Fantasy Closer Grid: Melancon's struggles intensify; Grilli perfect for Braves

Every week we'll look at each team's closing situation - who's in, who's out, who's next in line - and provide fantasy-related tidbits.

Team	Closer	Next in line
Blue Jays	Miguel Castro	Brett Cecil/Roberto Osuna
Orioles	Zach Britton	Tommy Hunter/Darren O'Day
Rays	Brad Boxberger	Ernesto Frieri/Kevin Jepsen
Red Sox	Koji Uehara	Edward Mujica/Junichi Tazawa
Yankees	Andrew Miller	Dellin Betances

Closer DL: Jake McGee (Rays)

Miller appears to have a firm grip on the Yankees' closer's job - for now, at least. The lefty has collected all five saves with a whopping 13 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
There's one less reliever battling for holds and save opportunities in Tampa Bay after Grant Balfour was designated for assignment this week. It remains Boxberger's gig until further notice.

Team	Closer	Next in line
Indians	Cody Allen	Bryan Shaw
Royals	Wade Davis	Kelvin Herrera
Tigers	Joakim Soria	Al Alburquerque/Joba Chamberlain
Twins	Glen Perkins	Casey Fien
White Sox	David Robertson	Zach Duke

Closer DL: Greg Holland (Royals), Joe Nathan (Tigers)

Grab Herrera if he's available, at least while Holland's out with a pectoral strain. Davis is the guy to own, but Herrera could see ninth-inning action coming off a back-to-back, suspension notwithstanding.
Nathan is expected to reclaim the closer's role upon his return - which could come as early as Friday - despite Soria's 5-for-5 save success rate and 1.35 ERA since taking over stopper duties. Both should be owned until the situation becomes clearer.

Closer DL: Sean Doolittle (Athletics)

Rodney has settled down after imploding last week, pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks over his last two appearances. Nothing to see here.
Doolittle's scheduled to throw off flat ground Friday, so the Oakland situation could soon require monitoring. Clippard's shown shaky command thus far and hasn't solidified the job in Doolittle's absence.

Closer DL: Jenrry Mejia - suspended (Mets), Bobby Parnell (Mets)

Grilli's a perfect 6-for-6 in the post-Craig Kimbrel era in Atlanta, though his setup man, Johnson, has been underwhelming. Keep an eye on right-hander Cody Martin as a sleeper late-inning option this season, as the rookie has an impressive 13 strikeouts to two walks thus far.

After pitching with diminished velocity last week, Melancon's struggles are starting to show up in the win-loss column. The right-hander blew his first save of the year Tuesday and now sports an uninspiring 8.53 ERA across six appearances. Pick up Watson if you're a Melancon owner with a roster spot to spare.

Team	Closer	Next in line
Diamondbacks	Addison Reed	Brad Ziegler
Dodgers	Joel Peralta	J.P. Howell/Chris Hatcher
Giants	Santiago Casilla	Sergio Romo
Padres	Craig Kimbrel	Joaquin Benoit
Rockies	Adam Ottavino	Rafael Betancourt/LaTroy Hawkins

Closer DL: Kenley Jansen (Dodgers)

Hawkins' stock continues to drop after imploding Monday to up his ERA to 10.50 on the season, while Betancourt and his 10:1 strikeout-to-walk rate inches his way up the depth chart.
Jansen is getting closer to a return and could face live hitters as early as next week.

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