Fantasy Baseball Reliever Roundup

Welcome to the RP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every reliever performance from the previous day.

HOU 4 – CHC 2

Houston Astros
Steven Okert	0.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW
Enyel De Los Santos – HLD (3)	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	11% CSW
Bryan Abreu – HLD (3)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW
Bryan King – SV (5)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW

Bryan Abreu hasn’t allowed an earned run in the month of May (7 appearances, 6.2 IP), so he’s back right? No, definitely not. The stuff is still way down, and he still holds just a 3.4% K-BB rate during this scoreless streak (also a 6.01 xFIP and a 94 Stuff+ grade that’s the worst in this bullpen). Don’t fall for the 0.00 ERA in May.

Chicago Cubs
Hoby Milner	0.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW
Ethan Roberts	2.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	34% CSW
Jacob Webb	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Phil Maton	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW

At least Phil Maton didn’t allow any hits, I guess? I threw more sinkers than usual here, which I don’t think is the answer (it definitely is not), but he does need to figure things out with his cutter and just get better BABIP luck (especially on the curveball). The cutter shape is off, and looks much closer to the 2024 version (bad) and not the 2025 version (good). He needs to find that 2025 cutter again.

CLE 1 – PHI 0

Cleveland Guardians
Cade Smith – SV (17)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	38% CSW

Cade Smith is just on a dominant stretch right now, and everyone is working at its best, and he’s locating well. Can he manage another 75 IP workload this year?

Philadelphia Phillies
Jhoan Duran – L (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW

Probably just a blip, but the stuff was down, and the command was bad (Manzardo’s HR should have been a 2-run shot). Not the time to be concerned yet (I think?).

TBR 4 – NYY 2

Tampa Bay Rays
Ian Seymour – W (3)	1.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	21% CSW
Kevin Kelly – HLD (11)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW
Bryan Baker – SV (14)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	32% CSW

Bryan Baker has not had his best command over the past week or so, and it showed here with just 4/19 pitches being in the zone, but the stuff was great, and he was able to get chases and got his 1-1 fastball just in enough to get Judge to fly out to end the game (107 MPH off the bat with a .900 xBA and a HR in 6 parks…I think we all thought it might be gone off the bat). He’s been overworked, and I just worry about that catching up to him eventually.

New York Yankees
Brent Headrick – HLD (7)	0.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Fernando Cruz – HLD (10)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	62% CSW
Tim Hill – L (2)	0.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	27% CSW
Camilo Doval	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
David Bednar	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	40% CSW

This was not only a great line from David Bednar, but the approach was ideal here too, with 10 splitters, 8 fastballs, and just 2 curveballs. Give me like 85% fastball/splitter usage and limit that curveball to around 15%. The only issue is that 6/20 pitches here were not in the zone.

PIT 2 – TOR 6

Pittsburgh Pirates
Brandan Bidois	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	35% CSW
Justin Lawrence	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW
Dennis Santana	1.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	19% CSW

This looked like it could get a lot worse for Dennis Santana here, so I’ll give him credit for getting the final two outs after allowing three loud doubles and a walk. I’m not sure I see a quick/easy way for Santan to turn things around here, and you have to wonder how much longer they keep him on this roster.

Toronto Blue Jays
Mason Fluharty – HLD (7)	0.1 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW
Louis Varland – SV (7)	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	26% CSW

Mason Fluharty’s cutter is getting BABIP’d this year, but I’m not concerned about where the stuff is. If anything, it looks better than last year.
Louis Varland was a beast in this one, giving the Jays two perfect innings to close this one out. The one drawback here is that he won’t be available today, which could mean another Jeff Hoffman save chance on tap?

MIN 8 – BOS 6

Minnesota Twins
Travis Adams – W (1)	2.0 IP	1 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	34% CSW
Yoendrys Gómez – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	8% CSW
Eric Orze – HLD (5)	0.2 IP	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
Anthony Banda – SV (1)	1.1 IP	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	43% CSW

They actually did it; they gave Anthony Banda the save since he didn’t have one yet. That could mean Travis Adams is the next man up, or potentially Kendry Rojas, who is shifting back into the bullpen today.

