The White Sox were hoping to be able to turn to Kendall Graveman as their closer with Liam Hendriks on the IL, but that has not worked out as planned as Graveman has struggled since Hendriks has been out. In fact, he has zero saves over his past nine appearances, while also allowing five earned runs (two home runs), and five walks.
The good news is Hendriks is throwing again and could return shortly after the All-Star break. The question remains, however, will he be on the move at the deadline and who may be the White Sox closer from August onward if he is traded?
I think the best bet remains Graveman, as it’s possible the White Sox deal half their bullpen as Joe Kelly, like Hendriks, only has a team option for next season while Keynan Middleton and Reynaldo López will be free agents after this season.
Notes
- It took Devin Williams over two months to reach the ten-save mark this season, but he’s been hot as of late, with eight saves over his past two-plus weeks, not allowing a run over that nine-inning stretch. However, that stretch does come with a gross 11.4% K-BB rate (thanks to a 17.1% BB rate) and 4.13 xFIP. That walk rate is bound to start hurting Williams eventually, especially if he’s unable to keep his K rate above 30%.
- Pete Fairbanks still seems like a shell of his former self, but I guess we shouldn’t argue with the results for now as there’s always the possibility he can return to form after the All-Star break again. Similar to Williams, Fairbanks is struggling mightily in the walk department lately, with an 11.8% K-BB rate since returning from the IL in June. It feels weird moving him up the ranks under these circumstances, but given the names below him in this tier and the fact he is locked in as the Rays’ sole closer, I’ll take a chance on Fairbanks’ upside.
- Evan Phillips has been on a tear lately, and after going almost 40 days without a save, now has five over the past two weeks. Over this 6.1-inning stretch, Phillips has not allowed a run while striking out 6 and walking none. If Phillips is able to keep this momentum and hold onto the closer role for himself through the All-Star break, there’s a chance I move him back into the top 15 next week.
- Hunter Harvey continues to rack up saves for the Nationals, now with three over the past week and five over the past two weeks (tied for the league lead). He hasn’t allowed a run in that span while striking out six over 6.1 innings. Harvey moves up over a few committee members as the Nationals aren’t too far off from those closers’ respective teams in the standings, and at least Harvey has the closer role to himself for the foreseeable future.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series
Rank | Pitcher | Team | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1. | José Alvarado | PHI | Best reliever in baseball before injury, now behind Kimbrel. |
2. | Giovanny Gallegos | STL | May have lost full-time closer gig with string of bad outings. |
3. | Mark Leiter Jr. | CHC | Losing ground to Alzolay in closer committee? |
4. | Jason Adam | TB | Back to setup role with Fairbanks back…for now. |
5. | Andrew Chafin | ARZ | Would roster over Castro, but McGough is the favorite for saves. |
6. | Adam Ottavino | NYM | Even in timeshare, can be a valuable mixed-league reliever. |
7. | Andrés Muñoz | SEA | May not get a ton of saves, but has value elsewhere. |
8. | Aroldis Chapman | TEX | new threat to Smith for saves in Texas, |
9. | Tommy Kahnle | NYY | If Holmes were to lose the job, Kahnle could be next in line. |
10. | Daniel Hudson | LAD | back in the Dodgers pen, but Phillips may be running away with role. |
Rank | Pitcher | Change |
---|---|---|
1 | Félix BautistaT1 | - |
2 | Emmanuel Clase | - |
3 | Devin Williams | +2 |
4 | Josh Hader | -1 |
5 | Alexis Díaz | -1 |
6 | David Bednar | - |
7 | Ryan Pressly | +1 |
8 | Jhoan Duran | -1 |
9 | Camilo Doval | - |
10 | Jordan Romano | - |
11 | Paul SewaldT2 | - |
12 | Craig Kimbrel | - |
13 | A.J. Puk | - |
14 | Raisel Iglesias | - |
15 | Pete Fairbanks | +5 |
16 | Carlos Estévez | -1 |
17 | Will Smith | -1 |
18 | Scott Barlow | -1 |
19 | Alex Lange | -1 |
20 | Kenley Jansen | -1 |
21 | Clay HolmesT3 | - |
22 | Evan Phillips | +3 |
23 | Scott McGough | -1 |
24 | Hunter Harvey | +3 |
25 | Adbert Alzolay | -2 |
26 | David Robertson | -2 |
27 | Jordan Hicks | -1 |
28 | Justin LawrenceT4 | +1 |
29 | Trevor May | +1 |
30 | Kendall Graveman | -2 |