Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts - MLB Bullpens and Saves

May 3, 2026

Fantasy baseball closers depth charts for MLB bullpens, saves, holds are updated daily. Our 2026 fantasy baseball closer rankings for all AL and NL bullpens.

Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies, and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance.

Relief pitchers are becoming increasingly important for fantasy baseball pitching staffs, even beyond closers and saves. Bullpen arms with elite ratios will be relied upon heavily, especially for those in Holds (HLD) leagues or Saves+Holds leagues (SV+HLD) formats. But not to worry, the RotoBaller team is here every day to help you stay on top of all closer depth charts for the AL and NL, and dominate in saves, holds and bullpen arms this year.

We will be updating the MLB Closers & Saves Depth Charts all season and all off-season long. Be sure to also check out these running quick-hit updates from Nick Mariano (@NMariano53), looking at the most recent closers and bullpen news from around MLB.

Closer News and Bullpen Updates

5/3: Ben Joyce and Kirby Yates both registered two strikeouts in scoreless innings for Rancho Cucamonga, with Joyce notably working the ninth after Yates took the eighth. Is it a small hint?

5/3: Raisel Iglesias is set to be activated on Tuesday, per manager Walt Weiss.

5/3: Andrew Kittredge's chance at closing with Ryan Helsley out took a major hit when he allowed seven runs with only one out recorded against the Yankees. Perhaps they'll chalk it up to one bad day, but Rico Garcia's chances just rose.

5/3: With both Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm resting after back-to-back work days, Daniel Lynch IV secured his first save of 2026 with three strikeouts over a perfect four-out appearance. Vindication! It’s good to see him convert the rare chance and prove that he isn’t scared of finishing the game. Of course, it’s still Erceg’s show until Carlos Estevez proves worthy/healthy.

5/3: Paul Sewald isn’t getting save opportunities, but he struck out both hitters faced in Sunday’s loss. A 15:3 K:BB in 11 ⅔ IP with a 0.77 WHIP is more than this writer dared to dream when selecting Sewald with a late draft pick. This kind of form could stave off even the hottest of openings for A.J. Puk whenever the southpaw is ready.

5/3: After four days off, Tanner Scott came in and struck out a pair en route to a perfect save, his second of the year. Blake Treinen got one out to wrap up the eighth following five outs from Will Klein. Scott keeps settling more and more comfortably into the dedicated closer seat.

5/3: The Tigers were backed into a bullpen game, and they didn’t want to use Kenley Jansen yet, so Kyle Finnegan did throw 10 pitches in a scoreless eighth (no walks and a strikeout, good!). This makes three appearances in four days, so he’s likely unavailable for Detroit’s Monday game. We’ll see if that signals Jansen’s likely availability, or if Drew Anderson could sneak one in.

5/3: Pittsburgh and Cincinnati were deadlocked at 0-0 in a pitcher’s duel, turning to Gregory Soto to pick up Braxton Ashcraft’s traffic to end the eighth. The Pirates got a run over against Tony Santillan in the bottom of the frame, and then Soto stayed in. Dennis Santana was warming up just in case, but he wasn’t needed. Soto’s momentum grows, while Santillan’s takes a hit.

5/3: Locked in a 1-1 tie, Houston went with Enyel De Los Santos for the eighth inning against Boston’s 5-6-7 pocket. He handled his business, but this led to Bryan Abreu taking the ninth and 10th innings, getting the eventual win. 

He only allowed a 66-mph dribbling single, walked one, and struck out one (15-of-22 pitches for strikes). Is he re-entering the picture? Well, we should note his four-seamer was down 1.6 mph at 93.5, and the slider took a 2.5 mph hit. His max velo (95) was below his 2026 average heater. We’re not out of the woods here.

5/3: Minnesota went through its entire presumed closer committee in Sunday’s game after Joe Ryan exited in the first inning. Taylor Rogers allowed a run on four hits over 2 ⅓ IP as a bridge man, and then Eric Orze got four outs between the seventh and eighth innings. 

