A.J. Minter had FOUR SV+HLD’s this past week to lead all relievers. Minter has been back to his normal self over his past ten outings, with a 1.04 ERA and .35 WHIP with a 32.1% K rate while adding 3 saves, 4 holds and a win. We know he still has plenty of value in SV+Hold leagues, but there could be some value left in save-only formats as Raisel Iglesias has had some issues recently (4.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 23.7% K rate in last nine games). Minter on the other hand has dealt with some bad luck this season, but he’s still missing bats at a high level (16.1% SwStr rate) because of his plus stuff (5.46 PLV) while not allowing free bases (5.5% BB rate).
Notes
- Who currently ranks second amongst pitchers in SwStr% and CSW rate? Of course, it’s 31-year-old Brock Stewart who last pitched in Major League Baseball in 2019. Stewart has transformed into a Whiff generator this season, as he has upped his velo to 97 MPH on average, from the 91 MPH he was averaging in his previous MLB stint. There are some command issues here with a 13.3% walk rate (no walks over his last 8 IP though), but the Twins have faith in the righty as he’s starting to see more high-leverage work now.
- With Colin Holderman landing on the IL this week, look for Dauri Moreta to see some more holds chances in his absence. The talented righty has been missing bats like crazy this season with 16.5% SwStr, 34.4% CSW, and 34.2% K rates. He’s also allowed just one earned run over his last 20 IP while allowing just nine hits and six walks. There’s some sneaky upside here if he can lock down a set-up role, as he only has 4 holds on the year (although 2 have come this month).
- The Nationals are trying to move on from Kyle Finnegan as their closer, but Hunter Harvey and Carl Edwards Jr. have been too inconsistent. I still prefer Harvey in the long run, but Finnegan hasn’t been completely terrible over the past month (2.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 31.6% K rate over his last 13.1 IP) so he may be worth looking at in deep leagues still. Finnegan’s not a terrible reliever, he’s just not someone you should want as your top closing option.
- The Athletics‘ recent win streak shed some light on how their current bullpen may play out if they continue to find ways to win games. It does indeed look like Trevor May is the team’s primary closer for the time being, and while he’s not all the way back to prime Trevor May status, he has looked better since returning from the IL (outside of Sunday’s outing). The velocity is still way down, unfortunately, so that will be something May will need to work around in order to be productive.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY (SURGERY DATE). NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hendriks | 4/5 | Elbow. Said to be similar to last year’s injury and confirmed no structural damage. Could be back after the All-Star break. |
| Ryan Helsley | 4/5 | Forearm. There’s minimal concern for anything serious here, but he will be shut down for a week or so. |
| Daniel Hudson | 5/6 | Knee. Moving rehab to AAA and is expected to return to the Dodgers bullpen by the end of the month |
| John Schreiber | 6/7 | Lat. Has resumed throwing, but is still not near a rehab assignment quite yet. |
| Jonathan Loáisiga | 6/7 | Elbow. Nothing new here as he won’t be back until August at the earliest. |
| Robert Suarez | 6/7 | Elbow. Throwing bullpens now, and could begin a rehab assignment in a few weeks. |
| Matt Moore | 7/8 | Oblique. Playing catch right now, but has yet to progress to bullpens. |
| Colin Holderman | 7/8 | Wrist. Wrist inflammation will keep Holderman out for at least 15 days. No word on severity yet. |
| Matt Bush | 8/9 | Shoulder. Has been on a rehab assignment and could return in short order. |
| Caleb Thielbar | 8/9 | Oblique. Going back to the IL with the same injury he just returned from |
| Brandon Hughes | 8/9 | Knee. Going back to the IL with the same injury he just returned from |
| Ben Joyce | 8/9 | Elbow. No structural damage is a good thing, but still with no timetable to return. |
