We had a few months where it seemed like most of the bullpen situations around baseball had settled down, but things have been thrown back into disarray over the past few weeks. The trade deadline tends to have that kind of impact, as teams like the Marlins, Phillies, Royals, and Angels shook up the back end of their bullpens with trades. 

But if it was just the trade deadline to deal with, it would be pretty straightforward. But along with those teams, we've had ninth-inning implosions with a bunch of other squads, and while not all of them have led to a change in closer – Clay Holmes still seems to have a tenuous grasp on the Yankees ' job, for instance – there's plenty of uncertainty around the league at closer right now.

And we got a couple of new ones Tuesday, as the Cubs released Hector Neris, while Rockies closer Victor Vodnik was unavailable Tuesday due to a sore right shoulder that could land him on the IL. We don't know how either team is going to fill their openings, but we got a hint Tuesday, with Porter Hodge locking down the ninth for the Cubs while Angel Chivilli got the save for the Rockies. Neither may end up being the closer in either the short or long term for their respective clubs, but it's always nice when we get an actual opportunity for a team to show us what they're planning. 

Scott White wrote about a bunch of the most opaque ninth-inning situations around the league Tuesday in his Bullpen Report column, so for those of you who have a need for saves, let's see how he ranks the available options in each before we get to the rest of what you need to know about from Tuesday's MLB action: 

• Dodgers pecking order: Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson
• Royals pecking order: Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey (IL), James McArthur
• Orioles pecking order: Seranthony Dominguez, Craig Kimbrel, Yennier Cano
• Diamondbacks pecking order: Justin Martinez, Paul Sewald, A.J. Puk
• Angels pecking order: Ben Joyce, Hunter Strickland, Roansy Contreras
• Pirates pecking order: David Bednar, Aroldis Chapman
• Cubs pecking order: Jorge Lopez, Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller
• Rays pecking order: Pete Fairbanks (IL), Edwin Uceta, Manuel Rodriguez, Colin Poche

Alright, now let's get to the top waiver-wire targets from Tuesday and then the biggest news and most noteworthy performances. 

Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Tigers (36%) – Torkelson was spraying line drives all over the place Tuesday, as he went 4 for 4 with three singles and a double, with all four batted balls holding an expected batting average over .900, something no one has done in an MLB game since Nelson Cruz in August of 2019. He now has multiple hits in two of his first three games back from Triple-A, and we know how good Torkelson can be when he gets hot – remember, he had 19 homers in the second half last season. It's been a nightmare season for Torkelson, who wasn't exactly dominant at Triple-A, either. But he's locked in right now if you need a corner infield option. 

Eduardo Rodriguez , SP, Diamondbacks (71%) – Sure, it was the Marlins, but this was the best start we've seen from Rodriguez so far, and it would make sense that it might take him a few tries to get on track after he eschewed a rehab assignment in his return from his injury. He didn't generate many swinging strikes in this one, but he created plenty of soft contact and limited walks, and that's the plan for Rodriguez when things are going well. We know he isn't an ace, but Rodriguez is a solid pitcher with a good team backing him up, and that should be good for at least a few more wins the rest of the way. 

Cody Bradford, RP, Rangers (47%) – That's now back-to-back quality starts for Bradford, who looks pretty locked in since his return from a back injury. He has a 3.74 ERA in the month of August, which includes when he allowed three runs in 3.2 innings in his second start back. He has 22 strikeouts to three walks in 21.2 innings of work in that span and continues to look very solid when healthy this season. He isn't an ace, but his RP eligibility is a boon to his value in H2H points leagues, and he looks like a solid option in all formats against the right matchups at least moving forward. 

Cade Povich, SP, Orioles (10%) – Povich hasn't exactly lit the world on fire at the major-league level for the most part, but he looked pretty good in his last opportunity, limiting the Red Sox to two earned runs in 6.1 innings of work, and now it looks like he's going to get an extended opportunity in the Orioles rotation with Zach Eflin placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation Tuesday. Povich has been very solid at Triple-A this season, and all he has to be is solid to have Fantasy appeal with the Orioles backing him up. With a 3.48 ERA and 28.2% strikeout rate in the very hitter-friendly International League this season, Povich might have the upside to be a bit more than just solid. 

Connor Norby, 2B, Marlins (15%) – In two games since joining the Marlins, Norby is 3 for 8 after he hit a couple of doubles Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. He didn't do a ton in his first couple tastes of the majors, but as I noted yesterday, Miami is actually a better ballpark for Norby's profile than Baltimore, even if it is, obviously, an underwhelming lineup. Norby has been very productive throughout his minor-league career, so I'm still in on the upside here, even if he isn't likely to be a difference-maker for Fantasy in this lineup, necessarily. 

Kyle Tucker took batting practice and was involved in outfield drills Monday, but manager Joe Espada said Tucker won't go out on a rehab assignment until he runs the bases, which hasn't happened yet. Tucker has been limited to jogging as he continues to recover from the bone bruise in his right shin. 

Luis Gil left his start Tuesday early with lower back tightness. He was pretty bad before he left, allowing three runs over three innings with six walks, so hopefully the back injury helps explain it. The Yankees need to find ways to limit Gil's usage moving, so this might be an opportunity to do so even if the injury ends up being pretty minor. 

Aaron Boone indicated Tuesday that he still plans for Clay Holmes to be his primary closer. Boone added that he could be more open to using Holmes earlier in the game, if he feels the matchup is right. Holmes leads baseball with 10 blown saves, but I don't expect him to lose the job at this point.

Boone said it would be a little ambitious to think Jazz Chisholm could return when first eligible on August 24. Jazz has already resumed fielding grounders and hopes to swing a bat soon, so hopefully it won't be too long until he's back. The lineup needs him. 

