Caleb Kilian traded to Phillies with Arraez

There’s a chance that Kilian’s season is over after suffering the injury over the weekend. The 29-year-old was hit hard in four relief outings for the Phillies after coming over from the Giants at the trade deadline last week.

Kilian was done for the day regardless, but he seemed to be in quite a bit of pain after getting Alejandro Kirk to popup. It definitely looked like the kind of thing that would lead to an IL stint.

It’s a tough break for Miller’s immediate fantasy outlook as he’ll be stuck behind Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock in Boston’s high-leverage mix. However, he provides the Red Sox with another reliable late-inning option as they attempt to make a real playoff push following the best month in franchise history. The 28-year-old lefty boasts a strong 2.76 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 45/22 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings this season. His departure obviously leaves San Francisco’s closing situation in flux.

The Red Sox sure are burning a lot of talent here. Miller is quite good and under control for three years after this one, but giving up a long-term regular for a left-handed reliever is quite a loss of value. Mayer is currently on the shelf with an arm injury and might not be much of a factor this year, but he should be the Giants’ second baseman next year and he remains very much an option at short if the club could find a taker for Willy Adames. Miller’s fantasy value disappears with the deal, since he won’t be a candidate for saves in Boston. With the Giants shedding both he and Caleb Kilian, Dylan Smith is probably their favorite for saves at the moment.

Arraez is continuing to do what he’s always done and hit, slashing .324/.360/.440 on the season for the Giants with four home runs, 52 runs scored, and 10 steals. What’s new this year is that he’s playing tremendous defense at second base. Which begs the question of what’s next for the Phillies? The Phillies have Bryson Stott at second base, Bryce Harper at first base, and Kyle Schwarber at DH, so there don’t seem to be any openings for Arraez. They could opt to move Bryce Harper back to the outfield, or perhaps Stott or third baseman Alec Bohm will be headed somewhere else today.

Caleb Kilian and Dylan Smith set him up with scoreless frames, with Smith getting the hardest assignment of the trio against the top of the order in the eighth. Not that he’s especially likely to be moved, but Miller is adding to his trade value with his late-inning success. This makes eight straight appearances in which he’s entered in the eighth or the ninth, and he’s thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts during the span.

Even though he’s walked 22 in 31 1/3 innings, Miller is pretty clearly manager Tony Vitello’s most trusted reliever at the moment. That doesn’t mean he’ll get all of the save chances, since it will make sense to play matchups with him at time. Still, he’s probably a better use of a roster spot than Caleb Kilian in fantasy leagues right now.

The Giants’ right-hander did an excellent job here, stranding the extra runner and giving the Giants a prime opportunity to walk it off in the home half of the 10th inning. He’s in the midst of a mediocre season overall for the Giants, posting a 4.57 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 49/18 K/BB ratio over 41 1/3 innings in his 42 appearances. He has also notched three victories and eight saves on the season and still looks like the best option to see save chances in a nightmarish Giants’ bullpen.

Kilian entered in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning. He allowed a ground ball single to start the inning. The next two Royals hitters bunted and the game was over. It wasn’t like Kilian got hit very hard in this outing, but he also hasn’t recorded a save since July 4. Fantasy managers looking for saves should look elsewhere.

Miller replaced Keaton Winn in a tie game in the eighth and remained in after the Giants scored twice in the bottom of the inning, as Caleb Kilian was left in the pen after blowing his last save chance on Friday. Miller gave up a leadoff single, but he retired three in a row afterwards, winning an 11-pitch battle with Cole Carrigg to end the game. Miller could be a possibility to pick up some saves after the break. He could also be a candidate to be traded if the Giants decide to sell, but since he’s not going to be a free agent until after 2029, the team would demand a significant return.