Outside of a handful of pitchers, closer is always one of those ever-changing positions throughout the fantasy season.

As of Friday night, there were 84 pitchers who have recorded at least one save — none of which were Craig Kimbrel, who remains unemployed. The reason for so many different pitchers recording saves could be as simple as the closer needing a day off to the teams that have the ever-hated closer-by-committee.

One other reason: A pitcher is so ineffective, a switch must be made.

Jose Leclerc was one of the trendy mid-tier closer picks this year after picking up 12 saves in 16 attempts in 2018 while maintaining a sterling 1.56 ERA and 85-25 strikeout-to-walk rate in 59 appearances.

That move, so far, has backfired.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward decided to remove Leclerc from endgame duties “for his sake” after the 25-year-old’s underwhelming first month. He went 1-1 with an 8.44 ERA, five saves in seven attempts, 14 strikeouts and nine walks. Opponents were hitting a rather healthy .318 against him and had a 1.055 OPS, but were swinging and missing at 15.1 percent of his pitches.

It is possible Leclerc was pressing after receiving a four-year, $14 million contract this spring.

The good news: Woodward praised Leclerc’s work ethic and abilities, and talked up his struggling closer. So, this is not a permanent move. The skipper believes having Leclerc pitch in lower-leverage situations, while working with the coaching staff to make all the necessary adjustments, will be beneficial to the youngster.

In the meantime, Leclerc should be stashed while Shawn Kelley — who is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 11 strikeouts and no walks over his first 12 appearances — or Chris Martin pick up the ninth-inning duties.

Here is a look at other closer situations around the league:

The Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks is 9-for-10 in save chances, has a 2.13 ERA, is striking out 11.4 per nine while limiting his walks, holding opponents to a .150 average and throwing a fastball that averages 101 mph, according to Brooks Baseball. He is showing signs of becoming an elite endgame specialist, and is available in almost 20 percent of ESPN leagues.

Minnesota’s Blake Parker is striking out just 7.7 per nine and walking 4.8 per nine, but he hasn’t allowed a run in his past 10 appearances, is 6-for-6 in save attempts, and has held opponents to a .111 average and .337 OPS. His 3.02 FIP indicates this won’t last, but he should be owned in more than just 29 percent of ESPN leagues.
Hector Neris was the Phillies’ closer in 2018 before being demoted. With David Robertson on the IL, he is back in the role for the time being. He has a 2.63 ERA, striking out 13.2 per nine, and is 4-for-4 in save chances.

There are some confusing committee situations, like the one in Kansas City, where one-time starter Ian Kennedy is the most likely option to pick up the rare save for the Royals. Wily Peralta was an option, but walking 5.8 per nine while striking out 4.5 per nine, to go along with a 7.07 ERA, was not a recipe for success.

Tampa Bay’s Emilio Pagan was the most added reliever this week after picking up three saves between April 23-28 and not allowing a run in six appearances since April 18. That was before Diego Castillo picked up his fourth save of the season on Thursday. Jose Alvarado also has four saves for the Rays, but none since April 7.

For the Angels, former Met Hansel Robles has two saves and has finished six of the past 11 games in which he has appeared. He has a 2.89 ERA and a .156 opponent average in that span. He is a decent short-term option.

The Marlins are rolling with Sergio Romo, who is 5-for-5 in save chances despite his 6.30 ERA. However, owning a Marlins closer is about as useful as buying a pair of pants made out of lettuce.

Hunter Strickland got off to a solid start for the Mariners before landing on the injured list with a lat strain. Now, Seattle is basically throwing darts at names with Anthony Swarzak (3), Roenis Elias (4) and Connor Sadzeck (1) all having closed games.

A.J Minter (0-3, 8.38 ERA) will have to earn Atlanta’s ninth-inning gig back by doing some solid work in non-save situations for a little bit. Keep an eye on Luke Jackson, who is striking out 10.2 per nine innings.

Edwin Diaz is in no danger of losing his job as the Mets’ closer, but it is worth noting how shaky he has been in non-save situations. In the 117 games he has saved in his career (8-for-8 this year), he has a 0.91 ERA and 194 strikeouts (14.8 per nine) and hitters have a .120/.189/.168 slash line. In non-save situations, he is 4-13 with a 3.77 ERA and .240/.310/.438 slash line, including a 6.35 ERA in 2018 and a 4.50 in such situations this year. He also has had an issue in tie games in his career, allowing a .336/.406/.613 slash line, eight homers and a 1.019 OPS.

Zack Greinke SP, D’backs

Not only has he picked up the win in five of his past six starts, he has won four straight while registering a 0.98 ERA, .154 opponent average, .451 OPS and 24-5 strikeout-to-walk rate.

Luke Voit 1B, Yankees

Entered Saturday with at least one hit in 22 of his past 25 games — hitting .302 with eight homers, 21 RBIs, 21 runs scored, 15 walks and a .985 OPS in that span.

Martin Perez SP, Twins

Lowered his ERA from 7.56 to 3.41 in his past five appearances (four starts) by going 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA. He has won his past three starts while maintaining a 2.25 ERA.

Shin-Soo Choo OF, Rangers

The second-most added outfielder in ESPN leagues this week entered Saturday with an eight-game hitting streak — going 13-for-36 (.361) with three homers, five RBIs, and a 1.034 OPS in that span.

Anibal Sanchez SP, Nationals

Has yet to pick up a win this year, and he is 0-3 with a 7.04 ERA, 11 walks and a .288 opponent average over his past three starts. He has allowed 17 earned runs over his past 28 innings.

Jay Bruce OF, Mariners

Entered Saturday with just eight hits in his previous 46 at-bats (.174) with three homers, five RBIs, a .653 OPS and four runs scored. He walked four times but struck out 17 times in that span.

Joey Lucchesi SP, Padres

Has lost two of his past four starts while allowing 18 runs (17 earned) over his past 20 ²/₃ innings (7.40 ERA). Opponents hit .322 with four homers and a .897 OPS in that span.

Zack Godley SP, D’backs

Demoted to the bullpen after going 0-1 with a 8.30 ERA, .301 opponent average and a .957 OPS over his past four starts. He struck out 17 and walked 13 in that span.

After allowing five earned runs in his first start, Matt Strahm has not allowed more than two runs in his past five starts. He picked up his first win on Thursday, and is now 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA, 25-2 strikeout-to-walk rate and a .205 opponent average over his past five outings.

Stephen Strasburg set a record Thursday, becoming the fastest player in MLB history to record 1,500 strikeouts. He did this in 1,270 ¹/₃ innings to snatch the honor from Chris Sale, who reached the milestone in 1,290 innings. Can you imagine how many strikeouts he would have if he managed to stay healthy over the past 10 years?

First the Indians lose Mike Clevinger, who was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 12 innings, to the 60-day IL after suffering an upper back strain. Now, the Indians will be without struggling ace Corey Kluber (2-3, 5.80 ERA, 38:15 K:BB), who was placed on the 10-day IL Friday after suffering a fractured right ulna earlier this week. He will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks. Maybe the Tribe should think about giving Eddie Harris or Rick Vaughn a call.

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