We will update you on the workings of MLB bullpens weekly with an ever-evolving chart and also news and notes on what is happening in an attempt to keep you ahead of your competition for these valuable arms.
Let’s take a look after a handful of games and see what there is to see thus far in these always chaotic bullpens.
Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Updates
AL East
The Boston Red Sox placed Liam Hendriks on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. According to Hendriks, he announced that the injury was not too serious after seeing Dr. Keith Meister, and he should start throwing this coming week when the team travels to Baltimore. Justin Slaten earned the only save this week in Boston, and he should remain part of the mix with veteran Aroldis Chapman at this time.
Devin Williams earned his first save as a member of the New York Yankees this week. Luke Weaver and Mark Leiter Jr. appear to be the top two set-up guys at this time.
AL Central
Well, the Chicago White Sox won their first game on Thursday and then proceeded to lose 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. The culprit? Would-be closer Mike Clevinger surrendered a run while pitching the eighth inning in a scoreless game. Clevinger ended up taking the loss, but new manager Will Venable appears serious about using the veteran starter in the closer role. Interestingly, it’s only been two games, but Clevinger has been featuring the cutter more, which he is throwing five miles per hour faster than when he started, and he has also added a tick to his four-seam fastball as well. Could this work?
Cleveland: Emmanuel Clase is the lockdown closer, but in blowing a save this week, veteran Paul Sewald earned his first as a member of the Guardians. I am not suggesting there is any change here, but just know that the experienced Sewald looms here if needed. Sewald did blow a save chance on Saturday.
There has been much discussion in fantasy circles about the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen situation. They surprisingly sent former closer Jason Foley to AAA last week, where he took last year’s 28 saves with him. That seems to leave the role in a committee situation for now between Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton, and Tommy Kahnle. I leaned Brieske before the season, and so did Detroit skipper AJ Hinch on Opening Day, where Brieske blew the save and took the loss. We will let this one breathe a little and check back next week. I still lean Brieske.
Kansas City: Carlos Estevez earned the first save, and both he and top-leverage guy Lucas Erceg have pitched in both games for the Royals. This will be an interesting one to watch this season. Either guy can close games.
AL West
Josh Hader earned back-to-back saves for the Houston Astros and was set up both times by Bryan Abreu. Good to see some things never seem to change…
Kenley Jansen earned his first save of the season in that aforementioned 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Ben Joyce earned his first hold in the same game. This is how the Angels want it to work; Joyce can train on the job with one of the best closers to ever do the job, and then the team can trade Jansen at the deadline and install Joyce as the closer.
In Texas, veteran skipper and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Bruce Bochy has us all guessing. Many pundits anointed veteran Chris Martin as the closer, and whats does Bochy do in game two? Call on Luke Jackson for the save, who converted it. In game three, it was Martin who got the call. Could this have been due to Jackson having pitched in back-to-back games? That could be, but we have a situation deep in the heart of Texas right now. Even though we know historically Bochy prefers a set closer, this could be a tryout of sorts for Martin and Jackson.
NL East
Philadelphia looks like a closer committee at this time, with no shortage of members: Jordan Romano, Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and Orion Kerkering. It’s only been one game, but here is how manager Rob Thomsen used his bullpen guys: Kerkering got the seventh, Romano the eighth (in which he blew the save), Alvarado pitched a scoreless ninth for the win, and Strahm cleaned it up after the Phillies scored four runs in the ninth. Someone will settle into the role, but I’ll be darned if I can tell you who it will be. Lean Romano, but this could be a mix-and-match for a while. All are getting paid about the same, so the Phillies have not tipped their hand as to who the top guy will be.
NL Central
In a tight victory Saturday night, veteran Ryan Pressly earned his first save as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Last year’s closer, Porter Hodge, earned the hold. Look for that setup to continue on Chicago’s Northside this season.
Cincinnati has a new manager in Terry Francona, and we know that he will be decisive with his bullpen moves and will not tolerate a sloppy closer situation. Yet, that is what he has so far. On Saturday night, he used veteran Emilio Pagan to close out a 3-2 victory. The Reds used Tony Santillan in the seventh, Graham Ashcraft in the eighth (who I think should be closing and will be soon), and then Pagan in the ninth. One to watch here.
NL West
Arizona looks to be a two-man competition between A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. No opportunities yet here, but I assume it will be played out in real-time this week, with both getting chances.
Colorado: after manager Bud Black used Victor Vodnik and Tyler Kinley to try and save a game on Friday night (they failed), he turned to youngster Seth Halvorsen on Saturday. Halvorsen converted it. It’s hard to see how this shakes out, but it’s also easy to see that Halvorsen has the best stuff of the group. We will check again next week on this one.
In Los Angeles, big-ticket free agent prize Tanner Scott should get the slight majority of the opportunities here. However, on Opening Day, it was Scott setting up veteran stalwart Blake Treinen for the save. This looks like it could be a fluid situation all season, where, based on matchups, manager Dave Roberts mixes it up with no clear-cut favorite from day to day. Keep in mind that he also has options like Alex Vesia and Kirby Yates lying in wait, and Michael Kopech should be back within the next month from his health issues. This is a scary bullpen with ample depth and a legitimate five guys who can get the last three outs of games.
In San Diego, Robert Suarez earned saves in his first two outings, perhaps quieting the critics at this point who think he could be replaced in the job. On a scheduled night off Saturday, Adrian Morejon earned his first save of 2025.
