logo
Fantasy bullpen report features concern for closers Mason Miller and Tanner Scott

Fantasy bullpen report features concern for closers Mason Miller and Tanner Scott

New York Times29-05-2025
As spring transitions into summer, so do high-leverage roles in fantasy baseball. After Wednesday's loss in Detroit, Giants manager Bob Melvin announced Camilo Doval will resume closer duties, with Ryan Walker returning to a set-up role. Walker has pitched better of late, but his 1.30 WHIP and reduced swinging strike rate necessitated the change. Doval takes over amid a 19-game scoreless streak, during which he has recorded two wins, three saves, seven holds and 18 strikeouts against five walks (21.7 K-BB percentage) over 18 innings.
Advertisement
Last week, Texas reliever Luke Jackson was featured in my 'Closer Concerns' section and he has since been removed from save situations by Bruce Bochy. Robert Garcia recorded the first save since this occurred, but based on recent usage patterns, he may be deployed as the highest-leverage reliever (HLR) rather than as a traditional closer.
Roles may be settling in for the Pirates, with David Bednar recording the past two saves, but I will continue to list them as a shared save situation in my leverage pathways for at least one more week. In Arizona, Justin Martinez returned from the injured list and will be 'eased' into save chances, while A.J. Puk ramps up his return to pitch protocols with an eye on being activated in late June.
With all this in mind, my leverage pathways have been updated. Here are the high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels:
Access The Athletic's guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball.
Robert Garcia (TEX): Despite allowing a run in three straight appearances between May 18 and 25, he recorded a save on May 27 and was used against Toronto's 2-3-4 lineup pocket the following day. This may designate him as the highest-leverage reliever and the preferred save share moving forward. Kumar Rocker will not be used as a reliever, but Jon Gray could return as one by July.
Griffin Jax (MIN): Over his past six games, he has recorded 13 strikeouts against one walk (57.1 K-BB percentage) with a 0.50 WHIP and an 18.9 percent swinging strike rate.
Seranthony Dominguez (BAL): He struggled early on incorporating a split-finger fastball into his arsenal, but he has surged in recent appearances, posting a save, a hold, and six strikeouts versus zero walks (42.9 K-BB percentage) in his past three games, spanning four innings.
Advertisement
Mason Miller (ATH): It's been a rough month for the talented reliever. He has allowed at least a run in four of eight May appearances, and multiple runs in three of those contests. It's resulted in 11 runs (10 earned) across 7.2 innings, including two home runs. Contact has been an issue — he's allowed six barrels in his first 34 batted ball events this season (17.6 barrel percentage) versus seven all of last year across 123 events. His hard-hit rate percentage has risen from 32.5 percent in 2024 to its current 50 percent. What is confusing is he has reduced his contact rate by over five percent, but his Z-contact (in the strike zone) has increased by four percentage points.
Delving a bit deeper, his strike percentage has decreased by three percent, and his first-strike percentage sits 6.7 percentage points below last season. Count leverage affected Devin Williams earlier this season and could be the culprit in this scenario as well. Baseball-Reference tracks 3-0 count and 0-2 count percentages:
All three home runs Miller has allowed this season have been against his four-seam fastball, which has a .373 expected weighted on-base average with a .532 expected slugging percentage. Fine-tuning his command in the strike zone with the fastball can put him in advantageous counts, allowing him to deploy his devastating slider (27.9 swinging strike percentage in 2025). His current 5.79 ERA is accompanied by a 1.94 SIERA and a 3.41 xERA. This is a broad range of predictors, and his rest-of-the-season results probably lie somewhere between them. Trust in his talent while monitoring his results in June.
Reed Garrett (NYM): He hasn't been scored upon in his past seven appearances and recorded a save in the past two. He will not be replacing Edwin Díaz anytime soon, but in mixed leagues, he represents a viable stream option for saves.
Ben Casparius (LAD): Across his past three relief outings, he has racked up 10 strikeouts against one walk (56.2 K-BB%) in five innings. In 17 appearances as a reliever this season, he has logged 32.2 innings, with 37 strikeouts against six walks (23.8 K-BB percentage), a 15.1 swinging strike percentage and a 0.98 WHIP.
Advertisement
Randy Rodríguez (SF): Although Doval will garner most of the attention this week, Rodríguez has been racking up strikeouts. Through 11 games in May, he has recorded two wins and four holds across 12 scoreless frames, with 20 strikeouts versus three walks (40.5 K-BB percentage), a 0.58 WHIP and a robust 21.5 swinging strike percentage.
Tanner Scott (LAD): He has allowed multiple runs in three of his past five appearances, including Wednesday's loss and blown save in Cleveland. He has experienced a spike in his batting average on balls in play (BABIP), combined with extended outings where injuries have decimated his leverage ladder. This chart breaks down his results from his first 21 games compared to his past five:
There are more whiffs available if he ramps up his slider use, though he has not thrown as many this season. Do not overreact to this small sample, but do monitor how he responds during his outings in June. Here is his rolling-game chart from FanGraphs:
*Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios.
Statistical Credits (through games played on May 28): Fangraphs.com, Baseball-Reference.com, BaseballSavant.com and BrooksBaseball.net
Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates.
(Photo of Mason Miller: Ross Cameron / Imagn Images)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New York Giants' Jameis Winston named a trade candidate
New York Giants' Jameis Winston named a trade candidate

