Claudio tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to finish out Friday's 8-2 win over the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

Claudio was making his first appearance in nearly a week, retiring the side without incident. Though it was Jose Leclerc who collected the Rangers' most recent save back on July 23, it's worth noting that Claudio had covered 3.1 innings across back-to-back appearances prior to that and was likely just unavailable. As a result, Claudio still seems to be viewed as manager Jeff Banister's top closing option, though he'll need to handle a few more save situations without much hassle in order to build up some security at the back end of the bullpen.

Claudio pitched 1.1 scoreless innings while allowing one hit to earn his fourth save Saturday against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Claudio was protecting a one-run lead and he was able to successfully convert his third save opportunity over the Rangers past five games. For now, he appears to be the preferred closer of choice for the team, and if he can maintain his 2.42 ERA along with his 1.02 WHIP, it's possible that the lefty could remain in this role unless he runs into significant struggles. That said, there are no guarantees in this bullpen right now, but fantasy managers should continue to use him until further notice.

Claudio tossed two scoreless innings and was credited with the win in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Rays in 10 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Claudio faced the minimum six batters in the outing, allowing a base hit to Steven Souza to lead off the bottom of the 10th before generating a double-play ball. While Friday's contest didn't count as a save situation, Claudio's entry into the contest in the ninth inning of a tie ball game illustrates that he clearly has the trust of manager Jeff Banister in high-leverage spots. After collecting the Rangers' most recent two saves, Claudio remains the leading candidate to close out games, but as a soft-tossing lefty, he might not have much staying power in the role. Keone Kela, who was activated from the 10-day disabled list Thursday, warrants stashing in most deeper leagues in the event Claudio eventually transitions back to setup duties.

Claudio picked up his second save in as many games Saturday, needing just eight pitches to close the door in a 1-0 against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

The young left-hander has certainly taken advantage of Keone Kela's (shoulder) absence, snagging saves in consecutive games for the first time in his career while lowering his season ERA to 2.64. Claudio should continue giving Rangers' management plenty to think about regarding the current closer-by-committee situation, particularly considering his 3.60 FIP.

Claudio picked up his second save with a perfect inning Friday against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Claudio is currently part of a closer-by-committee situation in Texas, but those holding onto Claudio's stock have to be happy to see him get the first save chance out of the break and close it out with ease. Keone Kela is likely to remain out at least through the rest of this series against Kansas City, so Claudio may be in line for a few more save chances in the near future.

Claudio covered the final two innings of Saturday's 5-2 win over the Angels, conceding a run on two hits and striking out two batters.

EDGE Analysis

Since Matt Bush was removed from the closer's role July 1, the Rangers haven't had a save situation arise, but Saturday's game at least provided a hint of how manager Jeff Banister might address such a scenario. After Bush worked a scoreless seventh inning, Claudio pitched the eighth while the Rangers were holding a four-run lead, then came back out for the ninth. After he yielded an RBI groundout to Cameron Maybin, Banister called upon Jose Leclerc to start warming up, but Claudio was able to extinguish the Angels threat without any additional backup needed. It nonetheless appears that Leclerc is Option 1A to close for now, while Claudio and Bush likely rank second and third, respectively, in the pecking order. Keone Kela (shoulder) could leapfrog all three pitchers on the depth chart once he returns from the 10-day disabled list.

Claudio could be an option to get saves for the Rangers in the short term, following Matt Bush's removal from the closer role Saturday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bush suffered his fifth blown save of the season Friday, prompting his removal from the ninth inning role. Keone Kela, who is nursing a sore shoulder, is the presumed favorite to take over as the closer once fully healthy, but Claudio and Jose Leclerc are options to get saves while Kela is unavailable. The 25-year-old southpaw has a 2.48 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, but his 15.2 percent strikeout rate is atypical of a ninth-inning arm.

Claudio worked around two hits to deliver two scoreless innings in Thursday's 11-4 win over the Blue Jays. He struck out two batters during the 28-pitch outing.

EDGE Analysis

Claudio has been a key setup man for the Rangers since early May, but manager Jeff Banister deployed him as more of a long reliever Thursday, as the righty entered the contest with his team already holding a five-run lead. Banister's decision was likely influenced by the fact that three of the team's other bullpen options -- Tanner Scheppers, Ernesto Frieri and Dario Alvarez -- had already seen ample usage in the first three games of the series, so don't expect Claudio's role to change dramatically in the subsequent contests to come. With a 2.21 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 36.2 innings, Claudio has done little to cast doubt on his ability to handle high-leverage work.

Claudio conceded one run on three hits and one walk while striking out two batters over three innings in relief during Tuesday's 10-8 win over the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

Claudio wasn't especially sharp in his 25th appearance of the season, but on a night in which the two pitching staffs combined to give up 18 earned runs, his performance was one of the better ones. Manager Jeff Banister has shown comfort with using the southpaw against hitters from both sides of the plate, though he's had far less success against righties, who have hit .275/.324/.449 against him on the season. Still, Claudio's tendency to keep the ball out of the air has helped him keep runs off the board, and that's good enough for him to maintain a prominent role in a porous Rangers bullpen.

Claudio pitched two scoreless innings in relief during Wednesday's 7-5 loss to the Rays in 10 innings. He gave up no hits and two walks and struck out two batters.

EDGE Analysis

With a fastball that sits in the mid 80s, Claudio will never be the sort of power arm teams covet at the back end, but he's nonetheless emerged as one of the more reliable arms in a beleaguered Texas bullpen. Jeremy Jeffress and former closer Sam Dyson have been dreadful in setup roles this season, which has allowed Claudio to move up in the pecking order and take on more high-leverage innings. Since May 10, Claudio has picked up four holds over 10 appearances.