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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 6/3/24 Depth Chart

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

Jake Crumpler
Fantasy 6/3/2024

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

 

  • The New York Mets activated Drew Smith from the 15-day IL after he missed five-plus weeks with right shoulder inflammation. Smith will enter the holds conversation in Queens. Josh Walker was optioned to the minors in a corresponding move.
  • The Los Angeles Angels recalled Ben Joyce from the minors. The college standout-turned-big league flamethrower debuted to mixed results last year (10 IP, 5.40 ERA, 2.1% K-BB%) but has looked dominant at Double-A this year with an unlucky 4.26 ERA (19 IP). Joyce has a 2.17 xFIP and an elite 29.1% K-BB%. He may be eased into high-leverage situations, but could quickly become the Angels’ best reliever.
  • The Cincinnati Reds activated Justin Wilson from the 15-day IL. The southpaw landed on the IL two weeks ago with left shoulder tightness. Before the injury, Wilson was trusted in high-leverage situations (four holds) despite a 5.91 ERA (10.2 IP). That leads me to believe he’ll have a higher chance of getting holds than fellow lefty Brent Suter.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

MIN 4 – HOU 3

W: Steven Okert (2)

L: Ryan Pressly (3)

HD: Griffin Jax (11)

SV: Jhoan Duran (10)

  • Where are the strikeouts? Jhoan Duran has pitched 15 innings since returning from the IL but has struck out just 22.6% of the batters he’s faced. That’s paltry compared to the 33.2% K% he compiled in his first two seasons. So, what’s wrong with Duran, and why isn’t he striking anyone out? Well, for one, he’s seen his velocity fall across his arsenal. From 2023, the fastball is down 1.6 mph to 100.2 mph, the splitter is down 1.5 mph to 96.8 mph, and the curveball is down 1.5 mph to 86.2 mph. His velocity is still elite, but his heater is getting crushed (53.8% ICR) and he’s getting fewer whiffs on all of his pitches. It’s most noticeable with the curve, as its SwStr% has dropped 8.8% to 9.1%. It feels like Duran should be getting more swings and misses and his overall 14.7% SwStr% suggests a K% closer to 30%, but he’ll need to recover his velocity if he wants to return to being a top-five closer.

 

DET 8 – BOS 4 (F/10)

W: Andrew Chafin (3)

L: Cam Booser (2)

  • Jason Foley got three outs across the eighth and ninth innings of this one when the game was still tied. He kept it that way, sending the ballgame to extra innings after Andrew Chafin secured the final out of regulation. The Tigers bullpen has been anything but exciting this year. Foley teased us early on with increased velocity but has since returned to be the closer version of a Toby. Just two pitchers in this arm barn (Chafin and Joey Wentz) have strikeout rates north of 22%, and both have ERA’s north of 4.50. Both Foley and Chafin have pitched on back-to-back days, so expect Alex Faedo or Will Vest to get the ninth today.
  • Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth with the game still tied, but his relief-mates weren’t as fortunate in extras. Cam Booser surrendered four runs in the 10th after a clean ninth. The surprise 32-year-old rookie southpaw now has an inflated ERA but had impressed entering this outing with a 31.3% K% and one of the best fastballs in the game. His mid-90s four-seamer has induced a 22.8% SwStr% this year, placing him in the top 2% of the league. He hasn’t been entrusted with many leads and this outing didn’t do anything to help his case, but Booser should be a high-leverage candidate as the team’s #2 left-handed option.

 

TBR 4 – BAL 3

W: Shawn Armstrong (2)

HD: Garrett Cleavinger (5)

SV: Pete Fairbanks (6)

  • Pete Fairbanks has been untouchable since returning from the IL on May 11th. He’s tossed 10 innings without allowing an earned run and I think we can be confident he won’t be losing the closer role any time soon. He’s always at risk of landing on the IL, but that’s not something we can account for. Just set it and forget it with Fairbanks.

