{"id":578046,"date":"2026-04-02T20:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/578046\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T20:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:08:14","slug":"fantasy-baseball-bullpen-report-featuring-lucas-erceg-ryan-walker-and-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/578046\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy baseball bullpen report featuring Lucas Erceg, Ryan Walker and others"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s only been a week, but it feels so much longer in the world of high-leverage relievers. Since our last preseason post, Carlos Est\u00e9vez suffered a contusion during his six-run implosion in Atlanta last Saturday and was placed on the 15-day injured list<\/a>.\u00a0Lucas Erceg has already secured two saves since, and he may be tough to displace in the ninth inning, even if Estevez\u2019s velocity rebounds.<\/p>\n

Confusion reigns supreme in the reliever landscape, and 37 different pitchers have already recorded at least one save through game action on April 1, and only 10 have notched two or more. Pittsburgh announced Dennis Santana will not be reserved solely for the ninth inning during his appearances. Ryne Stanek recorded a save on March 26 and has pitched in the seventh inning in his last two outings. Pat Murphy intimated he would share save chances, but used Abner Uribe at the top of the eighth against the top of the Rays\u2019 lineup during an eventual win. This represents good news for those with Trevor Megill shares.<\/p>\n

Stock reports and situations worth monitoring will be covered by their respective leagues below, as the volume warrants.<\/p>\n

We define our high-leverage pathways by assigning each team one of the following labels:<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear: This is a more traditional approach, with a manager preferring one reliever in the seventh inning, another in the eighth, and a closer (when rested) in the ninth. There are shades of gray, but it usually follows a predictable pattern in high-leverage situations.
\nPrimary save share: The team prefers one reliever as the primary option for saves. However, the player may also be used in matchup-based situations, whether dictated by batter-handedness or batting order, especially in the late innings, providing multiple relievers with save chances each series or week throughout the season.
\nShared saves: Typically, two relievers share save opportunities, often based on handedness, rest or recent usage patterns that keep them fresh. While these situations typically involve a primary and ancillary option, others may be used. Some teams also prefer a matchup-based option, which creates fluid save opportunities.
\nFluid: The manager has not named a closer, and usage patterns regarding the leverage roles remain unclear.
\nAmerican League leverage pathways
\n TeamLeverage PathwayCloser (Primary)Stopper\/HLRStealth\/Ancillary Option<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Ryan Helsley<\/p>\n

Yennier Cano<\/p>\n

Grant Wolfram<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Aroldis Chapman<\/p>\n

Garrett Whitlock<\/p>\n

Justin Slaten<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Seranthony Dom\u00ednguez<\/p>\n

Grant Taylor<\/p>\n

Jordan Hicks<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Cade Smith<\/p>\n

Shawn Armstrong<\/p>\n

Erik Sabrowski<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Kenley Jansen<\/p>\n

Will Vest<\/p>\n

Kyle Finnegan<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Bryan Abreu<\/p>\n

Bryan King<\/p>\n

Kai-Wei Teng<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Lucas Erceg<\/p>\n

Matt Strahm<\/p>\n

John Schreiber<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Jordan Romano<\/p>\n

Drew Pomeranz<\/p>\n

Chase Silseth<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Cole Sands<\/p>\n

Justin Topa<\/p>\n

Taylor Rogers<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

David Bednar<\/p>\n

Camilo Doval<\/p>\n

Fernando Cruz<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9s Mu\u00f1oz<\/p>\n

Matt Brash<\/p>\n

Jose A. Ferrer<\/p>\n

Fluid<\/p>\n

Bryan Baker<\/p>\n

Griffin Jax<\/p>\n

Garrett Cleavinger<\/p>\n

Shared Saves<\/p>\n

Robert Garcia<\/p>\n

Chris Martin<\/p>\n

Jacob Latz<\/p>\n

Fluid<\/p>\n

Mark Leiter Jr.<\/p>\n

Scott Barlow<\/p>\n

Justin Sterner<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Jeff Hoffman<\/p>\n

Tyler Rogers<\/p>\n

Louis Varland<\/p>\n

Stock up<\/p>\n

Lucas Erceg (KC): Benefiting from his teammate\u2019s injury and poor performance, Erceg may usurp the defending MLB save leader\u2019s role this season.<\/p>\n

Jordan Romano (LAA): He\u2019s converted both save chances while posting a 0.75 WHIP with a 16.2% swinging-strike rate over his first three outings, spanning 2.2 innings. How long this lasts and his role once Kirby Yates and Ben Joyce return are open to debate, but enjoy the ride for now.<\/p>\n

