Jason Adam, Phil Maton and Gregory Soto each had three SV+HLD’s this past week. Adam and Maton got in some extra work with Pete Fairbanks unable to pitch in Colorado this past weekend, and while the command issues for Maton are a concern right now, I’d expect him to figure things out given his track record. Soto on the other hand has only walked one batter so far this year which is great to see from him, but he has been hit around a bit. There are a lot of options in that Phillies bullpen, so it could be tough for Soto to settle in to a consistent high leverage role.
Notes
- Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Orion Kerkering, Jorge Alcala, Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith, Colin Holderman, Rafael Montero, Kyle Nelson, Austin Adams, Nick Burdi and Andrew Chafin all join the list this week. Romano, Swanson, Kerkering, Holderman all have either returned from the IL or are expected to return from the IL in the next few days. Guys like Alcala and Burdi have looked great to start the year and have plenty of upside but also plenty of injury risk. I talked about Smith and Gaddis in the Hold Up yesterday. Montero gets a bump with Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly struggling right now. Nelson and Adams can definitely be valuable as long as they are on the active roster. Chafin has settled in nicely in his return to Detroit (slider usage is up).
- Josh Sborz, Julian Merryweather, Dylan Lee, Sixto Sánchez, John Brebbia, Ryan Borucki, Tyler Matzek, Hoby Milner, Aaron Bummer, Tim Mayza, and Justin Lawrence all fell off the list this week. Sborz, Merryweather, Brebbia and Borucki all landed on the IL unfortunately. At least one of the three Braves lefties will have fantasy value in holds leagues this year, it’s just hard to tell at this point (they are basically 101-103). Sixto Sánchez’s great spring has not transferred over to the regular season at all. Lefties Milner and Mayza have gotten off to rocky starts but should remain Toby types for holds leagues. Lawrence and all Rockies relievers remain off the radar for the time being.
- It’s only week two, so we need to remember to be patient with the closers we drafted early in drafts this season. Pete Fairbanks continues to see his velo down two mph, but he also had a slow spring so perhaps he just needs more work to ramp up properly. David Bednar has allowed five ER over this past two outings, but the repertoire looks the same as it has been so I’m going to chalk that up to him missing some time this spring and just bad luck. Tanner Scott’s stuff is still excellent, and I have to imagine they can fix his early-season command issues.
- Aroldis Chapman, Clay Holmes, Andrew Kittredge, and David Robertson lead the league in SV+HLD’s for the season with five apiece. Chapman has been one of the best relievers in baseball to start the year, even with diminished velo. Kittredge is somewhat surprising on this list as he is at best the fourth reliever in the pecking order in St. Louis, so I’m not sure how many holds we should really expect from him here.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY. NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Devin Williams | 1-2 | Back. On the 60 day IL now. Likely out until after the All-Star break, and maybe longer. |
| Jhoan Duran | 2 | Oblique. Likely out until about mid-May. Hoping to do mound work soon. |
| Robert Stephenson | 3-4 | Shoulder. Beginning a rehab assignment this weekend. Could return in a week or two. |
| Matt Brash | 3-4 | Elbow. Encouraged by his recent live session, could begin a rehab stint soon. |
| Josh Sborz | 3-4 | Shoulder. Rotator cuff strain, no timetable yet. |
| Paul Sewald | 3-4 | Oblique. Similar to Duran, grade 2 strain likely keeps Sewald out until late May/early June. Starting to throw now. |
| Julian Merryweather | 3-4 | Rib. Could be a rather lengthy injury with the rib stress fracture. No timetable. |
| Gregory Santos | 6 | Lat. Close to mound work, could return in May. |
| Tommy Kahnle | 6 | Shoulder. Should throw a bullpen in the coming days, rehab assignment after that |
| Keynan Middleton | 6-7 | Forearm. Had a setback, received a PRP injection, could resume throwing next week. |
| Brusdar Graterol | 6-7 | Shoulder. Added to the 60-day IL, but was cleared for mound work. |
| Ryan Borucki | 7-8 | Tricep. Should be relatively short stint, expected to resume throwing soon. |
| Justin Topa | 7-8 | Knee. Throwing a bullpen this weekend, could return later this month |
| John Brebbia | 7-8 | Calf. Still dealing with the calf issue that slowed him this spring. |
| Blake Treinen | 7-8 | Lung. Throwing again but still weeks away from a return. |