Kody Funderburk got the final out of the eighth with two on and two out against a lefty, Andres Gimenez. This left Justin Topa with a tough ninth, where he gave up two runs on four hits, but held on for his second save. We’re still hardly interested in the group.

Read even more closer updates.

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

Previous Closers and Saves News Updates

5/2: The Angels pushed their luck with Reid Detmers in the seventh inning, who exited with the bases loaded, one out, and a 3-3 game, but Sam Bachman got a force out before striking out Juan Soto to end the frame. He struck out three and didn’t allow a baserunner. Ryan Zeferjahn then went two innings and got the win, walking one with a strikeout. They are the two to highlight.

5/2: Enyel De Los Santos wound up starting the sixth inning and going into the seventh in a 6-1 ballgame, so that’s unsettling. He would be charged with an earned run on his one single allowed because Bennett Sousa couldn’t strand him, which tightened the game enough for Bryan King to wind up with the save. These roles are volatile at best!

5/2: Milwaukee defended its 4-1 lead with Trevor Megill in the eighth before Abner Uribe secured his third save. We don’t know if the ultimate vision is getting Megill back into the ninth, or winding up with a timeshare, but the status quo is working.

5/2: With Daniel Palencia’s return on the horizon, faithful fantasy managers finally got a two-inning save out of Ben Brown. He retired all six batters faced on 24 pitches, and now we can trot that out for any future CHC bullpen fire alarms.

5/2: The Mariners squandered Emerson Hancock’s 14-strikeout gem thanks to Andres Munoz balking over the leadoff single, which led to a 108.6 mph liner scoring him. It’s unearned, as Julio Rodriguez did misplay it, but I think Lane Thomas had the wheels to score anyway. Lucas Erceg struck out a pair in a perfect bottom of the 10th to strand the placed runner and end the game for his ninth save. Carlos Estevez is nearing a rehab assignment after a successful batting practice session on Friday, but he’ll throw another live BP on Sunday first. Live velocity readings are getting closer!

5/2: Kenley Jansen is now reported as day-to-day with an abdominal/groin issue that he felt from Wednesday's appearance. Will Vest was also placed on the 15-day IL due to right lateral forearm inflammation, which explains why he hasn't played in a while. Finnegan is a strong add given Jansen's age, health, and recent performance.

5/2: Cole Sands has been placed on the 15-day IL with a forearm strain. After averaging 95.2 mph on his fastball back on April 2, which echoed his 2025 mark, his velo had fallen into the 92-94 range. This likely contributed to the inflated 4.63 ERA/1.37 WHIP, though his 3.65 SIERA offered some hope.

We'll see if his absence winnows the Minnesota saves pool into something more actionable for fantasy managers, but it probably won't. Eric Orze remains the favorite given his higher Ks and usage pattern, but we use "favorite" lightly.

5/1: Miracles do happen. The Mets bullpen turned in four perfect innings, going from Huascar Brazoban to Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams. The star closer has turned in three consecutive clean appearances, but this is his first save since April 5. They’re sticking with him, and it seems that he’s rewarding that faith by turning a corner.

5/1: Cade Smith locked down a four-out save with a strikeout and now owns a 10:1 K:BB with one earned run allowed in his last 9 ⅓ IP. Shoutout to Erik Sabrowski, who retired three in a row after Hunter Gaddis loaded the bases with no outs (an assist to Steven Kwan for a nice catch at the wall). Gaddis’ early forearm injury and iffy form, mixed with Shawn Armstrong on the IL, means Sabrowski, Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, and Connor Brogdon have to step up. Ol’ Southpaw Sab is the MLB Holds King and may never look back.

5/1: The Royals are sticking with Lucas Erceg, who started May with his eighth save and his first appearance without a walk since April 11. The 7:8 K:BB with four runs allowed in his last seven games is troubling, but this is the deal until we hear more specifics about Carlos Estevez’s rehab process.

5/1: Brad Keller’s first save of the year came with a run allowed on a hit and a walk, as he battled through suboptimal command. Jhoan Duran has already thrown a bullpen session and is slated to toss another on Saturday. It seems he’s lining up for a return early next week, which would close Keller’s window.