Boston Red Sox
Justin Slaten – L (2)	0.2 IP	4 ER	4 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	21% CSW
Greg Weissert	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	17% CSW
Tyler Samaniego	0.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Tyron Guerrero	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	44% CSW

Concerning outing from Justin Slaten, whose velocity was the lowest it has been in all but one game this season, the game prior to his previous IL stint. Hopefully, he’s healthy, and this was just a one-off, but I don’t like seeing this.

NYM 1 – MIA 2

New York Mets
Sean Manaea – L (1)	3.2 IP	1 ER	4 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	32% CSW
Jonah Tong	3.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	29% CSW

Jonah Tong looked very intriguing in this outing, and Jake covered him in today’s SP Roundup.

Miami Marlins
Andrew Nardi – HLD (7)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	54% CSW
Michael Petersen – HLD (5)	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	31% CSW
Pete Fairbanks – SV (6)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	45% CSW

Pete Fairbanks got back on track here, with his first save in a month, and everything looked great. Getting the ball to him in the ninth has been an issue, but Nardi and Petersen (volatile to say the least) had their best command here.

DET 4 – BAL 7

Detroit Tigers
Brant Hurter	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW
Connor Seabold	1.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	24% CSW
Kyle Finnegan	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	23% CSW
Enmanuel De Jesús	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	6 Whiffs	38% CSW

Kyle Finnegan’s command is just non-existent, and, incredibly, his ERA is just 1.50, lower than his WHIP (1.54) with a -3% K-BB rate. Of course, the one year I’m in on Finnegan, this is what we get.

Baltimore Orioles
Chris Bassitt – W (4)	4.1 IP	3 ER	6 H	4 K	5 Whiffs	24% CSW
Rico Garcia – HLD (8)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Yennier Cano – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW
Tyler Wells – HLD (7)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Anthony Nunez – SV (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	4 Whiffs	35% CSW

Rico Garcia entered in the 6th inning up two with a runner on second to get McKinstry and Workman and end the inning. Not exactly a fireman-type situation, so I’m a little confused about the usage here, but I guess it ultimately worked out (he also didn’t throw one fastball, and his changeup/curveball were down 3 MPH?). Anyway, Anthony Nunez got the ninth and shut things down despite the velocity being down 1.5 MPH. It was rainy and cold, so that could be a factor in these outings, but something to keep an eye on.

WSN 4 – ATL 5

Washington Nationals
Miles Mikolas	5.0 IP	0 ER	3 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	27% CSW
Mitchell Parker – BS (2)	1.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	1 BB	1 K	7 Whiffs	32% CSW
Clayton Beeter	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	12% CSW
Gus Varland	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	42% CSW
Orlando Ribalta – BS (1)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	2 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	17% CSW
Paxton Schultz – L (2)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	21% CSW

Clayton Beeter probably shouldn’t have been pitching on back-to-back days right after coming off the IL, but here we are, and while the stuff was way down (see below), at least the slider command was decent. He also worked the 8th inning again, with Gus Varland getting the ninth (tie game, but still), so Varland may still have the edge as the right-handed closer option here to pair with Lovelady.

Atlanta Braves
Didier Fuentes	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	19% CSW
Robert Suarez – BS (1)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Raisel Iglesias	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	60% CSW
Dylan Lee	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	19% CSW
Tyler Kinley – W (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	45% CSW

Raisel Iglesias distanced himself from everyone else in this bullpen in this one, as Abrams was a menace, homering off Robert Suarez (3-0 fastball) before later tripling off Dylan Lee (0-0 slider). I’m not worried about Lee, but Suarez’s velocity has been fluctuating a lot, even in-game. The fastball ranged from 94.7 MPH to 99.7 MPH here, with the average being down over 1 MPH from normal.

SEA 2 – KCR 0

Seattle Mariners
Eduard Bazardo – W (3)	1.1 IP	0 H	3 K	2 Whiffs	32% CSW
Matt Brash – HLD (5)	1.0 IP	2 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW
Andrés Muñoz – SV (9)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW

No strikeouts from Andrés Muñoz here, who threw 16 pitches, not one of which was a fastball. We saw 14 sliders and 2 changeups (one of which was particularly nasty), and it all worked out but for a guy who throws 99 MPH, I wouldn’t shy too far away from the fastball.

