Braves: Arodys Vizcaino Placed on 15-Day DL, Fantasy Impact

The Braves lose their closer Arodys Vizcaino to an oblique injury. He will miss at least the next two weeks. There are plenty of other closers worth adding in the mean time.

The Atlanta Braves are no doubt in a rebuilding stage. They traded Shelby Miller for prospect Dansby Swanson last season. The team decided to get even younger by trading veteran relief pitcher Jason Grilli to the Toronto Blue Jays. As a result, Arodys Vizcaino and Jim Johnson were left as the closers, and both have done a great job.

Unfortunately for the team and fantasy owners, Vizcaino was placed on the 15-day DL with a right oblique strain. He was removed from the July 15 game, his first appearance in nine days, with a side injury. Braves manager Brian Snitker indicated that Vizcaino would land on the DL.

This leaves Johnson as the only relief pitcher on the current roster with closer experience. If he’s available in your league, pick him up now. He’s owned in just 2.3 percent of ESPN leagues, up 1.7 percent over the last week.

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Vizcaino was having a good season before the injury. In 39 games, he had a 3.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 with 10 saves. The save opportunities may not be there because of the lack of run support the Braves offense gives its pitchers.

He’s currently owned in 31.4 percent of leagues, so there are some owners that have a spot to fill. With more than half of the regular season complete, it’s getting harder and harder to find a long-term closer to add.

If you are looking for a closer with a better chance to earn saves, look at Boston’s Koji Uehara. He’s converted three straight save opportunities. Cincinnati’s Tony Cingrani and Minnesota’s Brandon Kintzler are two other closers worth adding for the time being.

Next: Impact of Dylan Bund added to Orioles Rotation

If you own Vizcaino, I would likely drop him. The Braves don’t present enough opportunities for him to earn saves. Ten in the team’s first 90 games of the season is not a good percentage. If you’re in a deeper league, you may not have a choice to drop him, but there are always other relief pitchers worth owning.