Bullpen Report: April 15, 2022

The 2022 version of Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

1. Notable Workloads: Primary closers or valuable members of a closer committee who have been deemed unavailable or likely unavailable for the current day due to recent workload.
2. Injury News 
3. Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
4. Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
5. Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.

The “RosterResource” link will take you to the corresponding team’s RosterResource depth chart, which will give you a better picture of the full bullpen and results of the previous six days (pitch count, save, hold, win, loss, blown save.)

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.

Notable Workloads

•Gregory Soto, DET: Back-to-back days; 3 of last 4 days; 20 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

Michael Fulmer (9 pitches on Thursday) is a likely candidate for a save chance on Friday if Soto is not available for a third consecutive day.

 

Injury News

•None

 

Outlier Saves

•Michael King, NYY | RosterResource

In King’s first 24 relief appearances in the majors since he debuted in 2019, he had recorded at least four outs in all but two of them. On Thursday, he would only be needed for the final three outs of the game, but the difficulty level of this appearance couldn’t have been much higher.

Called on to preserve a 3-0 lead after closer Aroldis Chapman walked the bases loaded on 16 pitches to start the ninth inning, King was set to face the Blue Jays’ heart of the order — George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He struck out Springer on three pitches and then closed things out when Bichette lined into a double-play.

The Yankees appear to trust the 26-year-old King and this will only reinforce that he is a key part of their bullpen. It also gives them another option for save chances if Chapman doesn’t bounce back from this disaster.

•Dany Jiménez, OAK | RosterResource

After failing to stick with the San Francisco Giants as a Rule 5 pick in 2020, Jiménez returned to the Blue Jays and put up terrific numbers out of the bullpen for Triple-A Buffalo in 2021. It wasn’t enough, however, to earn a late-season call-up — he was one of my “Knocking Down The Door” picks on September 2 — nor was it enough to get anything more than a Minor League contract this past offseason. But he picked a team where he was likely to have a good opportunity to reach the majors.

One of four non-roster invitees to win a spot in the Athletics’ bullpen, the 28-year-old Jiménez had as good a chance as any to become the team’s “next in line” behind closer Lou Trivino. And while it’s too early to know for sure, he got the first save chance with Trivino unavailable on Thursday against the Rays, following scoreless outings from Domingo Acevedo and A.J. Puk. Jiménez pitched a scoreless ninth — it was his third scoreless appearance of the season — to close out the 6-3 win and pick up his first major league save.

 

Committee Clarity

•Mychal Givens, CHC | RosterResource

David Robertson picked up the Cubs’ first two saves of the season and, after not pitching on Wednesday, appeared to be in line for a third save with his team leading 5-2 in the ninth inning over the Rockies at Coors Field. But manager David Ross opted for Givens, who pitched in 41 games for the Rockies in 2020 and 2021 and had success at Coors Field last season. The 31-year-old did the job, striking out two in a scoreless inning to pick up his first save with the Cubs.

By staying away from Robertson for a third consecutive save chance, it’s clear that the Cubs do not have one closer at this point of the season. But whether there are more options than just Robertson and Givens isn’t clear, although it isn’t likely unless Rowan Wick can work himself back into the mix.

 

Losing A Grip

•Aroldis Chapman, NYY | RosterResource

It was less than a year ago that Chapman had one of the ugliest three-game stretches imaginable.

•On June 23, he allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks, blowing a ninth-inning lead to the Royals before the Yankees came back to win in the bottom of the ninth.
•He didn’t pitch again until June 30 when the Yankees handed him the ball with an 8-4 lead over the Angels. He walked the bases loaded before allowing a game-tying homer to Jared Walsh. Chapman was replaced by Lucas Luetge, who allowed three more runs in the eventual Yankees’ loss.
•Chapman’s next appearance came four days later on July 4 with a 5-4 lead over the Mets in the seventh inning — it was Game 1 of a double-header. This one didn’t last long. He quickly gave up the lead on a homer to Pete Alonso, then followed up with a hit batter and a walk before he was once again replaced by Luetge.

If you don’t remember how bad things were going for him, it’s probably because Chapman quickly rebounded. He went on to make 32 more appearances in 2021 (29 regular season; 3 post-season), which included a few lower-leverage outings before returning to the closer’s role. Over that span, the left-hander had a 1.76 ERA, 15 saves, and 53 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.

Should there be concern that Chapman walked all three batters he faced on Thursday and the Yankees needed King to come in and save the day? Sure, but we can’t forget that Chapman has been on the ropes quite a few times throughout his career and always seems to bounce back. The Yankees’ bullpen, however, is deep enough and talented enough to succeed if things go off the rails with Chapman. Jonathan Loáisiga is probably next in line, although Clay Holmes could also emerge as a candidate at some point.

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.