Bullpen Report: April 9, 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.

We will always include a link to the full Closer Depth Chart at the bottom of the Bullpen Report each day. It’s also accessible from the RosterResource drop-down menu and from any RosterResource page. Please let us know what you think.

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

•Liam Hendriks, CHW: 33 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Kendall Graveman (19 pitches) and Aaron Bummer (24 pitches) both labored on Friday as well, so closing duties may fall to Jose Ruiz or Reynaldo López on Saturday.

•Kenley Jansen, ATL: 33 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

It was not an easy first outing as a Brave for Jansen, who might need a couple days off now. Will Smith and Collin McHugh are likeliest for a save on Saturday.

•Craig Kimbrel, LAD: 21 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Blake Treinen only threw five pitches on Friday, so he should be good to go on Saturday if needed for a save. Alex Vesia is the top option from the left side.

•Camilo Doval, SFG: 21 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Co-closers Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers both ought to be available on Saturday.

Injury News

•Matt Barnes, BOS: Was unavailable (back tightness) on Friday. | RosterResource

We don’t have many details on Barnes yet, except that he wasn’t available in the Red Sox’s 11-inning loss due to his ailing back, an issue that had either only popped up on Friday or was one we just didn’t know of publicly. Back injuries can be nagging, so it’s very possible Barnes is IL-bound, ultimately.

Outlier Saves

•None

Committee Clarity

•Garrett Whitlock, Ryan Brasier, Hansel Robles and Jake Diekman, BOS | RosterResource

Of the Red Sox’s anticipated closing committee, only Matt Barnes didn’t appear in Boston’s Opening Day game due to his tight back. Whitlock had been stretched out as a potential starting option in Spring Training, so he as able to throw 38 pitches in getting seven outs from the sixth through eighth, though he did blow the one-run lead in giving up a home run to DJ LeMahieu. The plan may have been to let Whitlock take the game to the house if he had held the league, which of course proved moot.

Diekman was shaky as he was during Spring Training, hitting a batter and throwing just three of six pitches for strikes. Notably, Brasier entered for a righty-on-righty matchup with Barnes unavailable, so he might join Robles as the top single-inning righty in the Red Sox’s ‘pen.

•Andrew Kittredge, J.P. Feyereisen and Brooks Raley 레일리, TBR | RosterResource

The Rays haven’t had a set closer for a few years now, and it doesn’t look like they’ll have one in 2022 either. High-leverage reliever JT Chargois entered in the fifth, with Kittredge, Feyereisen and Raley ultimately combining for the last two innings. Raley struck out the only batter he faced to seal the Opening Day win for Tampa.

Losing A Grip

•None

Click HERE for the full Closer Depth Chart.