5/1: Texas took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth and went with Jakob Junis for the eighth before Jacob Latz’s third save of the season. Neither of them allowed a baserunner, but Junis has now gone seven straight appearances without a strikeout (Latz holds a 15:3 K:BB). Cole Winn gave up a run entering in the fourth inning after MacKenzie Gore got bounced.

5/1: The Cubs got a 1-2-3 seventh inning out of Phil Maton before Jacob Webb’s two-inning save, but the runway for this appears quite short. Daniel Palencia looked outstanding on rehab assignment with Iowa, averaging just over 100 mph and hitting 102. He could be activated at any point now.

5/1: May starts with another surprise bullpen injury, with Baltimore placing Ryan Helsley on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Without a named closer, Rico Garcia is the top target based on performance and usage. Andrew Kittredge is also in the conversation due to his closing experience, but they may not want to press the 36-year-old this quickly after being activated from the IL. We could also see Anthony Nunez and Yennier Cano, with Keegan Akin potentially sneaking into southpaw-friendly spots. Toss those darts!

4/30: After Kyle Finnegan threw 29 pitches ahead of Kenley Jansen’s loss yesterday, Detroit went back to him for Thursday’s save. He threw 10-of-17 pitches for strikes, including the game-ending strikeout of Ronald Acuna Jr. for his first save of the year. His overall 0.57 ERA has a 12:10 K:BB and 4.33 FIP/5.06 xFIP beneath it, but there’s now an 8:2 K:BB in his last five games. We can work with that, and it seems telling that they didn’t utilize a rested Will Vest instead. Let’s see how Jansen responds his next time out.

4/30: Emilio Pagan was going to enter with a 4-2 lead, but the Reds hung two on Victor Vodnik in the eighth to make it a dreaded non-save appearance for the closer. He allowed two runs on three hits without a strikeout or walk following a scoreless eighth from Tony Santillan. The 5.40 ERA comes with a 10:6 K:BB in 13 ⅓ IP, which does not scream “closer.” We’re downgrading him.

4/30: The Mets had a 4-3 lead in the eighth and went with Luke Weaver to set Devin Williams up, but Weaver gave up a two-run homer to C.J. Abrams. This led to Gus Varland’s third save of the year as Washington’s frontrunner. For what it’s worth, Williams worked around a leadoff single and a steal to blank the Nats in his frame.

4/30: Stand up for Jack Perkins’ first one-inning save (his third overall)! It’s his third appearance in five days, but the velo was still slightly up as he builds to a 17:3 K:BB over 13 ⅓ IP. He holds the highest upside in this bullpen by a significant margin and is finally getting the save results to be recognized by the 5x5 fantasy community.

4/30: Ryan Walker absorbed his second blown save and first loss of 2026 with two runs on three hits. The Giants remain a closer committee, though we’ll point out that Erik Miller had another strong showing with a 1-2-3 eighth inning for his fourth hold. Also, shoutout to Chase Shugart for getting the win in both games of the doubleheader for Philly. That would make some Dead Ball-era pitchers very proud!4/30: Bryan Abreu’s velocity and command were all over the place again, as he allowed a run on two hits and two walks in the seventh inning of an eventual 11-5 win. He remains on the outs, while Enyel De Los Santos worked around a bit of traffic with two Ks in the eighth.

4/29: The Halos tried to get a two-inning save out of a cruising Ryan Zeferjahn, but he hit a batter and then hung a sweeper that turned into a game-tying RBI triple for Sam Antonacci. Drew Pomeranz then took the loss in the 10th as his skid continues. Zeferjahn’s line (2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) remains impressive and keeps him at the top of the sad LAA RP list, for now. Ben Joyce sat in the 97-101 mph range during his first rehab start. He could quickly own the ninth when healthy.