Kansas City Royals
Nick Mears – L (3)	1.0 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 Whiffs	24% CSW
Alex Lange	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Eli Morgan	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 Whiffs	21% CSW

Blegh

LAD 1 – MIL 5

Los Angeles Dodgers
Paul Gervase	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW
Jonathan Hernández	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW

We have not seen Jonathan Hernández since 2024, and he hasn’t been effective since 2020, but he’s always possessed intriguing stuff. He was sitting 97 MPH with good arm side break on his sinker and showed an average slider as well, but this likely isn’t good enough to push him into any sort of high leverage work in this deep Dodgers bullpen.

Milwaukee Brewers
Shane Drohan	1.1 IP	1 H	2 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	28% CSW
Aaron Ashby	1.1 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	9% CSW
Chad Patrick – SV (2)	1.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	14% CSW

I’m not sure what Chad Patrick’s role is, but it feels like he’s become a trusted high-leverage option in some capacity. It’s average stuff with average command more often than not, but the bullpen lacks right-handed depth behind Megill and Uribe.

TEX 6 – LAA 9

Texas Rangers
Cal Quantrill	3.0 IP	0 ER	3 H	1 BB	2 Whiffs	28% CSW
Jalen Beeks	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 Whiffs	9% CSW
Chris Martin	1.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	0 BB	0 Whiffs	12% CSW

Chris Martin is back and still does not look great. I wish I could Fix You.

Los Angeles Angels
Brent Suter – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Tayler Saucedo – HLD (1)	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Sam Bachman – HLD (9)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Mitch Farris	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW

Sam Bachman threw 11 pitches in the eighth, and I have to believe he was going to get the ninth if the Angels hadn’t scored two runs in the bottom of the inning. He wasn’t as sharp as he had been looking, with a HBP also in there. He’s still the best option in this bullpen, and it’s not particularly close.

COL 3 – ARI 2

Colorado Rockies
Brennan Bernardino	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	12% CSW
Antonio Senzatela – W (4)	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW

Antonio Senzatela with a lot of zeros in this outing, which I guess we will take, but would it be so much to ask for a strikeout here and there? The Rockies may want to expedite a trade before his allure dissipates.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Taylor Clarke – HLD (11)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Brandyn Garcia – HLD (3)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	50% CSW
Juan Morillo – BS (3)	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	30% CSW
Ryan Thompson – L (1)	1.1 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	16% CSW

The past week has not been kind to Juan Morillo, and I hope nothing is going on physically here. The velocity still looks (mostly) fine, so that’s good, but the command has been shakier, and I’m not sure why we only saw two changeups here. Hopefully, this is just a blip, and he gets back on track soon.

ATH 3 – SDP 7

Athletics
Jack Perkins	1.1 IP	3 ER	4 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW
José Suarez	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

So yeah, I think it’s safe to say we can move on from Jack Perkins in save-only leagues and probably most hold leagues that aren’t keeper/dynasty. This is actually the best his stuff has looked in a few outings, and he fully got Singled Out here, but allowing five baserunners (there was a HBP) while getting just four outs will not help him get back into high-leverage situations.

San Diego Padres
Bradgley Rodriguez	0.2 IP	2 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Adrian Morejon – W (4)	1.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	44% CSW
Jason Adam – HLD (10)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Jeremiah Estrada	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW

Jason Adam hasn’t allowed an earned run in May, but has a 3/3 K/BB ratio over 8.2 innings, which is just crazy to think about with teh stuff he possesses. The PutAway rate on his slider is down about 10%, the changeup is down 20%, and the fastball is down 15%. That being said, though, the whiff rate on the fastball is down about 15%, and down 10% on the changeup, so the strikeouts may not come all the way back to that 25-30% territory.

CHW 9 – SFG 4

Chicago White Sox
Tyler Davis	1.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Brandon Eisert	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Trevor Richards	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	0 Whiffs	40% CSW

The White Sox have two competent lefties already in Newcomb and Hudson, but Eisert was a guy heading into the year I thought they could rely on, but I’m just not seeing it anymore. The stuff’s OK, the command is not.

San Francisco Giants
Ryan Borucki	1.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	7 Whiffs	27% CSW
Erik Miller	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	42% CSW
JT Brubaker	3.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	32% CSW

Good to see just the one walk from Erik Miller, who has not had the best control since coming off the IL last week. The stuff still looks great, and he should still be considered the top lefty in this bullpen.

If you’re looking for potential relievers to stream today, check out RP Streamers

Also, if you’re looking for the detailed list or ranking of Relievers, check out my weekly RP Ranks

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/22

Rick Graham