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Since we last spoke, Closers and Saves Report readers, a former relief pitcher threw a no-hitter in his first major league start. That was pretty cool. Bullpens did things too. Closers came back from injuries, new committees formed, old committees closed as one guy took over, and so on. But that no-hitter though...
We also had a temporary closer ask his manager to remove him from the role, and we have some confusing bullpen usage from a few teams as well. Oh, and the Tampa Bay Rays? They have 13 different relief pitchers currently on the injured list. Thirteen.
Be sure to keep an eye on our RotoBaller Closers and Saves Bullpen Depth Charts. They're updated daily, or sometimes even more often in this wild 2021 baseball season. With that being said, here are the closers, saves, and bullpen waiver wire pickups to consider for Week 21 - August 23 through August 29.
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Bullpen News For The Week
New York Yankees
The Yankees bullpen was kind of a mess without closer Aroldis Chapman around. Zack Britton got the first chance to close in Chapman's place, but it wasn't long before he straight up told manager Aaron Boone to take him out of the role. Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, and even Wandy Peralta mixed in for save chances, but Boone announced that Chapman would immediately take back his closer role upon being activated. In his first game back, Chapman allowed a home run and was pulled after he allowed two more base runners. Lucas Luetge came in and earned a save by recording the final out of the game. Chapman may have some rust to shake off, but it looks like he'll be shaking it off in save situations.
Risers: Aroldis Chapman
Fallers: Zack Britton, Jonathan Loaisiga
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners lost Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero, but added Diego Castillo before the trade deadline. The easy assumption was that Castillo was acquired to close games in Seattle. Nope. He's the locked in eighth inning guy, it seems. Drew Steckenrider and Paul Sewald have been sharing ninth inning duties while Castillo has been the primary setup guy to get the game to the ninth inning. That gives Castillo plenty of value in holds leagues, but not too much in standard leagues, as it seems like he's at best third in line for saves at this point. Sewald has more upside than Steckenrider, but both can be rostered in deeper formats where saves are key.
Risers: Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider
Fallers: Diego Castillo
Cincinnati Reds
Another week, another Reds bullpen paragraph in Closers and Saves Report. This time around, it looks like the Reds might actually close their committee and give the ninth inning to one guy. That guy is Mychal Givens. He's earned the most saves for the Reds since being acquired before the trade deadline, and recent usage shows that he's being saved for the ninth inning. Heath Hembree had a good run, but he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Sims have been setting up for Givens, and Tejay Antone could be back from the injured list early next week. It seems like Givens has the ninth though, and he needs to be rostered in all formats.
Risers: Mychal Givens
Fallers: Heath Hembree
Tampa Bay Rays
With another reliever hitting the injured list this week (Matt Wisler), the Rays now have 13 relief pitchers on their injured list. That's an entire pitching staff's worth of just relievers. Somehow, they're still good and their bullpen hasn't been a huge issue. Andrew Kittredge remains the most likely Rays reliever to earn a save on any given day, but that's far from a sure thing, as the Rays are liable to use anyone with a throwing arm in the ninth inning sometimes. Adam Conley and J.T. Chargois figure to get some chances at some point as well.
Risers: Andrew Kittredge
Fallers: Matt Wisler
Short Relief
-Brad Hand has been struggling a lot as a member of the Blue Jays. Originally, the thought was that he could supplant but would at least share the ninth with Jordan Romano. With all of Hand's struggles though, Romano seems safe for now.
-Rowan Wick hasn't looked great for the Cubs yet, but he's returning from an injury and hasn't had too many chances. For now, he still seems like the best bet for saves on the rare occasions that the Cubs have a lead, but Codi Heuer could be in that mix as well.
-Greg Holland (shoulder) landed on the injured list, leaving Scott Barlow as likely the closer but at the very least the committee leader in Kansas City.
-Another Barlow, Joe Barlow, has established himself as the leader of the bullpen committee in Texas. He's been great this season while Spencer Patton, who was first in line after Ian Kennedy was traded, has blown two of his last three save chances.
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