11 Closer Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates: Relief Pitcher Targets For Saves (Week 7)

May 12, 2026

Nick looks at 11 potential fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers for closers and saves for Week 7 of 2026. His top relief pitcher waiver wire and trade targets for saves.

As we enter the middle of May, it can be easy to feel like the baseball season has "settled," especially compared to the early weeks of pure chaos. We've dealt with some key injuries, but also received hurt arms back from the IL. Rest assured, there are still plenty of undervalued and sneaky arms to investigate for this week's relief risers and potential breakouts.

We've gathered here to yap about surging arms and closer candidates, with many of them able to help you here and now, with others on the periphery. Few can be considered true "locks" for the ninth inning, and acting otherwise is just being silly in 2026. So, with stats gathered through May 11, let's talk about some pitchers to add to the roster (by waiver or trade) or watch list.

This writer does his best to change the names used, but there are a few repeat customers that I need to give at least one more shoutout to before feeling like I've done enough to bump that rostered rate up. And if they feel obvious to you, then I hope you're either rostering them yourself or going out and acquiring them. Let's break down some bullpen shenanigans going into Week 7 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.

Gregory Soto, Pittsburgh Pirates

Soto should’ve spiked towards 75% rostered with his past week’s usage and results, yet he’s still just under 40% as I write this. Dennis Santana’s recent performance isn’t worthy of a setup role, let alone the ninth, and Pittsburgh finally saw that.

Soto has allowed two baserunners over his last seven appearances, posting two wins and two saves across those 7 ⅓ IP of scoreless action. We’ve seen walks be a problem in the past, so I cannot sit here and say he’s suddenly a top-tier closer, but the ceiling is certainly a top-10 RP. If he’s still available, make the add. If his current manager doesn’t appreciate him, make the trade.

Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers

Latz is another guy where I refuse to believe that only 33% rostered accounts for all of you who are in traditional 5x5 roto/H2H leagues where saves are a big deal. Let alone the 6x6, where it still counts, and so on. He tossed in a two-inning save on May 10 as his momentum snowballed. I won't drone on, but he deserves more love.

Rico Garcia, Baltimore Orioles

Obligatory .000 BABIP through 19 IP mention. The man had walked one in three straight games, proving slightly mortal, but the bigger news is that Ryan Helsley has yet to start a throwing program after last week was a loose target. Garcia also stood tall against Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger on Monday, retiring the side in order.

Baltimore's Rico Garcia, the pride of the Hawaii Pacific University Sharks, might be the best reliever you don't know about.

He has now faced 64 hitters this season. Dude has allowed just one hit. Some really wonky swings that inning from NYY hitters. pic.twitter.com/BCq5Hs7Wxy

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) May 12, 2026

Helsley is still aiming for a late May return, according to the beat writers, but you still can’t let Garcia go. You can feed me all of the optimism about Helsley, but this is an older arm with elbow inflammation. Another 2-3 weeks of Garcia at closer is worth an add, but any setback or re-injury upon returning could lead to the entire 2026 season spotlighting the breakout.

Graham Ashcraft, Cincinnati Reds

Naturally, Ashcraft floundered in his first save chance after Emilio Pagan’s hamstring injury, allowing a game-tying homer to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the Wrigley Walkoff series. The Reds blowing each game late tells you everything you need to know about Cincy’s bullpen woes.

The red flags we mentioned for Tony Santillan became a tapestry of deep maroon when he allowed four runs without logging an out. The Reds turned to Pierce Johnson, one of the few RPs who isn’t sporting an elevated walk rate, for Saturday’s save. Ashcraft pitched a 1-2-3 eighth before that.

Now, Johnson is a fine deep-league add, but Ashcraft is still where the fantasy ceiling resides. He has struck out a pair with no hits or walks allowed in each of his last two games, which coincides with his cutter averaging nearly 99 mph after it had dipped into the 96-98 range for the better part of April.

Ryan Zeferjahn, Los Angeles Angels

Big Z got a four-out save the day this column went out last week, and his only other appearance since was a perfect frame with two strikeouts in a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays. Ben Joyce’s eventual return will make things murky, but I try to appreciate the (healthy) arm that is producing in the present.

Kirby Yates is back and could complicate things, but not if Monday is a sign of things to come. Yates entered in the third inning with an average fastball velocity below 90 mph, walked in a run, and then gave up a broken-bat bloop and a rocket for a double. Ineffective would be generous. This is great for Zeferjahn backers.

*Sam Bachman also leads MLB with eight inherited runners stranded over the last 14 days.

Erik Miller, San Francisco Giants

Miller’s rehab assignment started with a scoreless inning at Triple-A on Sunday. I have slight fears that the back will be a problem throughout the year, but then I remember how I’m not a doctor, and his 17 Ks in 11 ⅓ IP with two saves as a power left-hander calm me down. Caleb Kilian is sturdy, but has not crushed it with Miller out and Ryan Walker demoted.

Jeremiah Estrada, San Diego Padres

No one is coming for Mason Miller’s crown, but we still have to announce that Estrada looks to be back on the fantasy radar. We saw him give up six runs (four earned) with an 8:5 K:BB in seven innings to kick off 2026, firing diminished velocity that was only worsening. His fastball sat around 98 mph last year, but ‘26 saw him open with 96.2, which fell to 93.8 on April 9.

