Bullpen Report: August 23, 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.
- 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.
- Injury News
- Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
- Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
- 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
•Jonathan Loáisiga, NYY: 12 pitches on Monday, back-to-back days. | Roster Resource
Both Aroldis Chapman and Lou Trivino should be available on Tuesday for game two of the Subway Series.
Injury News
•Scott Effross, NYY: IL15, Right shoulder strain | Roster Resource
Today’s bullpen report seems to be all about the Yankees as the injury to Effross really shuffles things around. News of Clay Holmes and Zach Britton throwing bullpen sessions must be welcome news for Yankee fans, but it will be some time before the reinforcements actually start making an impact. Since joining the Yankees at the trade deadline, Effross has been a reliable setup option, though he did record one save. He only had one game where he didn’t keep runs off the board, giving up three runs in his third appearance with the Yankees where he faced the Cardinals. That single game is the reason his ERA as a Yankee is up to 3.24.
Scott Effross had some shoulder stiffness after yesterday’s game #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) August 21, 2022
Outlier Saves
•None
Committee Clarity
•Jonathan Loáisiga, NYY | Roster Resource
The Yankees are dealing with a lot of bullpen injuries all at once, but they also have plenty of quality arms to fill in and Loáisiga is one of them. The 27-year-old threw 1.1 clean innings in last night’s game and struck out one. He has quietly and slowly been building back up into form since his return from the IL in mid-July. If you remove his first appearance back on July 14th, the righty has a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings. His K/9 in that time period is far lower (5.11) than his career average (9.32), but his sinker velocity is on an upward trend. He could be just a few appearances away from getting it truly dialed in.
The Closer Committee is crowded in New York, so it’s difficult for fantasy managers to take much action, but there’s certainly room for streaming as players like Ron Marinaccio (“Reliever on the Rise”) and Clarke Schmidt are given more opportunities.
Ron Marinaccio has not allowed a hit in 22 of his first 27 career games, the most such games by any Major League pitcher through his first 27 career appearances.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) August 23, 2022
•Andrew Bellatti, PHI | Roster Resource
It was hard to determine whether or not Bellati should be placed into the “Outlier Save” section or the “Committee Clarity” section, but with both Seranthony Domínguez and Corey Knebel going on the IL, we’ll have to see how things shape out in Philadelphia. Going into Monday’s game, José Alvarado, Brad Hand, and David Robertson were all on “High Usage Alert” and Bellatti stepped up to record a save, using 18 pitches to do so. While he did walk one batter, he struck out two and showed why his statcast Whiff% is in the 97th percentile. Fantasy managers will probably do best to focus on Brad Hand, in the very likely case that David Robertson is already rostered in most leagues.
•Matt Moore, TEX | Roster Resource
The Texas Rangers’ closer situation has been fluid all year. There are moments where fans believe one reliever is now the official closer only to be shown otherwise by the team. Jonathan Hernández has been solid with a 2.08 ERA and 2.58 FIP, but he’s only recorded four saves since July 16th. Matt Moore on the other hand has a 2.05 ERA and a 3.10 FIP, but he’s only recorded three saves since June 13th. The Rangers opted to go with José Leclerc in the setup role and Moore in the closer role on Monday, even though Hernández had a day of rest on Sunday. With the Rangers sitting 10 games below .500, Rangers relievers are only likely to offer streaming saves here and there for fantasy purposes.
Losing a Grip
•None
I really enjoy this column, especially its daily nature. But with that commitment comes the responsibility to be complete. And while I know some of this is personal preference/perspective, clearly Shawn Armstrong had himself a textbook definition of “Outlier Saves” last night, but was not mentioned. He deserves his writeup!