Fantasy Baseball Reliever Roundup

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

TOR 0 – TBR 3

Toronto Blue Jays
Braydon Fisher	1.1 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	30% CSW
Louis Varland	1.0 IP	1 H	2 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	14% CSW
Mason Fluharty	0.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	9% CSW

Louis Varland entered in the 7th here and pitched in the 8th, which is not totally uncommon closer usage for a road team with a day off the next day, but I still hate this usage when Varland had pitched the prior day. His stuff was down in this one, and the command wasn’t at its best, so we got this blegh outing.

Tampa Bay Rays
Kevin Kelly – HLD (6)	1.0 IP	2 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW
Garrett Cleavinger – HLD (4)	0.1 IP	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	60% CSW
Bryan Baker – HLD (1)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Ian Seymour – SV (1)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW

Weird closer usage was the theme of the day, as we saw Bryan Baker work the 8th inning in this one, facing the 9-1-2 hitters. I do wonder if he hadn’t had an 8 pitch AB vs. Okamoto to end the eighth inning, if Baker would have at least started the ninth (at least to face Vlad), but this is just a reminder that Cash and the Rays will be unorthodox at times. It worked out here, as Ian Seymour made things look easy in the ninth, but I’d still expect to see Baker more often than not closing out games still.

MIL 6 – STL 2

Milwaukee Brewers
DL Hall	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	45% CSW
Aaron Ashby – W (6)	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	39% CSW
Trevor Megill	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Abner Uribe	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	12% CSW

It’s been underwhelming to say the least rostering Trevor Megill or Abner Uribe this season. Both have underperformed so far, but it’s not like we’ve seen a massive dip in stuff. The swing-and-miss is down (both have 25.9% K rates), with Megill holding a 15.9% SwStr rate and 113 Stuff+, while Uribe holds just a 6.8% SwStr rate and 110 Stuff+. Will one or both get back to dominating like they did last year?

St. Louis Cardinals
Jared Shuster	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Matt Svanson	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	0 Whiffs	22% CSW

Matt Svanson has been looking better lately, and maybe we (and the Cardinals) are getting close to being able to trust him again. The sweeper looks better, and he’s throwing the sinker harder, but the sinker and cutter are still getting hit hard.

LAD 12 – HOU 2

Los Angeles Dodgers
Jack Dreyer – W (2)	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	41% CSW
Edgardo Henriquez	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW
Kyle Hurt	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	4 Whiffs	64% CSW
Blake Treinen	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW
Tanner Scott	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Brock Stewart	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	60% CSW

Pretty much everyone pitched here for the Dodgers, but let’s talk about the return of Brock Stewart. The velo looked more or less where he was at last season, and that sweeper looked just as nasty as ever. Overall, it was a solid debut for Stewart, and as long as he is healthy, he’s probably the best right-handed reliever in this bullpen (Kyle Hurt wants me to second-guess that statement, though).

Houston Astros
Jason Alexander	4.1 IP	5 ER	9 H	2 BB	5 K	8 Whiffs	23% CSW
Enyel De Los Santos	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
César Salazar	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	10% CSW

Jason Alexander was back up for his 2026 debut, and he had the tough task of replacing an injured Lance McCullers Jr. against this Dodgers lineup here. He could wind up in the rotation and may actually be better than some of the options they’ve been starting recently. That’s a lie. It’s not a lie if you believe it.

SDP 5 – SFG 1

San Diego Padres
Matt Waldron – W (1)	5.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	7 K	9 Whiffs	34% CSW
Adrian Morejon – HLD (6)	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	4 K	7 Whiffs	50% CSW
Mason Miller	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	6 Whiffs	54% CSW

These are the types of outings to expect from Adrian Morejon when he is getting just normal batted ball luck. The stuff is off the charts for him this year, and as a free agent to be, we could see him closing out games next year (or starting?).

San Francisco Giants
Keaton Winn	0.2 IP	1 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	19% CSW
Matt Gage	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	10% CSW
Ryan Walker	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	17% CSW
Joel Peguero	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	38% CSW

If Ryan Walker can’t get right-handed hitters out, what options are left here? He didn’t even face a single lefty in this one, and this was the result.

CHW 2 – LAA 8

Chicago White Sox
Osvaldo Bido	2.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	6 Whiffs	30% CSW
Jordan Hicks	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	27% CSW
Grant Taylor	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	30% CSW

Grant Taylor’s velo has been down the last three times out, and he’s allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks in those outings. The command was actually really good here, though, so that’s a positive, and if the lower velo means better command moving forward, I think we’d take it.

