It’s June, in case you don’t own a calendar or Mayan solar stone. Fantasy owners can no longer afford to hold their breath in any given category. Now is the time to take your shots on middle relievers and hope they earn you a save or two. It’s nice if they can give you strikeouts or stellar ratios in the meantime. Check your wire for the names below.
- We got our first Trevor May save halfway through June. Taylor Rogers has some back soreness so he’ll be limited for a few days. May is a righty, however, so it’s possibly just a timing thing that May got the call over Blake Parker. Still, this would seem to reveal Rocco Baldelli’s less than complete confidence in Parker. I wouldn’t go overboard on May without clear injuries to one of the co-closers.
- Ken Giles has some elbow soreness and will require an IL stint. Neither of Joe Biagini and Daniel Hudson’s first opportunities in his absence went all that well. Biagini gave ups some runs and was replaced by Hudson who put two more guys on. It’s probably a mix of these two while Giles is out, and maybe even Ryan Tepera if he gets back from the IL.
- Another day, another mess for the Mariners back end. Hunter Strickland’s rehab has also hit a bump.
- Raisel Iglesias HATES pitching in a non-save situation. He gives up runs to make sure his manager knows this.
- The Braves-Pirates game was called due to weather with the ninth yet to be played. That gave Anthony Swarzak the backdoor save. I find this quite a comical way to notch a save.
- The drama of the Rangers backend continues. Chris Woodward said he doesn’t have a close and any of the four guys in the committee could close. Maybe that’s a good thing for Jose Leclerc. If he stays on the straight and narrow it’s easier to unseat a committee than one guy getting the opps.
Closers In Waiting
The next men up for saves. One break just needs to go their way.
- Ty Buttrey
- Craig Stammen
- Joe Jimenez
- Emilio Pagan
- Sean Newcomb
- Nick Wittgren
- Jose Leclerc
K It Up
Get a category enhancer from these high K/9 strikeout artists.
- Diego Castillo
- Nick Anderson
- Lou Trivino
- Adam Ottavino
- Tayron Guerrero
- Robert Stephenson
- Reyes Moronta
Ratio Darlings
These guys may not earn saves, but they can help smooth your ratios.
- Ryan Pressly
- Zach Britton
- Tommy Kahnle
- Tanner Rainey
- Amir Garret
- John Brebbia
- Tony Watson
Long Men
Hard up for starters? An effective long man can bridge a gap until you find someone.
- Ryne Stanek
- Chris Devenski
- Robert Gsellman
- John Gant
- Jesse Chavez
- Mike Montgomery
- Michael Lorenzen
