We had a few months where it seemed like most of the bullpen situations around baseball had settled down, but things have been thrown back into disarray over the past few weeks. The trade deadline tends to have that kind of impact, as teams like the Marlins, Phillies, Royals, and Angels shook up the back end of their bullpens with trades.
But if it was just the trade deadline to deal with, it would be pretty straightforward. But along with those teams, we've had ninth-inning implosions with a bunch of other squads, and while not all of them have led to a change in closer – Clay Holmes still seems to have a tenuous grasp on the Yankees' job, for instance – there's plenty of uncertainty around the league at closer right now.
And we got a couple of new ones Tuesday, as the Cubs released Hector Neris, while Rockies closer Victor Vodnik was unavailable Tuesday due to a sore right shoulder that could land him on the IL. We don't know how either team is going to fill their openings, but we got a hint Tuesday, with Porter Hodge locking down the ninth for the Cubs while Angel Chivilli got the save for the Rockies. Neither may end up being the closer in either the short or long term for their respective clubs, but it's always nice when we get an actual opportunity for a team to show us what they're planning.
Scott White wrote about a bunch of the most opaque ninth-inning situations around the league Tuesday in his Bullpen Report column, so for those of you who have a need for saves, let's see how he ranks the available options in each before we get to the rest of what you need to know about from Tuesday's MLB action:
- Dodgers pecking order: Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson
- Royals pecking order: Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey (IL), James McArthur
- Orioles pecking order: Seranthony Dominguez, Craig Kimbrel, Yennier Cano
- Diamondbacks pecking order: Justin Martinez, Paul Sewald, A.J. Puk
- Angels pecking order: Ben Joyce, Hunter Strickland, Roansy Contreras
- Pirates pecking order: David Bednar, Aroldis Chapman
- Cubs pecking order: Jorge Lopez, Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller
- Rays pecking order: Pete Fairbanks (IL), Edwin Uceta, Manuel Rodriguez, Colin Poche
Alright, now let's get to the top waiver-wire targets from Tuesday and then the biggest news and most noteworthy performances.
Wednesday's waiver targets
Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Tigers (36%) – Torkelson was spraying line drives all over the place Tuesday, as he went 4 for 4 with three singles and a double, with all four batted balls holding an expected batting average over .900, something no one has done in an MLB game since Nelson Cruz in August of 2019. He now has multiple hits in two of his first three games back from Triple-A, and we know how good Torkelson can be when he gets hot – remember, he had 19 homers in the second half last season. It's been a nightmare season for Torkelson, who wasn't exactly dominant at Triple-A, either. But he's locked in right now if you need a corner infield option.
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Diamondbacks (71%) – Sure, it was the Marlins, but this was the best start we've seen from Rodriguez so far, and it would make sense that it might take him a few tries to get on track after he eschewed a rehab assignment in his return from his injury. He didn't generate many swinging strikes in this one, but he created plenty of soft contact and limited walks, and that's the plan for Rodriguez when things are going well. We know he isn't an ace, but Rodriguez is a solid pitcher with a good team backing him up, and that should be good for at least a few more wins the rest of the way.
Cody Bradford, RP, Rangers (47%) – That's now back-to-back quality starts for Bradford, who looks pretty locked in since his return from a back injury. He has a 3.74 ERA in the month of August, which includes when he allowed three runs in 3.2 innings in his second start back. He has 22 strikeouts to three walks in 21.2 innings of work in that span and continues to look very solid when healthy this season. He isn't an ace, but his RP eligibility is a boon to his value in H2H points leagues, and he looks like a solid option in all formats against the right matchups at least moving forward.
Cade Povich, SP, Orioles (10%) – Povich hasn't exactly lit the world on fire at the major-league level for the most part, but he looked pretty good in his last opportunity, limiting the Red Sox to two earned runs in 6.1 innings of work, and now it looks like he's going to get an extended opportunity in the Orioles rotation with Zach Eflin placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation Tuesday. Povich has been very solid at Triple-A this season, and all he has to be is solid to have Fantasy appeal with the Orioles backing him up. With a 3.48 ERA and 28.2% strikeout rate in the very hitter-friendly International League this season, Povich might have the upside to be a bit more than just solid.
Connor Norby, 2B, Marlins (15%) – In two games since joining the Marlins, Norby is 3 for 8 after he hit a couple of doubles Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. He didn't do a ton in his first couple tastes of the majors, but as I noted yesterday, Miami is actually a better ballpark for Norby's profile than Baltimore, even if it is, obviously, an underwhelming lineup. Norby has been very productive throughout his minor-league career, so I'm still in on the upside here, even if he isn't likely to be a difference-maker for Fantasy in this lineup, necessarily.
