Below you’ll find a roundup of notable reliever-related news from April 20-26 , organized by team (not every team will have notes).
You can also view the Closer Depth Chart for a full picture of bullpen hierarchies.
American League
Minnesota Twins
Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart have both filled in admirably, but Jhoan Duran appears to be nearing a return to the majors. His first rehab appearance on Tuesday didn’t go well, and he topped out at just 99 mph, high for anyone not named Mason Miller but a low top-end velocity for him. Still, an early-May return appears to be in the cards, which will return Stewart and Jax to setup roles.
Oakland Athletics
Mason Miller finally pitched on back-to-back days! I’ll believe three in a row is possible when I see it, but this firmly entrenches him as the true closer, rather than “closer when he’s available, which is TBD.”
Seattle Mariners
Matt Brash had his rehab from elbow inflammation paused indefinitely, and he’s going to see Dr. Keith Meister, which is almost never good news. His season could be in real jeopardy.
Texas Rangers
Kirby Yates‘ 11 scoreless innings have him entrenched as the closer, with Bruce Bochy preferring to deploy David Robertson as more of a multi-inning fireman. It’s deja vu all over again for José Leclerc, who’s back in a setup/middle relief role while he works on his control and command, similar to last year.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks
Paul Sewald will have his rehab slowed a bit, though it doesn’t appear to be a real setback. Kevin Ginkel should continue to close until Sewald’s ready sometime in May.
Chicago Cubs
Adbert Alzolay was removed from the closer’s role while he tightens up his command and hopefully gets less homer-prone. Hector Neris looks to be the closer for now, though he’s not pitching particularly well either. Keep an eye on Mark Leiter Jr., whose ERA is still 0.00, and Yency Almonte, who’s rebounded after a tough start.
Colorado Rockies
Justin Lawrence is on a roll and looks to have reclaimed the closer’s job that was very much not his in the early going, with Jake Bird, Nick Mears, and Victor Vodnik moving up the depth chart. Tyler Kinley continues to pitch poorly.
Milwaukee Brewers
The ninth inning will continue to be fluid until Devin Williams is back, but the latest is that Joel Payamps and Trevor Megill look to be the two guys. Abner Uribe’s control might just be a bit too spotty to be the last line of defense.
Pittsburgh Pirates
David Bednar was on a modest run of three scoreless appearances before giving up three runs without recording an out on Friday. But as I’ve been saying every week, he’s given himself plenty of leash and it’s not like Aroldis Chapman is pitching well either.
