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 This Week?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Rico Garcia (4) | none | |
| Boston | Ryan Watson (1) | none | Watson's save was of the three-inning variety. |
| New York | David Bednar (13) | none | |
| Tampa Bay | none | none | |
| Toronto | Louis Varland (9) | none | Varland recorded the final out of the eighth inning Thursday and stuck around for the four-out save even after the Blue Jays scored four runs in the top of the ninth to make it a five-run game. |
*A pitcher
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 This Week?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Rico Garcia (4) | none | |
| Boston | Ryan Watson (1) | none | Watson's save was of the three-inning variety. |
| New York | David Bednar (13) | none | |
| Tampa Bay | none | none | |
| Toronto | Louis Varland (9) | none | Varland recorded the final out of the eighth inning Thursday and stuck around for the four-out save even after the Blue Jays scored four runs in the top of the ninth to make it a five-run game. |
*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 | none | none | |
| Cleveland | Cade Smith (21) | none | |
| Detroit | Will Vest (1), Enmanuel De Jesus (1) | none | Vest recorded the last five outs to pick up the save Monday. Kyle Finnegan pitched in the sixth and seventh, while Beau Brieske got one out in the top of the eighth before running into trouble and giving the ball to Vest. De Jesus's save Tuesday was of the three-inning variety (in this case, four-inning). |
| Kansas City | Alex Lange 2 (2) | Lucas Erceg (6) | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| Minnesota | Yoendrys Gomez (4) | none | Gomez now has the Twins' last two saves. |
| American League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Hogan Harris (5), Justin Sterner (1) | Luis Medina (2) | Harris recorded just one out to pick up the save Tuesday after Scott Barlow got the first two outs of the inning but allowed a pair of baserunners. Sterner's save Wednesday came in the 10th inning. Medina was charged with the blown save Thursday, but most of the damage was done by Joel Kuhnel, who recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning but allowed five baserunners. |
| Houston | Josh Hader (1) | none | As expected, Hader stepped right back into the closer job once healthy, earning a save in his first appearance of the year. His fastball velocity (95.8 mph) was right in line with last season (95.5). |
| Los Angeles | none | none | Kirby Yates pitched the top of the ninth with the score tied Monday but gave up a run to take the loss. |
| Seattle | none | none | |
| Texas | Jacob Latz (8), Jakob Junis (4) | none | Latz was unavailable for Junis's save Tuesday, having recorded saves both Sunday and Monday. |
| National League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Raisel Iglesias (11) | none | |
| Miami | Pete Fairbanks (7) | none | |
| New York | none | none | |
| Philadelphia | Jhoan Duran 2 (14) | none | |
| Washington | none | none |
| National League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | none | none | |
| Cincinnati | none | none | |
| Milwaukee | none | none | |
| Pittsburgh | Gregory Soto (8), Carmen Mlodzinski (1) | none | Mlodzinski's save Thursday was of the three-inning variety (in this case, four innings). |
| St. Louis | Riley O'Brien (15) | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| National League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Paul Sewald (15) | none | |
| Colorado | none | Antonio Senzatela (1) | Senzatela entered Monday's game with one out in the eighth and blew the save in that frame but stuck around to pitch a scoreless ninth to pick up the win. |
| Los Angeles | Tanner Scott (6) | none | |
| San Diego | none | none | |
| San Francisco | Keaton Winn (1), Caleb Kilian (4) | none | See "Bullpen Deep Dive" below. |
Closers I'm Worried About
Lucas Erceg, Royals: Erceg's hold on the Royals' closer job had grown increasingly tenuous in recent weeks, and the team finally decided to pull the plug, with manager Matt Quatraro saying Wednesday that the team would play the matchups in the ninth inning in the short term. That followed a run in which Erceg had allowed runs in six of his last seven outings, posting a 15.00 ERA and 3.50 WHIP over that stretch.
