Alvarado, who notched his fifth hold in a win over the Marlins on Wednesday with 1.1 scoreless innings in which he allowed no hits or walks and recorded a strikeout, owns four saves, a 1.04 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP over 17.1 innings.

EDGE Analysis

The hard-throwing 23-year-old is currently working on a six-appearance scoreless streak. Alvarado has allowed only two earned runs all season, which came in back-to-back appearances April 20 and April 21 against the Red Sox. Alvarado also boasts a 26:8 K:BB, leading to an eye-popping 13.5 K/9. The only drawback for fantasy owners has been manager Kevin Cash's approach to the closer role, one that's seen Alvarado split ninth-inning duties and save opportunities primarily with Diego Castillo (five saves).

Alvarado (0-1) took the loss Saturday, giving up a run on two hits and a walk over one inning while striking out one as the Rays fell 6-5 to the Red Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The Rays was down 5-0 after a big second inning by Boston, but they climbed out of the hole and tied it up in the bottom of the eighth, only to see their closer falter in the ninth. Alvarado hadn't given up a run in 10 appearances prior to Saturday, and his 17:5 K:BB through 10.1 innings is still excellent, so there's no cause for alarm in one hiccup.

Alvarado worked around a hit and a walk to earn the save after a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday's 3-0 win over San Francisco. He struck out one batter.

EDGE Analysis

Alvarado put two runners on base but forced Brandon Crawford to ground out to finish off the team shutout. It was his fourth save of the season and he's yet to allow a run. The flamethrower is proving to be a legitimate, high-end closer this season.

Alvarado posted a strikeout, walk and hit while nailing down his third save of the season in a 5-2 victory against the Giants on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

The Rays have used Alvarado in the eighth inning a couple times already, but he's still their best option in save situations. Alvarado has been perfect, pitching 5.0 shutout innings and going 3-for-3 in save chances to open the season. He has also struck out nine with two walks and three hits allowed in five innings.

Alvarado pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out the side, in a 1-0 loss to the Rockies on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

From a pitching standpoint, Alvarado has been excellent to open the year. In four appearances, he's allowed only three base runners and posted eight strikeouts with two saves in four innings. But in each of his last two outings, he pitched in the eighth inning. A couple games ago, Alvarado threw in the eighth during a lopsided win, but Wednesday, he took the mound in the eighth during a 0-0 game. That has to be concerning for owners counting on saves from Alvarado. Owners should obvious monitor this situation closely.

Alvarado struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to record his second save of the season in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

The fireballing lefty is off to a flying start as the Rays' de facto closer, and he's giving manager Kevin Cash no reason to get creative with his late-game bullpen usage. As long as Alvarado is producing results, expect him to continue seeing the bulk of Tampa's save chances.

Alvarado secured his first save of the year and allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday against Houston.

EDGE Analysis

Alvarado ultimately managed to slam the door, but he allowed two batters to reach base before doing so. The 23-year-old finished the 2018 campaign with eight saves (four blown saves) but should have more opportunities this year, even though the Rays haven't officially designated him as the team's closer.

Alvarado fired a scoreless sixth inning in which he also recorded a strikeout during a Grapefruit League win over the Pirates on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Alvarado has been sparsely utilized by manager Kevin Cash this spring, with Friday's outing only his second appearance of the exhibition slate. The 23-year-old southpaw has thrown just 13 total pitches but recorded three strikeouts, and he remains on track to see the bulk of save opportunities despite the Rays not officially designating him as a full-time closer.

The Rays will not designate a closer this season, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times thinks Alvarado will "get lots of save opportunities."

EDGE Analysis

Alvarado racked up eight saves for the Rays last season, finishing third on the team behind Sergio Romo and Alex Colome, and the skills are certainly closer worthy. He pumps the fastball in at 97 mph on average and gets plenty of swinging strikes. The southpaw was even more of a headache against right-handed hitters than he was against lefties, holding them to a .218 wOBA. It sounds like he will be primary ninth-inning arm, but Alvarado will be used earlier in the game when needed, creating some save chances for the likes of Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Emilio Pagan and perhaps others.

Alvarado is unlikely to be used as a traditional closer by the Rays in 2019, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Kevin Cash doesn't plan to officially name a closer this season, but Alvarado is a likely candidate to see ninth inning opportunities depending on game flow and the matchup. Given the Rays utilization of the opener strategy, it comes as little surprise they plan to eschew traditional late-inning roles. Alvarado is expected to see minimal work this spring after a career-high 64 innings during 2018. Regardless of his official title, the 23-year-old lefty's 2.39 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 last season should still provide plenty of fantasy value as Tampa Bay's likeliest option for high-leverage work.