Welcome to a new series here at RotoWire. Every Monday and Friday, I'll take a look back at the previous series and wrap up everything you need to know about the rapidly changing closer market.
These articles will contain five parts:
Who Earned Saves This Week/Weekend? A division-by-division look at who picked up saves in the previous series, as well as "true" blown saves and a few quick notes.
Closers I'm Worried About: A breakdown of a handful of closers whose jobs seem the most tenuous, as well as a look at the setup men who could be about to step up.
Bullpen Deep Dive: A closer look at a bullpen where everything is even more up in the air than usual, focusing on key stats and usage trends.
Injury Round-Up: A quick look at any currently injured closers and their progress toward a return to action.
Closer Grid: A snapshot of the RotoWire Closer Grid, which can also be found here.
Who Earned Saves Last Week?
Note: with no Closer Carousel last Friday due to the Fourth of July weekend, today's article includes saves and blown saves from the entirety of last week.
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Tyler Wells 2 (2) | none | See "Bullpen Deep Dive" below. |
| Boston | Garrett Whitlock (1), Aroldis Chapman 2 (18) | Chapman was unavailable for Whitlock's save Monday, having pitched on back-to-back days. | |
| New York | David Bednar (17) | none | |
| Tampa Bay | Kevin Kelly (4), Bryan Baker 2 |
Welcome to a new series here at RotoWire. Every Monday and Friday, I'll take a look back at the previous series and wrap up everything you need to know about the rapidly changing closer market.
These articles will contain five parts:
Who Earned Saves This Week/Weekend? A division-by-division look at who picked up saves in the previous series, as well as "true" blown saves and a few quick notes.
Closers I'm Worried About: A breakdown of a handful of closers whose jobs seem the most tenuous, as well as a look at the setup men who could be about to step up.
Bullpen Deep Dive: A closer look at a bullpen where everything is even more up in the air than usual, focusing on key stats and usage trends.
Injury Round-Up: A quick look at any currently injured closers and their progress toward a return to action.
Closer Grid: A snapshot of the RotoWire Closer Grid, which can also be found here.
Who Earned Saves Last Week?
Note: with no Closer Carousel last Friday due to the Fourth of July weekend, today's article includes saves and blown saves from the entirety of last week.
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Tyler Wells 2 (2) | none | See "Bullpen Deep Dive" below. |
| Boston | Garrett Whitlock (1), Aroldis Chapman 2 (18) | Chapman was unavailable for Whitlock's save Monday, having pitched on back-to-back days. | |
| New York | David Bednar (17) | none | |
| Tampa Bay | Kevin Kelly (4), Bryan Baker 2 (23) | none | Kelly recorded the last out of the eighth inning Wednesday with two runners on and a four-run lead. He remained in to pitch a scoreless ninth for the save. |
| Toronto | Louis Varland 2 (18), Patrick Corbin (1) | none | Corbin pitched the last five innings of Wednesday's game to record the save. |
*A pitcher can earn a blown save if he enters in what is technically a save situation prior to the ninth inning and blows the lead. For fantasy purposes, we don't really care about blown saves where a reliever was clearly being used as a setup man and coughed up the lead. What matters to us is when a reliever was genuinely being given a chance to save the game but blew it. Therefore, for the purposes of this article, I'm only going to report blown saves of that variety.
| American League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Tyler Schweitzer (1), Grant Taylor (3), Sean Newcomb (3) | Grant Taylor (3) | Schweitzer's save Tuesday was a four-inning save. Seranthony Dominguez was likely available for Taylor's save Saturday. Dominguez threw 16 pitches Friday but hadn't pitched for several days before that. See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| Cleveland | none | none | |
| Detroit | Keider Montero (3), Kenley Jansen (1)0 | Drew Anderson (4) | Anderson's blown save Wednesday came as he was given the opportunity to record a six-out save. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning but allowed a pair of runs in the ninth. Jansen had last pitched Sunday but nonetheless wasn't called upon. Montero's save Saturday was of the three-inning variety. |
| Kansas City | Alex Lange (8) | none | |
| Minnesota | Yoendrys Gomez (9) | none |
| American League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | none | none | |
| Houston | Josh Hader 2 (9) | none | |
| Los Angeles | none | none | |
| Seattle | Andres Munoz (16) | none | |
| Texas | Jacob Latz 2 (18) | none |
| National League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Raisel Iglesias (17), JR Ritchie (1) | none | Ritchie's save Saturday was a three-inning save. |
| Miami | none | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About". |
| New York | Devin Williams 2 (13) | none | |
| Philadelphia | none | none | |
| Washington | none | none |
| National League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Ryan Rolison (1), Jordan Wicks (2), Jacob Webb (3) | none | Rolison faced just one batter to record the save Tuesday after Tyler Ferguson recorded the previous three outs. Ferguson hadn't run into any trouble in the ninth inning, but the Cubs wanted the left-handed Rolison on the mound to face fellow lefty Jackson Merrill. Wicks' save Wednesday was of the three-inning variety. Webb recorded the last six outs to pick up the save Sunday. |
| Cincinnati | Emilio Pagan (7) | none | |
| Milwaukee | Trevor Megill 3 (13) | none | |
| Pittsburgh | none | none | |
| St. Louis | Riley O'Brien 2 (22) | none |
| National League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Paul Sewald 2 (20) | none | |
| Colorado | Brennan Bernardino (1), Gabriel Hughes (1), Jordan Romano (1) | none | Jimmy Herget, who had been earning save chances recently, pitched in the eighth inning prior to Bernardino's save Wednesday. Heret pitched in the seventh inning prior to Romano's save Sunday. |
| Los Angeles | Tanner Scott (12), Will Klein (2) | none | Scott was likely unavailable for Klein's save Saturday, having pitched on back-to-back days. Alex Vesia was available but pitched in the eighth inning. |
| San Diego | Mason Miller (22) | none | |
| San Francisco | Caleb Kilian 2 (8) | none | Kilian now has eight of the Giants' last 11 saves, including each of the last four. |
Closers I'm Worried About
Seranthony Dominguez, White Sox: Dominguez arguably doesn't even belong in this section any more, as he has none of the White Sox's last four saves and just one of the last eight. I've included him here to discuss whether or not he's now droppable in most fantasy formats, and I think the answer is probably yes.
