Emilio Pagán DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan could be the favorite for saves after he was seen warming up in the bullpen in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday's loss to the San Francisco Giants. Pagan also pitched in the first two games of the series against San Fran and recorded the save on Saturday. Manager Terry Francona refused to name a set closer to enter the year with Alexis Diaz (hamstring) on the injured list, but after the first series of the season, it looks pretty clear that Pagan is Francona's top option for the ninth. Diaz has no timeline for a return and won't necessarily be handed closing duties when he's back, considering his rough showing in spring training. In addition to Pagan, Tony Santillan might be next in line for fantasy managers scrounging for save opps. He pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth with the Reds up by a run on both Thursday and Saturday.

Cincinnati Reds right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan (lat) started his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Saturday, tossing a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Pagan is expected to have three to five rehab outings before being activated from the 60-day injured list. He threw live batting practice to hitters on July 30 at Great American Ball Park and is eligible for activation from the 60-day IL on Thursday. The 33-year-old veteran initially went on the 15-day IL back in June but could be back with the Reds before the calendar flips to September. Pagan wasn't exactly pitching all that well in his first year in Cincy before his injury out of the bullpen, as he posted a 4.43 ERA (4.20 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 1/3 innings of work.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Emilio Pagan (lat), who was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 9 with a right-lat strain, is scheduled to undergo a new can on Monday to check his healing process. If everything goes well, Pagan could be cleared to begin a throwing program this week. However, the veteran reliever isn't expected to be back in the Reds' major-league bullpen until the second half of the season. When the Reds feel good enough about Pagan to bring him back from the injured list, he'll be serving in a late-inning setup role ahead of closer Alexi Diaz, giving him slight appeal in deep holds leagues. Before his injury, Pagan wasn't all that effective, posting a 4.43 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.