnati can pick and choose spots for Toglia while getting a look at him over the final seven weeks of the season. He’ll finish the ’26 campaign with under three seasons of club control, so if he makes a good impression, he can technically be controlled for four more years. He’s out of options though, so Toglia will have to stick in the majors or else be designated for assignment.

Lodolo has been out for a month due to ongoing blister troubles on his pitching hand. The 28-year-old southpaw had been pitching well prior to his IL placement; he’s sitting on a pedestrian 4.60 ERA overall this year but had worked to a tidy 1.35 ERA across four starts prior to his latest IL placement.

Blister, shoulder and back issues have plagued Lodolo throughout his professional career. The former first-rounder and top prospect was brilliant last year, turning in a 3.33 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate and just a 4.8% walk rate in 156 2/3 innings. That ERA, walk rate, innings count and 28 starts were all career-best marks for Lodolo, but he hasn’t been able to follow up in 2026.

Greene’s forthcoming UCL surgery will sideline him for the rest of this season and most — if not all — of the 2027 season. That makes a strong finish for Lodolo all the more important. He, Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott are the only real locks for next year’s rotation, as top prospect Rhett Lowder has pitched to a 5.26 ERA with middling rate stats through 89 innings this year. Brady Singer is a free agent at season’s end. Meanwhile, depth arms like Chase Petty, Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar and Jose Franco have either pitched poorly or spent much of the season on the shelf due to injury. The Reds control Lodolo through 2027, which will be his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Blue Jays Place Jameson Taillon On Injured List

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:58:13 +0000

The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Jameson Taillon has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tendinitis. Fellow righty Chase Lee has been recalled as the corresponding move.

Taillon was acquired from the Cubs just over a week ago. Last night, his second start since that trade, he departed after four innings. His velocity dipped towards the end of that outing and the Jays later announced he departed with forearm discomfort. There hasn’t yet been any word on the severity of Taillon’s injury or how much time he is expected to miss but it seems the Jays expect him to need at least a couple of weeks on the shelf. If the injury is a long-term thing, that won’t be a huge deal for the Jays since he is an impending free agent, but that would obviously be significant for Taillon himself.

For the short term, Toronto will have a rotation spot to fill. They did a buy/sell hybrid at the deadline, trading away Kevin Gausman but also bringing in José Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti and Taillon. Despite a poor record, they are currently 3.5 games back of a playoff spot in the weak American League field. They had planned to do a six-man rotation of Soriano, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer and Taillon but then Yesavage hit the IL with a meniscus injury. That dropped them to five and now Taillon is on the shelf as well.

Arrighetti was on the IL due to nerve irritation in his right foot when the Jays acquired him. He recently made a rehab start but the foot issue was still present. Per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, the Jays have diagnosed Arrighetti with an issue called Morton’s neuroma, which they believe he can pitch through with treatment. His next steps aren’t fully clear but he will presumably make another rehab start at some point before joining the active roster.

Simeon Woods Richardson was added back to the roster yesterday to give the Jays a long man after they had gone to extra innings in four of their five previous games. He was immediately thrust into action due to Taillon’s injury. He tossed three innings of relief, which would have been scoreless if not for the unusual “fourth out” play that took place.

Perhaps Woods Richardson will get a chance to hold a rotation spot until one of Taillon, Arrighetti or Yesavage return. Matt Waldron and Spencer Miles are also options on the active roster, though both of them have been in shorter stints lately.

John Klein, Chad Dallas, CJ Van Eyk and Lazaro Estrada are also on the 40-man roster and would be alternatives. Dallas, Van Eyk and Estrada have all been optioned in the past 15 days. They could have been brought back up under the 15-day minimum as the corresponding move for Taillon but the Jays opted for Lee instead. Klein, Van Eyk and Estrada all pitched somewhat recently and may not have been available in the short term.

Van Eyk’s 15-day limit will be up on Thursday and he could pitch on normal rest by Friday. The Jays have Cease, Soriano, Scherzer and Bieber scheduled to start the next four games, so they won’t need another starter until Saturday.

