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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 4/25/24 Depth Chart

Breakdowns of key bullpen usage from yesterday's slate of games.

Wynn McDonald
Fantasy 4/25/2024

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

 

  • All 30 teams were in action this hump day, including a surprising amount of night games for a Wednesday. Read on for the scoop on who’s fresh heading into the weekend.
  • After a rough start to his 2024 campaign as a starter, the Marlins announced that A.J. Puk will be moving back to the bullpen when he returns from the IL. Puk saved 15 games as the primary closer for the Fish last season, but we’ll have to wait see how he adjusts before sounding the alarm on Tanner Scott’s job.
  • The Cardinals optioned swingman Zach Thompson to Triple-A to earn starts, opening up some long-relief opportunities in the STL ‘pen. This will likely be filled by John King, the lefty who was called up in his place.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

BAL 6 – LAA 5

SV: Craig Kimbrel (7)

H: Danny Coulombe (4), Yennier Cano (4)

  • The Orioles rode an excellent start from Dean Kremer into the sixth inning, at which point he was chased by Mike Trout’s MLB-leading 10th homer. He was followed by Jacob Webb and Yennier Cano, each of whom allowed a homer of their own as the lead got steadily tighter. The Angels pulled within a run in the ninth, capitalizing on a leadoff single and a throwing error. But Craig Kimbrel buckled down and retired the side for save No. 7, recording the final out on a CS at second base.
  • José Suarez had a brutal sixth inning for the Halos, allowing four earned runs and notching just two outs, lowering his ERA to a whopping 9.20 in eight appearances this year. The rest of the pen handled business, with Carson Fulmer covering the final two frames to keep his team in the game.

 

MIL 3 – PIT 2

SV: Joel Payamps (4)

H: Elvis Peguero (4), Trevor Megill (3)

W: Bryan Hudson (2-0)

  • If you went to the bathroom in the third inning of this game, you could’ve missed all the offense. The Brewers scored three runs in the top half off Josh Fleming and Luis L. Ortiz, the Pirates countered with a two-run homer off Bryse Wilson in the bottom half, and that proved to be the final margin.
  • Milwaukee followed Wilson with Bryan Hudson, Elvis Peguero, Trevor Megill, and Joel Payamps, in that order. This bullpen remains a committee, but it’s worth noting that Payamps has drawn (and converted) each of the last two save opportunities this week. He worked around a pair of errors in the ninth on Wednesday (one of which was his own), but he showed some grit striking out Andrew McCutchen to end the ballgame. He should be good to go if needed today as well, if he is Pat Murphy’s preferred choice.
  • Pittsburgh accomplished a rare feat in this game, as four separate pitchers covered two+ innings. Roansy Contreras and Hunter Stratton combined for four shutout frames in the second half.

 

DET 5 – TB 7

SV: Garrett Cleavinger (3)

H: Jason Adam (7)

W/BS: Chris Devenski (1-1/2)

L/BS: Will Vest (1-1/2)

  • The Rays took the lead early in this one, but they blew it in the middle innings as the Detroit bats started to tee off on Tyler Alexander and Chris Devenski. Thankfully their offense picked them up with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Tampa Bay’s late-inning stalwarts took it from there. Jason Adam was deployed to face the top of the order in the seventh, and he stayed on through the eighth, retiring all six batters in a row with two punchouts. That left the bottom of the order for Garrett Cleavinger in the ninth, where he picked up his second save of the year.
  • The Tigers turned to Will Vest to protect their newfound lead in the sixth, and he did the opposite of that, giving the lead right back on a two-run blast by Curtis Mead. Shelby Miller and Andrew Chafin covered the next two frames without issue, saving both Alex Lange and Jason Foley from a potential back-to-back.

 

MIA 3 – ATL 4 (10)

H: Joe Jiménez (6)

W: A.J. Minter (4-1)

BS: Raisel Iglesias (1)

L: Tanner Scott (0-4)

  • The Marlins did their darndest to fend off a sweep, leading off the ninth with three straight singles and handing Raisel Iglesias his first blown save of the season. They would have taken the lead if not for a critical fielder’s-choice out at home and a clutch inning-ending strikeout by Iglesias. When you’re playing the Braves, tying the game is rarely gonna be enough.
  • Miami stuck with Calvin Faucher for the eighth and ninth, and it somehow worked? He managed to bait Ronald Acuña Jr. into a huge double play that sent it to extras, but when they failed to score in the 10th, writing was on the wall. Tanner Scott’s second pitch was scorched to left by Michael Harris, and that was that.
  • A.J. Minter earned the win for Atlanta, his fourth already. Minter kept the Marlins off the board in the 10th thanks to a great play by Austin Riley, nailing the go-ahead run at the plate. He remains an elite set-up option in one of the league’s best bullpens from top to bottom.

 

TOR 2 – KCR 3

SV: James McArthur (6)

H: Chris Stratton (2)

W: John Schreiber (2-0)

  • Same score, same names, different day. The Royals beat the Blue Jays 3-2 on Tuesday and they did the same on Wednesday, with James McArthur nailing down the save on both occasions. This more than likely rules out the Kansas City closer for Thursday’s series finale. John Schreiber and Chris Stratton is next in line, but they’ve also pitched back-to-back nights, so it may come down to who’s feeling the freshest today if needed. Of that trio, Schreiber has thrown the least pitches this week (24), so he may have a slim edge.
  • Angel Zerpa threw 40 pitches in long relief earlier in the game, so don’t look at him (unless you’re in the market for a fantastic baby name).
  • Bowden Francis did good work in the middle innings for Toronto, keeping the game close after the Royals did their damage early. Francis had a couple of rough starts to begin the year, but in his last two appearances out of the bullpen he’s tossed four scoreless frames.

 

 

The Best of the Rest…

  • Ryan Helsley closed out the Cardinals’ 5-1 win over Arizona, but some eighth-inning insurance from his offense circumvented a save opportunity. He needed just 13 pitches, thanks to a game-ending double play.
  • Edwin Díaz allowed a pair of hits and an unearned run closing out a blowout win over the Giants. He hadn’t thrown since Saturday, so the Mets presumably just wanted to get him some work with an off day tomorrow.
  • Héctor Neris picked up his second save of the season in the Cubs’ 4-3 win over Houston. He and Mark Leiter Jr., who pitched the eighth inning, appear to be Chicago’s top two options at closer for the time being — but the distinction is far from clear-cut.
  • Griffin Jax collected his third save of the year against the White Sox, retiring MiLB’s finest on just nine pitches in the ninth inning. He holds the edge at closer by a thin margin over Brock Stewart and others.
  • Robert Suarez earned yet another save for San Diego, tying Clay Holmes for the MLB lead with nine. He had little trouble retiring the Rockies in order on seven pitches. Suarez has pitched three of the past four days, so we could see Yuki Matsui get a save chance on Thursday if the opportunity arises.

 

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

Wynn McDonald

Born a Kentuckian, much like Dan Uggla. Braves fan by choice, unlike Dan Uggla. I enjoy long walks on the Brandon Beachy. @twynstagram

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