Grant

Taylor

The White Sox’s bullpen deployment is going to make fantasy managers pull their hair out. It seemed like the flame-throwing Grant Taylor had finally ascended to closing duties after being called upon in a save opportunity in four of his past five outings. Then, he entered this game in the seventh inning with a two-run lead and the top of the Rangers’ order coming up. He struck out five of the six batters he faced in two quick innings and handed the ball to Hudson for the save. It seems like this bullpen will continue to be a headache despite Taylor clearly being the best pitcher to roster in it.

Taylor came on with a 3-0 lead to protect but instantly made things more interesting by allowing two straight singles to open the inning, bringing the tying run to the dish. He then got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to line out to right field before getting Kazuma Okamoto to bounce into a game-ending double play to quell the threat. Taylor has clearly supplanted Seranthony Dominguez as the White Sox’ primary closer and should be utilized in all fantasy leagues at this stage.

Taylor took over with the tying run on third and one out in the eighth, putting him in prime position for a cheap blown save. However, he got out of the jam by striking out Shea Langeliers and getting Jonah Heim to ground out. He then walked one in a scoreless ninth that was made easier because the A’s took out decent left-handed hitters for weaker right-handed bats while trying to score off Sean Newcomb in the seventh. Seranthony Domínguez again went unused today, and Taylor is the pretty clear favorite for saves in Chicago, even if he’ll occasionally work earlier in games sometimes.

Taylor was summoned in the ninth inning to close out the game against the Guardians with a two-run lead. He struck out the first batter, then worked around a walk with two groundouts to secure the win for Chicago with his third save of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander is the only reliever worth rostering in the White Sox bullpen despite not working every save chance. He’s posted a 2.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 65/15 K/BB ratio across 45 2/3 innings.

Taylor was called upon in the eighth inning with the White Sox clinging to a one-run advantage. He issued a one-out walk to Steven Kwan but escaped any damage and recorded a pair of strikeouts. He was then sent back out for the ninth when trouble ensued. He issued a leadoff walk to Rhys Hoskins, then after retiring Kahlil Watson on a fly ball, served up Rocchio’s game-winning blast. It’s Taylor’s first loss on the season. Hopefully it won’t cost him save chances going forward, as he still seems to be the most capable option at the back of the White Sox’ bullpen.

There’s zero doubt that Taylor has the stuff to blossom into one of the premier relief pitchers in baseball. However, he seems unlikely to function as a traditional closer and the White Sox are always going to handle his workload with extreme caution. He won’t offer enough volume to be impactful in shallow mixed leagues, but he’s a decent ratio booster in deeper fantasy leagues.

Taylor took over on the mound for Chicago with the game tied at 1-1 in the eighth inning. He tossed two perfect frames, striking out four batters before the White Sox walked it off with a run in the bottom of the ninth, giving Taylor the victory. The 24-year-old right-hander has had some inconsistencies this season, but has been the best option for Chicago in the back end of the bullpen, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 60/12 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings while converting two saves.

It was a tough break for Taylor, who was back on the mound today after throwing 50 pitches between Sunday and Monday. Seranthony Domínguez, on the other hand, had a second straight day off after throwing 49 pitches and taking blown saves in both of those games. Taylor seems likely to factor into more save chances if Domínguez continues to struggle, but he’s also having issues at the moment; he’s given up eight runs — six earned — over 6 2/3 innings in his last five appearances.

Seranthony Domínguez blew the save in the ninth, but it’s difficult to argue Taylor should have received the chance when he’s given up homers in each of his past two appearances. The young right-hander will go on runs of looking unstoppable, and he’ll need to sustain that to eventually usurp the closer role. Consider Taylor a high-end stash who could become something for now.

Watching an inning like this from Taylor can give a baseball fan goosebumps. He made mincemeat of Adolis García, Edmundo Sosa, and Kyle Schwarber with three strikeouts and was in control the entire time. He was up 0-2 on all three hitters, regularly flashed triple digits with his fastball, and forced six swings-and-misses in just one inning of work. If he’s ever unleashed as the White Sox’s full-time closer, he’d instantly be one of the nastiest in the league. His last save came nearly three weeks ago though, so be on the lookout if he actually takes this job over.