Quataro did say that he still views Erceg as a long-term closer option, but it doesn't seem wise to hold onto him in most fantasy leagues in hopes that he moves back into the ninth inning soon. His overall numbers barely belong in low-leverage, yet alone a closer role, as he owns a 6.45 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 19.2 percent strikeout rate and 14.4 percent walk rate. He didn't post closer numbers last season, either, as his 2.64 ERA came with a 19.3 percent strikeout rate and a 3.95 xFIP. (He did at least have better control last year, with a 7.2 percent walk rate.)
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Alex Lange, apparently. While I've promoted Daniel Lynch in this space in recent weeks, the Royals have made their intentions clear this week, with Lange picking up a pair of saves. Lynch pitched the eighth inning Wednesday prior to Lange's first save, andthen pitched the seventh inning Thursday, followed by Matt Strahm in the eighth and Lange again in the ninth. Perhaps being a lefty is counting against Lynch, who otherwise would look like a great fit in the ninth inning with his 1.78 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 27.9 percent strikeout rate.
Lange, for his part, does have past closer experience, saving 26 games for the Tigers in 2023, but his numbers this season don't look like they belong to a closer. His 4.18 ERA is right in line with his 4.20 xFIP and 4.03 SIERA, and he owns a 1.39 WHIP, 23.5 percent strikeout rate and 12.6 percent walk rate. He's apparently the Royals' most trusted right-handed reliever at the moment, however, so he's worth grabbing if you're desperate for saves, even if it still seems like Lynch ought to take this job eventually.
Riley O'Brien, Cardinals: O'Brien pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the save Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing just a single walk, but that's his only good appearance in the last two weeks. His previous four outings all saw him give up at least one run, a stretch in which he struck out four, walked three and allowed seven runs (six earned) in 4.1 innings.
O'Brien didn't allow an earned run in any of his first 13 appearances and looked like the steal of the season as far as closers are concerned. He saved seven games over that stretch, striking out 33.3 percent of opposing batters without allowing a single walk.
Since then, he's hit a bit of a wall. Over his last 14 outings (a run which stretches back to April 25), he's struggled to a 7.71 ERA and 1.71 WHIP, striking out just 20.6 percent of opposing batters while walking 8.8 percent. His groundball rate has also collapsed to 43.9 percent over his recent slump after checking in at 69.0 percent during his early hot streak.
There haven't been suggestions that a change in the closer depth chart is imminent in St. Louis, but you have to wonder if the Cardinals might start thinking about shaking things up if this slump goes on any longer. It's worth noting that O'Brien's strong 2.06 ERA last season came with unremarkable strikeout and walk numbers and a modest 3.88 xFIP. That's also his only season where he spent a notable amount of time in the majors, so it's not as if the 31-year-old has a long track record of pitching like a high-leverage reliever. If his strong first few weeks are the exception rather than the rule, the Cardinal may have to look elsewhere.
Worry-o-meter: 2 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Probably JoJo Romero. He's a clear second on the Cardinals in leverage index, and he's even been slightly ahead of O'Brien in that stat over the last two weeks. Romero doesn't have classic closer numbers himself, but his 3.54 ERA is decent enough and looks entirely fair according to his 3.53 SIERA. His 23.7 percent strikeout rate and 9.3 percent walk rate are both right around league average, and he's paired those figures with an above-average 48.6 percent groundball rate. It's not a particularly inspiring profile, but it's enough to get the job done and better than what any other Cardinals reliever can offer should O'Brien continue to struggle.
Bullpen Deep Dive
San Francisco Giants
| 2026 Stats | Saves | ERA | WHIP | SIERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | Stuff+ | Location+ | gmLI* |
| Caleb Kilian | 4 | 3.58 | 1.19 | 3.75 | 25.9% | 12.1% | 13.8% | 105 | 97 | 1.13 |
| Erik Miller (L) | 2 | 4.08 | 1.47 | 3.87 | 32.1% | 17.9% | 14.1% | 115 | 88 | 1.12 |
| Keaton Winn | 1 | 2.30 | 0.88 | 3.48 | 22.5% | 7.8% | 14.7% | 102 | 107 | 1.33 |
| Matt Gage (L) | 1 | 2.63 | 1.29 | 4.69 | 18.6% | 12.7% | 5.9% | 95 | 96 | 1.47 |
*gmLI is the average Leverage Index when a pitcher enters the game. 1.0 is average; closers typically sit north of 1.50.
