In this week’s Closer Report, Josh Hader’s season debut with the Astros is drawing closer as he wraps up his minor league rehab assignment. Gregory Soto is tightening his hold on the Pirates’ closer role. And Kenley Jansen’s status is worth watching after the veteran closer departed Wednesday’s contest. All that and more as we break down the last week in saves.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Miller made one appearance this week, striking out two in a clean inning against the Athletics on Saturday for his 16th save. It was the first time he didn’t have to navigate baserunners over his previous five outings. With solid contributions from Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon, and Jeremiah Estrada, the Padres have collectively had one of the best bullpens in baseball.
Smith locked down three more saves to give him an MLB-leading 19. The 27-year-old right-hander has been lights out, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts over 26 2/3 innings. The back end of the Cleveland bullpen did take a hit, with Erik Sabrowski landing on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. Sabrowski has been one of baseball’s best setup men, with a 1.71 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 21 innings while leading the league in holds at 17.
Duran surrendered a run to blow a save chance against the Guardians on Friday, then bounced back with three straight scoreless outings for three saves this week. He’s certainly making up for the time he missed with an oblique strain, converting 11 saves with a 1.62 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings.
Chapman got a week of rest as he didn’t see any save chances. Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten lost the lead for the Red Sox on two occasions. The team currently finds itself in last place in the AL East. While they’ll likely stick it out and try to get in the hunt over the next two months, Chapman will be a hot commodity if the team sells at the trade deadline.
Muñoz picked up a save against the Royals on Friday and had strung together five straight scoreless appearances before giving up a solo homer in a non-save situation on Tuesday against the A’s. The 27-year-old right-hander is up to nine saves with a 4.79 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings.
On one hand, Muñoz has lowered his walk rate from last year and is generating far more whiffs, giving him an elite 29.2% K-BB rate that bodes well for better performance. On the other hand, he’s giving up more hard contact than ever, giving up a 14.3% barrel rate and 49% hard-hit rate. Hitters are slugging .625 on his fastball. Still, it feels a little more fluky, and I trust he’ll get back to his dominant self through the rest of the season.
After starting the season with 15 consecutive scoreless appearances, Iglesias finally has an ERA after giving up two runs against the Red Sox on Tuesday. Still, he held on for his ninth save of the season, looking as effective as ever in his 12th MLB campaign.
▶ Tier 2
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
O’Brien recorded four outs and gave up an unearned run to take the loss against the Reds on Saturday for his only appearance this week. He remains at 13 saves with a 2.96 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings.
Baker appeared in two games this week, picking up his 14th save with a scoreless inning against the Yankees on Friday. The 31-year-old right-hander is well on pace for over 30 saves this season, not something we thought we’d get out of a Rays reliever coming into the year.
The Cubs have had a hard time getting a tight lead to the ninth for save chances all season. Palencia hadn’t pitched in a week before getting the seventh inning in a blowout loss on Tuesday. He gave up one run on a solo homer.
Varland completed a clean, two-inning save against the Pirates on Friday with three strikeouts. He was unavailable on Saturday after the extended outing, with Jeff Hoffman stepping in for a save. Varland was then used in the eighth on Wednesday against the Marlins to face the heart of the order. He kept Miami off the board before Tyler Rogers picked up the save in the ninth.
Scott didn’t get a save chance this week, either. Instead, he made a pair of scoreless appearances against the Brewers over the weekend, striking out five over two innings of work. With Scott unavailable on Monday, Blake Treinen stepped in to record the final out for a save against the Rockies. Scott then pitched the eighth inning against the top of the Rockies lineup on Wednesday before Kyle Hurt took the ninth for a save. While Scott should be considered the primary closer in Los Angeles, it’s clear manager Dave Roberts isn’t going to save him for every save chance.
▶ Tier 3
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Gregory Soto – Pittsburgh Pirates
Devin Williams – New York Mets
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Pete Fairbanks – Miami Marlins
Jacob Latz – Texas Rangers
Seranthony Domínguez – Chicago White Sox
Sewald continues to get it done for the Diamondbacks. He picked up three saves and a win this week, giving him 14 saves with a 3.80 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts over 21 1/3 innings.
Bednar got back on track with two scoreless outings. He struck out the side in a non-save situation against the Rays on Friday, then picked up a save against the Royals on Monday. Bednar is another reliever with better underlying metrics than surface stats, suggesting better days ahead.
Bryan King recorded back-to-back saves against the Cubs over the weekend, then gave up one run in the eighth inning against the Rangers on Wednesday before Enyel De Los Santos stepped in for his fourth save. King has led the way in Josh Hader’s absence with six. His utility could be coming to an end soon, with Hader approaching his season debut in the coming days. He’s been out of action all season recovering from a biceps injury. The 32-year-old left-hander made his eighth rehab appearance on Wednesday and will likely get one more outing in with Triple-A Sugar Land before he’s activated from the injured list. We’d place him here in the rankings for now, but he could quickly rise if he looks like he’s returned to form following the long layoff.
