Colin Poche DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Washington Nationals agreed on a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training with free-agent left-hander Colin Poche on Friday. Poche heads to the National League East after spending the last three years with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he went 17-7 with a 3.27 ERA (4.16 FIP), 1.13 WHIP, 10 saves, 158 strikeouts and 59 walks in 156 2/3 innings over 174 relief appearances. The 31-year-old southpaw appeared in 43 games out of the bullpen last year and sported a 3.86 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, two saves, 33 strikeouts and 13 walks in 37 1/3 frames. The veteran reliever also had 65 holds over the last three seasons and certainly has enough experience to win an Opening Day spot in Washington's bullpen, especially when considering the lack of proven options they have. Poche could be a sleeper for holds in deeper fantasy formats in D.C.

The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated left-hander Colin Poche (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Monday and optioned right-hander Cole Sulser to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Inflammation in Poche's left shoulder has kept him out in September to this point, but he will skip a minor-league rehab assignment and return to Tampa's big-league bullpen to close out the 2024 season. The 30-year-old southpaw will return to a 1-2 record, 3.67 ERA (5.15 FIP), a 1.14 WHIP, two saves, 31 strikeouts and 13 walks in his 34 1/3 relief innings in 2024 over 39 appearances. The Rays are currently rolling with a closer-by-committee approach involving Edwin Uceta, Manuel Rodriguez and Richard Lovelady late in the year, and Poche could enter that mix now that he's healthy. Fantasy managers desperate for saves this late in the game could take a flier on Poche in deep leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Colin Poche (back) joined Triple-A Durham for a minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday after he felt good during a 15-pitch bullpen session on May 22. Manager Kevin Cash said Poche will likely need a few rehab appearances before he's ready to join the big-league bullpen in Tampa. The left-hander went on the injured list on April 26 (retroactive to April 24) with a mid-back issue that prevented him from feeling fully comfortable on the mound. The 30-year-old received an injection in his back, which came before a few days of rest, and he needed a second cortisone-type injection in early May. Poche had a career-best 2.23 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with a save in 66 relief outings for the Rays in 2023 but had allowed seven earned runs on 12 hits (three homers) in 9 1/3 innings this year before landing on the IL.