Woods Richardson has an uninspiring 6.23 ERA this year. His matching 11.9% walk and strikeout rates are both poor numbers. But he has looked like an effective back-end guy in previous seasons. He tossed 245 innings with Minnesota over the 2024 and 2025 seasons with a 4.11 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. His struggles this year led to him being put on waivers, claimed by the Jays and later outrighted. After being sent down, he was serviceable in Triple-A, logging 24 1/3 innings with a 4.07 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images

Ottoneu Hot Right Now: August 11, 2026

Jake Mailhot — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:30:05 +0000

Three relievers and a power-hitting first base prospect.

Source

Tigers Select Tanner Rainey

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:20:30 +0000

The Tigers announced they have selected the contract of right-hander Tanner Rainey. He takes the active roster spot of left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus, who has been placed on the paternity list. The 40-man roster had a vacancy, so no further moves are required.

Rainey, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Tigers last summer. He got added to the roster in September and made two appearances late in the season. He was non-tendered after the campaign and then re-signed on a minor league deal.

He has been with Triple-A Toledo all season and has been performing well. He has thrown 42 2/3 innings over 39 appearances, allowing 2.32 earned runs per nine. His 14.5% walk rate is extremely high but his 33.5% strikeout rate is very impressive and his 41.1% ground ball rate is around average.

That is a rough approximation for how his big league career has gone. He has 199 innings under his belt, mostly with the Nationals, with a 5.52 ERA. He has punched out 27.6% of opponents he has faced but has also given a free pass to 15% of them.

He will give the Tigers another bullpen arm while De Jesus is away. Since Rainey has at least five years of big league service time, he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. If Rainey is bumped off the active roster when De Jesus comes back, he’ll have to be removed from the 40-man as well, though the Tigers also have optionable arms in the bullpen and could opt to keep Rainey around.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

Angels Fire Mike Maddux, Darryl Scott, Dom Chiti

Steve Adams — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:40:53 +0000

The Angels are cleaning house on the pitching end of their coaching staff. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Halos have fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti. The team announced the three dismissals shortly after the initial report. Double-A pitching coach Tim Leveque and assistant pitching coordinator Michael Wuertz will step into the roles of interim pitching coach and interim bullpen coach, respectively, according to the team. Interim GM John Mozeliak offered the following statement:

“After spending time discussing with [manager Kurt Suzuki] where we are as a coaching staff and where we want to go in the future, we felt it was best to make a change. With seven weeks remaining, we plan to use this time to evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best position us for success moving forward.”

More to come.

Marlins Place Kyle Stowers On Injured List

Mark Polishuk — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:38:53 +0000

August 11: The Marlins placed Stowers on the 10-day injured list today, retroactive to August 10, with a left hamstring strain. Infielder Graham Pauley has been recalled in a corresponding move.

August 9: First baseman Kyle Stowers made an early exit from the Marlins’ 12-3 win over the Angels today due to what the Marlins described as left hamstring discomfort. The injury occurred on Stowers’ two-run single in the sixth inning, as Stowers was openly grimacing after rounding first base and he limped off the field after being replaced by pinch-runner Leo Jimenez.

Tests will determine the extent of the hamstring issue, and the Marlins’ off-day on Monday gives Stowers some valuable healing time if he is only dealing with a day-to-day type of injury. Still, by the eye test alone, it certainly looks like a trip to the 10-day injured list might be required for the hot-hitting slugger.

A Grade 1 right hamstring strain suffered late in Spring Training sent Stowers to the IL at the start of the year, and he didn’t make his 2026 debut until April 19. Stowers hit only .213/.290/.366 in his first 184 plate appearances, but then caught fire with an OPS of over .890 in his next 215 trips to the dish. The hot hitting continued today with a 2-for-4 performance that also included a triple and a run scored.