4/29: Two days after an ugly blown save/loss combo, Pittsburgh trotted Dennis Santana out for a get-right eighth inning against the bottom half of St. Louis’ order with the Pirates down by two. Though he retired the side in order, Masyn Winn hit a 312-foot lineout, and Nathan Church cracked a 101.7 mph fly 384 feet to Oneil Cruz’s glove in center. I’m not sold here.

4/29: Kenley Jansen blew his third save and took his second loss of the year thanks to a walk-off homer from Matt Olson. After a hot start, the 38-year-old has given up two runs in back-to-back tilts and owns a 3:3 K:BB in his last six games. Kyle Finnegan had cleaned up his act after serious control issues to start the year, but did walk two tonight (11:10 K:BB in 14 ⅔ IP). Will Vest holds a 6.17 ERA, though had been great over the last three years. His 3.55 FIP/3.42 xFIP prevails over Finnegan’s 4.56 FIP/5.14 xFIP, despite the latter’s 0.61 ERA. But superior recent results favor Finnegan. Be prepared.

4/29: We were robbed of a six-out Ben Brown save, as the Cubs turned to Hoby Milner for the final out. It was a chess match, with lefty Gavin Sheets coming in for the platoon advantage, which led to CHC going to a lefty of their own. He converted the save, but it’s just so underwhelming. Daniel Palencia could return on Friday and put this mess out of our minds.

4/29: After another strong showing from John King in the eighth, Miami let Calvin Faucher go for the save against the Dodgers. He started the ninth with two walks, which is a double cardinal closer sin. A bunt moved the runners and forced an intentional walk of Shohei Ohtani, but a double play then ended the game. I don’t trust Faucher, and would play this through Anthony Bender or John King.

4/29: Texas let Jacob Latz get the final six outs to wrap up a 3-0 win over the Yankees. The southpaw only allowed one hit, striking out one without issuing a walk. The encouraging signs for his momentum as a key part of the closer committee, if not the closer outright, are growing by the game.

4/29: Andres Munoz continues to turn the corner following that five-run shellacking on April 15. His perfect save on Wednesday gives him five saves since then, with only two hits and one walk against 10 strikeouts in those six games. He may be needed for more if Matt Brash (side) is down for a while. Look for Gabe Speier, Jose A. Ferrer, and Eduard Bazardo to stay active.

4/28: Miami won’t have Pete Fairbanks for a while with this nerve irritation issue, and the hierarchy was immediately tested in a tight win over the Dodgers. Anthony Bender pitched the seventh, with Michael Petersen and John King combining for the eighth before Tyler Phillips’ second save of the year ended things. This remains messy, but Phillips gets an initial boost.

4/28: The ChiSox stayed with Seranthony Dominguez with a three-run lead against the Angels on Tuesday. He did walk Mike Trout with one out, but immediately erased it with a game-ending double play. Jordan Leasure gave up a solo homer in the eighth and continues to fall behind the pack. Can Grant Taylor take over soon?

4/28: David Bednar gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in the ninth. He’d been doing better of late, but still has a tough 1.42 WHIP in the last seven games. Fernando Cruz had to pull off a crazy defensive play from his behind, with an assist from Ryan McMahon, to get out of a jam in the eighth, though he’s the hedge with Camilo Doval struggling.

4/28: Toronto got perfect innings out of its big three relievers, which started with another rebound effort from Jeff Hoffman, who struck out two in the seventh inning. Tyler Rogers got a punchout in the eighth. And then Louis Varland struck out the side for his fourth save, improving to a 26:4 K:BB in 16 IP. How many more of these from Hoffman would lead to a switch back?

4/28: With Bryan Baker resting, Tampa Bay turned to a resurgent Cole Sulser for the save. He gave up a two-out double and then intentionally walked Travis Bazzana to bring up the force, though it wasn’t needed thanks to a three-pitch strikeout. Sulser was hit around early, but has now posted this line over his last six games: 7 ⅔ IP, 0 ER, 6:3 K:BB (2 IBB).

