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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 9/2/24 Depth Chart

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

Jake Crumpler
Fantasy 9/2/2024

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

 

Transactions and Schedule

 

  • The Pittsburgh Pirates activated Ryan Borucki from the 60-day IL and Colin Holderman from the 15-day IL. Borucki has been out since early April with left triceps inflammation and Holderman has been out since early August with a right wrist sprain. Both could factor into holds in Pittsburgh.
  • The New York Yankees recalled Scott Effross and Ron Marinaccio from the minors. The former has pitched to a 3.33 ERA (27 IP) between High-A and Triple-A this year but hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2022. The latter has pitched to a 2.02 ERA (35.2 IP) at Triple-A and a 2.53 ERA (21.1 IP) in the Majors this year. Both could factor into holds in the Bronx.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

MIL 3- CIN 4 (F/11)

W: Alexis Díaz (2)

L: Bryse Wilson (4)

  • Alexis Díaz pitched a perfect 11th and earned the win when the Reds walked it off in the bottom of the frame. He’s pitched to a 6.30 ERA (10 IP) in August but the Reds have not wavered in turning to him in save situations.

 

BOS 1 – DET 4

W: Brant Hurter (3)

L: Rich Hill (1)

HD: Will Vest (9)

SV: Jason Foley (20)

  • Jason Foley has been on fire since the beginning of August with a pristine ERA and four saves across 12 frames. His success comes in stark contrast to the 5.70 ERA (23.2 IP) and six saves he recorded from May through July. Foley’s getting back on track as he looks to close out the season on a positive note.

 

SDP 4 – TBR 3

W: Tanner Scott (9)

L: Manuel Rodríguez (4)

SV: Robert Suarez (30)

  • Robert Suarez joined the 30-save club with a scoreless ninth, making him the fourth pitcher to eclipse that mark this season. He got his September off to a good start as he looks to bounce back from an August that saw him post a 4.35 ERA (10.1 IP).

 

TOR 3 – MIN 4

W: Griffin Jax (4)

L: Chad Green (4)

HD: Zach Pop (11)

SV: Jhoan Duran (20)

  • Chad Green took the loss when he served up a go-ahead, three-run shot to Royce Lewis in the eighth. It was unusual usage for Green who’s usually deployed in the ninth but was instead called upon to face the top of the order in the eighth. It’s hard to blame him for the rough outing considering the circumstances and his success (1.02 ERA in the 2nd half) leading up to it.
  • Jhoan Duran capitalized on the newfound lead, reaching 20 saves for the second season in a row. Duran has struggled to a 5.08 ERA (14.1 IP) in the second half, but it’s completely undeserved (1.93 xFIP) and can be blamed on two blowups. Removing those outings, Duran has a 1.35 ERA and a 37% K%.

 

NYM 2 – CHW 0

HD: Reed Garrett (12)

SV: Edwin Diaz (16)

  • Edwin Diaz has looked locked in since allowing three runs last Wednesday. He hasn’t allowed a baserunner in three appearances since then and has struck out seven of the nine batters he’s faced. If he can keep this up throughout September, he’ll cement himself as a top-five closer for 2025.

 

OAK 4 – TEX 6 (F/10)

W: Matt Festa (3)

L: Mason Miller (2)

HD: Andrew Chafin (12)

  • Mason Miller was called upon in the ninth with the game tied and was tasked with sending the game to extras. He got the job done but was sent back out for the 10th with a two-run lead and proceeded to get the first two outs before putting two men on and serving up a walk-off three-run homer to Josh Jung. Miller has now allowed five earned runs across his last three appearances, increasing his ERA by 0.72 runs in the process. It’s likely a product of Miller’s career-high workload (53.2 IP) this year and could result in Miller’s usage being toned down in September. I’d expect his innings limit to be somewhere around 60.

 

MIA 7 – SFG 5

W: Xzavion Curry (1)

HD: Mike Baumann (8), John McMillon (2)

SV: Calvin Faucher (6)

  • Calvin Faucher has morphed into a bullpen ace since taking over the closer role in Miami following the trade deadline departure of Tanner Scott. Faucher has recorded all six of his saves on the season while pitching to a 2.25 ERA (12 IP) and striking out batters at a 36% clip. His stuff doesn’t particularly support this kind of production, but he’s clearly on fire right now and should be rostered universally while he holds the closer title.

 

SEA 2 – LAA 3

HD: Ryan Miller (1), Brock Burke (1)

SV: Ben Joyce (4)

  • Ben Joyce is living up to all the hype he built with triple-digit heaters at Tennessee. He has a 2.14 ERA (33.2 IP) on the season and has claimed his rightful closer crown in Anaheim since the trade of Carlos Estévez. Joyce’s stuff is undeniable (100th percentile, 102.1 mph avg 4SFB velocity), but the strikeouts (22.3% K%) just have not been there despite being present at Double-A (43% K%) earlier in the year. Both of his heaters are in the top 10th percentile in SwStr% while his slider is in the 12th percentile in PLV, so he clearly needs one of his secondaries to step up and he need to reign in his control (10.1% BB%) to reach his full potential.

 

ATL 2 – PHI 3 (F/11)

W: Carlos Estévez (3)

L: Aaron Bummer (3)

  • Raisel Iglesias threw two hitless innings across the ninth and 10th, but the Braves were unable to clutch a victory in extras. He’s been on an insane run since mid-June, failing to allow an earned run across 29.1 IP while recording a 33% K-BB%. We’ve seen Iglesias pitch at this level before and he showed no signs of slowing down on Sunday.
  • Carlos Estévez has been exactly what the Phillies hoped he’d be when they traded for him at the deadline, pitching to a 1.84 ERA (14.2 IP), but he only has three saves to show for his troubles. The presence of so many excellent relievers in Philly as well as an offense that makes save opportunities hard to come by means Estévez may struggle to find saves in September.

 

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

 

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.

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