Today’s victory over the Angels brought the 60-59 Marlins back up over the .500 mark, keeping the Fish on pace in the hunt for an NL wild card slot. Obviously losing Stowers for any amount of time would be a blow to Miami’s chances, especially after the Marlins chose to subtract from the lineup by moving Liam Hicks to the Rays at the trade deadline. While there isn’t any indication that this hamstring problem is nearly as serious, Miami fans will surely remember that it was almost exactly a year ago that Stowers sustained an oblique strain that cost him the remainder of the season — and possibly cost the Marlins a playoff berth, since the Fish finished four games behind the Reds for the last wild card berth.

Griffin Conine or Agustin Ramirez could see more time at first base if Stowers has to hit the IL, or Miami could call Deyvison De Los Santos or Graham Pauley up from Triple-A. The Marlins also just acquired a first base candidate in Jonathon Long (as part of the deadline trade that sent Braxton Garrett to the Cubs), though Long doesn’t have any big league experience.

Position Player Playing Time Changes: August 11, 2026

Jon Becker — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:30:38 +0000

A large collection of playing time swings after the trade deadline.

Source

Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 8/10: Kremer The Crop

Nick Pollack — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:20:08 +0000

Nick Pollack reviews every starting pitcher performance from Monday.

The post Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 8/10: Kremer The Crop appeared first on Pitcher List.

A’s Claim Drew Rom

Steve Adams — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:49:58 +0000

The Athletics have claimed left-hander Drew Rom off waivers from the Brewers, per a club announcement. The A’s already had an opening on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding 40-man move was necessary. Milwaukee had designated Rom for assignment over the weekend.

Rom, 26, was a 2018 fourth-rounder by the Orioles. Baltimore traded him to St. Louis in 2023’s Jack Flaherty swap, but the Cards only gave him eight big league appearances in ’23 and never took another look. Injuries played a significant role in that, as a biceps and shoulder issue eventually led to Rom undergoing surgery early in the 2024 campaign. He missed the entire season and only made it back to the mound for 23 1/3 minor league frames in 2025. The Cards removed Rom from the 40-man roster last November, and he signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee in December.

The Brewers selected Rom to the 40-man roster in early June. He’s been recalled and optioned a few times since, but Milwaukee’s deadline additions combined with an injury to shortstop Cooper Pratt to force Rom out of the picture.

Rom has previously worked primarily as a starter, but the Brewers put him in a bullpen role this season and he’s run with it. The lefty has pitched 41 innings in relief at the Triple-A level this season, logging a 2.20 ERA, 36.1% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate in that time. He’s also pitched 5 2/3 big league frames, allowing two runs on six hits and four walks with 11 strikeouts. Rom has never been a hard thrower, but his formerly 90-91 mph four-seamer is averaging 92.5 mph as a reliever this year.

Rom will finish the season with under two years of major league service time and with one minor league option year remaining. Between that club control, remaining option year and general Triple-A excellence, he seemed like he’d be scooped up quickly on waivers. It’s a bit surprising that both the Angels and Rockies passed, but the Athletics had the third priority when Rom hit the wire and will happily bring him into the fold.

The Athletics aren’t shy on left-handed bullpen depth. They have Hogan Harris, Brady Basso and veteran Jose Suarez all in their big league bullpen at the moment. Suarez has soaked up some innings in a long role but will be a non-tender candidate this winter. Harris has been working as manager Mark Kotsay’s closer recently. Basso only has 17 2/3 MLB frames on the season and was only recalled to the majors a month ago. Rom gives the A’s another option — one with plenty of club control and some particularly intriguing results following a move to short relief.

Using PLA to Evaluate Pitchers – Post Trade Deadline Checkup

Patrick Connors — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:30:46 +0000

How is PLA grading these pitchers following a trade at the deadline?

The post Using PLA to Evaluate Pitchers – Post Trade Deadline Checkup appeared first on Pitcher List.

Twins Pursued Detmers, Soriano Prior To Deadline

Steve Adams — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:05:14 +0000

The Twins added several veteran players at the deadline, picking up relievers A.J. Minter (Mets) and Jeff Hoffman (Jays) while also bringing starter Dean Kremer over from the Orioles. That trio, coupled with their mid-July pickup of Tommy Nance (also from Toronto), added some life to a pitching staff and marked a clear change in direction from their 2025 deadline.