4/27: Pete Fairbanks was pushing through a thumb issue on Monday and eventually left with a trainer, but not before issuing three walks and a ground-rule double. This could be his Reynaud’s Syndrome with Los Angeles temperatures dipping near the 50s. He’ll be reevaluated, with any absence elevating Anthony Bender in the short term. Calvin Faucher has pitched poorly, and Michael Petersen has been great but typically takes earlier frames.

UPDATE: Fairbanks has been placed on the 15-day IL with nerve irritation. We'll see who emerges, with Bender still the likeliest to see the first save chances.

4/27: Dennis Santana gave up four runs on four hits (two homers) and two walks with two outs recorded. Now he’s got a 10:8 K:BB in 13 ⅔ IP, which morphs into a 4:6 K:BB in his last seven games. The 5.54 FIP/5.64 xFIP are lurking behind the 3.29 ERA. Gregory Soto pitched a scoreless eighth for his sixth hold, and Mason Montgomery kept his hot streak up with a perfect first inning as the opener.

4/27: Grant Taylor had a chance at a five-out save, except the ninth inning started with a throwing error from his shortstop. This set the table for two-out trouble when the game should’ve been over, which led to Bryan Hudson sneaking in a one-out save. Seranthony Dominguez has a 4.91 ERA/1.45 WHIP/6.85 FIP and Jordan Leasure has faded, so keep Taylor close.

4/26: The Blue Jays only got 4 ⅔ IP from Patrick Corbin and then went to their big four relievers. Braydon Fisher worked around a hit and two walks to earn the win by finishing the fifth. They then used Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman, and Louis Varland, in that order, with Varland grabbing his third save with two strikeouts. Hoffman struck out one and walked one without allowing a hit.

4/26: Following Jordan Romano getting DFA’d, the Angels found themselves with a 6-1 lead after five innings. What followed illuminated nothing, unfortunately. Sam Bachman gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Brent Suter also gave up two runs, and Drew Pomeranz allowed a game-tying homer. Ryan Zeferjahn got five outs while only allowing a walk, so he’s the early winner here.

4/26: Bryan Baker snagged his sixth save with a perfect ninth on Sunday, further solidifying his position in Tampa Bay’s ninth inning. Griffin Jax was used as the opener and actually did well (2 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K), though his return to the circle of trust is still a ways off. Cole Sulser struck out a pair while getting the four outs leading to Baker, resulting in his third hold.

4/26: Seranthony Dominguez couldn’t keep a lid on Washington in the 10th inning, leading to his third loss of the year. He allowed the placed runner to score on a sacrifice fly before yielding a solo homer. The ChiSox should give him plenty of run as their closer, but his fantasy relevance is in the middle tiers.

4/26: Clayton Beeter's on the IL, so the Nats went with Gus Varland in the eighth inning to take on the 9-1-2 pocket. Newcomer Richard Lovelady got two strikeouts in the ninth, helping him skirt the damage from his own throwing error. And then Paxton Schultz, who had a 4.38 ERA and 28:8 K:BB in 24 ⅔ IP for Toronto last year, got the save. Lovelady may already be a trusted arm.

4/26: Enyel De Los Santos once again suffered in a non-save situation, allowing three runs on four hits in the ninth with a 7-1 lead. Houston needs him more than most of you fantasy managers do, though Bryan Abreu did finally post his first 1-2-3 appearance of 2026 on Friday. We’ll keep an eye on their usage patterns.

4/26: Rocking a 5-0 lead through much of the game, Milwaukee used Trevor Megill in the seventh, Aaron Ashby in the eighth, and Abner Uribe in the ninth. All three of them struck out two hitters apiece, but Uribe retired the side in order, while Megill had to bear down after a leadoff double, a walk, and a wild pitch. At least his fastball touched 99 mph?

4/26: Jack Perkins struck out three and gave up one hit over two innings of clean work for his second save of the year. Perhaps they can find comfort in lining him up for multi-inning save opportunities often enough to make him a fantasy star?

4/26: San Francisco had Erik Miller get the final four outs for Sunday’s save despite his throwing nearly double the number of pitches as either Ryan Walker or Keaton Winn on Saturday. Having Jakob Marsee and Kyle Stowers as the next two up was surely the most influential factor. This remains an open committee.