Los Angeles Angels
Brent Suter	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	10% CSW
Drew Pomeranz	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	36% CSW
Chase Silseth	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	39% CSW

Chase Silseth didn’t even have great stuff or command here, I think the White Sox were just trying to get out of LA and back home early. Also need to remember there’s a lot of swing and miss in that White Sox lineup.

ATL 1 – SEA 3

Atlanta Braves
Tyler Kinley	0.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	22% CSW
Didier Fuentes	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	4 K	8 Whiffs	30% CSW

Didier Fuentes as a reliever could certainly be very interesting, and the stuff was up here as he was sitting 97.6 MPH with his fastball. He did throw 39 fastballs to just 6 sliders, so maybe we could fix that ratio moving forward, but even still, this isn’t a terrible line.

Seattle Mariners
Cooper Criswell – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Eduard Bazardo – HLD (6)	1.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Jose A. Ferrer – SV (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW

Jose A. Ferrer closed this one out, pitching for the third time in three days…and showing us his best fastball to date? He was averaging 98.3 MPH and ended the game with a 100 MPH sinker that froze Dubon. Cool to see that he has that in there, maybe we could show it off a little more often?

BOS 4 – DET 0

Boston Red Sox
Tyler Samaniego	2.0 IP	1 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	26% CSW
Zack Kelly	1.0 IP	2 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	28% CSW
Greg Weissert	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	9% CSW

Tyler Samaniego has been really good for the Sox this year, and probably the best left-handed reliever option they have not named Chapman. Just don’t leave that fastball over the middle of the plate.

Detroit Tigers
Drew Anderson	1.1 IP	1 H	3 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	31% CSW
Brant Hurter	0.2 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Kyle Finnegan	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Burch Smith	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW

Kyle Finnegan went back to having no command again here, and it’s not even the splitter thats the issue, he could not command his fastball here.

ATH 3 – PHI 6

Athletics
Justin Sterner – HLD (6)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Jack Perkins – L (1)	1.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	33% CSW
Hogan Harris	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	22% CSW

We saw Jack Perkins enter in the seventh inning here up a run, and while he started the eighth, I don’t think he was going to pitch the final three innings to get the save here. The eighth started with a leadoff walk, followed by an error at 2B, followed by two singles up the middle, while Hogan Harris came in and immediately gave up back-to-back singles to Marsh and Stott. The moral of the story is, do not play games in the later innings, and just let Perkins pitch the 8th and 9th here.

Philadelphia Phillies
Tim Mayza	0.2 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
José Alvarado	0.2 IP	1 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Orion Kerkering – W (1)	0.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	40% CSW
Brad Keller – SV (3)	1.0 IP	1 H	2 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW

Look at Brad Keller getting a save right after Jhoan Duran was activated. Duran labored on Tuesday in a non-save chance, though, so Keller was called upon here to finish the game, and while he made things interesting, he was ultimately able to slam the door on the A’s. I have a feeling this is going to be who Keller is more or less.

BAL 7 – MIA 4

Baltimore Orioles
Grant Wolfram – HLD (5)	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	27% CSW
Anthony Nunez – HLD (5)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	31% CSW
Rico Garcia – SV (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	20% CSW

First off, congrats to Nunez for not allowing a run finally. Second, we got more confirmation that Rico Garcia will be the interim closer, which is great, but the velo dipped back down to 94 MPH again. It could be from pitching on back-to-back days, and it also may not matter much with his fastball shape, but it’s still a little frustrating. He also had no fastball command, but I guess until the lower velo/bad command actually hurts him, there’s nothing to panic about, right?

Miami Marlins
Dax Fulton	4.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	2 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	27% CSW

Dax Fulton has a pretty good arsenal, stuff-wise; it just comes down to his command, really. He’s still built to be a starter, but given their rotation depth, I would be intrigued seeing him as a fastball/curveball/changeup left-handed reliever.

MIN 2 – WSN 15

Minnesota Twins
Andrew Morris	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Kody Funderburk	1.0 IP	1 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	41% CSW
Justin Topa	0.2 IP	6 ER	4 H	2 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	22% CSW
Luis García Jr.	0.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	7% CSW

Another day of Luis García Jr. still on this roster and in this bullpen. Honestly, Justin Topa probably shouldn’t be here either.

