Bullpen Report: August 27, 2018

With Kelvin Herrera having returned from the DL last Tuesday and Ryan Madson (back) and Sean Doolittle (toe) on the mend, it looked as if the injury-plagued Nationals bullpen was finally going to enjoy some stability. That just might not be in the cards, though, as Herrera injured his foot in the Nationals’ 15-0 win over Mets on Sunday. In just his second appearance since getting activated, Herrera hurt himself while fielding a Jose Bautista grounder, and he had to be carted off the field. X-rays taken after the game came back negative, but he is scheduled for more tests on Monday.

While it is not yet known how long Herrera will be out, Madson could be back as soon as Tuesday. He threw a bullpen session on Sunday, and barring any setbacks, he should be able to serve as the Nationals’ closer beginning with the team’s second game of their series in Philadelphia. Madson is not expected to be ready for Monday’s series opener, but he should still be a viable option in weekly leagues. Because Madson has not yet been activated, Koda Glover is listed in the grid as the Nationals’ closer, but his current reign won’t likely last beyond Monday night.

Once Doolittle is ready to return, Madson will presumably cede the closer’s role back to him, but the lefty is expected to miss at least another week. Doolittle told MLB.com that his most recent mound session, which was conducted on Thursday, was his best to date since going on the DL.

After pitching on three consecutive days, Will Smith was unavailable to lock down the Giants’ 3-1 win over the Rangers on Sunday. It was an uneasy feeling for Smith’s fantasy owners (or at least for this one), given that he could use a bounceback performance to solidify his role after a pair of shaky performances. Making matters worse, Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the save just a day after he had bailed Smith out from a two-out, bases-loaded situation.

There is no particular reason to think that Smith has lost the closer’s job, though Melancon has clearly emerged as the closer-in-waiting in San Francisco. It is also too soon to worry about a trend that has emerged over just 1.2 innings, but it is worth noting that, of the 47 pitches Smith threw in his last two appearances, only three resulted in a swinging strike. Smith is not dealing with reduced velocity, but his whiff rate is something owners should monitor over his next few outings.

Having built a 7-2 lead going into the ninth inning against the Padres on Sunday, the Dodgers did not need a closer, but if they did, it wasn’t going to be Kenley Jansen. Dave Roberts said he was going to stay away from his struggling closer on Sunday, though he expects to use him, if necessary, for Tuesday’s series opener at Texas. Since returning from his DL stint for an irregular heartbeat, Jansen has allowed five runs on seven hits (including four home runs) over three innings. His three appearances have resulted in a blown save and two losses.

While owners of Jansen and Smith may be feeling a little nervous heading into the coming week, those looking to Jeremy Jeffress for saves have to feel pretty good. He appears to have emerged from the Brewers’ committee situation as Craig Counsell’s top closing option. Jeffress successfully finished off a 7-4 victory over the Pirates on Sunday, and he has now been entrusted with each of the Brewers’ last four ninth-inning save opportunities.

A.J. Minter is also looking like a safe option for saves this week. On Sunday, he pitched for the first time since getting sidelined with back issues, and all he allowed in a scoreless ninth inning against the Marlins was a Derek Dietrich single. Minter was working with a 4-0 lead, so he did not get a save, but he showed no decline in his velocity or command.

Quick hits: Aaron Boone appears firmly committed to using a closer committee in Aroldis Chapman’s (knee) absence. In having David Robertson close out the Yankees’ 5-3 win over the Orioles on Sunday night, he used his third different reliever in a final-inning save situation since Chapman went on the DL. Robertson struck out two Orioles in a scoreless inning…One day after being used in the eighth inning with a five-run lead, Roberto Osuna was called upon to preserve the Astros’ 3-1 win against the Angels. Osuna has now received the last two save opportunities for the Astros, and he successfully converted both of them…The White Sox have been embracing their closer committee, but Jace Fry appears to be gaining a more prominent role within that save-sharing situation. The southpaw has each of the team’s last two saves, including the one he earned on Sunday against the Tigers, in which he got the final two outs after inheriting a bases-loaded situation from Hector Santiago. Fry also got the first out of the ninth inning in Friday’s game, pitching with a 6-3 lead before giving way to Juan Minaya…Hector Neris got his first hold of the season on Sunday, pitching a scoreless seventh inning against the Blue Jays. Since getting recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Neris has thrown 6.2 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts and one walk…Juan Nicasio is scheduled to have season-ending knee surgery. He finishes his first season with the Mariners with a 6.00 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 42 innings…The Dodgers plan on activating Ross Stripling on Tuesday and using him as a reliever…The Cardinals activated Dominic Leone on Sunday and placed Mike Mayers on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.