I had my doubts about Aaron Loup being able to pick up where he left off after his career year last season, but he has certainly exceed expectations in his first year with the Angels. While Loup won’t get a ton of swings and misses, he barely ever walks anyone and keeps hard contact to a minimum while producing a ton of groundballs (55.8%). Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Tepera have struggled a bit recently, and while Loup may be the most consistent reliever on the roster, his upside isn’t anywhere near those other two. Which is perfectly fine, and it puts Loup in that kind of Tyler Rogers safety over upside group as there are plenty of high upside relievers to chase, but only maybe a handful of truly “safe” ones worth rostering.
Notes
- Chad Green was removed from yesterdays game with a forearm injury, which is perhaps the most ominous injury diagnosis a pitcher can receive these days, although in this case it remains to be seen how serious the issue is. Regardless, expect Green to miss some time and the likes of Clay Holmes, Michael King and Jonathan Loáisiga to step up in his stead.
- Last week I removed Spencer Strider from the list as it was looking like he would be entering the rotation but unfortunately Tyler Matzek hit the IL and the team felt they couldn’t afford to lose Strider from the bullpen. While it’s unfortunate we won’t see him in the rotation, we should see more hold chances for Strider moving forward as the secondary set up man in Atlanta.
- It’s always tough to trust Rockies relievers but Tyler Kinley has done nothing so far this season for us to doubt his fantastic start. His 31% Whiff rate and 50% Groundball rate certainly help in Coors, and it appears he’s working his fastball down in the zone more to elevate that GB rate. Right now, the only two relievers I’d trust in this bullpen are Kinley and probably Daniel Bard.
- I talked about how Michael Fulmer has been struggling as of late in yesterdays Hold Up, and piggybacking off that, I think Alex Lange could be in line for an increased role moving forward in that Tigers bullpen. Looking over relievers this past offseason, I remember Lange’s curveball standing out to me as a potential plus pitch, and now that he has made it his primary offering (usage up 10.5%) I’m really ready to buy in. His changeup is an above average offering as well, and he’s upped that 9% so that’s also something to get excited about here.
- Quick update on the closer/bullpen situations in Cincinnati and Miami. The Reds turned to Tony Santillan for their save yesterday and he was able to convert. Alexis Díaz worked the 8th and should be in line for that top setup role at least despite the rocky outing. In Miami, we still have no idea who will close out games, but it probably should be Anthony Bass?
- David Bednar, Liam Hendriks and Joe Kelly led all relievers with 3 SV+HLD over the past week. Despite Kelly’s 3 holds, it came with a 3.00 WHIP as he allowed five hits and two walks over his 2.2 innings of work. He’s been rusty since returning from the IL a little over a week ago, but it’s certainly a positive sign that the White Sox are still trusting him in high leverage spots.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Pomeranz | 3-5 | Flexor Tendon. On the 60 day IL so don’t expect to see him until June/July. Playing catch now |
| Nick Anderson | 3-5 | UCL. Still likely out until (at least) the All-Star break. Has thrown of the mound some. |
| Ken Giles | 3-5 | Finger tendon injury. Moved to the 60 day IL, cleared to resume throwing though. |
| Kirby Yates | 3-5 | TJS. Don’t expect to see Yates until after the All-Star break (at the earliest). Has been throwing off a mound. |
| Blake Treinen | 3-5 | Shoulder. Now out until after the All-Star break. |
| Chad Green | 3-5 | Forearm. Green left yesterdays game with forearm discomfort and will almost certainly miss time. How much is time is TBD. |
| José Leclerc | 4-6 | TJS. On the 60 day IL, expect a late June/July return |
| Jonathan Hernández | 4-6 | TJS. On the 60 day IL, expect a late June/July return |
| Pete Fairbanks | 4-6 | Torn Lat. Tough break for Fairbanks who will now miss at least 3 months of the season. Look for him to be back around the All-Star break. |
| Trevor May | 4-6 | Arm. Stress reaction will cause May to miss a minimum of 8-12 weeks. Could return in August. |
| Aaron Bummer | 4-6 | Knee. Should be a short IL stint but the team will likely play it safe. Look for a return in early June. |
| Lucas Sims | 4-6 | Back. Will miss the next two weeks at least with a bulging disc. Likely June ETA. |
| Tim Mayza | 4-6 | Forearm. Mayza is optimistic he will only spend 15 days on the IL but forearms are tricky. |
| Tyler Matzek | 4-6 | Shoulder. Matzek has been shut down from throwing and likely wont return until July. |
| Pierce Johnson | 5-6 | Elbow. Moved to the 60-day IL so don’t expect to see him until August. |
| James Karinchak | 5-6 | Shoulder. A teres muscle strain has shut down Karinchak until June at the earliest. |
Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)