Tony Santillan News: Could replace injured closer

Santillan is the likely candidate to replace injured closer Emilio Pagan (hamstring), who was removed from Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Cubs, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Santillan has been the preferred eighth-inning arm for manager Terry Francona and produced nine holds thus far in 2026. Although he didn't fare well Tuesday -- the right-hander was taken deep by Michael Busch -- Santillan is a logical choice to serve as the closer. He's a trusted late-game arm, sporting a 2.87 ERA over 15.2 innings this season, and Santillan's 12 career saves are more than any other relievers in line to get save opportunities.