Bullpen Report: May 31, 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
•Gregory Soto, DET: 17 pitches on Monday, back-to-back days. | Roster Resource
Michael Fulmer and Andrew Chafin should both be available on Tuesday.
•Corey Knebel, PHI: 19 pitches on Monday, back-to-back days. | Roster Resource
Officially “On the Hot Seat” (read more in the “Loosing a Grip” section below), closer Corey Knebel is likely to need a day of rest on Tuesday. That leaves Seranthony Domínguez as the most likely to fill in because he is rested and the next-in-line for closer duties Brad Hand is also on “High Usage Alert”.
•Josh Hader, MIL: 29 pitches on Monday. | Roster Resource
Hader recorded two saves on Monday, one in each game of the double-header. Each man listed on the Closer Depth Chart was utilized except for Brent Suter. The Brewers will have to hope Eric Lauer can go deep into the game on Tuesday and may use Suter for multiple innings if he cannot.
•David Bednar, PIT: 50 pitches on Monday. | Roster Resource
50 pitches! In two innings on Monday against the Dodgers, Bednar blew the save by giving up two runs on four hits and one walk but then recorded the win with offensive support and four strikeouts. He will very likely need a day off for game two of the series against the Dodgers and both setup men Chris Stratton and Wil Crowe should be available to fill in.
•Giovanny Gallegos, STL: 25 pitches on Monday. | Roster Resource
Gallegos, Ryan Helsley (19 pitches), and Génesis Cabrera (17 pitches) were all used on Monday. It’s possible that in another close game on Tuesday, the Gallegos/Helsley combo could appear again, however, Helsley is just a little more rested.
•Craig Kimbrel, LAD: 27 pitches on Monday, back-t0-back days. | Roster Resource
Both setup men Daniel Hudson and Brusdar Graterol should be available headed into Tuesday’s game against the Pirates.
•Camilo Doval, SFG: 10 pitches on Monday, back-t0-back days. | Roster Resource
John Brebbia, Dominic Leone, and Tyler Rogers should all be available. But, Jake McGee who recorded 31 saves in 2021 has been reactivated from the IL and could possibly start seeing opportunities to close the game. Though, he’ll likely need to be worked back up to high leverage situations for his first few appearances.
Injury News
•None
Outlier Saves
•None
Committee Clarity
•None
Losing a Grip
•Corey Knebel PHI | Roster Resource
Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki reported on the status of Knebel as the Phillies closer on May 30th, marking manager Joe Girardi’s confidence and belief in him. Zolecki wrote, “Girardi said Knebel will remain his closer.” Does that help fantasy managers? As someone rostering Knebel myself I could say yes as it applies to my save totals. However, I could say no as it applies to my ratios.
In the month of May, Knebel has only recorded four saves, giving up seven earned runs and two home runs. You could easily chalk that up to a few bad outings, but in May Knebel’s K% has gone down and his BB% has gone up. On the season, his 10.1% K-BB% is below the 14.1% league average among qualified relievers. However, you could argue that this really is a rough patch if you look at Knebel’s “Advanced” tab on his player page and compare his 2022 walk and strikeout metrics with his preseason projections. They are all off of what is expected from him. This points to the fact that we should expect regression moving forward. While there is surely room for a deeper dive into what is happening with Knebel, it seems that he is still the closer in Philadelphia and shouldn’t be dropped, in my opinion, in any format.
Worth noting Helsley has not been used on back to back days all year and Marmol has been very up front about them trying to preserve him. So I don’t think he’s pitching today