Bryan Abreu, Lucas Erceg, Ben Joyce, Ryan Thompson, and Luke Weaver all had three SV+HLDs this past week. A rare group of non-closers this week, although to be fair, there may be 2-3 guys here who should be closing out games for their respective teams. Joyce hasn’t allowed a run since June 11th, and while the swing and miss isn’t there and his 4.02 SIERA for the season suggests there may be regression ahead, he’s still the best reliever in that Angels bullpen and should be given a chance to close out games. Erceg should see more high leverage work for a Royals teams competing for a playoff spot and may be the best option to close of the Erceg, James McArthur, Hunter Harvey trio.
Notes
- Devin Williams, Nick Mears, Jake Cousins, Huascar Brazoban, Lucas Sims, Andrew Chafin, and Anthony Bender were all added to the list. Williams was activated off the IL this past weekend and made his season debut. Mears has escaped Colorado and lands in a great spot for his development with the Brewers. Cousins may finally be nearing his ceiling after teasing us with his potential as a rookie with the Brewers in 2021. Brazoban, Sims, and Chafin all went to playoff caliber teams at the deadline, and have each been pitching much better as of late. Bender has looked good recently as well, and should see more high leverage work after the Marlins traded away half of their bullpen.
- Trevor Megill, Bryan Hudson, Brock Stewart, Gregory Santos, Giovanny Gallegos, Ryan Fernandez, and Tim Herrin all fell off the list this week. Megill, Hudson, Stewart, and Santos all landed on the IL within the past week. Gallegos was a surprise DFA and went unclaimed despite a modest salary. Fernandez and Herrin would be 101-102 on the list.
- Emmanuel Clase has now tied Ryan Helsley for the league lead in SV+HLDs for the season as they each have 33 now. Clase is an outlier when it comes to the dominant closers of the game, as he is able to produce elite ratios (0.72 ERA, 0.64 WHIP) despite having terrible swing and miss metrics. Since June 1st, Clase has 12.2% K-BB and 9% SwStr rates but the stuff is still so good that he just does not allow any hard contact. He’s truly a unique, one of a kind talent that can not be measured in xFIP or swing and miss ability.
- Quick closer update since Closing Time came out on Tuesday. Paul Sewald finished July with 18 H, 4 BB, and 12 ER allowed over 10 IP, and the team is looking to help fix his delivery in order to get him back on track. I’d still expect him to be removed from the closer role, even if temporarily, so expect A.J. Puk, Kevin Ginkel, or Ryan Thompson to see the next save chance for Arizona.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY. NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Miller | 1-2 | Finger. Already throwing bullpens and should return early next week. |
| Trevor Megill | 2-3 | Back. Sounds minor and likely to only keep him out 15 or so days. |
| Bryan Hudson | 3-4 | Oblique. Obliques can be tricky so I would imagine we won’t see Hudson until September. |
| Jordan Romano | 3-4 | Elbow. Underwent arthroscopic surgery and is shut down for six weeks. September is best case now. |
| Dedniel Núñez | 5-6 | Forearm. Expected to only miss the minimum amount of time. |
| Brock Stewart | 5-6 | Shoulder. Lands back on the IL with the same injury he just returned from. Not good. |
| Gregory Santos | 5-6 | Bicep. Undergoing an MRI but will likely be placed on the IL today. |
| Reed Garrett | 5-6 | Elbow. Throwing live BP sessions and is likely a week or two away from returning. |
| Danny Coulombe | 5-6 | Elbow. Underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, and now out until at least September. |
| Chris Martin | 5-6 | Elbow. Threw a bullpen recently and could start a rehab assignment next week. |
| Justin Slaten | 5-6 | Elbow. Little bit behind Martin at the moment, but a late August return should be a possibility. |
| Brusdar Graterol | 6-7 | Shoulder. Rehab assignment is now at AAA. Should return next week. |
Orion Kerkering has more Games Started (1) than SHOLDS (0) over the past two weeks (to July 25).
He is not used as a top 4 high leverage reliever on his own team. I think you are too high on him.