The White Sox recorded three saves and a blown save this week, and Dominguez got none of them. The first save, to be fair, was a four-inning effort by Tyler Schweitzer, but Dominguez should have been available for Grant Taylor's blown save Thursday, Taylor's successful save Saturday and Sean Newcomb's save Sunday, yet he pitched in none of those games.
Judging by Dominguez's performance both recently and over the course of the season, declining to use him in those opportunities sure seems like the correct choice. He's allowed at least one run in four of his last six outings, raising his ERA to 4.85 and his WHIP to 1.38. His 27.5 percent strikeout rate on the season remains strong, but not strong enough to offset a 13.7 percent walk rate. With the White Sox sitting as surprising division leaders past the halfway point of the season, they simply can't waste any wins by giving save opportunities to a veteran whom they promised the job to over the winter.
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Still Grant Taylor, though this may remain a true committee for some time, as lefties Bryan Hudson (2.31 ERA) and Sean Newcomb (2.58 ERA) are having strong seasons. Neither has a strikeout rate above 25 percent, however, while Taylor's sits all the way up at 34.6 percent. He's paired that with a better than average 8.0 percent walk rate, helping him to a well-deserved 2.96 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. His 2.49 SIERA suggests that things could get even better going forward. Taylor's ability to pitch multiple innings is very valuable to the White Sox and could prevent them from using him as a true closer, but he's a good bet to lead the team in save chances from here on out — unless the White Sox acquire a proven closer at the deadline and return him to a fireman role.
Pete Fairbanks, Marlins: Fairbanks remains the Marlins' closer for now, as he has five of the team's last six saves, and the only save he doesn't have over that stretch came with him unavailable after saving games the previous two days. The question, however, is how much longer that will be the case. Given his performance both recently and over the course of the season, he ought to be on thin ice.
Fairbanks has now allowed runs in each of his last four appearances and has given up a total of 14 runs (12 earned) over his last 13 outings. That slump has sent his ERA all the way up to 7.27, while his WHIP sits at 1.46. His ERA estimators (4.44 xFIP, 3.53 SIERA) are at least a good deal better, but they hardly paint him as a closer candidate. His 28.8 percent strikeout rate might ordinarily be enough to offset a 10.2 percent walk rate, but his very low 25.4 percent groundball rate has led very predictably to a home run problem. His 1.8 HR/9 is third-worst among all pitchers with at least six saves, trailing only Kenley Jansen and Paul Sewald.
Two other factors may make the Marlins more open to a change than they otherwise would be. The first is the fact that Fairbanks is only signed to a one-year deal, so the club wouldn't lose out on a long-term investment by dropping him to a setup role. The second is that the Marlins have been surprisingly competitive this year, sitting tied for the final wild-card spot at 49-42. As with the White Sox and Dominguez above, that means they can't afford to waste any wins by continuing to give save chances to a struggling veteran they promised the job to over the winter.
Worry-o-meter: 3 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Probably Calvin Faucher or Michael Petersen. Part of what has kept Fairbanks in his job thus far is the fact that none of the alternatives in the Marlins' pen are particularly convincing. Faucher leads the Marlins in leverage index over the course of the season and saved 15 games last year (plus on more this season), but his 4.25 ERA and 1.53 WHIP are poor, and they look quite deserved next to his middling 23.5 percent strikeout rate and poor 15.4 percent walk rate. He's been better since the start of June, with a 3.86 ERA and a 14:6 K:BB in 14 innings of work, but that's still not closer material.
Petersen leads the team in leverage index over the last month and has a 3.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP on the season, so if the Marlins don't care much about Faucher's past experience in the role, Petersen would be the better candidate. He's struck out an impressive 30.3 percent of the batters he's faced this year and has an acceptable 9.9 percent walk rate, leading to a 3.18 SIERA. Don't be surprised if he gets some save chances in the next few weeks, though if the Marlins are really serious about trying to make the playoffs this season, they'll probably add a more proven arm at the deadline.