Bryan Baker (TB): Playing Rays\u2019 reliever roulette remains a risky venture, but Baker\u2019s been scoreless in his first two outings with two strikeouts, a 21.7% swinging-strike rate, and a robust 73.9 strike percentage. His leverage role may grow as the month progresses.<\/p>\n

Cole Sands (MIN): Most projection systems favored Taylor Rogers for saves in this bullpen, but Sands secured his team\u2019s only save thus far and may be the preferred option for them moving forward. Keep tabs on Drew Smith, though. He signed a minor-league deal with eyes on a larger leverage role on a team bereft of talent for the late innings.<\/p>\n

Erik Sabrowski (CLE): Those who play in leagues with SOLDS (saves plus holds) or holds as a category know about the \u201cBig Sabrowski.\u201d Entering game play on April 2, he leads the majors with four holds and has recorded six strikeouts versus two walks (30.8 K-BB percentage) through his first four games, spanning 3.2 innings.<\/p>\n

On the watch list<\/p>\n

Cade Smith (CLE): Small sample sizes can be misleading, as his four-seam fastball location has been at the onset of the season. He\u2019s allowed at least a run in three consecutive outings, resulting in a 1.50 WHIP with three strikeouts versus one walk across four innings. His four-seam fastball has accounted for 12 of his 14 batted-ball events early on, with zero barrels, though it feels like more, given his 40% line-drive rate this season. Although his hard-hit percentage this year sits below last year\u2019s, Smith has a .353 xBA, a .671 xSLG, and a .434 xwOBA with his fastball. He\u2019s better than this, and his location with the pitch should improve.<\/p>\n

Bryan Abreu (HOU): After a rough debut, his velocity rebounded during his save on April 1, reaching a maximum velocity of 97.3 mph. However, he also left a slider over the plate that Roman Anthony deposited over the wall in left field. He needs better command and trust in his heater for better outcomes while Josh Hader ramps up for a potential return.<\/p>\n

David Bednar (NYY): The good news is that he leads the majors with three saves through April 1. But he has only produced a 6.3% swinging-strike rate while allowing more contact (88.1%). Thankfully, the quality of contact has been poor, but through three games, his 2.70 ERA accompanies a 4.51 SIERA and a 6.37 xERA. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n

Griffin Jax (TB): If one Rays\u2019 reliever is up, then another must be down; it\u2019s the spinning wheel that keeps leverage coverage going around. Jax had an uncharacteristically high batting average on balls in play last year (.368), and it has risen during his limited sample this year (.400). His defense on Wednesday did him no favors; however, his WHIP spiked to 3.50, and he\u2019s only recorded one strikeout versus two walks through four games, spanning two innings. Can he find the dominant form he flashed in 2024?<\/p>\n

National League leverage pathways
\n TeamLeverage PathwayCloser (Primary)Stopper\/HLRStealth\/Ancillary Option<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Paul Sewald<\/p>\n

Jonathan Lo\u00e1isiga<\/p>\n

Taylor Clarke<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Raisel Iglesias<\/p>\n

Robert Suarez<\/p>\n

Dylan Lee<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Daniel Palencia<\/p>\n

Hunter Harvey<\/p>\n

Phil Maton<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Emilio Pag\u00e1n<\/p>\n

Tony Santillan<\/p>\n

Graham Ashcraft<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Victor Vodnik<\/p>\n

Jimmy Herget<\/p>\n

Brennan Bernardino<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Edwin D\u00edaz<\/p>\n

Tanner Scott<\/p>\n

Alex Vesia<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Pete Fairbanks<\/p>\n

Calvin Faucher<\/p>\n

Andrew Nardi<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Trevor Megill<\/p>\n

Abner Uribe<\/p>\n

\u00c1ngel Zerpa<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Devin Williams<\/p>\n

Luke Weaver<\/p>\n

Brooks Raley<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Jhoan Duran<\/p>\n

Brad Keller<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Alvarado<\/p>\n

Shared Saves<\/p>\n

Dennis Santana<\/p>\n

Gregory Soto<\/p>\n

Justin Lawrence<\/p>\n

Shared Saves<\/p>\n

Riley O’Brien<\/p>\n

JoJo Romero<\/p>\n

Ryne Stanek<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Mason Miller<\/p>\n

Jeremiah Estrada<\/p>\n

Adrian Morejon<\/p>\n

Mostly Linear<\/p>\n

Ryan Walker<\/p>\n

Keaton Winn<\/p>\n

Erik Miller<\/p>\n

Primary Save Share<\/p>\n

Clayton Beeter<\/p>\n

Cole Henry<\/p>\n

PJ Poulin<\/p>\n

Stock up<\/p>\n

Pete Fairbanks (MIA): He\u2019s retired nine of his first 10 batters faced for a minuscule 0.33 WHIP and racked up five strikeouts (50 K-BB percentage) against zero walks with a 16.7% swinging-strike rate.<\/p>\n

