Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Daniel Hudson overtakes Evan Phillips for Dodgers; Yimi Garcia returns

If you missed the headline Monday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts "stopped short" of calling Evan Phillips his closer.

As if it was even a question.

Phillips is in the midst of a full-blown meltdown, having allowed at least one run in six of his past eight appearances for a 11.05 ERA. It's raised his season mark from 1.52 to 3.77.

More to the point, he hasn't been used in a save situation since the Dodgers returned from the All-Star break, which may not seem like long enough to signify anything ... except that another one of their relievers has gone 3 for 3 in save chances during that time.

Note: "Pecking order" refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who's first in line for saves (though it's usually one and the same).

Yes, it sure seems like Daniel Hudson has emerged as the Dodgers' leading save candidate. In addition to registering the team's first three saves following the All-Star break, he had their final one before it. His 1.52 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 are certainly closer-caliber, and he has experience in the role, having filled it during the Nationals' march to a World Series championship in 2019. I say "leading saves candidate" rather than "closer" because I don't think manager Dave Roberts actually wants a set closer. Even as Evan Phillips was ascending last year, Brusdar Graterol would regularly interfere. Phillips remains in the equation now, even amid his struggles, and so does left-hander Alex Vesia, who himself has three saves since the start of June. But if I could only roster one Dodgers reliever right now, it would be Hudson.

We can only hope that Jose Alvarado's latest blown save Friday was enough to end the Phillies' closer tandem once and for all and move Jeff Hoffman firmly into the ninth-inning role. Adding insult to injury is that Hoffman struck out the side in a perfect eighth inning that same day, bringing his ERA to 1.09. Alvarado's, meanwhile, is up to 4.24. The left-hander still leads the overall saves tally 13-9, but Hoffman has gotten four of the team's past five. Hoffman also would have been the choice to close the All-Star game if it came to that, according to the FOX broadcast, so if he's the entire National League's best choice to work the ninth, surely he's the Phillies' best as well.

Yimi Garcia would have been the first choice to fill in at closer when Jordan Romano finally succumbed to elbow surgery, but he was sidelined by an elbow injury of his own. He's back now and actually struck out the side in the ninth inning of a lopsided loss Saturday, but it was Chad Green who came in for a five-out save the following day. Garcia was sidelined long enough that Blue Jays manager John Schneider may have gotten comfortable with Green handling the ninth inning. Not only does the right-hander have five of the Blue Jays' past six saves but he also has a 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP on the year. That's basically on equal footing with Garcia's 2.48 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. Garcia has a significant strikeout advantage, which is why I still give him the leg up, but the race is too close to call right now.

Time has shown that Jason Foley really has no business being a full-time closer in the majors. He's not a bat-misser and gives up too many walks for a pitcher whose ground-ball profile already makes him vulnerable to hits. The problem is that the Tigers don't have anyone much better, so while manager A.J. Hinch may be tempted to try other options, it's unlikely he's going to settle on one. The most likely would be Tyler Holton, who handled the team's first save chance fresh off the All-Star break, with Jason Foley working the eighth. He isn't much of a bat-misser either but at least addresses the baserunner issue with a 0.87 WHIP. Of course, he was also brought in to work the seventh and eighth innings the day after recording his save, so more than likely, this situation is going to end in frustration.

You might think there's nothing to see here given that James McArthur has secured each of the Royals' past five saves, but he hasn't always made it look easy, compiling a 3.99 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 7.0 K/9. And the Royals did just acquire what most everyone would consider a more talented reliever in Hunter Harvey, who had 10 saves for the Nationals last year. "It's not something where we're going to say, 'He's our closer,' starting tomorrow," GM J.J. Picollo said at the time of the trade, which sort of implies that they may say it on some later day. That day likely comes whenever McArthur inevitably hits another rough patch, so in leagues where saves are scarce, you may want to stash Harvey now.

If Hunter Harvey is already out the door, then it stands to reason that Kyle Finnegan, who also has a year remaining until free agency, will soon follow. Finnegan isn't quite the talent Harvey is, but he's had the better season so far, earning an All-Star nod with 28 saves, a 2.32 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9. Surely, some contender will be willing to pay the price, and when it happens, Harvey is no longer the heir apparent. That honor may go to Robert Garcia, a left-hander with good strikeout numbers. Dylan Floro and Derek Law are also possibilities, albeit less interesting ones. Between the two, I'd give the edge to Floro because he has some closing experience.

Devin Williams, who was in the running to be the top closer drafted prior to injuring his back in spring training, is now two appearances into a rehab assignment, having delivered his usual velocities so far. The buildup should be swift given that he's only a reliever, and the expectation is that he'll step right back into the closer role when activated. Trevor Megill has filled in admirably enough that I'd be reluctant to dump him in the off chance there's a setback, but him allowing four earned runs in his past three appearances basically ensures there will be no closer controversy.

I'll admit to hardly caring about this one, but for those in such dire circumstances that they want to know what poor sap is in line for the next Rockies save, the answer would appear to be Victor Vodnik, a 24-year-old right-hander with a fastball that pushes triple digits but doesn't have the best swing-and-miss characteristics. He's responsible for three of the team's past four saves, with the latest coming Saturday. His 3.98 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 would suggest he's no more stable in the role the anyone else the Rockies have tried, but you never know.