Taylor

Rogers

Francona told reporters he’ll play it by ear. He mentioned that Tony Santillan seemed like the obvious replacement, but that the right-hander may be “too valuable” to save for the ninth inning. Taylor Rogers, Emilio Pagan and a host of other bullpen arms are all possible options, but Santillan would obviously be the ideal replacement with his swing-and-miss stuff from a fantasy perspective.

Diaz’ rough spring concludes with a hamstring injury that will have him sidelined to start the season. The 28-year-old right-hander had a 13.50 ERA in four spring training appearances after missing time with a knee issue. Now that Diaz is beginning the year on the injured list, Taylor Rogers, Scott Barlow, Emilio Pagan or some combination of the three will close games for the Reds and new manager Terry Francona. There isn’t a clear return timetable at this juncture, but fantasy managers should expect him to be sidelined into mid-to-late April.

Reds manager Terry Francona had some pointed commentary last Saturday after Díaz walked three batters and was charged with five runs while recording only out out against the Royals. The 28-year-old’s sudden control problems, after missing time earlier in camp with a knee issue, could potentially open the door for veteran southpaw Taylor Rogers, who has 83 career saves, or another experienced alternative like Scott Barlow or Emilio Pagán to open the year as Cincinnati’s closer. There’s still time for Díaz to turn things around, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Francona is unwilling to trust him in high-leverage spots at the outset of the regular season.

The trade is now official. Rogers provides Cincinnati with an experienced setup option to bridge the gap to fire-balling closer Alexis Díaz. The 34-year-old southpaw leaves his twin brother, Tyler, behind in San Francisco after a stellar two-year run where he compiled a strong 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 128/47 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (124 appearances) during that span. He’d be the favorite for saves with the Reds if Díaz wound up hitting the injured list, which keeps him on fantasy manager’s radar screens entering next season.

Rogers represents an interesting addition for Cincinnati’s high-leverage mix to help bridge the gap to closer Alexis Díaz before hitting free agency next offseason. The 34-year-old veteran southpaw has averaged 63 relief appearances over the past three years and posted a strong 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 128/47 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (124 appearances) over the past two seasons for San Francisco.

That makes those players available to any team that’s willing to claim them and take on their remaining salaries. It’s unclear if there will be any actual interest in any of them, or if the Giants plan on keeping them if they pass through waivers unclaimed. Stay tuned.

It doesn’t sound like anything that should be a concern long-term, so it’s not going to affect Rogers’ regular off-season routine. He’ll be fully recovered and ready to roll by the time spring training rolls around.

Doval’s struggles created a save chance for Taylor Rogers, who retired the only batter he faced for his second save of the year. Three of the runs were unearned because of Doval’s own error on a comebacker from Kris Bryant. Doval has definitely been shakier over the last month than he was at any point in the first two-thirds of the season, but he’s still 37-for-45 in save chances.

Rogers had a three-run lead at the time. With his velocity down about two mph, he’s been very disappointing in giving up eight runs with a 3/6 K/BB ratio in 4 2/3 innings to date. He got the job done today, though.

There was some speculation that lefty Taylor Rogers could push Doval for the closing role this spring, but Zaidi reaffirmed that the hard-throwing right-hander will remain the Giants’ stopper. The 25-year-old righty added a deadly sinker to his repertoire in late July and was dominant over the final few months of last year, finishing with a stellar 2.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 80/30 K/BB ratio across 67 2/3 innings (68 appearances).