Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 4/19/23 Depth Chart

Welcome back to the latest edition of our Reliever Ranks series! This will bring you up-to-date bullpen depth charts every morning for the day’s games and makes for an excellent tool for those looking to stream saves or wins. This series runs seven days a week, so check in every morning to get your daily bullpen fix!

 

Notes

 

Transaction and Schedule Notes

• The Diamondbacks activated Joe Mantiply from the 15-Day IL adding another arm to their late-inning mix.
• Cincinnati activated Lucas Sims from the 15-Day IL and optioned Kevin Herget in a corresponding move.
• Enyel De Los Santos was placed on the Paternity List by Cleveland—expect him to be away from the team for a few days.
• Detroit recalled Will Vest from the minors.
• The Dodgers transferred Daniel Hudson to the 60-Day IL.
• The Cardinals optioned Andre Pallante and recalled Jojo Romero in a corresponding move.

CLE 3 – DET 4 (Game 1)

L: James Karinchak (3)

 

• The Tigers relied upon Alex Lange to pitch the top of the 9th in a tie game. Lange handled the duties with a strikeout and allowed only one hit.
• James Karinchak was used in the bottom of the 8th in order to retire Nick Maton. Tigers manager A. J. Hinch decided to keep Karinchak in the ball game to secure the 9th inning as well. However, Kerry Carpenter had other plans. Carpenter blasted a 2-out, walk-off home run giving Karinchak his third loss in the young season. Karinchak can be a rollercoaster—vacillating between dominance and frustration. 

 

PHI 7 – CWS 4 (Game 1)

SV: José Alvarado (1)
H: Gregory Soto (2)
H: Craig Kimbrel (2)
H: Seranthony Domínguez (1) 

 

• The Phillies bullpen found itself protecting a holdable lead in Game 1 of their doubleheader after Zack Wheeler exited after five innings of work. The bullpen arms were dominant—allowing no baserunners and striking out eight over four innings of work. Phillies manager Rob Thompson saw it fit to use Gregory Soto in the 6th, Craig Kimbrel in the 7th, Seranthony Domínguez in the 8th, and José Alvarado in the 9th.
• This was Alvarado’s first save chance of the year and he did not disappoint—striking out two without allowing a baserunner. It is important to note that both Kimbrel and Dominguez were brought in to face the top of the White Sox lineup—ensuring that this closer carousel will continue. 

 

SFG 2 – MIA 4

SV: A.J. Puk (3)
H: Dylan Floro (4)
H: Tanner Scott (1)

 

• On the shoulders of an impressive six innings of work from Edward Cabrera, the Marlins bullpen successfully protected a two-run lead over the course of three shutout innings. First out of the pen was Tanner Scott who handled the 7th without incident. Dylan Floro needed just 9 pitches to secure a clean inning in the 8th. Floro has yet to give up a run while compiling a 31 K%—emerging as a strong asset in holds leagues. A.J. Puk secured his third save while earning two strikeouts. Puk has established himself as the go-to arm to close out games thus far with a career-high 38.1% CSW. 

 

BAL 1 – WAS 0

SV: Félix Bautista (5)
H: Danny Coulombe (3)
H: Yennier Cano (2) 

 

• The Orioles handled the Nationals without issue as the pitching staff earned the combined shutout thanks in large part to 6.2 strong innings from Dean Kramer.
• Danny Coulombe got the call to secure the final out of the 7th inning where he induced a CJ Abrams pop-up. Despite being listed on Fangraphs as a middle-relief option, Coulombe has found his way into some late-inning work so far this season. He has accumulated three holds while offering some strong ratios and a compelling 38.5 K%. Might be someone to keep an eye on in deep holds leagues.
• Dodging some activity on the base paths, Félix Bautista continued his claim as one of the best relievers in baseball after nailing down his 5th save. This was a rare strikeout-less appearance for Bautista.

 

LAA 5 – NYY 2

SV: José Quijada (3)
H: Jimmy Herget (4)
H: Jamie Barria (1)

 

• The closer carousel continues! Tonight, it was José Quijada tasked with procuring the final three outs for the Halos. Quijada made quick work finishing off the Yankee bats including a strikeout of Anthony Volpe to end the game. Fellow co-closer Carlos Estévez had pitched in two of the last three and needed 26 pitches to get through the 9th the night before—so his availability might have been in question.
• So far, Estevez has two saves to Quijada’s three. Estevez has experienced some issues with the Base on Balls to start the year, logging an unseemly 6.43 BB/9 thus far. Estevez does not boast elite strikeout (27.3%) or CSW (23.%) numbers, either. Quijada and his superior control might be the better arm to bet on if this eventually settles into a singular role.

Best of the rest!

 

• Andrew Chafin imploded for three ER in a non-save, four-run lead 9th inning appearance. Michael Castro was asked to stop the bleeding and secured his first save. This adds more intrigue to an already tumultuous Arizona bullpen.
• Jordan Romano earned his league-leading 7th save securing the final four outs.
• Mark Leiter Jr. earned his first win of the season following Marcus Stroman’s six-inning gem. The run support came at the expense of Oakland’s Trevor May who gave up four earned runs in the 8th inning. The struggles for Oakland’s off-season bullpen acquisition continue to mount.
• Reynaldo López earned his third save with a four-out effort while striking out three Phillies. It’s been a bumpy ride so far but Lopez can flash dominance—particularly with his 38.5 K%.

Stream Targets

Miami Bullpen

• Both A.J. Puk and Dylan Floro have worked back-to-back games. Floro was quite economical in his outings (only 9 pitches thrown in each), but I would still look toward Tanner Scott or Matt Barnes as possible save/hold streams today. Particularly as Miami has a day game today.

 

Bullpen Depth Charts

Also, if you’re looking for a detailed list or ranking of RPs, check out Rick Graham’s weekly pieces:

The Hold Up: Ranking the Top 100 Relievers for Holds Every Thursday

Closing Time: Ranking the Top 30 Closers

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues