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Mike looks at nine potential fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers for closers and saves for Week 11 of 2026. His top relief pitcher waiver wire and trade targets for saves.
Summer is fully upon us now, and the perpetual search for closers and relief pitchers who can help your rosters continues unabated. Here are some relievers who might be under the radar now, but could be making waves soon.
The key caveat here is that none of these pitchers are pure closers. Some are in time shares, some are a step away from being in the role. With stats gathered through June 8th, let's talk about some pitchers to add to the roster (by waiver or trade) or watch list.
The hope here is that the pitchers listed here are available to you on the waiver wire or via trade in your league. There is help to be had if we look in the right spots. Let's break down some bullpen shenanigans going into Week 11 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
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Alex Lange, Kansas City Royals
Lange has three of the last four saves in Kansas City, and is back from the fantasy exile of injury and ineffectiveness. You may recall Lange closing games for the Detroit Tigers, where he notched 26 saves in 2o23. He ran into hard times, with ineffectiveness and injury over the last two seasons.
With no clear-cut choice in Kansas City, Lucas Erceg struggling, and no clear timeline for the return of would-be closer Carlos Estevez, the question may be, why not Lange? He has a 4.03 ERA and a useful 25% K% thus far.
Daniel Lynch IV, Kansas City Royals
As mentioned above with Lange, why not take a look at Lynch as a potential late-inning weapon for the Royals? The veteran lefty has a 1.71 ERA, a 27.1% K%, and has a save and seven holds this season.
With Matt Strahm as a fellow lefty in their bullpen, and given their continued struggles on the closer carousel, Lynch could get a shot at the role despite his handedness. Below, you can see just how dominant Lynch has been in 2026. Expect continued dominance.
Sam Bachman, Los Angeles Angels
Bachman has been a steady presence in a beleaguered Angels' bullpen. The setup guy has a paltry 2.12 ERA and a 26.9% K%. While he does not have any saves, he has 10 holds thus far. With the struggles of veteran Kirby Yates, could Bachman get an opportunity as the closer?
Matt Brash, Seattle Mariners
Brash could sneak into some save chances in Seattle if closer Andres Munoz can't get it going. It would not be the first time Brash has closed down games for the Mariners; he has eight career saves. Brash has a 0.56 ERA, a 23.3% K%, and five holds in 19 games.
Munoz blew another save Sunday and has a 5.40 ERA despite having nine saves. If manager Dan Wilson decides to have Munoz hit the reset and use him in lower-leverage spots for a bit, Brash would be the natural fit for the temporary closer job.
Anthony Bender, Miami Marlins
Pete Fairbanks is struggling with an ERA over 7.00, and Bender looks like he could be the heir apparent right now if they make a change, especially given that Tyer Phillips has joined the rotation. Bender nailed down the save on Sunday, getting his second of the season.
Bender, too, has some experience in the closing role, having earned 16 saves in his MLB career. This season, he has a win, two saves, five holds, a 3.04 ERA, and a 27.4% K%. Bender could be worth a stash in deeper leagues.
Grant Taylor, Chicago White Sox
Taylor is by far the best arm in the White Sox bullpen. The team has been clear that they want to get him 100 innings this season in a variety of roles: setup, multiple-inning stints, opener, and perhaps, closer. They have surprised people by staying relevant in the wide-open American League with a 34-31 record. If they feel they are in the playoff race, could Taylor supplant the current closer, Seranthony Dominguez? It is in the realm of possibilities.
See Taylor's Statcast page below. No matter what his role is in the Sox bullpen, Taylor can be a useful piece in the back end of your bullpen; he's already better than a mediocre sixth starter.
Wilber Dotel, Pittsburgh Pirates
If the Pirates decide to make relievers Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana available at the trade deadline, Dotel could walk into a high-leverage or closer role in Pittsburgh. There have not been many opportunities recently in Pittsburgh.
But Dotel could end up being an important pitcher for the Pirates. He has graduated from long relief to middle relief, and he has performed well: a 1.08 ERA, a 27.9% K%, and a hold. Dotel is a name to earmark for later in the season.
Orlando Ribalta, Washington Nationals
The Nationals seem set on using Clayton Beeter for now as their closer, but Ribalta is moving into a higher leverage role this week. Ribalta has almost doubled his slider usage compared to years past, while reducing his four-seamer usage, as seen below.
Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays
It's wild that Varland is not rostered more often in leagues. My guess is this is because players expect Jeff Hoffman to take the job back? Varland has the last three saves for the Blue Jays, and his ERA is a full six runs less than Hoffman's (0.26 versus 6.26).
Varland now has 11 saves and a 34.1% K% this season, and he is clearly the closer in Toronto. Tyler Rogers has 14 holds, and Braydon Fisher and Hoffman have seven each. He remains a must-start closer and a top trade candidate to "buy-high" when looking to bolster your save count. He is on a trajectory to finish as one of the top relievers in fantasy.
Quick Hits:
- Evan Sisk has taken on a larger role in Pittsburgh. He has a sparkling 1.29 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 28 innings. Sisk could be in a high-leverage role soon.
- Ryan Helsley threw live batting practice on Monday as he hopes to head out on a rehab assignment in the next week.
- Riley O'Brien has seemingly righted the ship in St. Louis, having run off three straight saves after a tough stretch last week. He is up to 17 saves, and lowered his ERA to 3.68 again.
- Over the weekend, lefty A.J. Puk had some trouble in his last Triple-A outing, but averaged 96.4 MPH on his fastball. He should be close to a return for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- Anthony Banda put together a quiet run in Minnesota, with a 3.00 ERA in 13 May appearances for the Twins. Banda has continued that run in June with three more scoreless appearances. So the preferred closer right now may be Yoendrys Gomez, but Banda could get chances.
- Finally, a quick tip of the cap to the Atlanta Braves and their stellar bullpen, led by Raisel Iglesias and his 13 saves. More than that, Robert Suarez (0.63 ERA, 10 holds) and Dylan Lee (1.17 ERA, 13 holds, a 34.2% K%) have been outstanding.
- We will be watching the situation in Detroit, where no one has claimed the job with Kenley Jansen hurt with a pelvic injury, and none of the group of Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan, and Drew Anderson has seized the job.
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