Taz isn't getting much playing time but he's been pretty solid when he has. Are they just trying to rest him for October?
I suspect yes. Given JF's tendency to defer to vets, I have to believe he's at the front of the Barnes / Kelly / Taz group of RH middle guys.
Here's how I would break it down as of today:
Locks (4) - Kimbrel, Koji, Z, Ross. Seems obvious.
Probables (3) - Pom (experience as a reliever, ability to go long), Scott (hard to believe given his path but he's probably the one true LOOGY JF trusts), Taz (per above).
Fringe (3) - Barnes, Kelly, Hembree. I think HH is clearly last of these three right now and Barnes' usage seems to suggest he's ahead of Kelly, but a lot of people seem higher on Kelly. If they had to decide today I'd guess they go with an 8 man pen and Kelly is in.
How could this change? Well, I think it's anyone's guess how they view Taz / Barnes / Kelly and they could shuffle those based on performance over the last few weeks. I think you could also see one of Pom or Scott dropped in favor of another from that group of righties, particularly if Pom looks really cooked.
So really just three questions in my mind:
1. 7 or 8 man pen?
2. Pecking order for Taz, Kelly, Barnes
3. Do both Pom and Scott make it?