Nobody gets discarded quite like a middle reliever. Weeks of efficacy get thrown down the drain after a few sullen outings, and former stars become afterthoughts when not afforded save opportunities.

There’s also no quicker path to redemption than the bullpen. No-names suddenly matter when perched near a ninth-inning opening, and pitchers with one foot out of the door can revitalize a fading career. All of these paths are represented among this week’s four middle relievers to grab in holds leagues.

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Steve Cishek (CHC): 3 Percent Owned
A former closer brandishing a 1.98 ERA for a World Series contender typically garners more attention. That’s not to say Steve Cishek should be owned in standard mixed leagues or the shallowest of holds formats where managers need only roster the elite options. It’s just surprising that name recognition hasn’t vaulted him to an ownership rate above 3 percent.

This is hardly a sudden revival for the well-traveled reliever, who now boasts a 2.39 ERA for three teams since the start of 2016. His FIP is a full run more, and his 2018 SIERA skips even higher to 3.60, but he has consistently maintained a low BABIP and high ground-ball rate, currently entrenched at 52.4 percent.

With Carl Edwards Jr. on the shelf, Cishek has risen a step on Chicago’s totem pole. He’s also, however, not shining as a typical eight-inning option. He’s instead working as an uncommon ROOGY, recording one out in each of his last three holds. The cautious usage makes sense, as fellow righties have registered a career .239 wOBA against the sinkerballer. It’s working. He has ceded one hit (a homer to Aaron Altherr that erased a lead on Wednesday night) in his last six outings.

The 31-year-old is now two years removed from the ninth-inning spotlight, and Joe Maddon is not the type of old-school manager to value past experience above current ability. Although not a next-man-up behind Cubs’s closer Brandon Morrow, Cishek could keep his ERA low and pad his holds tally in a highly specialized role.

Drew Steckenrider (MIA): 2 Percent Owned
Relief pitchers are infuriating. Look no further than Drew Steckenrider’s topsy-turvy season for proof.

As of May 10, the Miami middle reliever had allowed two runs in 16.2 innings. He surrendered six that day. He then lost any remaining supporters by allowing five runs and walks apiece over his next three appearances. Just like that, an elite setup option with a future closing opportunity within arms’ reach saw his ERA balloon from 1.08 to 5.85.

It could take all year to successfully scrub the stench of that disastrous four-game period. If not for those 11 putrid days, maybe he would have gotten the first stab at saves instead of Kyle Barraclough, who was named Brad Ziegler’s ninth-inning replacement last week. Steckenrider instead must regain everyone’s trust. He’s off to a good start, yielding just one hit and one run over his last six frames. The 27-year-old has recorded two holds, both in the seventh inning, since his mid-May meltdown. Ziegler has allowed 23 runs in 25 appearances, so Steckenrider should climb into a primary setup role for the few leads Miami creates.

While he’s no longer a high-end, must-own option, he’s still a high-leverage reliever with a 29.9 K percentage and 3.15 FIP. He’s another bad week from losing that stature, but an awful week from Barraclough – who has walked 15 of 106 batters faced – could instead send Steckenrider back into the closer discussion.

Chaz Roe (TB): 3 Percent Owned
The Rays aren’t going to make this easy. Nearly two weeks after trading Alex Colome, they have only added uncertainty to their ninth-inning situation.

Johnny Venters recorded a one-out save by retiring fellow lefty Matt Olson. Sergio Romo, who has started five games this year, recorded their most traditional save since sending their former closer to Seattle. He also allowed two runs, bloating his ERA to 5.87. Austin Pruitt procured a 5 2/3-inning save in one of those instances where Tampa Bay deployed Romo as the opener.

That’s three saves, none of them accrued by the two noteworthy closer candidates. Jose Alvarado made sense as the immediate post-trade add, and he’s still the best of the bunch. The 23-year-old has notched a dozen holds alongside a 2.73 ERA, 62.1 ground-ball rate, and 26.6 strikeout percentage, so it should definitely be too late to grab him in any respectable holds league. Chaz Roe, on the other hand, maintains a paltry 3 percent consensus ownership rate. Although yet to receive a save opportunity, he has also not relinquished a run in his last five frames. Since the Rays quietly flirted with the .500 mark for two months, he has pocketed 13 holds with a 3.80 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 29.2 strikeout percentage, and 12.9 swinging-strike rate. Not spectacular, but good enough to roster in leagues that count saves and holds separately.

If the unconventional club gives him a ninth-inning monopoly – a job still most likely to go to Alvarado, if anyone – Roe is serviceable from a “saves are saves” perspective. Even if he’s serving an undefined role, he’s currently filling it well, and often in high-leverage spots. He’s worth owning until the situation gains some clarity. Another couple weeks could reveal that no answer is the answer for how Tampa Bay handles the closer vacancy, in which case Roe is a decent, but replaceable option in holds leagues.

Justin Miller (WAS): 1 Percent Owned
In five appearances, Justin Miller has recorded two wins and two holds. He has yielded one baserunner (an infield single) while stockpiling 12 strikeouts.

Before getting carried away, readers should stop and ask a bothersome question: Who is Justin Miller? The answer won’t help assuage any skepticism over a dominant 6 1/3 innings. Drafted a decade ago by the Rangers, he spent over six years (missing 2012 due to Tommy John surgery) in the minors before debuting for the Tigers in 2014. He held a 4.99 ERA in 88.1 major league innings and was released last summer after spending the year on the Angels’s Triple-A squad.

Given what may likely have represented a last chance by the Nationals, the 30-year-old accrued 23 strikeouts, and three walks in 13.2 scoreless Triple-A innings before translating that success to the majors. His heater has generated 11 of his strikeouts, and opponents have yet to put his slider into play.

There’s no telling if this is a blip or breakout, but the Nationals have quickly inserted him into meaningful spots, recently riding the righty for three perfect innings in a pivotal extra-innings contest against the Braves. Although no longer a hazard zone, the bullpen is far from exceptional en route to Sean Doolittle. Miller certainly wouldn’t be the first improbable relief success story.

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