Helsley's chances of spending at least some time in the closer role this season seemingly have increased in the wake of Jordan Hicks' (elbow) decision to opt out of playing in the 2020 season.
Helsley was already in the running for some ninth-inning work in the early portion of the season, at minimum, with Giovanny Gallegos still stuck in Mexico for the time being. Hicks' decision may also inch Helsley closer to filling such a role in at least a part-time capacity, as it guarantees the former will no longer be a candidate for closing duties in the second half of the campaign. If Gallegos' travel issues persist into the regular season, it may be down to either Helsley or Carlos Martinez for closing duties for at least the start of the campaign, with a decision from manager Mike Shildt on how he'll handle the situation potentially not coming until much closer to Opening Day.