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Now that it's officially summer, it's time to start taking some teams seriously. The Marlins, the Rangers, the Reds, the Diamondbacks: all might be for real. There's still plenty of season to go, but with the All-Star Break approaching and all of these unexpected teams currently in a playoff spot, we can no longer just call it a "hot start", right? These four teams and more had some bullpen movement this week.
A committee has a new leader, injuries mixed up some hierarchies, and a duo of relievers that were closing seems to be trending toward a one-man job. A veteran starter who is now in the bullpen earned his first career save in his 13th season. All that and more in this week's Rotoballer Closers and Saves Report!
Be sure to also keep an eye on our Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts for saves, holds, and bullpens. They will be updated daily or sometimes even more often throughout the 2023 baseball season.
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St. Louis Cardinals - Bullpen and Closer News
The Cardinals' season hasn't been great so far, but we can never discount them after what they've done for the past 20 years. Ryan Helsley, who started the season as the closer but worked his way into a committee with Giovanny Gallegos, is now on the IL. Gallegos has recently been giving way to Jordan Hicks in save situations, as Hicks had three saves in three days earlier this week.
Hicks has a 4.02 ERA for the season, but he's allowed just three earned runs in his last 16 outings. His 34.3 K% is solid, but the 14.7 BB% is a little concerning. Still, Hicks is worth picking up in most leagues and should be available on a lot of waiver wires.
Risers: Jordan Hicks
Fallers: Giovanny Gallegos
Arizona Diamondbacks - Bullpen and Closer News
Fantasy friends: I was wrong about Scott McGough. I thought his rough start was a predictor of a rough season, but he's brought his ERA down to 2.50 and has started to showcase a lot more swing-and-miss stuff. He looks like the top closing option in Arizona this week, in a bullpen that has been a committee with several different leaders already.
McGough hasn't allowed a run in his last 16 appearances, spanning 21 innings. He also has four saves since June 11 while Miguel Castro only has one since June 2 and Andrew Chafin has none since May. It's likely still a committee in the desert, but McGough has clearly emerged as the top option.
Risers: Scott McGough
Fallers: Miguel Castro, Andrew Chafin
Detroit Tigers - Bullpen and Closer News
I've long been a proponent of Alex Lange out of the Tigers bullpen, but recent struggles have the Tigers possibly moving back to a committee approach. Lange allowed all five batters he faced to reach base in an outing this week, but Jason Foley came in and got four strikeouts in an excellent appearance.
Lange figures to remain in high leverage but may get a few earlier inning outings just to find his footing again. Foley, who has a 2.51 ERA backed up by a 2.29 FIP, should see some save chances. He'll be joined by Jose Cisnero and his 2.20 ERA as well. Lange might still recover his ninth-inning role, but for now, Foley seems like he'll have some pretty good fantasy value for a guy who should be free on most waiver wires.
Risers: Jason Foley, Jose Cisnero
Fallers: Alex Lange
Short Relief - Other Bullpen News
-Clay Holmes looks like he's cementing his role in the Yankees bullpen as at least the head of the committee.
-Carl Edwards Jr. was placed on the injured list this week, leaving Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan as the duo of relievers that will likely work all ninth innings for the Nationals. Harvey gets the edge here, as he's certainly been the more solid of the two.
-Corey Kluber, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, earned the first save of his career this week with a three-inning appearance.
-Jake Bird pitched as an opener in a Rockies game this week, but he's still likely to be used more often in a late-inning leverage role.
-Adbert Alzolay has three of the last four saves for the Cubs, moving him just ahead of Mark Leiter Jr. in the Chicago hierarchy.
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