It’s not the most aggressive slate of additions we saw this summer — far from it — but Minnesota did have eyes on some bigger fish. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that the Twins were among the many teams to reach out to the Angels about Reid Detmers. (The Twins also reportedly showed some interest in Angels shortstop Zach Neto.) Their interest in and José Soriano was already known, but it seems that interest was prominent enough that Minnesota didn’t call it quits when he went to Toronto. Reports on the day of the deadline indicated that the Blue Jays were getting calls on the right-hander, and in a separate piece, Hayes and colleague Mitch Bannon report that the Twins were among the teams who tried to pry Soriano loose from the Jays before he ever even made it to Toronto.

On the one hand, what’s done is done. The Twins didn’t put together a sufficient offer to make the Halos (or Jays) part with either Detmers or Soriano — both of whom are under club control via arbitration through the 2028 season. On the other, that pair of targets is illustrative of the team’s shift in mindset under new control person Tom Pohlad, who took over the top position in the ownership hierarchy during last December’s shuffle that saw three new minority stakeholders join the ownership group (and contributed to the eventual departure of longtime baseball operations president Derek Falvey).

Interest in names like Detmers, Soriano and Neto can also be instructive when looking ahead to the offseason. Detmers and Neto, in particular, will remain prominent trade targets for clubs looking to upgrade their rotation and infield for the next few years. Both remained with the Angels, who could well continue the sell-off that began last month under interim general manager John Mozeliak.

The interest in Soriano seems to have been particularly palpable. Hayes and Bannon report that the Twins were willing to include top shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper when they spoke to the Jays about Soriano. Culpepper, who has since been promoted to the big leagues (and homered in his debut game), is a comparably ranked prospect to infielder Arjun Nimmala, whom the Jays sent to the Angels to acquire Soriano in the first place. Presumably, the Twins discussed a similar arrangement with the Angels, but the Halos simply preferred Nimmala.

The package that landed Soriano in Toronto was top-heavy in nature. The Blue Jays didn’t give up any other ranked prospects from within their system, sending minor league outfielder Eddie Micheletti and minor league righty Angel Rivero back to the Angels as secondary pieces. Minnesota, it seems, was willing to discuss with the Jays a package headlined by Culpepper and more appealing secondary pieces, but Bannon and Hayes indicate that the Twins balked when the Jays set their sights on right-hander Riley Quick as the second piece in any discussion.

Quick, the No. 36 overall pick in the 2025 draft, has quickly shot up the Twins’ prospect rankings since being drafted. Each of Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com rank him sixth among Twins farmhands; FanGraphs even lists him as the No. 91 prospect in the sport right now. He’s a 6’6″, 255-pound righty with an upper-90s heater and the potential for three better-than-average supporting pitches (slider, changeup, cutter). He’s already reached Double-A, and while he’s been dinged for seven runs in 8 2/3 frames there, Quick breezed through Low-A and High-A, striking out 36.1% of opponents along the way.

It’s understandable if Minnesota balked at including a pair of top-100 (or top-100-adjacent) prospects to pry Soriano loose, but their willingness to even discuss names from that range of the system underscores a departure from last summer’s mindset and is worth keeping in mind as they head into the offseason. Tom Pohlad has repeatedly spoken with some urgency when saying the Twins need to win back a jilted fan base that was let down when a 2023 playoff run was followed by payroll reductions and a 2025 deadline sell-off. Adding Minter, Hoffman and Kremer certainly isn’t going to do that on its own, but the Twins will still have work to do on the staff and at least seem open to taking a more aggressive approach to augmenting future rosters.

Heading into 2027, the Twins’ rotation locks are Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley. Perhaps they’ll listen on Ryan with only one year of club control remaining, but that would run counter to their more recent courses of action. Kremer and Bailey Ober are controlled through 2027 via arbitration. Pablo López will be back from internal brace surgery next spring. As with Ryan, Ober and Kremer, he’ll be a free agent following the 2027 season.

