This weekend, time clicks away into September, and thus the last full month of regular season baseball. Is it just me, or has the season seemingly gone by very quickly? With that in mind, many of you are making those final pushes to make the playoffs or finish in the money, and with that, an extra save or hold could make the difference here.
Total side note: as we begin to transition from summer to fall in many parts of the world, please look out for yourself and your friends and family. Mentally and emotionally, a toll can be exacted as we move from season to season. Do not suffer alone. You are NOT alone. If you need someone to talk to, you can call or text 988 to get help. You can DM me @mdrc0508, and I will listen or will help you find someone nearby to talk to. There is no need to suffer in silence. Reach out and talk.
OK, getting back to regular programming: let’s take a look and see who is hot and who is not in major league bullpens.
Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Seranthony Dominguez nabbed two saves this week for the Baltimore Orioles, while former closer Craig Kimbrel only pitched once, and in a middle relief role. Dominguez is the clear-cut closer in Baltimore.
Kenley Jansen hit the 25-save mark this week in Boston and also earned a win in a game in which Chris Martin got the save. This marks the 12th time in Jansen’s storied career that he has earned 25 saves in a season. He’s still extremely effective.
Clay Holmes earned saves 28 and 29 this week for the New York Yankees, and Jake Cousins has replaced Luke Weaver as the top setup man at this time, with three holds this week.
We are still reading the tea leaves right now in Tampa Bay, where the closer appears to be a committee between Edwin Uceta and Manuel Rodriguez. In one game this week, Uceta earned the win and Rodriguez the save. While both have been outstanding, my slight lean here is Rodriguez, despite Uceta having a better arsenal and more strikeout potential. Manager Kevin Cash seems willing to use Uceta at any point in the game right now, a la the stopper role. This is one to watch.
AL Central
Chicago: no one cares. This is possibly the worst bullpen in the history of baseball. Is the closer Chad Kuhl? Justin Anderson? Gus Varland? No one cares. and neither should you. One thing that could become interesting here: Prelander Berroa and Fraser Ellard are two prospects who could stick and develop roles if the White Sox ever become competitive again.
Emmanuel Clase just keeps rolling, earning three more saves this week to push his season total to 40. There aren’t many better choices in the game right now. This marks three consecutive years where Clase has earned at least 40 saves, and he seems primed to surpass his career high of 44 last season.
Jason Foley seems to have quietly recaptured the job in Detroit, with two saves this week.
Waiting on word of the Lucas Erceg injury in Kansas City. He is day-to-day with a swollen hand. Something to watch here.
Jhoan Duran has struggled in Minnesota despite his overpowering stuff. He remains the closer and should be, but watch what happens as the Twins fight for a playoff spot.
AL West
Josh Hader has had a full week in Houston: a save, a loss, a save, a blown save (and win) in the same game. Houston also welcomed back veteran reliever Ryan Pressly this week, a welcome boost as they quietly make their run to the American League playoffs.
Mason Miller continues a breakout season in Oakland, with three saves in four days earlier this week, running his total to 23 on the season—the eye-popping 43.4%K% remains one of the highest in baseball.
Kirby Yates got two more saves this week and now has 25 for the also-ran Texas Rangers. It’s been really great to see him healthy and rebound to his former self, with a 1.40 ERA and 37.2%K% this year.
NL East
Philadelphia: I have done much hand-wringing the last few weeks on this one. My heart sank when the Phillies acquired Carlo Estevez, as I rostered Jeff Hoffman many times this year and preferred him to be the closer. However, with the team now struggling, it is not clear who the closer is as we head into September. Estevez pitched in consecutive games earlier this week, yet Hoffman got the save on Thursday night. The usage pattern here will be one to watch in coming days.
Kyle Finnegan, retained at the trade deadline by the Washington Nationals, earned three saves this week and now has 34 on the season. With the Nationals looking like a team that could contend next year, Finnegan should be their top choice to close games in 2025.
NL Central
The Cubs situation is interesting. While it is seen as a contest between Porter Hodge and Jorge Lopez, the only save earned this week went to veteran Keegan Thompson on Friday night. Lopez is fighting through a groin issue and has not pitched this week, although he did throw a bullpen session on Friday that apparently went well. He is considered day-to-day. Given the upper hand due to the Lopez injury, Hodge has only gotten into two games this week, earning a win Wednesday with a 36-pitch effort. This is the classic tale of bullpens here: the cagey veteran in Lopez versus the hard-throwing youngster in Hodge.
Things are in disarray in Cincinnati. Closer Alexis Diaz has fallen on hard times, blowing three consecutive saves this week and earning two losses in the process. The guys behind him have been no better: setup guys Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan also blew saves and took losses. Manager David Bell seems reluctant to give hard-throwing righthander Fernando Cruz an opportunity and with a 5.17 ERA and 12%BB%, you can see why. Best guess: Diaz retains the job.
Devin Williams: set and forget. That is all.
Pittsburgh: David Bednar has finally been demoted to a middle relief role, leaving Aroldis Chapman, Kyle Nicolas, and Dennis Santana fighting for the table scraps. No saves were earned this week, with Bednar blowing one Wednesday and taking a loss in the game as well. The lean here should be Chapman, but again, that depends on a number of factors. Nicolas is a young righty who the team might want to take a longer look at, but Chapman has the experience. Whether we agree or not, the Pirates consider themselves to be in the Wild Card race, and if that thinking remains, it seems clear that Chapman would be the guy.
Ryan Helsley earned two saves and a win in three appearances this week; what a comeback for the veteran. He is up to 41 saves on the season, leading all of major league baseball. It will be interesting to see where fantasy players rank him next year in the preseason closer rankings.
NL West
Arizona: Justin Martinez continues to be the leader of the pack in the bullpen, earning two saves this week while also taking one loss. He’s the clear-cut favorite for saves as the calendar ticks off into September.
In Colorado, an injury to Victor Vodnik reopened the door to the closer role for veteran Tyler Kinley. Kinley earned a save in his only opportunity this week. And then he gave up three earned runs without getting an out in the next game. Yet Kinley has shown improvement in August, with a 3.86 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 13 punchouts in 11.2 innings. Still not worth rostering, but someone to watch.
Michael Kopech continues to be lights-out in Los Angeles. Anoint him closer if you desire to, but also keep in mind that Anthony Banda and Evan Phillips also earned saves this week. Manager Dave Roberts will likely continue to mix and match as he tries to figure out his best deployment for the playoffs. This is an experienced group with guys like Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Joe Kelly who have all closed at times with great success.
Ryan Walker has stepped into the closer role in San Francisco and looks comfortable doing it, with two saves this week running his total to eight on the season. Camilo Doval looks to be in a setup role with Tyler Rogers.