Jhoan Duran, Hunter Harvey, Ryan Helsley, and Griffin Jax all had at least three SV+HLDs this past week as well. I said “at least” because Duran had a whopping five SV+HLD’s, which I believe this may be the first time I’ve ever seen that in one week. Perhaps even more wild is that he really didn’t pitch all that well, with a 1.615 WHIP and only three K’s. I don’t love the mediocrity Duran has been showing lately, but as long as he’s racking up saves and not allowing runs, it’s hard to complain too much (he’s also the only reliever with double digit SV+HLD’s in the month of May). It’s also good to see Harvey and Jax on here as the two have been lights out pretty much all season and are in the top tier of holds options for a reason.
Notes
- Evan Phillips, Ian Hamilton, Chad Green, Alex Faedo, Calvin Faucher, Yuki Matsui, Michael Grove, and Shawn Armstrong all join the list this week. Phillips, Hamilton, and Green all return from the IL this week. Faedo has worked his way into a set up role in Detroit and could be a sleeper candidate for saves. Matsui has looked better recently, adding a little more swing and miss to his game. Faucher, Grove and Armstrong are all solid options with SP eligibility.
- Edwin Díaz, A.J. Minter, Lucas Erceg, Erik Swanson, Gabe Speier, Keegan Akin, Hoby Milner, and Caleb Ferguson all fell off the list this week. Díaz, Minter, and Erceg landed on the IL, while Swanson was optioned to AAA somewhat surprisingly. Akin, Milner and Ferguson are all fringe options who have been yo-yoing back and forth on the list, while Speier has been a big disappointment. A decrease in velo this year has really plagued Speier, and I wonder if he’s dealing with some sort of injury here.
- JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley lead the league in SV+HLDs for the season with 18 total now. Helsley has started to show some cracks lately, allowing runs in his last three outings and finishing May with some paltry numbers (4.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 6 K’s over 9 IP). The good news is he looks healthy and the velo hasn’t dropped, he just has had some trouble keeping hitters off balance. I think it’s most likely just a little rut he is going through rather than anything glaring. I’d still consider selling high given his track record (only one season over 47 IP) but would by no means panic sell.
- Quick closer update since Closing Time came out on Tuesday. There are currently four relievers who were drafted in the top 100 of most drafts this winter that I have some concerns with going forward. I talked about Jordan Romano on Closing Time this week and we also talked about his struggles on the Podcast last night with Kyle Bland, but Romano finishes May with a 1.88 WHIP and 4.18 xFIP and just isn’t getting swings and misses like he used to (26.1% O-Swing and 88.6% Z-Contact).
- Camilo Doval has also been underwhelming with an 11.7% K-BB rate this month to go along with a 4.09 SIERA and his 1.41 WHIP for the season has been an eyesore. The command is a legitimate issue.
- Raisel Iglesias has apparently lost his ability to miss bats with just 18.9% K, 10.5% SwStr, and 26.6% CSW rates over the month of May, and while he’s survived so far I feel like rough times may be ahead.
- Lastly, we have David Bednar who despite posting a 2.19 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in May, might still run into issues sooner rather than later. He’s giving up way too much contact (91.4% Z-Contact in May!) as he’s just failing to miss bats like we are used to seeing from him (23.3% CSW in May). So despite the good ratios in May, the ERA indicators are still advising things are not all right here (4.67 xFIP, 4.38 SIERA in May).
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 the All-Star break. Playing catch now. |
| Edwin Díaz | 1-2 | Shoulder. Mets are hoping its a short stay, but no timetable yet. |
| A.J. Minter | 4-5 | Hip. Not expected to keep him out too long, should be back in June. |
| Julian Merryweather | 5-6 | Rib. Could be a rather lengthy injury with the rib stress fracture. No timetable yet but he is throwing. |
| Josh Sborz | 5-6 | Shoulder. Another rotator cuff strain for Sborz, hopes to throw a bullpen this weekend. |
| Brock Stewart | 5-6 | Shoulder. MRI came back clean. Has begun some light work. June return is on the table. |
| Gregory Santos | 6-7 | Lat. Close to mound work, could return in May. Added to 60-day IL and hopes to return in July. |
| Lucas Erceg | 6-7 | Forearm. Always a concern to see forearm tightness, but no timetable as of yet. |
| Keynan Middleton | 7-8 | Forearm. Was pulled off rehab assignment and may need surgery now… |
| Brusdar Graterol | 7-8 | Shoulder. Added to the 60-day IL, and had another setback. He’s throwing from distance again. |
| Joe Kelly | 7-8 | Shoulder. Should be back in June. Started throwing program recently. |
| Giovanny Gallegos | 7-8 | Shoulder. Rehab assignment should begin shortly. |