Washington Nationals
Mitchell Parker – HLD (3)	2.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	33% CSW
Zak Kent	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW

Mitchell Parker has looked really good out of the bullpen this season, and while he can go multiple innings given his history as a starter, I’d be OK with him and Gus Varland being the two to split closer duties.

TEX 6 – NYY 1

Texas Rangers
Jacob Latz	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	24% CSW

Not a save chance, but Jacob Latz hadn’t pitched in a while, so this outing was likely just to get him some work. The velo was back down to 94 MPH…but I’m hoping that’s due to the fact this wasn’t a save chance.

New York Yankees
Yerry De los Santos	3.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	5 K	7 Whiffs	33% CSW
Ryan Yarbrough	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	28% CSW

Yerry De los Santos had some good results here, but I’m not sure the stuff adds up. The changeup can be OK, and the sinker is good enough, but that’s about it.

CIN 6 – CHC 7

Cincinnati Reds
Sam Moll	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	27% CSW
Pierce Johnson	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Tejay Antone	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	50% CSW
Graham Ashcraft – BS (2)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Brock Burke – L (2)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	3 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW

Only three pitchers have come back from three Tommy John surgeries, with Tejay Antone becoming the third here. Incredible story, and he even dominated in his first game back. I don’t know if there’s going to be any value long term, but it’s still cool to see Antone back here.
Graham Ashcraft got the first chance at a save in the post-Emilio Pagán Reds bullpen, and of course, he wound up blowing it. He didn’t even pitch poorly, as the HR to PCA was on a slider down and out of the zone, but this could open the door to Tony Santillan to get a save chance this weekend and take that role for the next two months (or more). I don’t love either one of these options, but thinking with a long-term mindset, I’d still prefer Ashcraft even after this outing. That being said, I’d also like (need?) that cutter to be better moving forward, whether that means better velo or command (or both).

Chicago Cubs
Jacob Webb – HLD (1)	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	50% CSW
Phil Maton – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	50% CSW
Corbin Martin	0.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	9% CSW
Hoby Milner – BS (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW
Trent Thornton – W (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW

No Daniel Palencia tonight left the Cubs turning to Corbin Martin for the save chance (who was DFA’d after the game). The good news here is that Phil Maton looked great (cutter at 90.5 MPH!), so he’s starting to work his way back into the circle of trust.

CLE 3 – KCR 1

Cleveland Guardians
Matt Festa – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	46% CSW
Erik Sabrowski – HLD (13)	1.1 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	10% CSW
Hunter Gaddis – HLD (3)	0.2 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Cade Smith – SV (9)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	56% CSW

Cade Smith’s command was definitely better here, but there’s still a lot of middle-middle (5/6 strikes thrown) or just missing the zone completely (6/16 pitches in the zone). The stuff very well may be good enough for this type of command, but I think he could still do better.

Kansas City Royals
Luinder Avila – L (2)	2.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	2 K	7 Whiffs	24% CSW
John Schreiber	1.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	20% CSW
Alex Lange	1.1 IP	1 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	22% CSW
Eric Cerantola	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	37% CSW

Eric Cerantola made his debut here, and he was always a name I was interested in seeing eventually. The slider is pretty cool, but the fastball is likely not good enough. If the Royals are looking to compete this year, they are likely going to have to make a significant bullpen acquisition at some point.

NYM 10 – COL 5

New York Mets
Tobias Myers	0.2 IP	4 ER	5 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	14% CSW
Brooks Raley	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	43% CSW
Luke Weaver	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Sean Manaea	0.1 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Devin Williams – SV (5)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	44% CSW

I know it’s the Rockies (in Coors though), but the trio of Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams has a chance to be really good. The stuff was down for all three here (Coors/Snow), but they made it work.

Colorado Rockies
Zach Agnos	4.0 IP	3 ER	4 H	1 BB	1 K	6 Whiffs	22% CSW

The Rockies might as well give Zach Agnos a chance at starting games (or being the bulk reliever) and seeing what happens. He’s throwing like seven different pitches, all below average.

PIT 1 – ARI 0

Pittsburgh Pirates
Gregory Soto – SV (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW

Gregory Soto (how is this only his second save?) was amped up here as he was touched 99.5 MPH here. The command wasn’t great, and the stuff still isn’t where it was in that first week of the season, but this is still a lot better than what Dennis Santana is working with.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Kevin Ginkel	0.2 IP	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Juan Morillo	1.0 IP	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Taylor Clarke	1.0 IP	1 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW

No whiffs from Juan Morillo, but that’s not a concern as he only threw one offspeed pitch.

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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: 5/6

Rick Graham