Yahoo

timea few seconds ago

  • Yahoo

New York Giants' Jameis Winston named a trade candidate

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen was given a mandate by management this offseason to solve the quarterback dilemma. The Giants have been one of the NFL's weakest offensive teams the past two seasons, mainly due to poor play under center. Schoen got to work quickly and decided to throw a lot of resources Gone are the likes of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tim Boyle, replaced by veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart. The moves have been well-received thus far, leading to the question: Did Schoen do too much? Wilson is the starter and Dart the future. Where does that leave Winston? In a recent piece for Pro Football Focus, Bradley Locker identified Winston as a possible trade candidate. After spending the start of his NFL career as the Buccaneers' primary signal-caller, Winston is deep into his second act as a journeyman backup. That road may include another stop soon. While with the Browns in 2024, Winston tallied a 69.5 PFF passing grade with 11 big-time throws and 18 turnover-worthy plays. The 31-year-old displayed that he's still capable of slinging the ball at a high level in spurts, producing 82.0-plus PFF passing grades against the Steelers and Bengals last year. The Giants are likely to start either Russell Wilson or first-round pick Jaxson Dart, leaving Winston as the team's presumptive QB3. New York could keep the former first overall pick in that role, but Winston figures to be most teams' top trade target when a quarterback injury inevitably happens. The reason Schoen went full overkill on the quarterback situation is that the Giants have had an unusually high number of injuries at the position over the past two seasons. He wants to make sure he never runs into that issue again. The Giants still have Tommy DeVito under contract and are surely not going to carry four quarterbacks. Winston is signed for two seasons at $4 million per. As stated, he would be an attractive option for a team looking for an experienced starter due to a sudden injury, but probably not someone the Giants will move. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Jameis Winston named a trade candidate

4 Things Soon-To-Be Retired Boomers Need To Know About Long-Term Care
4 Things Soon-To-Be Retired Boomers Need To Know About Long-Term Care

