While he hasn’t been as dominant since the first month of the season, Wil Crowe continues to be an effective option for the Pirates and fantasy mangers in holds leagues alike. With David Bednar now on the shelf, Crowe should see save chances and could throughout the remainder of the season as there is no reason for the team to rush Bednar back. Prior to his latest outing where he allowed two hits and two earned runs, Crowe had been effective since the All-Star break, and should remain a valuable option in SV+HLD leagues no matter what the team decides to do with Bednar.
Notes
- Pete Fairbanks has pitched well since making his season debut after the All-Star break and while Jason Adam looks like the favorite for saves at the moment, Fairbanks is certainly improving his SV+HLD league value. He’s averaging 2 MPH more on his fastball this year (averaging a cool 99 MPH) resulting in an uptick to his K rate so far (36.6%). Even with Nick Anderson also due back shortly, Fairbanks should have a steady role somewhere at the back end of this bullpen.
- With Clay Holmes landing on the IL earlier in the week, the Yankees will likely revert back to Aroldis Chapman as their closer, and he could very well finish the season in that role depending on how he fares. Chapman had been better as of late, but did allow a hit and two walks in his most previous outing, so we still are no where near seeing the lights out Chapman of years past. Despite the volatility, an increased high leverage role should help his value (and Scott Effross’s) in SV+HLD leagues.
- It hasn’t been the season we had hoped for from Ryan Tepera, but there’s still some time to salvage it, especially with the potential to end the year as the teams closer. He’s currently splitting that role with José Quijada, but as the righty and veteran in the duo, I’d imagine he gets the bulk of the chances. Tepera has not allowed a run over his last seven innings while allowing just three hits, but only has four strikeouts over that span (1 walk).
- Liam Hendriks, Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen and Caleb Thielbar each had 3 SV+HLD’s this past week to lead all relievers. Thielbar is the surprise name on the list but he has been awesome since returning from the IL earlier this month (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 5 HLD’s) and is still the Twins only left handed reliever option.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| David Bednar | 2-3 | Back. Could start throwing soon, but in no rush. |
| Clay Holmes | 2-4 | Back. Back spasm landing Holmes on the IL, and is expected to miss a few weeks |
| Nick Anderson | 3-4 | UCL. Rehab has moved to AAA (7/30) where he figures to spend a couple of weeks. |
| Drew Pomeranz | 3-4 | Flexor Tendon. Rehab has moved to AAA (8/17) where he figures to spend a couple of weeks. |
| Blake Treinen | 3-5 | Shoulder. Started AAA rehab (8/12) and could return in a week or two. |
| J.P. Feyereisen | 3-5 | Shoulder. Suffered another setback and likely out for the year. |
| Aaron Bummer | 4-6 | Lat. Threw a bullpen on 8/18 and could start a rehab assignment shortly. |
| Tanner Houck | 4-6 | Back. No word yet on how long Houck may be out for but no return is imminent. |
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
Gotta get Matt Bush in the rankings!