Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 8/18/24 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

 

Transactions and Schedule

 

• Another Saturday during the dog days of summer with all 30 teams in action in 15 games.
• The Reds placed Hunter Greene on the IL. With Greene’s injury, each of the top 10 starting pitchers in average fastball velocity have all spent time on the injured list with arm-related issues since the end of 2023.

and then there was one pic.twitter.com/MjqixneRLf

— Will Harris (@sandwich_pick) May 1, 2024

• Robert Garcia and Derek Law were placed on the IL by the Washington Nationals who recalled Joan Adon and selected the contract of Joe La Sorsa.
• The Dodgers called up Blake Treinen and reinstated Ryan Brasier from the IL to bolster their bullpen ranks.
• The White Sox claimed Enyel De Los Santos off waivers from the Yankees and recalled Gus Varland from the minors.

 

CHC 3 – TOR 2

W: Nate Pearson (2-1)

L: Chris Bassitt (9-12)

HD: Tyson Miller (9), Julian Merryweather (2),  Drew Smyly (7), Porter Hodge (2)

SV: Jorge López (3)

• Justin Steele started the game for Chicago but pitched only two flawless innings before giving way to the bullpen after multiple rain delays. Pearson came in and tossed two scoreless to become the pitcher of record while Miller, Merryweather, Smyly, and Hodge held things together until the ninth.
• Leading 3-1 in the ninth, the Cubs turned to Lopez to close out the game after Héctor Neris‘ nightmare blown save on Friday. Lopez allowed a leadoff solo shot to Addison Barger but retired the top of the Jays’ lineup to earn the save.

TBR 6 – ARZ 1 

W: Jeffrey Springs (1-1)

L: Zac Gallen (9-6)

HD: Edwin Uceta (4)

SV: Richard Lovelady (1)

• Springs tossed five innings allowing just one run in his best start since returning from the IL. The Rays’ bullpen backed him up until the eighth when Arizona loaded the bases with two outs and Corbin Carroll at the plate.
• The Rays turned to Lovelady to retire Carroll and then trotted him back out there for the ninth, where Lovelady retired the side.
• Lovelady becomes the ninth different Rays reliever to record a save this season, while Pete Fairbanks leads the way with 23.

MIL 2 – CLE 1 

W: Freddy Peralta (8-7)

L: Tanner Bibee (10-5)

HD: Joel Payamps (14), Jared Koenig (6)

SV: Devin Williams (4)

• Peralta twirled a quality start for the Brewers, going six strong innings and allowing just one solo home run to Josh Naylor in the fourth inning.
• William Contreras answered with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead.
• Peralta, Payamps, and Koenig combined to hold the lead and get the ball to Devin Williams in the ninth for a save opportunity. Williams recorded three weak groundouts in a clean ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.
• Williams has now thrown three of the last four days, earning three saves in three opportunities, but is likely unavailable for a day or two.

STL 5 – LAD 2 

W: Andre Pallante (5-6)

L: Bobby Miller (1-3)

HD: JoJo Romero (29)

SV: Ryan Helsley (38)

• Pallante posted one of his best starts of the season, going seven innings deep allowing just two earned runs on four hits.
• Shohei Ohtani yanked a home run to right-center in the fifth, but the Cardinals provided Pallante with run support as Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn and Nolan Arenado each homered.
• JoJo Romero tossed a flawless eighth to bridge the gap to Helsley in the ninth. Helsley retired the Dodgers in order, including a strikeout, to earn his league-leading 38th save of the season.

 

The best of the rest

 

• David Bednar earned a save for the Pirates, working out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth. Domingo Germán walked a batter and hit two without recording an out to open the ninth before Bednar came in. Bednar forced a shallow flyout from Victor Robles and struck out Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez to earn the save.
• Cole Sands earned a save for the Minnesota Twins with Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax both unavailable due to usage this week.
• Michel Otanez earned his first save of the season for the Oakland Athletics as they shut out the San Francisco Giants 2-0. Mason Miller was still resting from his 39-pitch save on Thursday.

 