Soto has fully entrenched himself as the Pirates’ primary closer. He picked up back-to-back saves this week against the Blue Jays and Cubs. The 31-year-old left-hander has converted five saves this month and six on the season to go with a 2.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings. Fellow left-handers Evan Sisk and Mason Montgomery have been excellent in middle relief, giving Soto the chance to be saved for the ninth inning.
Just when Williams looked to have turned a corner, he surrendered four runs and took the loss while recording one out against the Marlins on Sunday. He had worked his ERA down to 4.32, then ended that day with a 6.35 mark. Williams recovered on Wednesday with a scoreless inning against the Reds, striking out the side for his eighth save, but had to work around three walks and strand the bases loaded.
In Detroit, Jansen surrendered three runs, blowing a save and taking a loss against the Orioles on Sunday. He then departed from Wednesday’s game against the Angels with a right groin injury and will undergo further evaluation. If Jansen is forced to miss some time, Kyle Finnegan would likely step in as next in line for saves. Though Finnegan’s 1.82 ERA is mostly a mirage, as he’s issued more walks than strikeouts with a 15/19 K/BB ratio across 25 2/3 innings. Drew Anderson has shown far better skills, with a 45/16 K/BB ratio over 36 2/3 innings. But he’s been used for multiple innings in his outings, including three scoreless frames against the Angels on Wednesday.
Fairbanks took the mound four times in the last week, picking up a win and a save. Nine of his eleven runs allowed have come in three blowup outings. He’s been otherwise solid for the Marlins when healthy, converting six saves with a 21/7 K/BB ratio over 14 innings.
Latz gave up a solo homer against the Astros on Tuesday, but held on to convert a four-out save with two strikeouts. Four of his six runs allowed have come over his last three appearances. Still, he’s been incredibly solid for the Rangers, settling in as the team’s closer with six saves and a 2.16 ERA over 25 innings.
After giving up four runs in two appearances last week, Domíguez bounced back with a pair of scoreless outings. He picked up his 11th save against the Twins on Monday. The Grant Taylor hype turned out to be a bit premature after he picked up a save last week. He pitched the fifth inning in his next outing, giving up two runs against the Giants, then tossed a scoreless seventh against the Twins.
▶ Tier 4
Trevor Megill/Abner Uribe – Milwaukee Brewers
Rico Garcia/Anthony Nunez – Baltimore Orioles
Lucas Erceg – Kansas City Royals
Kaleb Killian – San Francisco Giants
Megill may be taking a step towards retaking the primary closer role. He pitched the ninth with a six-run lead against the Cardinals on Tuesday. This came after Uribe tossed a scoreless eighth and displayed a controversial gesture toward the Cardinals’ dugout as he walked off the mound. Megill was given the ninth again on Wednesday, converting a save against the Cardinals.
Garcia and Nunez have split save chances in the absence of Ryan Helsley, with three saves each. Nunez converted a save on Friday against the Tigers, then gave up a run to blow the lead in the eighth inning against the Rays on Monday. Helsley is working his way back from a bout of right elbow inflammation and hopes to return sometime next month.
Erceg had a rough week. He gave up three runs against the Mariners on Sunday, then blew a save chance and took the loss with two runs allowed against the Yankees on Monday. It was always going to be difficult to maintain success with a 5.4% K-BB rate. But Erceg appears to have a leash on the closer role, for now. Daniel Lynch IV may be the biggest threat for saves in the bullpen, but he’s the only effective left-hander on the roster. Carlos Estévez, out with a shoulder injury, could be cleared to resume throwing, but it’ll likely be a while still before he’s able to return.
Kilian struck out the side in a perfect inning of work against the White Sox on Sunday for his third save of the season. He then tossed two scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, giving him a 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 26/12 K/BB ratio across 24 1/3 innings. If there’s anyone worth rostering for saves in San Francisco, it’s Kilian.
▶ Tier 5
Kirby Yates/Sam Bachman/Ryan Zeferjahn – Los Angeles Angels
Gus Varland/Richard Lovelady – Washington Nationals
Tony Santillan/Graham Ashcraft – Cincinnati Reds
Mark Leiter Jr./Joel Kuhnel/Hogan Harris – Athletics
Juan Mejia/Antonio Senzatela – Colorado Rockies
Eric Orze/Justin Topa/Luis Garcia – Minnesota Twins
These are the situations that are probably better off left untouched for fantasy purposes outside of the deepest of leagues. Varland had been gaining steam with the Nationals, but has now made seven appearances without recording a save as the team has gone with a matchup-based committee. Richard Lovelady and Orlando Ribalta recorded the two Nationals’ saves this week. Kirby Yates picked up his first save with the Angels this week, striking out one batter in a clean inning against the Rangers on Saturday. He’s one of the few in this tier worth speculating on in deep leagues if desperate for saves.
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