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said that an MRI on Hunter Greene's elbow revealed the injury is not as significant as originally feared. Krall added that Greene will get a second opinion, but maybe his season isn't over after all. 

Assuming Ranger Suarez doesn't suffer a setback in his bullpen session, he will return Saturday against the Royals.

Ha-seong Kim was placed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. He jammed his shoulder on a slide Sunday.

The Orioles placed Zach Eflin on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. He didn't really show any signs of the injury, posting four straight quality starts since joining the Orioles, so this one is pretty disappointing. 

Alex Bregman has now missed five straight due to swelling in the back of his right elbow.

Jeimer Candelario was placed on the IL with a fractured left big toe. The Reds started Noevli Marte at third, Ty France at first, and Jonathan India at DH on Tuesday.

The Rangers are hopeful Max Scherzer can return from the IL as early as next week. I still need him to prove he can be a viable Fantasy starter while remaining healthy before I want to trust him in my lineup. 

Jorge Soler was out again but said he thinks he'll be ready to play by Friday. He hasn't played since August 14 due to a left hamstring strain.

Reese Olson will throw a bullpen on Wednesday, his first time throwing off a mound since going on the IL with a shoulder injury. He could still be back in September.

The Cardinals optioned Jordan Walker back to Triple-A. He started just three of six games while he was up, and the team cited a desire to have him play every day as the explanation for his demotion.  

Tyler Mahle was placed on the IL with shoulder stiffness.

With Reynaldo Lopez back from the IL, the Braves are moving Grant Holmes back to the bullpen. 

The Braves also signed Gio Urshela to a one-year deal to help fill in for Austin Riley.

The Angels will select Johnny Cueto to start Wednesday against the Royals. I do not expect him to be Fantasy relevant down the stretch. 

Robbie Ray, Giants vs. CHW: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K – The White Sox have been a cure-all for pitchers all season, and Ray ran into them at the right time, coming off a disastrous outing where he didn't even get out of the first inning in his last start. He had the four-seamer and slider working for a combined 21 swinging strikes, and that was all he needed against this overmatched lineup. On the whole, I remain very impressed by Ray, who has 39 strikeouts to 12 walks in 27.1 innings of work on the season, and I generally feel pretty good about starting him down the stretch. And if his 4.88 ERA scares you off, just know he has a 3.33 ERA if you take out those five runs in 0.2 innings against the Braves. 

Mitch Keller , Pirates @TEX: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K – Keller is another guy who absolutely needed a good start after allowing 15 runs in his previous two outings. He leaned on his sinker in this one and tossed a few more sweepers than usual, but otherwise mostly looked like he always does. Keller isn't a big swing-and-miss pitcher, and I think that mostly explains his inconsistency – he works in the strike zone more than just about any other starter in baseball, and because he doesn't have big swing-and-miss stuff, it leaves him more susceptible than most to meltdowns. On the whole, I think he's still more or less a must-start pitcher for Fantasy, but the low points will likely remain awfully low.  

Reynaldo Lopez, Braves @PHI: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K – Lopez looked no worse for the wear in his return from his forearm injury, generating 18 whiffs on 90 pitches while his velocity was actually up a tick. This was his first game with double-digit strikeouts since September of 2019, and it helped make up for some hard contact when the Phillies actually did make contact. I've been pretty skeptical of Lopez (and his 4.40 xERA for the season entering this one), but with how he looked in this one, I think it's okay to be optimistic about the way the rest of the season might go. 

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox @HOU: 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K – Yeah, I think we're just about done here. Maybe Pivetta puts it all together for the final month and makes me regret it, but this guy just hasn't been any good for most of the season, really – he has a 5.15 ERA since May 1! Eno Sarris had a good piece about how the Red Sox's organizational philosophy to avoid fastballs has largely fallen apart of late , and Pivetta is kind of the poster boy for it. Pivetta was awesome in the second half of last season, but his career has been defined by his inability to sustain his best moments, and that's where we're at again. 

Tyler Anderson, Angels @KC: 6 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – Anderson's re-breakout has hit a bump in the road over the past couple of starts, but I'm still pretty bullish on him moving forward. Even in this one, he gave up an average exit velocity of just 85.5 mph while generating 14 swinging strikes on 95 pitches, both of which suggest better luck ahead in both strikeouts and balls in play. He's still generating a lot more swinging strikes in general lately, and that makes it pretty easy to expect better days moving forward. 

Jose Berrios, Twins vs. CIN: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K – Berrios is a lot like Keller, in that I think inconsistency is the one thing you can really expect from him. He threw his four-seamer and changeup more in this one, but I don't really think this is a situation where you should just expect that to be a winning approach moving forward. We've seen enough from Berrios over the years to know you just have to ride the ups and downs and he'll end up being pretty useful in the end. If you can't stomach the inevitable downturns, you probably shouldn't get on the ride. 

Ronel Blanco, Astros vs. BOS: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K – Blanco is in uncharted territory with his innings, and I think we might just be seeing him run out of steam, with a 5.34 ERA over his past six starts while averaging fewer than five innings per start. Of course, he also entered this start with an xERA more than a full run worse than his actual mark, so we might just be seeing some natural regression here, too. I don't think you should necessarily drop him right now, but if you did, I don't know that you would regret it. 

DJ Herz, Nationals vs. COL: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K – If he can command his pitches consistently, Herz might just be a really good pitcher. We've seen flashes of that this season, including with his two starts of at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks. Consistency had been an issue for him for his first couple of months, but he seems to have figured it out since the All-Star break, sporting a 3.07 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work. I'm buying in, at least against exploitable matchups moving forward.