Bullpen Report: June 7, 2019

I know we’ve heard this before, but Chris Woodward is saying once again that he is close to returning Jose Leclerc to the Rangers’ closer role. The last time Woodward raised this possibility, Shawn Kelley was on the verge of coming off the IL, and in a surprise move, he put Kelley in a save situation the day he was activated and five days after he had lumps removed from his vocal cords (which turned out to be benign).

Maybe Kelley staved off that seemingly inevitable move by nailing down the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Orioles on Thursday night. If Leclerc is going to take his old job back, it won’t happen in Friday night’s series opener against the Athletics, as neither he nor Kelley will be available. While there is still a lull in Leclerc’s closer activity, now is the time to add him. He is still available in at least 40 percent of leagues on ESPN, CBS and Yahoo. Over his last 11.2 innings, he has been showing the form that made him one of the top relievers in the second half of 2018, posting a 1.54 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 57.5 percent K% and 5.0 percent BB%.

It looks as if the tide has turned in favor of Taylor Rogers in the Twins’ save-sharing situation. Rogers got the save against the Rays on Sunday, striking out the side in the ninth inning after Blake Parker gave up a two-run homer to Christian Arroyo in the eighth. Then Parker took the loss against the Indians on Wednesday, giving up a pair of home runs in the seventh inning. In Thursday’s 5-4 win in the series finale, Parker did not appear, and Rogers pitched both the eighth and ninth innings for his sixth save. He did allow an Oscar Mercado solo home run in the ninth, but that was the only hit he allowed, and he struck out three hitters.

If there is a reason to doubt Rogers’ lasting power as the Twins’ primary closer at this point, it’s that the team had been pursuing Craig Kimbrel, whose signing with the Cubs will be made official on Friday. At least for now, Rogers is a target to add in all but the shallowest of leagues, and his ownership rates are far lower than those of Leclerc.

A pair of elite closers extended slumps on Thursday. Felipe Vazquez recorded a four-out save against the Braves, but he had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning. Over his last 7.2 innings, Vazquez has allowed six runs on 10 hits and three walks, though he has also racked up 13 strikeouts. The biggest sign of concern is a 35.0 percent line drive rate over this span, which isn’t much of a concern at all, given the fluid nature of that metric.

We may need to watch Roberto Osuna a little more closely. Like Vazquez, he entered in the eighth inning without incident, but he tripped up in the ninth against the Mariners, allowing an RBI single to Edwin Encarnacion. That game-tying hit left Osuna with his second blown save of the season for the Astros, both of which have come in his last six appearances. Over his last 7.2 innings, Osuna has put up similar numbers to Vazquez: six runs on nine hits (three home runs) and two walks with nine strikeouts. A 56.5 percent hard contact is the loudest warning signal coming out of these performances.

Alex Cora has typically saved the heart of the opposing order for Matt Barnes, and he did so again on Thursday against the Royals. This time, that coincided with the ninth inning, as Barnes was set to face Adalberto Mondesi, Alex Gordon and Jorge Soler with a 7-4 Red Sox lead at stake. He gave up a single to Gordon and an RBI double to Soler, but he bounced back to strike out Ryan O’Hearn and Cheslor Cuthbert to secure his fourth save.

Quick hits: Kirby Yates (23), Aroldis Chapman (18) and Josh Hader (14) added to their save totals on Thursday…Jordan Hicks rebounded from a short and wild outing against the Cubs on Sunday by tossing a perfect ninth inning in a 3-1 win over the Reds on Thursday. The appearance culminated in Hicks’ 12th save…Wade Davis (oblique) could return from the IL as soon as Friday. In what could be his last save opportunity for awhile, Scott Oberg pitched a perfect ninth inning in the Rockies’ 3-1 win over the Cubs. Jairo Diaz picked up his third hold with a scoreless eighth inning…For the first time in five appearances, Lou Trivino held the opposition scoreless, taking care of the Angels in the eighth inning with a four-run lead…Seranthony Dominguez (elbow) was scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday. Results have not yet been reported.