Nick Mariano's Closer Rankings and Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 22)

August 21, 2026

Nick Mariano's top 50 closer fantasy baseball rankings, breakouts and closer waiver wire pickups for saves and holds - updated rankings for Week 22 of 2026.

The trade deadline came and went, and now we sprint through August. This column brings you my updated fantasy baseball closer rankings for Week 22 of 2026, with tiered closer rankings and relievers to add across all league types. This week we're back to Nick Mariano for the rankings, while I (Mike Carter) will continue to provide you with the waiver wire suggestions.

I am so intrigued covering bullpens each week; it is a fascinating job watching the ins and outs of bullpens, and how they change day-to-day. A closer today may be a mop-up guy tomorrow; one never knows how it works out. Much debate will again happen this winter over how fantasy players approach their draft preparations, including how and when they add closers. Chasing on the waiver wire seems like it may be passe by the end of this year.

Keep up with the latest and greatest by signing up for our industry-leading news notifications. Here are my top-50 fantasy baseball closer leaderboard and waiver suggestions. Stats are gathered through August 20th. There are relief pitcher options on the waiver wire that can help your team immediately. Need saves? Ratipo help? Strikeouts?  Read on.

Top 50 Closers: Fantasy Baseball Rankings (Week 22)

Mike's Closers Fantasy Baseball Analysis, Waiver Wire Pickups

Don't forget to check our daily updates on the closer depth charts if you have more questions and want even more names!

Justin Martinez, Arizona Diamondbacks

Martinez is back for the Diamondbacks and got into his first game of the season this week. He was inserted in the eighth inning, threw 19 pitches, 11 of which were four-seamers with a velocity over 100 MPH. So it is good to know that his velocity has clearly returned.

What we do not know is the role, as he returns to a committee featuring Juan Morillo and Barndyn Garcia, who earned the last save a week ago. Look for Garcia to get more save opportunities in the short term, with Martinez getting back into the mix when he gets his feet under him.

Aaron Ashby, Milwaukee Brewers

What a season for the ages Ashby has had. At the beginning of Spring Training, we were unsure what his role would be in Milwaukee; would he start or relieve? When it was announced that he would be in the bullpen, his value to fantasy teams took a hit.

Little did we know, Ashby would tally 13 wins, a save, 11 holds, a 3.39 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and a 32% K%. There are only four starters with more wins than Ashby: Cristopher Sanchez, Sonny Gray, Chase Burns, and Foster Griffin.

Look at his Statcast data below, and you can see this terrific season is no fluke. Add in a 53.5% groundball percentage, and you have a dynamic arm for your team even if he is not getting saves (Trevor Megill closes in Milwaukee).

But with the injury to top setup guy Abner Uribe, Ashby now finds himself in that role, and could get some vulture saves on nights that Megill needs off. Ashby is worth rostering in deeper formats.

Kodai Senga, Daniel Duarte, and Nate Lavender, New York Mets

I pit them together even though it's clear that Senga is the closer with three saves since last Friday. But this is a really interesting bullpen to watch; three weeks ago, this bullpen looked very different than it does now.

Senga has pared his repertoire down to essentially two pitches: his fastball and his forkball. He has upped the fastball usage to 61% coming out of the bullpen, mixing in the forkball about 26% of the time. It's worked; he has four saves in six August outings with good peripherals.

Duarte and Lavender have been August revelations.  Pitching in setup roles, Duarte has two holds and a save this week, while the lefty Lavender has two holds and a win. Duarte has a 0.84 ERA, two saves, four holds, and a 25% K%. Lavender has surrendered nothing with five holds and a 38.1%K%.

Mason  Montgomery, Pittsburgh Pirates

It looks like the committee is over and done with in Pittsburgh based on the recent dominance of Montgomery. The lefty had a save and a win in back-to-back appearances this week, and his ERA has been pared down to 3.40 with a whopping 39% K%.

You can see for yourself in the box below. In 19 appearances in July and August, Montgomery has three wins, five saves, a 1.30 ERA, a 0.60 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts in 17 innings. He's been insanely good, and is still not rostered enough in most leagues. Grab these saves.

Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers

Is there any better example of how quickly things can change in bullpens than the curious case of Tanner Scott? Scott was the closer essentially for the World Champions last year, and this winter, the Dodgers went out and signed Edwin Diaz, thus bumping Scott to a setup role. But an elbow injury to Diaz opened the closer spot back up for Scott, and he responded with 15 saves while Diaz was out recovering from the injury.

But wait, it gets better: Diaz came back and was lousy with an ERA over 10. Diaz went back to the IL with a neck issue, and Scott is back in the closer role in Los Angeles. And he has earned the last two saves this week for a first-place team. And get this: he is rostered in only 51% of Yahoo leagues, and plenty of people need saves. Get him back this weekend if you can.

I love pitchers who get lots of chase, and you can see that Scott has gotten that in abundance in his career, even more this season. Scott also adds a 32% K%, and has minimized his walks to a career-best 5.6%. There is nothing not to like here in this profile; if you need saves and have some FAAB left, it is a no-brainer to bid on Scott this weekend.

Short Relief: More Closers and Bullpen Notes

• Even though it has been considered a co-closer situation in Kansas City, Steven Cruz has the last two saves, being set up by Nate Pearson.
• With the move of exciting lefty Samy Natera Jr. to the injured list, Ben Joyce looks to have the job to himself for the Angels.
• In Minnesota, journeyman Yoendrys Gomez continues to get the saves despite the presence of Jeff Hoffman. Gomez had three consecutive saves this week; Hoffman got holds in two of them.
• The situation for the Los Angeles Dodgers took a turn first with the elbow injury to Edwin Diaz, and then his ineffectiveness upon his return to action, and finally being placed on the IL again this week with a neck issue.
• Things are really shaping up in Philadelphia with some set roles.

Remember, at the end of the day, fantasy baseball should be a fun distraction from the rigors of daily life, and we should not take the game too seriously. Have fun with it and keep grinding; don't give up your fantasy baseball dreams just to switch to football next month. Hang in there!

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