Dodgers top set up man Blake Treinen has been shut down due to an arm issue, as his arm was reportedly “barking” after his last appearance. This is obviously not ideal news for those of you rostering Treinen, but it does sound like he will avoid an IL stint (for now). The (for now) is key here, as the Dodgers typically would give someone like him a full ten days of rest so it must really be minor then. Even so, it’s worrisome that he is having arm issues this early in the season, so it’s a situation to closely monitor for now.
Notes
- Lucas Sims is due back this weekend and should immediately slide into some sort of high leverage role, whether it be as the team’s closer or not shouldn’t matter to those of you in holds leagues. The holds/set up realm is off to a bit of a lackluster start, so I have Sims ranked aggressively high to start, as there just aren’t a whole lot of non-closer relievers at the moment with the upside he possesses (when healthy).
- It looks like the Royals will be using both Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont in the 8th or 9th inning, and while I still prefer Barlow overall, Staumonts recent usage (and early season success) boosts him up the list. It’s likely going to be an ever-changing situation so be sure to check out our daily Reliever Ranks column to get all the latest reliever updates every morning.
- Matt Wisler has gotten off to a fine start this season, but his usage is a bit concerning, especially considering the number of injuries the Rays are dealing with in their bullpen at the moment. Wisler was used as an opener this past week and has just one hold so far to begin the year.
- The Giants continue to shuffle things in the back of their bullpen as well, with Jake McGee and not Camilo Doval coming on for the save last night. I don’t think this is quite like the Rays/Mariners situation, but more like the Royals with the two of them each splitting save chances although I’d expect Doval to get more than 50% of the opportunities.
- Jake Diekman returns to the list as the Red Sox three-headed closer committee continues. Alex Cora has hinted at Matt Barnes being close to returning to the closer role but I’m not so sure that makes the most sense at the moment. Either way, Diekman should play a large role as the Sox top lefty reliever and is worth a look in most holds formats.
- Steven Wilson appears to have a clear hold on a setup role in San Diego for the time being, passing Robert Suarez on the depth chart and Dinelson Lamet. This bullpen in general is in flux with the return of Luis García as well, so I’m sure we will see more rearranging here as the weeks go by. Wilson though makes his debut on the list as he’s been dominant over his first 6+ innings this season but it’s obviously a small sample.
- Anthony Gose is off to a nice start this season, but his velocity is down quite a bit from last year. It still seems to be effective, however, and if the lowered velocity leads to more strikes then I’m all for it. Now hopefully he starts seeing more hold opportunities.
- Anyone in the Rockies bullpen is always tough to recommend given where they play half of their games, so I have the top trio of “next in line” options their stack together from 70-72. I still prefer Robert Stephenson given his swing and miss ability but Tyler Kinley has also gotten off to a hot start this year, and currently has a 63.6% Whiff rate on his slider while throwing it 48.2% of the time (again, SUPER small sample size warning).
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