He was then placed on the 15-day IL due to right elbow tendinitis, with a semi-viral interview accompanying the move, where he states that he always tries to “thug it out” and push through the pain. But he recognized that getting older means being smarter about that.

His first four games back have seen him sit around 97, so we’re feeling better. Likely tied to that is his allowing just one hit (a solo homer) with an 8:1 K:BB over 4 ⅓ IP since returning. Anyone seeking ratio relief and higher K/9s may consider welcoming Estrada back.

Garrett Cleavinger, Tampa Bay Rays

Bryan Baker remains waiver-wire royalty, but we did see that one game when Tampa deployed him in the eighth against the top of Toronto’s order, which led to an Ian Seymour save. But Seymour's hot streak got snapped with two runs allowed on Monday, as the 4.18 xERA over his previous nine games was more modest than the 0.90 ERA.

Cleavinger was projected to be the left-handed closing mate of Griffin Jax, but much like Estrada, he had no zip due to an early injury. After a month off to rest his calf, Cleavinger has found that extra oomph in recent showings. The sinker went from averaging 93.4 mph on March 30, and even a frightful 94.6 on May 2 (his return), to 96.8 on May 10, when he struck out the side against Boston. Cha-ching.

John King & Josh Ekness, Miami Marlins

Pete Fairbanks is due back on Wednesday, and I sure hope that his nerve issue is done barking for 2026, but we can’t just ignore that this is always lurking. King is still the top southpaw and snuck in a one-out save on Saturday.

Ekness did the same on Sunday, but the early 2.70 ERA/0.90 WHIP over 3 ⅓ IP is complicated. I’m also hoping the dulled 95.7 mph fastball that he threw during that three-pitch save is an anomaly, but the heater also dipped to 96.6 on May 7 after sniffing 98 in his first two games. Perhaps it was due to reaching 24 pitches then. I’m intrigued, though there’s more to unpack.

Only an 8.2% swinging-strike rate is nearly half of the 15% clip seen in 12 ⅔ IP at Triple-A, but that came with a 5.68 ERA/2.91 FIP/.400 BABIP. His early .222 BABIP hides a .368 xBA/.523 xSLG that leads to a 7.06 xERA with a 2.82 FIP. Nothing is straightforward.

Aaron Ashby, Milwaukee Brewers

Some will say, “Duh,” but I thought we’d had him covered plenty. Then I saw a Reddit post gain traction in the fantasy baseball sub about him, and it gave me some perspective that there are still plenty of folks who could use our highlighting of players I assumed were already “settled” as strong adds.

It also gives me a chance to chime in with the whole “reliever wins” thing. Ashby has seven wins this year, with five of them coming by April 16. He then made five total appearances over nearly three weeks without a win (7 IP, 1 ER, 12 K) before two more wins on May 6 and 9 (nice). The 1.31 WHIP is a tad bloated, but 41 Ks in 26 IP compensate.

He could go another month or two without an eighth win, and you cannot act surprised, lest you make the add based on the “hot hand/gambler’s fallacy.” Ashby has effectively flipped a coin for “heads” really often this year, but that doesn’t make his next flip more than a 50/50.

However, he clearly gets frequent work in tight games, and he often works multiple innings. If you’re the pitcher on record for more of those types of innings than most others, then you have a greater chance at finding those go-ahead win scenarios. The Brewers may go on to win games by larger margins with early leads, but few RPs have the usage profile of Ashby. (#AshbyForNLCy ?)

Pat Murphy on if #Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby is in the NL Cy Young conversation:

"I think it's pretty special what he's doing. If it means keep throwing him out there, then the answer is yes." https://t.co/FpiLuaoQbx

— Michael Gross (@MichaelSGross) May 11, 2026

Quick Hits:

-Yoendrys Gomez has a career 5.02 ERA and a 5.68 ERA this year between Tampa Bay and Minnesota, but he’s retired all five batters faced in a Twins uniform. Sadly, that’s enough to get him into their leverage picture. Don’t read much into that May 10 save.

-Colin Holderman hasn’t allowed a run since rejoining Cleveland from Triple-A Columbus in late April, giving up only four hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts in 10 ⅔ IP. The Guardians love to ride reliable relievers into the ground, and Hunter Gaddis hasn’t looked right all year. Holderman and Matt Festa are on the rise behind Cade Smith and Erik Sabrowski.

-Over the last 30 days, we’ve seen Bryan Hudson emerge alongside Grant Taylor as the most interesting CHW RPs. In that timeframe, Hudson’s 2.32 SIERA is best on the squad, just ahead of Taylor (2.37), and a cut above Sean Newcomb (3.38) and Seranthony Dominguez (3.47). Dominguez’s 5.21 FIP in that window is less kind, and I don’t trust him.

-Kyle Hurt has stepped up with a 14:1 K:BB over 10 frames for the Dodgers, allowing one run on five hits. No saves and one hold won’t bring much fanfare, though I’m here for that 1.37 xERA and .191 xSLG (not xBA, xSLG!) with zero barrels allowed. He buries the changeup and challenges with high fastballs. Look at the full-count confidence to do this:

That one's gotta Hurt! 😎 #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/LR6VnAK4z9

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 9, 2026

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