Bullpen Deep Dive
Baltimore Orioles
| 2026 Stats | Saves | ERA | WHIP | SIERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | Stuff+ | Location+ | gmLI* |
| Rico Garcia | 4 | 2.37 | 0.84 | 3.14 | 28.5% | 8.3% | 20.1% | 98 | 100 | 1.42 |
| Tyler Wells | 2 | 3.02 | 1.06 | 3.36 | 25.9% | 6.0% | 19.9% | 97 | 107 | 0.96 |
| Yennier Cano | 1 | 2.48 | 1.07 | 3.02 | 22.7% | 6.7% | 16.0% | 108 | 109 | 0.89 |
| Andrew Kittrege | 1 | 4.91 | 1.36 | 3.18 | 22.7% | 6.2% | 16.5% | 99 | 103 | 0.88 |
*gmLI is the average Leverage Index when a pitcher enters the game. 1.0 is average; closers typically sit north of 1.50.
Ryan Helsley returned to the injured list with renewed elbow issues Friday, just over two weeks after returning from a previous trip to the IL which cost him a month and a half. While the injury was only referred to as "inflammation" the first time around and "discomfort" in this most recent instance, it's hard not to worry that the problem could turn out to be something severe enough to keep him out for a long time. That means that while there's technically only a battle to be a temporary closer in Baltimore at the moment, the winner could wind up getting the chance to save games for the final three months of the season.
During Helsley's initial absence, Rico Garcia emerged as the top option for saves, but this time around, it's been Tyler Wells who's saved a pair of games. Garcia pitched the sixth and seventh innings prior to Wells' save Monday while Yennier Cano pitched the eighth. Cano again pitched in a setup role prior to Wells' second save Saturday. Cano pitched a scoreless seventh inning, while Andrew Kittredge pitched a scoreless eighth as the setup man.
While recent usage suggests Wells is the reliever to add if you need saves right now, he doesn't appear to be far ahead of the rest of the pack in terms of his overall numbers. He has the worst SIERA of the quartet as well as the worst Stuff+, albeit by a small margin in both cases. He has the lowest walk rate of the group and the second-best K-BB%, so he's certainly not a bad choice, especially considering he's allowed just one run across his last 11 outings.
Fantasy players in deep leagues may still want to consider picking up one of the other candidates just in case, however, with Cano standing out as particularly appealing. He has both the best Stuff+ and the best Location+ of the group, and while he doesn't have a very strong strikeout rate, he makes up for it with a 61.4 percent groundball rate, the fifth-highest mark among qualified relievers. As a result, he's been incredibly hard to square up, allowing just one home run all season. He looks like he'd be a steady option in the ninth inning should Wells falter.
Injury Round-Up
Ben Joyce, Angels: Joyce faced hitters Friday for the first time since being shut down from throwing in mid-May after suffering a setback while on a rehab assignment. His recovery from shoulder surgery last May has not been a smooth one, and he still has a long time to go before he's ready to return to the active roster, but he's at least back on track (for now). No one on the Angels' active roster has more than two saves at the moment, so he could push for the closer job ahead of the likes of Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn and Sam Bachman if he can ever get fully healthy.
Daniel Palencia, Cubs: Palencia will be out until after the All-Star break after landing on the injured list in mid-June due to elbow tendinitis. He's yet to resume throwing. Given that he also suffered a shoulder strain in September and a lat strain in April, it's hard to feel confident in his health going forward. Jacob Webb looks like the top option for saves in the Cubs' bullpen for now.
Edwin Diaz, Dodgers: Diaz threw live batting practice Sunday for the first time after undergoing surgery in April to remove loose bodies from his elbow. His recovery seems to be progressing smoothly, and he seemingly has a chance to return early in the second half, though a return immediately after the All-Star break is likely too much to ask for. Tanner Scott has been the top option for saves in his absence.
Ryan Helsley, Orioles: As discussed above, Helsley hit the injured list with elbow troubles for the second time this year on Friday. The diagnosis is only "discomfort" for now, but it's hard not to be worried about a more significant injury being uncovered soon given that he'd barely made it back for two weeks before heading right back to the IL. Tyler Wells recorded both Orioles saves last week and looks like the temporary closer for now, but the Orioles have multiple viable ninth-inning options.
Carlos Estevez, Royals: Estevez received an injection in his right shoulder Wednesday after suffering a setback in his return from a right rotator cuff strain. He's only made one appearance this season, first hitting the IL with a foot contusion before being diagnosed with the shoulder injury in his first rehab appearance in early May. He's shut down from throwing for now and won't be making it back any time soon, so Alex Lange should be able to keep hold of the closer role for a while longer.
Closer Grid
This article will be published every Monday and Friday this season, taking a look back at the previous series' top closer news. For more closer updates, check out the RotoWire Closer Grid, which changes daily.
Here's how the whole thing looks as of Monday evening:
*part of a committee
Questions about any of the closers covered above or any relievers you're considering picking up off the waiver wire? Let me know in the comments below.