Trevor Megill (MIL): His velocity dipped slightly during his first outing on consecutive days, but he has his team\u2019s only save and has emerged as the preferred option for Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

Keaton Winn (SF): There was a learning curve during his spring appearances, but through his first three games this season, he has six strikeouts versus one walk (50 K-BB percentage) with a 26.8% swinging-strike rate, a 52.2% contact rate allowed, and he\u2019s posted a first strike percentage of 70. He\u2019s worth a look in SOLDS leagues, and if his team\u2019s closer struggles, saves may be in the offing. His teammate Caleb Kilian may be a solid SOLDS or holds candidate as well, but does not have the swing-and-miss stuff Winn possesses.<\/p>\n

Gregory Soto (PIT): It has not happened yet, but he may be the beneficiary of save chances when a left-handed hitting pocket is projected for the ninth inning. This coincides with Don Kelly\u2019s suggestion that there is no defined closer in his bullpen. There will be wild rides with the volatile veteran, but he\u2019s recorded eight strikeouts through his first 4.1 innings against two walks (35.3 K-BB percentage).<\/p>\n

On the watch list<\/p>\n

Ryan Walker (SF): He converted his first save chance this season while giving up a two-run home run. This leaves fantasy managers wondering if the 2024 version or last year\u2019s will show up this year:<\/p>\n

Splits by situation and inning for Walker in 2024 and 2025
\n 2025GIPK:BBK%BB%K-BB%ERAWHIPHBAAOPSBABIPBF<\/p>\n

Save Situations<\/p>\n

33<\/p>\n

28<\/p>\n

27:7<\/p>\n

20.9<\/p>\n

5.4<\/p>\n

15.5<\/p>\n

6.43<\/p>\n

1.536<\/p>\n

36<\/p>\n

.308<\/p>\n

.817<\/p>\n

.375<\/p>\n

129<\/p>\n

Non-Save<\/p>\n

35<\/p>\n

33.1<\/p>\n

33:11<\/p>\n

24.1<\/p>\n

8<\/p>\n

16.1<\/p>\n

2.16<\/p>\n

1.050<\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

.202<\/p>\n

.583<\/p>\n

.267<\/p>\n

137<\/p>\n

8th Inning<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

10.2<\/p>\n

11:0<\/p>\n

28.2<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

28.2<\/p>\n

1.69<\/p>\n

0.654<\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

.189<\/p>\n

.528<\/p>\n

.240<\/p>\n

39<\/p>\n

9th Inning<\/p>\n

40<\/p>\n

33<\/p>\n

29:12<\/p>\n

19.1<\/p>\n

7.9<\/p>\n

11.2<\/p>\n

4.91<\/p>\n

1.485<\/p>\n

37<\/p>\n

.278<\/p>\n

.741<\/p>\n

.346<\/p>\n

152<\/p>\n

2024GIPK:BBK%BB%K-BB%ERAWHIPHBAAOPSBAbipBF<\/p>\n

Save Situations<\/p>\n

36<\/p>\n

38<\/p>\n

40:8<\/p>\n

27.4<\/p>\n

5.5<\/p>\n

21.9<\/p>\n

1.66<\/p>\n

0.868<\/p>\n

25<\/p>\n

.187<\/p>\n

.537<\/p>\n

.242<\/p>\n

146<\/p>\n

Non-Save<\/p>\n

39<\/p>\n

41<\/p>\n

57:10<\/p>\n

36.3<\/p>\n

6.4<\/p>\n

29.9<\/p>\n

2.20<\/p>\n

0.829<\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

.170<\/p>\n

.492<\/p>\n

.265<\/p>\n

157<\/p>\n

8th Inning<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

19.2<\/p>\n

26:3<\/p>\n

36.1<\/p>\n

4.2<\/p>\n

31.9<\/p>\n

1.83<\/p>\n

0.761<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

.179<\/p>\n

.550<\/p>\n

.256<\/p>\n

72<\/p>\n

9th Inning<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

29:3<\/p>\n

38.7<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

34.7<\/p>\n

0.86<\/p>\n

0.571<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

.127<\/p>\n

.356<\/p>\n

.195<\/p>\n

75<\/p>\n

Clayton Beeter (WSH): He represented an upside option for the \u201cnever pay for saves\u201d crowd, and he converted his first chance on March 29. However, in his next outing, he worked a combined scoreless inning between the eighth and the ninth in Washington, getting lifted for a left-handed reliever when Kyle Schwarber was announced. Beeter\u2019s command can wane, and if he\u2019s not the primary save share on a bad team, his fantasy impact is minimized.<\/p>\n