 

OAK 1 – ATL 3

W: Dylan Lee (2)

L: Austin Adams (1)

HD: Joe Jiménez (12)

SV: Raisel Iglesias (15)

  • Raisel Iglesias has not been his usual self, but that hasn’t stopped him from posting a 2.42 ERA (22.1 IP) and the sixth-most saves in MLB. It is concerning, though, that he’s maintained a career-low 18% K%. There is some underperformance present, as he has a solid 12.5% SwStr%, suggesting a K% around 25%. However, that’s a 5% drop from last year as his heaters and slider have not induced whiffs. We’re not dropping Iglesias any time soon, but if you have a deep arsenal of closers and can afford to trade one, I’d choose Iglesias because of his reduced ceiling resulting from his lack of punchouts.

 

PIT 4 – TOR 5

HD: Chad Green (4), Trevor Richards (4), Nate Pearson (2)

SV: Yimi García (3)

  • With Jordan Romano on the IL, Yimi García will be the Blue Jays closer. He needs to be rostered everywhere as he sports a 1.57 ERA (23 IP) and a 33.7% K%. Introducing a new sweeper has been a game-changer for the veteran righty, helping him attain strikeout potential he’d never shown previously.

 

WSN 5 – CLE 2

HD: Robert Garcia (8), Hunter Harvey (18)

SV: Kyle Finnegan (16)

  • I don’t know what it is about Kyle Finnegan and outperforming his underlying metrics, but he’s doing it again with a career-best 1.57 ERA (23 IP) despite less impressive ERA estimators (xFIP: 3.40, SIERA: 3.55, xERA: 4.27). I don’t expect him to keep this up much longer, but I have no idea when the ball will finally drop. Hold onto your Hunter Harvey shares as he continues to dominate and will be the next man up.

 

ARI 5 – NYM 4

W: Justin Martinez (2)

L: Jake Diekman (2)

HD: Danny Young (1), Reed Garrett (6), Adam Ottavino (10)

SV: Paul Sewald (5)

  • Paul Sewald lucked into a save opportunity after his offense claimed the lead in the top of the ninth. He has quelled anyone’s fears that he’d be pitching at a diminished level after an extended IL stint to start the year. Sewald owns a 1.08 ERA (8.1 IP) with a 27.6% K%. Justin Martinez is an interesting addition to this bullpen. The 22-year-old flamethrower debuted last year but has received an extended look this year and has capitalized on that opportunity, pitching to a 0.44 ERA (20.2 IP) with a 28.9% K%. The DBacks have yet to entrust him with a high-leverage situation (0 SV+HLD), but expect him to start seizing those soon as his effectiveness is impossible to deny. Sewald has now pitched on back-to-back days, so expect Kevin Ginkel to get the ninth today.
  • Jake Diekman set Sewald up for his save by blowing his second save of the year on a go-ahead two-run shot. The Mets turned to Reed Garrett in the seventh and Adam Ottavino in the eighth, preparing Diekman for the ninth. No one in that trio wants to claim the closer role, so it may be best to steer clear with Edwin Diaz due back in a couple of weeks.

 

SDP 3 – KCR 4

W: Will Klein (1)

L: Yuki Matsui (1)

HD: Enyel De Los Santos (6)

  • James McArthur pitched the eighth after Angel Zerpa surrendered two runs, allowing the Padres to tie it up. Luckily, the offense countered with a walk-off win. Will Klein was lucky enough to earn the first win of his career, and he’s actually an interesting prospect. The 6’5″, 24-year-old right-hander has thrown just three innings at the big league level this year but has impressed throughout his minor league career since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. Armed with a 97.3 mph heater with great shape and a hammer curveball (and a slider), Klein has touted impressive strikeout numbers and less impressive walk numbers throughout his time in the minors. He’s your typical James Karinchak archetype, so he has a high ceiling and a low floor.