4/26: Even though they trailed 3-0, the Mets used Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, and Devin Williams across innings 7-9, respectively, of the second game in Sunday’s doubleheader. All pitched well, with Williams striking out two in his 1-2-3 ninth, so he’s still holding on! Zach Agnos got the save for Colorado there, following Victor Vodnik’s get-right perfect save in the first game. We still don’t want to mess with anyone who isn’t Antonio Senzatela here.

4/26: Jordan Romano has been designated for assignment by the Angels following a five-game stretch with as many runs allowed as outs recorded (nine). There is no clear winner, but some LAA RPs are certainly better darts than others. Kirby Yates is getting hit hard on his rehab assignment, but we have to stash him by virtue of veteran experience. Drew Pomeranz has a poor 1.60 WHIP and 15.2% K rate (5.36 SIERA). Sam Bachman holds a 2.63 ERA/1.10 WHIP/27.8% K rate, and has gone 6 1/3 IP over his last three games without issuing a walk following early control woes. Ryan Zeferjahn and Brent Suter also loom. Chase Silseth has an ugly 1.65 WHIP and 5.05 SIERA to go with the 2.61 ERA. Ben Joyce is still throwing live batting practice and is a ways off from returning.

4/26: Washington has placed Clayton Beeter on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to 4/23) with right forearm soreness. The Nats hadn't been providing save-seekers with much, and that's likely to continue. Gus Varland, Cionel Perez, and perhaps PJ Poulin still form a low-ceiling committee. Carry on.

4/25: In the first game after Toronto opened up its ninth inning to a committee, Louis Varland finally ran into trouble. He got the first out before two singles, a double, and a walk gave us a bases-loaded jam with a two-run lead. The emerging stud then ripped off consecutive strikeouts to end the game. He remains the preferred option, but nothing comes easily in Toronto’s ninth!

4/25: The Giants wound up winning 6-2 without a save opportunity, but they were leading 4-1 after six. They trotted out Keaton Winn for the seventh, then Erik Miller, with Ryan Walker allowing an unearned run in the ninth. We’re still treating this as fluid, though this has been Tony Vitello’s preferred run-out lately, with Walker as the anchor.

4/25: Texas turned to Jacob Latz and his potent four-pitch mix, headlined by the fastball and slider, for Saturday’s save. He holds an untenable .086 BABIP, though he entered the day with all four pitches holding an xBA below the Mendoza Line. They used Jakob Junis in the eighth, Jalen Beeks in the seventh, and Cole Winn got the victory with a scoreless sixth.

4/25: Brad Keller got the final out of the eighth, when Austin Riley came up with the go-ahead run on second, before a perfect ninth for his first win of the season. He remains the best play in this bullpen until Jhoan Duran returns, and no injured pitcher is a sure bet to hit the ground running.

4/24: The Dodgers’ closer trio all stumbled in Friday’s loss. Alex Vesia gave up two earned runs in the seventh. Blake Treinen allowed a run on three hits in the eighth and took his second blown save. Then Tanner Scott ate the loss on a two-run homer to Dansby Swanson. It reveals the likeliest hierarchy, and all faltering means nothing should change. Corbin Martin wound up with the impromptu save for the Cubbies, though I still prefer Ben Brown and Riley Martin as targets until Phil Maton is ready.

4/24: Lucas Erceg lives on as the closer after working around a two-out walk to preserve the three-run win. His sixth save of the season followed a perfect eighth for Matt Strahm (Hold No. 7) and a Daniel Lynch IV strikeout to ice the seventh (Hold No. 3). With no word on Carlos Estevez’s rehab, Erceg remains the guy, even though Lynch is the best arm.

4/24: A day after Victor Vodnik got rocked for five runs, the Rockies were on the brink of another late-game implosion after Jaden Hill allowed four singles in the eighth. But Antonio Senzatela saved the day with five straight outs and now holds an 18:4 K:BB with one run allowed, two saves, and a win over eight games. Multi-inning guys typically don’t own hefty save shares, but let’s see!

