Who Is The Phillies Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlook

May 17, 2023

Is Jose Alvarado injured or healthy? Who is the closer for the Phillies? Sam takes a look at the Phillies bullpen and closer options for fantasy baseball saves.

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently looking up at the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, are sitting in third place, and are six games off the pace.

The team recently saw the return of superstar Bryce Harper and they have been playing better baseball as of late. There are some concerns in Philadelphia though, most notably in the bullpen.

Do the Phillies have a closer? If so, who is it? Let's take a closer look and see what we can find.

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Injury Updates for Phillies Closer Situation

Fantasy managers were feeling great about the situation in Philadelphia at the end of games up until last Wednesday. Phillies stud closer Jose Alvarado was put on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation.

The 27-year-old flamethrower was blossoming into one of baseball's elite closers this season before he was hit with an injury. Through 14.1 innings pitched, Alvarado had converted five saves along with 24 strikeouts and an incredible 0.63 ERA, and an identical 0.63 WHIP.

There is good news to report for fantasy fans, as the MRI taken this week on his elbow came back clean, and he is expected to resume throwing in a matter of days. Barring any setbacks, it appears the star reliever could return to the team sometime in early June.

Viable Phillies Alternatives For Saves

While it does appear the injury to Alvarado isn't a long-term concern, and his return is likely to occur within the next two weeks, one just never knows. If you're a fantasy owner looking for insurance or are just in desperate need of immediate saves, there are some short-term solutions.

With that said, none of the alternatives are worth writing home about. If you had reliever Craig Kimbrel earlier in the season and then dropped him, you may want to hustle back to the waiver wire and pick him up. He's going to get the first shot at closing games while Alvarado is out.

Other possibilities include hard-throwing left-handers Matt Strahm and Gregory Soto. Kimbrel converted the first save opportunity after Alvarado was put on the IL, then Soto claimed his first on Sunday against the Rockies pitching a perfect ninth. It appears there is a legitimate closer by committee being put in place until their stud shutdown man returns in early June.

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