Bullpen Report: April 10, 2014

-All of the hypothetical discussion regarding the Oakland Athletics’ closing situation in last night’s Bullpen Report came to fruition this morning. Manager Bob Melvin did indeed pull the plug on Jim Johnson’s ninth-inning role for the time being, leaving Sean Doolittle, Luke Gregerson, Ryan Cook and Dan Otero in a committee for saves. Colin thoroughly discussed each of the aforementioned candidates here, so there’s no need to beat that drum again. If you’re looking to get in on this action, I’d be adding Gregerson, Doolittle, Cook and Otero — in that order.

There obviously isn’t enough room for five names on our grid below, so I’ll simply be bumping both Gregerson and Doolittle ahead of Johnson, while moving the Athletics to red status. Cook will make his way on there by tomorrow, once I figure out the logistics of this chart you all love so much.

-Yankees’ right-hander David Phelps notched the first save of his career this evening in a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox. With David Robertson on the shelf and both Shawn Kelley and Adam Warren unavailable, Joe Girardi elected to roll out Phelps to face the final seven batters Boston sent to the plate. Phelps fanned three and failed to allow a baserunner en route to the 2.1 inning, 34-pitch save. It may be worth noting that Matt Thornton was warming just in case Phelps faltered. With that said, if you’re already scrambling for saves and Shawn Kelley is spoken for, adding David Phelps still probably isn’t a great idea. Robertson is already throwing off flat ground, and if all goes well, he’ll return from the disabled list when eligible on April 22nd.

–Jose Valverde induced pop-ups off the bats of Evan Gattis and Ramiro Pena, then fanned Jason Heyward to lock down his second save of the season and the 288th of his career. Papa Grande owns a 0.00 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP with two saves and seven strikeouts in five appearances thus far in ‘14. If you’re ready-and-willing for the roller coaster ride that is owning Jose Valverde, check your league’s waiver wire and take the plunge. He’s available in roughly 40% of Y! and 60% of ESPN leagues at the time of this writing. Kyle Farnsworth dished another clean eighth-inning and could be the new set-up man in Flushing. Update regarding this item on the chart for tomorrow.

Quick Hits:

–Josh Fields took the hill in a non-save situation for the Astros tonight. Fields allowed two earned on two hits and a walk, leaving Anthony Bass to come in and save the game. Fields certainly isn’t doing himself any favors in Houston’s committee.

–Matt Lindstrom and Francisco Rodriguez both pitched impressive frames in non-save situations.

Closer Grid:

[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]