Yahoo

timea few seconds ago

  • Yahoo

4 Things Soon-To-Be Retired Boomers Need To Know About Long-Term Care

It can be an extremely upsetting situation when a family member needs long-term care. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, demand and costs for care are rising as concerns grow over staffing for the industry. Read More: Find Out: If you're a soon-to-be retired boomer, there are some key things you need to know about possibly requiring help with living needs in your later years. Long-Term Care Can Be a Life-Changing Experience According to Rhonda Vry-Bills, CLTC, from Long Term Care Strategies, 'I wish more people would understand or treat an extended care event as a life-changing income event and not a one-time deductible.' Per Vry-Bills, if you need long-term care and it costs around $13,000 per month for an undetermined length of time, it may be a struggle to pay for that out of your retirement income. Per CareScout, the cost of assisted living communities, nursing home care, and homemaker services all rose around 10% in 2024, while the cost of aides for home health care rose about 3%. Discover Next: You May Be Surprised Who Needs Long-Term Care Don't just expect other retirees to need long-term care. Here's a look at the risk for people aged 65 and older from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College: About 20% of retirees will need no long-term care support. Around 20% of retirees are likely to have a severe need. An estimated 25% will have low needs. Approximately 37% will have moderate needs. You May Be Thinking Incorrectly About Who Pays As reported by the New York Times, there's widespread confusion over what Medicare and Medicaid cover and pay for when it comes to long-term care. In general, Medicare covers up to 100 days after a hospitalization for a stay in a skilled nursing facility. Medicaid covers long-term care services for people with low income and assets. 'No one wants to dip into their 401K to pay their cell phone bill and certainly not to pay for a bill for extended care,' Vry-Bills said. 'When retirees do not have the monthly income to pay for home care or facility care, they have no other choice to go to their portfolio.' Vry-Bills added another important consideration is taxes. You may face unexpected taxes when you take out money you intended for retirement purposes to cover long-term care. You Need To Think About Others Stop and think for a moment about who'd be impacted if you needed long-term care. 'When one partner or spouse needs care, their income goes to pay their bill, leaving the community spouse to pay for all of the household expenses and only one income to pay it,' Vry-Bills said. 'Meanwhile, the spouse needing care is invading the portfolio, which is creating taxes, and reducing the overall value of the account, which is designed to generate income for the community spouse.' Vry-Bills said the need for long-term care can also put a strain on adult children who want to support their aging parents. This situation can call for family discussions to decide the best path forward. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on 4 Things Soon-To-Be Retired Boomers Need To Know About Long-Term Care Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Hojlund's fight to answer Man Utd's striker question
Hojlund's fight to answer Man Utd's striker question

