6 Upside Fantasy Baseball Closers Breaking Out? Gregory Soto, Jack Perkins, Erik Miller, Caleb Kilian, Rico Garcia, Bryan King

May 16, 2026

Fantasy baseball closer breakouts, sleepers, waiver wire add/drop analysis for Week 8 of 2026 include Gregory Soto, Jack Perkins, Erik Miller, Rico Garcia, more.

Finding reliable sources of savings on the waiver wire can often be challenging. Though there are the top options like Mason Miller, many mid-tier relievers have either been shifted to the injured list or have struggled early on.

As a result, several relievers have begun to save more save opportunities and are seeing their fantasy value increase ahead of Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season.

Should fantasy managers pick up these emerging closers? Let's dive in!

Gregory Soto, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Availability: 40% rostered
2026 Stats: 21 1/3 IP, 1.69 ERA, 0.70 SO, 26 SO, 4 SV

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Gregory Soto picked up his fourth save of the season on Tuesday in his team's 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. Soto allowed two hits and an earned run, but managed to shut the door on the Rockies in the ninth. The 31-year-old is off to an excellent start to the 2026 season, as he's pitched to a 1.69 ERA and 0.71 WHIP with 26 strikeouts across 21 1/2 innings pitched.

Soto has also earned saves in three out of his last four appearances and appears to be emerging as the primary closer in Pittsburgh after opening the season in a setup role. In any league where he's not already rostered, Soto profiles as a must-add closer for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire.

-Written by Will Brady

Jack Perkins, RP, Athletics

Availability: 15% rostered
2026 Stats: 17 IP, 4.76 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 22 SO, 3 SV

Athletics right-handed reliever Jack Perkins blew his second save of the season and took his second loss of 2026 in Thursday's 5-4 loss in Sacramento to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Perkins entered in the top of the ninth inning with a one-run lead in a 4-3 ballgame but proceeded to allow two earned runs on three hits without a walk or a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

He blew his first save on May 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies and took the loss when he gave up four runs (two earned) while walking one and striking out two. In his two outings after that, Perkins gave up an earned run with one hold in 1 2/3 innings pitched, so he has now given up five earned runs in his last 3 2/3 innings for the A's, which could easily cause him to lose his grip on the closer's role for the A's.

After his second blown save on Thursday, his ERA swells to 4.76. Hogan Harris picked up the team's last save last Friday, and he could get the team's next save opportunity with Perkins struggling of late. Perkins is currently rostered in just 18% of Yahoo leagues.

- Written by Keith Hernandez

Erik Miller, RP, San Francisco Giants

Availability: 5% rostered
2026 Stats: 11 1/3 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 17 SO, 2 SV

- Written by Will Brady

Bryan King, RP, Houston Astros

Availability: 10% rostered
2026 Stats: 17 2/3 IP, 3.57 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 15 SO, 3 SV

- Written by Zach Thompson

Rico Garcia, RP, Baltimore Orioles

Availability: 35% rostered
2026 Stats: 19 IP, 0.47 ERA, 0.42 WHIP, 22 SO, 3 SV

- Written by Julian Brooke

Caleb Kilian, RP, San Francisco Giants

Availability: 10% rostered
2026 Stats: 19 1/3 IP, 1.40 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 19 SO, 2 SV

- Written by Julian Brooke

Updated Closers and Saves Depth Charts

Check out our updated closer depth charts for each of the 30 MLB teams that are updated regularly by Nick Mariano.

AL EAST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

AL CENTRAL: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

AL WEST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

NL EAST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

NL CENTRAL: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

NL WEST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

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2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Gregory Soto, Jack Perkins, Erik Miller, Caleb Kilian, Rico Garcia, Bryan King, Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Victor Vodnik. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.

Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Looking to pick up someone else instead? Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Gregory Soto, Jack Perkins, Erik Miller, Caleb Kilian, Rico Garcia, Bryan King, Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Victor Vodnik:

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