Emilio Pag\u00e1n (CIN): Last year did not go well for Ryan Helsley or Devin Williams, partly because of their struggles when hitters were ahead in the count. In 2025, Pag\u00e1n owned a 65.5 strike percentage and threw first strikes 64.4% of the time. In this year\u2019s limited sample, his strike percentage sits at 61.1% with a paltry 35.3% first-strike rate. When batters are ahead this year, Pag\u00e1n has the following splits by pitch; understand it\u2019s a small sample size:<\/p>\n

Four-seam results with the batter ahead: .991 xSLG and .570 xwOBA
\nSplit-fingered fastball results with the batter ahead: 1.682 xSLG and a .871 xwOBA<\/p>\n

Edwin D\u00edaz (LAD): Last year, he slightly threw more four-seam fastballs than sliders, and since 2022 he has used the slider more:<\/p>\n

Splits by pitch in 2025 and since 2022 for D\u00edaz
\n 2025PitchesUsage%SwStr%Whiff%K%BB%K-BB%Strike%BAbipxBAxSLGxwOBABBEHH%<\/p>\n

4-seam<\/p>\n

561<\/p>\n

52.6<\/p>\n

16.6<\/p>\n

39.4<\/p>\n

35.1<\/p>\n

9.9<\/p>\n

25.2<\/p>\n

62.1<\/p>\n

.192<\/p>\n

.181<\/p>\n

.293<\/p>\n

.283<\/p>\n

55<\/p>\n

46.3<\/p>\n

Slider<\/p>\n

505<\/p>\n

47.3<\/p>\n

19.8<\/p>\n

44<\/p>\n

40.1<\/p>\n

6.8<\/p>\n

33.3<\/p>\n

64.6<\/p>\n

.301<\/p>\n

.157<\/p>\n

.226<\/p>\n

.212<\/p>\n

75<\/p>\n

34.7<\/p>\n

Since 2022PitchesUsage%SwStr%Whiff%K%BB%K-BB%Strike%BAbipxBAxSLGxwOBABBEHH%<\/p>\n

4-seam<\/p>\n

1425<\/p>\n

49<\/p>\n

17.3<\/p>\n

39<\/p>\n

39.3<\/p>\n

10.2<\/p>\n

29.1<\/p>\n

62.3<\/p>\n

.311<\/p>\n

.185<\/p>\n

.296<\/p>\n

.275<\/p>\n

130<\/p>\n

40.6<\/p>\n

Slider<\/p>\n

1481<\/p>\n

50.9<\/p>\n

25.3<\/p>\n

46.9<\/p>\n

44.4<\/p>\n

6.9<\/p>\n

37.5<\/p>\n

68.3<\/p>\n

.273<\/p>\n

.146<\/p>\n

.217<\/p>\n

.201<\/p>\n

206<\/p>\n

33.5<\/p>\n

Through his first three games with the Dodgers, his splits are 63.6% four-seam fastballs and 36.7% sliders, resulting in a 61.6 strike percentage with an 8.3% swinging-strike rate, and a 15.4 K-BB percentage. This will not affect his save totals, but could decrease his strikeouts if this usage trend continues.<\/p>\n

Save stashes\/adds
\nBryan Baker (TB)
\nGregory Soto (PIT)
\nRiley O\u2019Brien (STL) if he was dropped in your league.
\nTony Santillan (CIN)
\nKeaton Winn (SF)
\nJacob Latz (TEX)
\nAncillary save options
\nMark Leiter Jr.\/Scott Barlow (ATH)
\nJimmy Herget (COL)
\nJonathan Loaisiga (ARI)
\nJohn Schreiber\/Matt Strahm (KC)
\nBrad Lord (WSH)
\nRatio Relievers<\/p>\n

*Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios.<\/p>\n

Aaron Ashby (MIL)
\nJakob Junis (TEX)
\nTobias Myers (NYM)<\/p>\n

It will be a long season covering closers. Strap on some bandages; it\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint.<\/p>\n

Statistical Credits: FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference.com, Baseball Savant, BrooksBaseball.net. Check out my work at Reliever Recon<\/a> and Closer Monkey<\/a> for daily updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s only been a week, but it feels so much longer in the world of high-leverage relievers. Since…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,11142,462,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-578046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fantasy-baseball","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}