 

CHW 3 – MIL 6

HD: Kevin Herget (1)

SV: Enoli Paredes (1)

  • Enoli Paredes surprised everyone by recording the final six outs of a win to secure the first save of his career. Paredes has yet to allow a run through his first seven innings this year, and he may be someone to keep an eye on. He’s always been a high strikeout arm with loads of potential, but he’s failed to consistently command the ball, touting a 19.7% BB% in his career (2020-22) entering this season and walked 18.6% of the batters he faced at Triple-A with the Astros last year. Things have looked different in his first season in a new organization as he walked just 11% of batters with a 41.5% K% at Triple-A with the Brewers. He’s yet to walk anyone in the Majors this year, and could quickly climb the holds ladder with few electric options in the Milwaukee bullpen.

 

CIN 5 – CHC 2

HD: Nick Martinez (2)

SV: Alexis Díaz (12)

  • Well, the velocity spike for Alexis Díaz was short-lived, but I guess he’s still getting the job done. Díaz makes it difficult for me to get on board. With his inflated WHIP (1.52) and fly ball tendency in Cincinnati, he’s a blowup machine. Even with just one run allowed across his past 6.2 innings pitched, I’m still not convinced he should be trusted because he’s also walked four in that time. I’ll continue to bang the drum for Fernando Cruz to take over.

 

NYY 7 – SFG 5

W: Michael Tonkin (2)

L: Camilo Doval (1)

HD: Ryan Walker (10), Tyler Rogers (9)

SV: Clay Holmes (17)

  • It’s Clay Holmes‘ year. He’s third in baseball in saves and carries a career-low 1.37 ERA (26.1 IP), a top-ten mark in baseball (min. 25 IP). The recent drop in strikeouts is something to keep an eye on. After striking out 29.5% of the batters he faced through his first 19.1 IP, he’s struck out just 11.4% of batters in seven innings since then. I think it’s just natural regression as Holmes was outperforming his 13% SwStr%. Holmes has pitched in consecutive games, but the Yankees are off tomorrow, so he’ll be back in action on Tuesday.
  • Camilo Doval blew his first save in dramatic fashion, surrendering four runs on three extra-base hits. The poor outing pushed his ERA north of 4.00 and it marks a concerning trend for the young right-hander. He’s walking batters at a career-high 15.6% clip (career 9.6% BB% entering 2024) and had been fortunate to own a sub-3.00 ERA entering Sunday. I don’t think he’s at risk of losing his closer role, but if he doesn’t reign in the free passes, it could be a roller-coaster season for Doval.

 

STL 5 – PHI 4 (F/10)

W: John King (2)

L: Gregory Soto (3)

SV: Ryan Helsley (19)

  • Cardinals manager Oli Marmol held out until the tenth to deploy Ryan Helsley, and it paid off as he worked around the zombie runner with ease to claim the Major League lead in saves. The right-hander has been excellent this year, and yet, he’s still underperforming. His 17% SwStr% is indicative of a strikeout rate north of 30%, but Helsley is barely striking out more than a quarter of the batters he faces. I think he has the stuff to become a top-three closer in baseball.
  • The debate in Philly is between José Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman. Meanwhile, Matt Strahm’s over here pitching the sixth inning with a 0.75 ERA (24 IP) and a 39.1% K%. Both marks are second in the National League (min. 20 IP). I would love to see the southpaw get more consideration for high-leverage situations as he’s been the best reliever in an elite bullpen.

 

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

 

Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire

Design by Jackson Wallace

Jake Crumpler

A Bay Area sports fan and lover of baseball, Jake is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in English Literature. He currently writes fantasy articles for Pitcher List, is the lead baseball writer at The Athletes Hub, and does playing time analysis at BaseballHQ. Some consider his knowledge of the sport to be encyclopedic.

One response to “Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 6/3/24 Depth Chart”

  1. Babbo B says:
    June 3, 2024 at 5:08 PM

    Great rundown, but for the record it was Doval’s second blown save.

    Reply

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