If you've been a subscriber here at Fantasy Alarm, you've seen the Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid before. If you're new, it's very simple. We not only list who the closer is for each team, but we then go another two-deep into the bullpen to let you know who would be next in line to accrue saves should there be an injury or a change, as well as which relievers you may want to target if your league scores for holds. This isn't about how the teams' depth charts read always, so keep that in mind. Sometimes the heir-apparent is an obvious one, but in many cases, it is not. I look for things like skill-set, contact rates, pitch-command, pitch-mix, how many lefties are in the bullpen, who has worked as a closer before, and who has the experience in high-leverage situations among other things.
GREEN will be those with strong talent, abundant opportunities and a high-level of job security. The tier below will be in YELLOW followed by ORANGE and lastly RED to indicate who may have the job right now but could lose it with one bad hiccup.
UPDATED: 9.24.21
Player News
Reds recalled INF Rece Hinds from Triple-A Louisville.
You might remember Hinds for pulling a Kyren Paris in his first stint of MLB action, only to pull a Kyren Paris a few weeks later and plummet back to earth. The 24-year-old plays in a friendly park and offers quality power, but he’s far from a guarantee to put up fantasy fireworks in 2025.
Reds placed INF Noelvi Marte on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 5, with a left oblique strain.
Marte will miss a week-plus — at minimum — while recovering from the strain. The former top prospect should be back by the end of May if there are no setbacks at the latest, but oblique strains can have a wide variety of timelines depending on the severity. Rece Hinds is heading up from Louisville to take Marte’s roster spot.
Nolan Arenado was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to back spasms.
Arenado was scratched mere moments before the first pitch of Wednesday’s game. The 34-year-old will likely miss a game or two at least, but his status for the weekend will be determined over the coming days. Nolan Gorman will likely get the starts at third as long as Arenado can’t play.
Marlins optioned RHP George Soriano to Triple-A Jacksonville.
Soriano has been atrocious with Miami this year while allowing 17 runs in 18 1/3 innings. He’ll try and get right in the minors with Cade Gibson now occupying his roster spot.
Marlins recalled LHP Cade Gibson from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Gibson gives the Marlins a fresh bullpen arm. The 27-year-old threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in his only appearance with Miami back in April.
Dodgers recalled RHP Landon Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Knack gets to make a spot start against the Marlins on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has struggled in his time with the Dodgers this season, but there are worse streaming options; mainly due to him facing one of the weaker lineups in the sport.