Bullpen Depth Charts

AL EAST
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Orioles	Seranthony Domínguez		Yennier Cano		Cionel Pérez, Craig Kimbrel , Gregory Soto	Félix Bautista, Danny Coulombe, Jacob Webb
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Shaky	15	36	11	24	Keegan Akin
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Red Sox	Kenley Jansen		Chris Martin		Lucas Sims, Zack Kelly, Luis Garcia	Liam Hendriks, Justin Slaten, Brennan Bernardino
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	16	37	37	60	Josh Winckowski
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Yankees	Clay Holmes		Luke Weaver		Tommy Kahnle, Mark Leiter Jr., Jake Cousins	Scott Effross, Nick Burdi, Ian Hamilton
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	14	18	17	31	Michael Tonkin	Will Warren, Cody Morris
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Rays	Pete Fairbanks		Colin Poche		Manuel Rodríguez, Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Kelly
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	12	17	55	83	Drew Rasmussen	Colby White, Jacob Lopez
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Blue Jays	Chad Green		Erik Swanson		Zach Pop, Brendon Little, Génesis Cabrera	Jordan Romano
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	20	48	NR	NR	Ryan Yarbrough	T.J. Brock, Connor Cooke
AL CENTRAL
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
White Sox	John Brebbia		Steven Wilson		Justin Anderson, Jared Shuster, Fraser Ellard, Dominic Leone	Jordan Leasure, Michael Soroka
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	30	99	NR	NR	Chad Kuhl	Eric Adler
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Guardians	Emmanuel Clase		Cade Smith		Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Scott Barlow	James Karinchak, Sam Hentges
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	1	1	15	29	Pedro Avila	Franco Aleman
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Tigers	Jason Foley		Tyler Holton		Alex Faedo, Will Vest, Beau Brieske
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	NR	93	47	70	Joey Wentz	Alex Lange
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Royals	Lucas Erceg		James McArthur		Angel Zerpa, Chris Stratton, Will Smith	Josh Taylor, John Schreiber, Hunter Harvey
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	25	54	20	56	Kris Bubic
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Twins	Jhoan Duran		Griffin Jax		Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala, Trevor Richards	Justin Topa, Brock Stewart
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	10	11	2	13	Cole Sands	Ronny Henriquez
AL WEST
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Astros	Josh Hader		Bryan Abreu		Tayler Scott, Caleb Ferguson, Ryan Pressly	Kendall Graveman, Penn Murfee, Bennett Sousa
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	4	4	3	14	Shawn Dubin	Forrest Whitley, Dylan Coleman
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Angels	Ben Joyce		Hans Crouse		Matt Moore, Hunter Strickland, Roansy Contreras	Robert Stephenson, José Cisnero
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	21	42	95	NR	Mike Baumann	Kelvin Caceres
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Athletics	Mason Miller		Austin Adams		Tyler Ferguson, Scott Alexander, T.J. McFarland	Dany Jiménez
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	3	3	59	87	Kyle Muller	Royber Salinas
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Mariners	Andrés Muñoz		Yimi García		Tayler Saucedo, Austin Voth, Collin Snider	Matt Brash, Gregory Santos
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	8	9	6	19	Trent Thornton	Carlos Vargas, Ty Adcock
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Rangers	Kirby Yates		David Robertson		José Leclerc, Andrew Chafin, Walter Pennington	Josh Sborz
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	6	7	23	44	Dane Dunning	Marc Church, Emiliano Teodo
NL EAST
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Braves	Raisel Iglesias		Joe Jiménez		Pierce Johnson, Luke Jackson, Dylan Lee	A.J. Minter
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	5	6	10	23	Jesse Chavez	Daysbel Hernández
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Marlins	Calvin Faucher		Andrew Nardi		Declan Cronin, George Soriano, Jesus Tinoco	Anthony Bender
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Shaky	28	75	33	55	Kent Emanuel	Luarbert Arias, Anthony Maldonado
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Mets	Edwin Díaz		Phil Maton		Adam Ottavino, Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett	Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, Dedniel Núñez
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	9	10	42	65	José Buttó	Bryce Montes de Oca, Ty Adcock
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Phillies	Carlos Estévez		Jeff Hoffman		Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado, Matt Strahm
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	19	35	4	15	Tanner Banks	Griff McGarry
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Nationals	Kyle Finnegan		Robert Garcia		Derek Law, Jacob Barnes, Jose A. Ferrer
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	17	39	69	98	Jordan Weems
NL CENTRAL
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Cubs	Héctor Neris		Porter Hodge		Tyson Miller, Julian Merryweather, Jorge López	Adbert Alzolay, Luke Little
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	22	89	48	72	Drew Smyly
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Reds	Alexis Díaz		Fernando Cruz		Sam Moll, Justin Wilson, Emilio Pagán	Ian Gibaut
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	23	77	43	66	Jakob Junis	Zach Maxwell
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Brewers	Devin Williams		Nick Mears		Elvis Peguero, Jared Koenig, Joel Payamps	J.B. Bukauskas, Enoli Paredes, Bryan Hudson, Trevor Megill
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	2	2	32	54	Bryse Wilson	Harold Chirino, Abner Uribe
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Pirates	David Bednar		Aroldis Chapman		Jalen Beeks, Kyle Nicolas, Dennis Santana	Ryan Borucki, Colin Holderman
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	18	40	34	56	Jake Woodford	Ryder Ryan, Hunter Stratton
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Cardinals	Ryan Helsley		Andrew Kittredge		Ryan Fernandez, John King, JoJo Romero	Keynan Middleton
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	11	7	26	46	Matthew Liberatore
NL WEST
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Diamondbacks	Justin Martinez		Kevin Ginkel		Paul Sewald, Ryan Thompson, A.J. Puk	Kyle Nelson, Bryce Jarvis
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Shaky	17	33	24	45	Dylan Floro
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Rockies	Victor Vodnik		Tyler Kinley		Justin Lawrence, Angel Chivilli, Peter Lambert	Daniel Bard
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	24	78	NR	NR	Anthony Molina	Gavin Hollowell, Jaden Hill, Jake Bird
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Dodgers	Daniel Hudson		Evan Phillips		Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech	Ryan Brasier, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Committee	26	38	5	16	Michael Grove
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Padres	Robert Suarez		Tanner Scott		Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam	Wandy Peralta
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	11	8	1	5	Bryan Hoeing
Team	Primary Closer		Next in Line		Holds Leagues Options	Injured List
Giants	Ryan Walker		Tyler Rogers		Taylor Rogers, Erik Miller, Jordan Hicks	Tyler Matzek, Randy Rodríguez
Closer Status	SV Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Hold Rank	SV+HLD Rank	Bulk RP (wins)	Minor Leagues
Steady	16	28	56	84	Sean Hjelle	Reggie Crawford, Camilo Doval

 

Green = long/bulk reliever expected to pitch after the starter

Yellow = reliever pitched the previous day or twice in three days

Orange = reliever pitched an excessive amount the previous day, and potentially off

Red = reliever has pitched back-to-back days and likely is off