Former top prospects like Zebby Matthews and David Festa haven’t taken advantage of multiple rotation auditions. Lefty Connor Prielipp, another recent top-100 prospect, has held his own through his first 16 big league starts but has options remaining and certainly hasn’t dominated to the point that he’s a shoo-in. Young righty Mick Abel had a big spring and strung together a pair of dominant outings in April before an elbow issue ended his season. Young lefty Kendry Rojas has impressed at times and is also on the back end of FanGraphs’ top-100 list. This is a generally talented group, but the Twins are obviously lacking in established rotation options signed/controlled beyond 2027. That fact, coupled with their deadline targets, could set the stage for Minnesota again taking aim at some longer-term pitching help in the upcoming winter.

Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 8/10

Rick Graham — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:48:55 +0000

A Review of Key Bullpen and Reliever Usage from Yesterday's Games

The post Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 8/10 appeared first on Pitcher List.

PPP 824 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 8-11-26

Nick Pollack — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:25:24 +0000

Nick Pollack's latest episode of his SP focused Plus Pitch Podcast.

The post PPP 824 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 8-11-26 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Patience or Panic: Bryan Reynolds, Colson Montgomery, Heliot Ramos

Josh Shaw — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

From the Centrals to the AL East

The post Patience or Panic: Bryan Reynolds, Colson Montgomery, Heliot Ramos appeared first on Pitcher List.

Starting Pitcher Streamer Ranks Fantasy Baseball: 8/11 & 8/12 & 8/13

Nick Pollack — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:52:52 +0000

Best SP streamers and rankings for today & tomorrow & day after.

The post Starting Pitcher Streamer Ranks Fantasy Baseball: 8/11 & 8/12 & 8/13 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Yankees Release Rafael Montero

Steve Adams — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:50:30 +0000

The Yankees have released veteran right-handed reliever Rafael Montero, per an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He’d signed a minor league deal back in February.

Montero, 36 in October, hasn’t pitched in the majors yet this season. If he doesn’t latch on with another club and make it to the big leagues, it’d be the first season since 2018 he hasn’t logged a major league inning. Even that 2018 season was technically spent in the majors, however, as Montero was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on the 60-day injured list. Including that year, he’s spent the past dozen seasons as a big leaguer.

Montero’s season was delayed due to visa issues that prevented him from getting to camp on time with the Yankees. Since he didn’t pitch at all during camp, he opened the season in extended spring as he built up toward joining the RailRiders in Scranton.

That delay pushed his season debut to the final few days of April. After missing a month of the year, he’s pitched 27 innings and logged an unsightly 5.67 ERA in that time. That earned run average is at least partly skewed by an enormous .385 average on balls in play, however. Montero has fanned a strong 25.8% of his opponents against a manageable 10.2% walk rate. He’s only plunked one batter, and opponents have only connected on three homers — exactly one round-tripper per nine frames. Montero’s 44.6% ground-ball rate, 34.1% opponents’ chase rate and 11.8% swinging-strike rate are all better-than-average marks.

Montero hasn’t been giving up too much hard contact; his opponents have averaged 89.5 mph off the bat with a 38% hard-hit rate. His velocity isn’t close to its peak, when he averaged 96.1 mph on his four-seamer with the 2023 Astros, but he’s sitting 93.9 mph on his four-seamer and 94.1 mph on his sinker, so he’s hardly a soft-tosser even as he settles into his mid-30s.

Clubs in search of bullpen help can now weigh a minor league look at the veteran Montero, whose most recent action in the big leagues saw him post a 4.48 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, 14.6% walk rate and 48.4% ground-ball rate in 60 1/3 innings between the Braves, Astros and Tigers last season. He finished out the ’25 season with Detroit, posting a 2.86 ERA (1.53 in his final 17 outings) through 22 frames.

Jung Hoo Lee Slugs Career-High 9th HR- Fantasy Hitting Recap 8/10/2026

Ryan Amore — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:00:02 +0000

Breaking down Monday's notable hitting performances.

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