Jonny Venters

Braves reliever Jonny Venters retired the only batter he faced to earn the save in Saturday's win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fantasy Impact

Luke Jackson had pitched in two straight games and was unavailable on Saturday, so the Braves went with a committee approach to the ninth inning. With lefty David Peralta coming up to bat with two outs, Venters was able to come in and earn the save. The closer's job seems to be Jackson's to lose at the moment, but the Atlanta bullpen is in flux and high-leverage innings are available for the taking if Venters can continue to pitch well.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jonny Venters is being traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for international slot money, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reports on Twitter.

Fantasy Impact

Venters returns to Atlanta, which is where he broke out as a dominant reliever back in 2010. Returning to the Braves and having success with them down the stretch would be a fitting completion to his comeback story, as the lefty reliever has undergone what he describes has three and a half Tommy John surgeries over the past few seasons. His value is highest in formats that reward for holds, for the time being.

Jonny Venters allowed five runs in 1/3 of an inning taking the loss against the Nationals. He gave up three hits and two walks while striking out one before being pulled. He raised his season ERA to 5.06.

Fantasy Impact

Today was an absolute mess for Venters who came in having only allowed one run on the season. The National bats were just too much for him. The Rays should probably just consider using him as a LOOGY going forward which is what he has exceled at this season.

Jonny Venters pitched a clean inning in relief against the Mariners. Venters lowered his season ERA to 0.90

Fantasy Impact

Venters has been amazing this season after returning from a five-plus year hiatus. He has only allowed one run in 10 innings of work. He still has an outside chance at leading the Rays in saves this season because of his success thus far. If he does lead the team in saves he will likely not even register 10 on the season. He is only worth an add in AL-only leagues.

Jonny Venters received the save by striking out the final batter of the game against the A's. He lowered his season ERA to 1.04.

Fantasy Impact

This is a great comeback story for Venters, who has undergone multiple Tommy John surgeries. Before today, Venters could have been considered a dark horse to become the Rays' closer, and those chances have increased now. The Rays will likely still go closer by committee but you should keep Venters on your watch list.