We’ve identified bullpens on “bad” teams that can help you win your fantasy baseball title throughout the season. This week, we’ll identify a fantasy baseball closer who has the third most saves in baseball over the past month, and he might actually be on your league’s waiver wire. We also have some encouraging injury news on one of baseball’s best closers this season, as well as some unfortunate news for a closer from the north side of Chicago.

I do want to remind you that closers and late-inning high-leverage relievers come in all shapes, sizes, and age groups. We’ve covered Aroldis Chapman’s return to form as a top closer for the Boston Red Sox at the age of 37. He’s not the only other veteran late-inning high-leverage reliever who is getting the job done.

David Robertson has been a very good resource for holds over the past month, and he is also probably widely available on league waiver wires. He made his first appearance for the Philadelphia Phillies on August 11th. Since then, Robertson has recorded seven holds, struck out 18 batters while walking five, and pitched to a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 IP.

We’ve got much more bullpen usage-related news to cover, and we’ll introduce you to a few other late-inning high-leverage relievers that you’ve probably never heard of in this week’s Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report.

 

 

 

Milwaukee Brewers

Trevor Megill hit the IL on August 27 due to a right flexor strain, and many thought that he wouldn’t be available to pitch until the end of September. The good news is that Megill has been throwing live batting practice and could be activated by Tuesday, September 16th. Abner Uribe, who has done a good job replacing Megill, would almost certainly reclaim his role as Megill’s setup man once Megill returns to action. Uribe has two saves and a hold since taking over the closer’s role and still leads all relievers with 36 holds.

Chicago Cubs

Daniel Palencia, who reinvented himself this season by cutting down on his walks allowed, was placed on the IL on Monday, September 8th, due to a shoulder strain. The shoulder injury popped up unexpectedly, but the good news is that on Friday, September 12th, he was already able to play catch. He’s eligible to come off the IL on September 23rd. Manager Craig Counsell will not name a specific replacement closer while Palencia is sidelined and instead will use a matchup-based approach to manage the late innings. Andrew Kittredge picked up the first save since Palencia was placed on the IL. He has 27 saves between his minor and major league careers. Based on Counsell’s comments, we can also expect Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, and Taylor Rogers to be in the mix for save opportunities.

 

 

 

Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers reliever Chris Paddack picked up his first career big league save on Tuesday. Don’t go rushing off to pick him up off the waiver wire. It was a three-inning effort and likely his last of the season. The Tigers placed Kyle Finnegan on the IL last Friday. He is dealing with what is considered to be a mild right adductor strain. Finnegan believes that he’ll be able to return to action before the end of the regular season. Until then, we actually got a nugget of information from Tigers manager A.J. Hinch about his bullpen. Will Vest will close, and Tommy Kahnle and Rafael Montero will set him up.

Washington Nationals

We fantasy baseball managers sometimes overlook players on bad teams, but if you can use some quality relievers on your fantasy baseball team, do not dismiss the Nationals’ bullpen. Jose A. Ferrer, who took over closer duties when the aforementioned Kyle Finnegan was traded to the Tigers, has eight saves, two holds, and a 1.74 ERA in 15.2 IP since August 6th. He also has 14 strikeouts and just two walks during that time span. P.J. Poulin is another fantasy-relevant Nationals reliever to familiarize yourself with. He may be giving up too many walks (15K, 6 BB in his last 15 games), but he has five holds and a 1.26 ERA in his last 14.1 IP. He’s a 29-year-old veteran who the Nationals use primarily in the sixth and seventh innings, but he does have 36 career minor league saves. Nationals reliever Clayton Beeter hasn’t given up a run since August 15th. In his last 10.2 scoreless innings pitched, he has struck out 13 batters, but unfortunately, he’s walked five. He does have four holds during that stretch.