Ryan Walker was used more like a committee leader than a true closer at the start of the season, and he was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on May 10. Since he was sent down, Caleb Kilian has three saves, while Matt Gage and Keaton Winn both have one. (Erik Miller also has two saves this season, but both came back in April.)
The question facing fantasy players is whether Kilian is a closer, or if this is still a wide-open committee. Kilian was lit up for five runs while blowing a save in Colorado on May 29, but he's since made three scoreless appearances, one of which was a save, so the Giants don't seem to have lost confidence in him. The save that went to Winn on Wednesday may have been an opportunity Kilian wasn't available for, as he'd pitched on two of the previous three days. He was definitely available the day Gage recorded a save (May 16), but he pitched in the eighth inning that day before Gage got the save in the ninth.
Based on recent usage, it appears that Kilian might be just a committee leader rather than a true closer, but he's the clear preferred option in the ninth in most circumstances. What's less clear is whether or not he should be. As you can see from the chart above, while Gage trails the rest of the group in most statistics (other than ERA), Kilian, Miller and Winn all look quite similar by SIERA and K-BB%. Winn has the worst stuff and best control, while Miller has the best stuff and worst control. Kilian sits somewhere in the middle, but he could continue to be the top opinion until he pitches the way out the role, his grip on his current job shouldn't be considered firm.
Injury Round-Up
Ben Joyce, Angels: Joyce has been out for over a month while recovering from shoulder surgery. He began a rehab assignment in late April but paused it in mid-May after a setback. He resumed throwing last week, but a new timeline for his return has yet to emerge. Kirby Yates has the Angels' only save in the last 26 games.
Edwin Diaz, Dodgers: Diaz underwent surgery in late April to remove loose bodies from his elbow. He resumed throwing last week and appears to be progressing well, but he isn't expected back until sometime in the second half. Tanner Scott has been the top option for saves in his absence, but multiple other pitchers have seen the occasional opportunity.
Ryan Helsley, Orioles: Helsley has been out since the start of May with right elbow inflammation. Despite previously indicating that he was aiming to be back by late May, he's yet to begin a rehab assignment, but he's been throwing bullpens for about a week and is expected to head out on rehab soon. Rico Garcia has been the top option for saves in his absence.
Emilio Pagan, Reds: Pagan suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in early May, but an MRI he underwent at the end of the month showed positive results. He's been cleared to run on an anti-gravity treadmill but is yet to advance to throwing off a mound. Pierce Johnson, Tejay Antone, Tejan Antone and Sam Moll have all recorded saves in his absence, with no reliever recording more than one.
Victor Vodnik, Rockies: Vodnik has been out since May 20 with right ulnar nerve inflammation. He advanced to throwing bullpens last weekend, so he could be set for a relatively short absence, but his expected return date is not yet clear. Antonio Senzatella and Juan Mejia are the top high-leverage relievers for the Rockies in his absence.
Carlos Estevez, Royals: Estevez suffered a bruised foot in his first outing of the regular season and then was diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain following his first rehab appearance in early May. He resumed throwing last week, but a timeline for him to pitch in more rehab games has not yet been established. One he does start pitching again, he may have to prove that he's regained the velocity he lost throughout spring training and the World Baseball Classic, though with Lucas Erceg pitching his way out of the closer role (as discussed above), the bar for Estevez to regain the job seems to have lowered.
Kenley Jansen, Tigers: Kenley Jansen hit the injured list with pelvic inflammation in late May, but he resumed throwing bullpen sessions Friday. That seemingly sets him up for a brief absence, possibly one which doesn't require a rehab assignment. He hadn't pitched all that well (4.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) prior to his injury, but he may still reclaim the top spot on the Tigers' closer depth chart, as neither Kyle Finnegan nor Will Vest have been particularly impressive this season.
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 Tuesday afternoon:
*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.