Yahoo

timea few seconds ago

  • Yahoo

Hojlund's fight to answer Man Utd's striker question

Rasmus Hojlund is about to face a match at the stadium that will host next year's World Cup final. Manchester United's friendly with West Ham at MetLife Stadium, in the grand scheme of things, is nowhere near as big a deal. But for the Danish striker, it's crucial. A crowd approaching 50,000 is anticipated for United's opening game in the four-team Premier League Summer Series on Saturday evening, just west of New York City. Hojlund's performance could determine whether head coach Ruben Amorim keeps faith with him as United's attacking spearhead. United have spent more than £120m on forward players this summer - but three weeks before the start of the new Premier League season, do not have the number nine many informed observers believe they are desperate for. They were frustrated in their efforts to sign Liam Delap - who left Ipswich for Chelsea instead. And on Friday, Amorim hinted Hojlund remains his first choice for the role. Is he up to the task? Man Utd won't sell players on the cheap - Amorim Hey big spenders - Liverpool lead top-four domination of £1bn deals In May, United finished 15th in the Premier League, their worst final placing since relegation from the top flight in 1974. A Europa League final defeat by Tottenham compounded the disappointment. Vast improvement has to come - Amorim accepts as much. And for that to happen, his side must score more goals. They managed only 44 in the league last season. The week before last, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe met chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox in Iceland. It is probably fair to assume the centre-forward position was discussed. And there is no doubt they wanted Delap. United have been targeting the domestic market because Amorim is keen to add players who do not need time to adapt to the Premier League. But Chelsea sealed the deal. Since then, the names of numerous alternatives have been advanced. Viktor Gyokeres was thought of as a target from the moment Amorim was appointed, given how successful the pair were together at Sporting after the 27-year-old had impressed in the Championship with Coventry. But Gyokeres is heading to Arsenal. Nicolas Jackson's name keeps being mentioned in connection with United. There have been conversations about the Chelsea forward, but not to the point where it has looked as if United might try to buy him. Aston Villa quickly shut down a link to their forward Ollie Watkins, letting it be known they have no interest in selling. Could United put that to the test? Watkins is an interesting case because he slipped down the pecking order at Villa when Marcus Rashford - unwanted by Amorim - arrived on loan. Would a more expensive Watkins, 29, who has scored 75 goals in 184 Premier League games be a better option that a cheaper Jackson, who has been excellent and erratic at Chelsea, often both in the same game? Man Utd to need to raise funds Former Everton striker Moise Kean, who re-established his reputation in Serie A with Fiorentina, Randal Kolo Muani, back at Paris St-Germain and unwanted after a loan spell with Juventus, and Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta are all likely to be available. The same is true of RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, although Newcastle is a more likely destination for the Slovakian. Then there are the wildcard options - out-of-contract forwards such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy. But none of these options come without risk. And for United, funds are limited and there are so many weaknesses to address. Amorim referred to the need for more energy in midfield after last Saturday's 0-0 draw with Leeds in Stockholm. Amorim didn't mention the additional issues, but others have: Goalkeeper, central defence, the right-sided wing-back role. The list goes on. Not all of this can be dealt with in a single transfer window. It is quite possible 12 months from now, if he is still in post, Amorim will still be looking to address flaws that exist now, as well as those that emerge in the coming months. Funds are precious and United need to raise some. They might have generated around £30m this summer through sell-ons being activated for Alvaro Carreras, who has left Benfica for Real Madrid, Anthony Elanga joining Newcastle and Maxi Oyedele moving to Strasbourg - plus the covering of Rashford's wages for the season by his loan move to Barcelona - but more needs to be done. Rashford was one of five unwanted players effectively cast out of the first-team picture by Amorim - the other four being Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. More money could be generated by selling those four - but Amorim has warned that they won't be allowed to leave on the cheap. Garnacho is a player capable of generating a sizeable fee - albeit not the £60m United went into the summer hoping for. He may be pivotal, especially if Chelsea go back for a player they were close to signing in January. But for now, Amorim has to maximise what he has. The case for sticking with Hojlund Against Leeds in Sweden, 18-year-old Chido Obi started. But the former Arsenal youngster currently appears to be an impact player. Hojlund took over for the second half. As usual, he worked hard enough, didn't receive the service a centre-forward would want and did his best for the team. But, as usual, he didn't score. He has scored 26 goals in 95 competitive appearances over two years at United - just over a goal every four games. The numbers are not terrible. But they include a run of five goals in four games last season and eight in eight the campaign before. Statistics can be manipulated to suit any argument - but if those two sequences are taken out, what is left is 13 goals in 83 appearances, or more than six games for every goal. That is clearly not good enough. The question is whether Hojlund can extend the more productive spells or if they are distorting the overall picture. On Friday, Amorim gave the impression he has not given up on the 22-year-old, who cost United £72m when they bought him from Serie A outfit Atalanta in 2023. In his opening media engagement of the summer in Chicago, United's head coach made a couple of significant points. Firstly, he insisted he would be happy to go into the new season with his current squad. In truth, he couldn't say anything else given there are no guarantees of further signings. Secondly, he confirmed his belief that his attacking reinforcements, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, could both operate as a spearhead in addition to the number 10 roles they appear best suited to. But it was towards the end of a long unrelated answer, in connection to captain Bruno Fernandes, that Amorim might have given an indication about his thinking. The coach wants Fernandes to operate deeper, away from those two prized number 10 spots. He thinks the Portuguese can cause more damage that way because he won't be marked as tightly. "If you have the threat of players; of Rasmus, Matheus and Brian, in the space and a player with Bruno's quality on the ball, it's really important," he said. Events can change course quickly at Old Trafford but at the very least, the namecheck suggested Hojlund is likely to get some time on the pitch with Cunha, Mbeumo and Fernandes at the MetLife and beyond. And if he finds a spark across a trio of pre-season fixtures against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton over the next nine days, it may cause United's hierarchy to pause and think. To a greater or lesser degree, the search for a striker has been a feature of their summer. Can Hojlund prove he is the answer after all? Latest Manchester United news, analysis and fan views Get Man Utd news notifications

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store