It has been 10 days since my last Bullpen Report, and already a lot has changed. While we don’t have a ton of certainty around the league, there are plenty of bullpen situations that are up in the air, or at least shaky. Let’s take a look at a few.
Anthony Swarzak got the save Wednesday following Marco Gonzales 's gem, and he is certainly worth picking up if you need saves. Swarzak is probably Seattle's best reliever, at least until Hunter Strickland returns, which isn't to say he is actually good. Swarzak could conceivably hold onto the job even after Strickland returns, but I would rather own Greg Holland than Swarzak at this point.
David Hernandez has Cincinnati’s only save this season while Raisel Iglesias has a hold and a loss in two appearances. I had Iglesias as a potential bust in one of my preseason Bullpen Reports, and while it’s too early to declare victory, that call is looking good so far. David Hernandez could still lead the league in holds by the end of the season, and it is worth noting that in the game Iglesias lost in the ninth inning, David Hernandez was used in the eighth inning. Maybe both of these guys wind up with 15 saves and 15 holds and five wins, but if I had to pick one to lead the team in saves, I think I’m picking Hernandez.
A.J. Minter threw a live batting practice Tuesday, and there is a chance he is active by the time you are reading this. Arodys Vizcaíno got his first save of the season Wednesday, and I wonder if that means he is going to keep the job for as long as he is good. If there hadn’t been any save opportunities by the time Minter returned, I would have felt better about Minter’s chances of taking the job and running with it. That being said, Minter at the very least should get a shot if/when Vizcaino goes on the IL. Vizcaino has topped 40 innings just once in his career, and he was already dealing with shoulder soreness in Spring Training. If you can afford to be patient, I think stashing Minter will almost certainly pay off sooner than later.
Alex Colomé was named the White Sox closer before the start of the season, but I’m shocked he’s available in nearly 70 percent of ESPN standard leagues. He only has one save so far, and save opportunities may be hard to come by on a team we don’t expect to win 80 games, but Colome is a good reliever who has proven he can close. He needs to be owned more.
Four Orioles have saves this season, and Mychal Givens is not one of them. Unless you’re in AL-Only, you can probably ignore this situation, though I suppose Givens is playable in deep leagues that count Saves+Holds. If I had to pick somebody to lead Baltimore in saves this season I guess it would be Richard Bleier , but your guess is as good as mine.
Jordan Hicks is probably safe for saves in St. Louis (at least for now), especially with Andrew Miller struggling. Hicks blew his only save chance so far this season but tossed two innings of no-hit ball to earn the win on Monday. I’d be lying if I said I was confident in Hicks’s ability to keep the closing job all season, but I do still like his arm and his upside. Alex Reyes hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory so far, either.
Sergio Romo has Miami’s only save this season, and Drew Steckenrider is coming off an ugly loss on Monday. I think Romo is the best pitcher in this bullpen and should be closing, but a couple more blowups from Steckenrider would certainly help his case.
The Kansas City bullpen probably isn’t as much of a disaster for fantasy as Baltimore’s, but it might be close. Brad Boxberger and Ian Kennedy each have a save and a WHIP over 1.50. I suspect Boxberger gets the next save opportunity, and there is still a chance he scuffles his way to 30 saves like he did for the Diamondbacks last season. Unless I was desperate for saves, I think I would rather take my chances with guys like Sergio Romo and A.J. Minter .
If you are looking to add a pitcher in a Saves+Holds league, I think A.J. Minter should be your first add. Diego Castillo should probably be your second. He has a save and a hold already this season, and while I think José Alvarado will probably close more often than not, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Castillo ends the season with 10 saves and 20 holds. Castillo had a 3.61 K/BB last season, good for a 3.18 ERA and 3.30 FIP. He is legit, and it’s nice to see he isn’t being used as an opener like he was at times last season.
Seranthony Domínguez blew the save Wednesday and David Robertson took the loss. There is a non-zero chance Héctor Neris gets the next crack at closing. I think all three of those pitchers are good, but I don’t know that we’ll ever feel confident we know who is going to get saves from one game to the next.
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Nationals placed INF Luis García Jr. on the Paternity List.
García figures to miss the next three days. Amed Rosario will probably get at least a couple of starts in his place against the Braves.
Nationals recalled INF/OF Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester.
Lipscomb was up briefly last month and went 2-for-4. The 25-year-old is being groomed as a utility player by the Nationals; he’s started at least four games at first, second, third and in left field while hitting .283/.362/.380 in Triple-A this season.
Paul Skenes has announced that he will pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic
Skenes has pitched for Team USA in two other tournaments during his career and actually spent two years at the Air Force Academy. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and will partner with arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, Aaron Judge, to lead Team USA in what figures to be an extremely competitive WBC tournament in 2026.
White Sox LHP prospect Hagen Smith (fatigue) will have his workload managed at Double-A Birmingham.
Hagen Smith’s velocity fluctuated in his last outing, and the White Sox were cautious about him showing some signs of fatigue. They shortened his last outing and will skip his next start to help him manage his workload in his first full professional season. Everything is fine with Smith from a medical perspective, but this is a good reminder that Smith is an immense talent, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a major impact this season as he adjusts to professional baseball.
Paul Blackburn (knee) will make his final rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday
Blackburn has already made four rehab starts, so he will need to be reinstated from the injured list after his start on Friday. As of now, there is no room in the Mets’ rotation, so the most likely outcome is that Blackburn would serve as a multi-inning reliever, which could bump Dedniel Nunez back to the minors.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora admitted the team will “take a look at” whether or not to remove Tanner Houck from the starting rotation.
After his brutal start on Monday, Houck admitted this is “probably the most lost [he’s] ever been.” The struggles really began in the second half of last season, but Houck now has an 8.04 ERA and has allowed double-digit runs in less than three innings twice this season already. Houck does have minor league options remaining, so the Red Sox could simply send him to Triple-A and give him time to figure out what’s going out. If they were to do so, that would allow Hunter Dobbins to stay in the rotation even after Walker Buehler returns next week.