"He has been our most consistent performer, day in and day out doing his job," Sandberg said. "You look at what he's done with those opportunities and the quality of them ... if you look at it that way, he's a strong candidate for us."
Papelbon has a 1.13 ERA in 24 games and was 12-for-12 in save opportunities entering Tuesday night's game against the Reds. Philadelphia's all-time saves leader has converted 28 of 29 chances since last July 24.
Closers on struggling teams must often battle an irregular workload.