Bednar was placed on the 15-day IL this week with an oblique strain, and while the team is hoping it is just a minor strain, these things tend to linger and take time so he could be looking at a month or so absence. With Bednar out, Aroldis Chapman is expected to see the bulk of save opportunities, but I’d love to see Colin Holderman get a chance here as he has been the better reliever all season (regardless of Sunday’s loss) despite not having Chapman’s experience. Chapman has pitched better lately, and while the strikeouts will always come in bunches, so will the walks, making him the ultimate reliever Cherry Bomb. He’s definitely worth the add in roto leagues and 14+ team head-to-head formats, but by no means a must add in standard 12-team head-to-head leagues.
Notes
- Edwin Díaz was ejected from Sunday night’s game as it was deemed he violated the MLB sticky stuff policy, and will now miss 10 games with a mandatory suspension and won’t be eligible to return until July 6th. Adam Ottavino and Reed Garrett figure to get the save chances until then, although the team only has five games this week (against the Yankees and Astros) before four games against the Nationals to start next week. In deep leagues or if you happen to have an open roster spot, feel free to add Garrett, and if you are rostering Díaz, you are just going to have to be patient.
- Clay Holmes has allowed six runs (5 ER) over his past four outings, but he really hasn’t shown top-10 upside for a while now. Over his past 16.2 innings, Holmes has just an 18.2% strikeout rate, 1.68 WHIP, and 3.85 xFIP while blowing three saves. For now, he’s at the top of the very good/solid tier of closer options, at least until we see the strikeout rate improve.
- Speaking of strikeout rate improvement, Raisel Iglesias has six strikeouts over his past three innings, so perhaps this is the start of something good here? Well, the past three games came against the Yankees, Tigers, and Rays, with Iglesias striking out the struggling Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres in that Yankee game. That being said, he has seen an uptick in velo over this span, now sitting 96-97 instead of around 95 like before. The strikeout rate is still 9% lower than last season and from his career numbers, but he may be trending upward.
- Alexis Díaz still has the closer role in Cincinnati and at this point, it feels like only an IL stint or trade would remove him. Having that kind of job security at least gives him an advantage over the likes of Michael Kopech and Jason Foley when it comes to save-only leagues, but it will take a lot for him to move up any further in the ranks anytime soon.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series
Watch List
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jeff Hoffman | PHI | likely 2nd in line for saves in committee |
| 2. | Fernando Cruz | CIN | Sims may be next, but Cruz has upside |
| 3. | Mark Leiter Jr. | CHC | Better than Neris, but less experience |
| 4. | Hunter Harvey | WAS | Way better than Finnegan skills wise |
| 5. | Colin Holderman | PIT | pitching better than Chapman this year |
| 6. | Shelby Miller | DET | has been steady in the back end… |
| 7. | Griffin Jax | MIN | Duran may not see every save chance |
| 8. | Justin Slaten | BOS | Jansen is all but guaranteed to be moved |
| 9. | A.J. Puk | MIA | back in the pen where he’s excelled before |
| 10. | Kevin Ginkel | ARZ | If Sewald ends up on the move… |
| Rank | Pitcher | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emmanuel ClaseT1 | - |
| 2 | Josh Hader | - |
| 3 | Edwin DíazT2 | - |
| 4 | Andrés Muñoz | - |
| 5 | Mason Miller | - |
| 6 | Ryan HelsleyT3 | - |
| 7 | Pete Fairbanks | - |
| 8 | Evan Phillips | - |
| 9 | Jhoan Duran | - |
| 10 | Craig Kimbrel | - |
| 11 | Trevor MegillT4 | +1 |
| 12 | Tanner Scott | +1 |
| 13 | Clay HolmesT5 | -2 |
| 14 | Paul Sewald | - |
| 15 | Robert Suarez | - |
| 16 | Raisel Iglesias | +2 |
| 17 | Camilo Doval | - |
| 18 | Kirby Yates | +1 |
| 19 | Kyle Finnegan | +1 |
| 20 | José Alvarado | +1 |
| 21 | Kenley Jansen | +1 |
| 22 | Carlos Estévez | +2 |
| 23 | James McArthurT6 | - |
| 24 | Alexis Díaz | +4 |
| 25 | Michael Kopech | - |
| 26 | Jason Foley | - |
| 27 | Aroldis Chapman | +UR |
| 28 | Chad Green | -1 |
| 29 | Héctor Neris | - |
| 30 | Jalen Beeks | - |