As we head into the home stretch of the 2023 fantasy baseball season, staying up-to-date on the latest MLB bullpen changes and trends is critical. One of the hottest closers in baseball, Trevor May, saves games for an Oakland Athletics team that will lose well over 100 games this season. Plus, there appears to be a new co-closer for the win-challenged Chicago White Sox. We’ll cover those MLB relief pitchers trending up in fantasy baseball rankings in the season's final month. We'll also identify some long and middle relievers who can provide good ratios as well as the occasional hold or win to emerge as fantasy baseball sleepers. Be sure to check your league as some of the pitchers mentioned below could be top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups. Let's get to all of the latest MLB trends and news for relief pitchers in this week’s fantasy baseball bullpen report.

All statistics noted in this article are accurate as of the morning of September 7th, 2023, unless noted.

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Fantasy Baseball MLB Bullpen Updates

Oakland Athletics

As this article is being written the A’s have lost 97 games this season but Trevor May has been one of the hottest closers in baseball. In his last eight games dating back to August 19th, May has pitched 7.1 scoreless innings, and saved six games. Overall, he’s saved 18 games on the season or 41.8% of the A’s wins. Right-handed hitters are batting just .198 against him this season and he’s only rostered in 42% of Yahoo! leagues.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are another team that hasn’t won too many games (54 as this article is being written) but they’re still going to win some before the end of the season and some of them will need saving. Add Bryan Shaw to the rather unimpressive list of White Sox relievers who’ll be in the mix for save opportunities moving forward. Shaw has 17 career saves and hasn’t given up a run in his last 4 appearances (5.1 IP). He has one save and one hold during that time frame. Gregory Santos was expected to take over as the White Sox’s closer but with three blown saves and a 9.00 ERA in his last seven games the White Sox may decide to move in another direction for now.

Other MLB Relievers to Watch

The following are a few relievers who could take the place of a slumping starting pitcher that you’ve been rolling out in your season long lineups. They provide good ratios and can also contribute the occasional, win, hold and a save.

Michael Tonkin, Atlanta Braves

Any pitcher, whether they’re a reliever or starter, has a chance to back into a win when pitching for the Braves. Tonkin has been pitching well of late, pitching to a 2.26 ERA in his last seven games. He has struck out 14 batters and walked just two while picking up a win and a save during that stretch.

Ryan Yarbrough, Los Angeles Dodgers

Yarbrough has had his ups and downs since being traded to the Dodgers from the Royals but overall, his stats since joining LA have been pretty good. He’s made seven appearances for the Dodgers, pitching 22.1 innings. During that time frame, he has struck out 19 batters while walking just one and he’s picked up three wins and two saves while pitching to a 2.82 ERA. 

Robert Stephenson, Tampa Bay Rays

In his last 10 appearances, Stephenson has pitched 9.1 scoreless innings and he has struck out 17 batters while walking just one. He has also recorded five holds during that time span.

Jakob Junis, San Francisco Giants

Junis is another pitcher who’s had his ups and downs this season but overall, his recent stats are impressive. In his last 10 games, he’s pitched to a 1.96 ERA, and he has struck out 22 batters while walking just 3. Junis has a win and unfortunately, he also has a blown save during that time span.

Sam Hentges, Cleveland Guardians

Hentges hasn’t given up an earned run in 18 consecutive innings across his last 18 appearances. He has struck out 22 batters and walked just four during that time frame. Hentges has also picked up two wins and four holds during that stretch. 

Genesis Cabrera, Toronto Blue Jays

Cabrera has pitched remarkably well since being traded to the Blue Jays from the Cardinals. In his 21 games with the Jays, he’s pitched 18.1 innings and struck out 14 batters while walking just two. Cabrera has a 0.49 ERA in those 21 games.

 

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