Free-agent relief pitcher Joe Smith is signing an undisclosed deal with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, according to a source. The 37-year-old right-hander split the 2021 season with the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, posting a 4.99 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and eight walks in 39 2/3 relief innings over 50 appearances. Smith took the 2020 season off due to COVID-19 and had a strong 1.80 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 25 innings for Houston back in 2019. In Minnesota, Smith will compete ...

The Houston Astros activated relief pitcher Joe Smith (elbow) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and optioned infielder Taylor Jones to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. Smith has been out since June 9 with right elbow soreness and had a rough 6.23 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 17 1/3 relief innings for the 'Stros before his injury. However, he did record a 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 22/5 K/BB in his 25 relief innings during the regular season in 2020 and should be an upgrade to ...

Houston Astros relief pitcher Joe Smith (elbow) started a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday night. Barring a setback, Smith could certainly rejoin the club before the All-Star break. The right-handed reliever wasn't very good before going on the injured list, sporting a 6.23 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 15/4 K/BB in 17 1/3 innings over 22 relief appearances. However, he has been a solid setup man in the past as a journeyman reliever and could become a solid bullpen piece ...

Houston Astros relief pitcher Joe Smith (elbow) will throw a bullpen session on Friday. It sounds like Smith will use his whole arsenal at the session in Detroit. The hope is that things go well and Smith can be activated shortly after the session. However, he might be asked to go on a rehab assignment, which would sideline him longer. Smith has been out since early July and wasn't pitching well before the injury. He can be ignored in fantasy formats going forward.

Houston Astros pitcher Joe Smith has a chance to be a sneaky-good option for holds and the odd save this coming fantasy season. The veteran right-hander had a respectable spring by allowing two runs in 4.2 innings with a K-BB of 5-1. The 37-year-old might be a bit of a forgotten arm after he sat out 2020 to be with his sick mother, who passed away last August. However, Smith has 210 career holds and finished the 2019 season with a 1.80 ERA in 28 games for the Astros. Behind closer Ryan ...

The Houston Astros placed relief pitcher Joe Smith on the restricted list on Wednesday, but Smith has not informed the team of his final intentions for the 2020 season. It was reported earlier that Smith was opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns around the coronavirus pandemic, but he hasn't made a final decision. If the 36-year-old reliever winds up skipping the season, it'll be a big loss for Houston's bullpen, as Smith was set to be one of the primary setup men in front of closer ...

Houston Astros relief pitcher Joe Smith (Achilles) has been activated from the 60-day injured list on Friday. Smith has not pitched this season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. He pitched decent in the minors, but has been a serviceable reliever in the majors for quite some time. The Astros will likely ease him back into action, so he won't have much value right away.

Houston Astros relief pitchers Hector Rondon and Joe Smith are being added to the roster for the American League Championship Series against the Red Sox in favor of reliever Will Harris and outfielder Myles Straw. Rondon was solid for the Astros as their primary closer for much of the year, but he lost the job when the team traded for current closer Roberto Osuna.

Welcome to our surprising starts series. Every week we'll be going over a few surprising starting pitcher performances around the majors to determine whether these starts were smoke and mirrors or something more. We are beginning to see good production from somewhat unknown and unheralded pitchers due to September callups. The pitchers that were covered this week have all thrown fewer than 35 innings in the majors this season. Reds lefty Cody Reed struck out double digit Cubs in just five [...]

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to take advantage of breakouts or impact bats before others sure can. The primary challenge of playing in an NL or AL-only league is often the lack of options regarding adding and subtracting players when neede[...]