4/24: Cade Smith notched his sixth save, but not before allowing consecutive singles (112.6 mph, 102.9 mph) to kick off the ninth. A double play and a popout ended things. We hope this isn’t the new normal for Smith compared to his prior years’ form. Erik Sabrowski got his MLB-leading 10th hold.

4/24: Andrew Kittredge is back for the Orioles and retired the side in the seventh of a lopsided 10-3 victory. The O’s bullpen is an overwhelming force at this time. We’ll see where Kittredge settles into the hierarchy with Rico Garcia, Anthony Nunez, Grant Wolfram, and Yennier Cano pitching so well ahead of Ryan Helsley.

4/24: Kenley Jansen served up a walk-off homer in Cincinnati for his first loss of the year. All three of his runs allowed this year have come via HR, and his 5:3 K:BB in six innings this April is middling after all four hitters retired in March were strikeouts. Still, he is the clear closer. Cincy saw Tony Santillan allow three runs on two homers for his first blown save of ‘26, and then Graham Ashcraft snagged the win after tossing a scoreless ninth.

4/24: Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins spoke on Friday afternoon about closing, stating that in "the short term, we are going to share that responsibility." But he added that Jeff Hoffman "is still going to be getting very important outs for us and very much believe in him as a weapon for us." It seems they want him to recover his form and take back the job, but Louis Varland is a must-add at this juncture. We'll see who else steps up.

4/23: Caleb Thielbar gave up a game-tying homer to Adolis Garcia before exiting with what appeared to be a left hamstring issue. Neither Jacob Webb nor Hoby Milner was effective in the eighth ahead of Thielbar, combining for three walks, a hit, and a run. Such a depleted bullpen needs length from whoever can give it, which puts Ben Brown in an odd position for us. His talent is our target, but they'll likely need him for more than three outs and can't afford to save him for the ninth. Riley Martin pitched well in the 10th, and Javier Assad threw a perfect 11th for the win, though Assad has even more stamina for innings than Brown. Phil Maton was given the OK to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Friday, and they may accelerate him back to Chicago after just one appearance if they're pleased with what they see. Maton makes for a sturdy stash alongside the short-term Brown/Martin adds.

4/23: Paul Sewald allowed a three-run homer in the ninth of a 1-1 game, which led to his third loss of the year while Seranthony Dominguez snagged save No. 5 on the other side. A.J. Puk may return in June, so we'll see how his rehab progresses in terms of valuing Sewald as the year grinds on. Juan Morillo looks like the handcuff, striking out a pair over four outs ahead of Sewald.

4/23: Devin Williams once again did not have it, allowing three hits and a run to Minnesota before escaping with a win. (The official scorer ruled that Huascar Brazoban was ineffective, so Williams got the win rather than a save.) Craig Kimbrel gave up three runs before that. Luke Weaver is the one to trust right now.

4/23: Tanner Scott needed 13 pitches to land his first save of the season. He threw 11 of them for strikes and now sports a 0.84 ERA as he looks to cover Edwin Diaz's absence, perhaps spearheading the closer committee for Dave Roberts.

4/22: Andres Munoz didn’t bury a slider low enough to Nick Kurtz, who smoked a 110.6-mph homer to tie the game and give Munoz his first blown save of 2026. There was also a 101 mph lineout for Austin Wynns and a 105 mph groundout by Carlos Cortes. Munoz’s offense picked him up against Joel Kuhnel, however. This is what happens when you don’t have whiffs in your repertoire. Kuhnel erased a leadoff single with a double play, but then three consecutive singles brought the winning run home. A 3:0 K:BB in 7 ⅓ IP leaves much to chance. Gamble for saves appropriately! Justin Sterner struck out two in a scoreless eighth.

4/22: With Ryan Helsley on the Bereavement List and Rico Garcia having thrown in each of the previous two games, Baltimore let Anthony Nunez and his 18% swinging-strike rate roll in the ninth. He met the moment with a bump in velocity, maxing at 97.5 mph, to strike out a pair in a perfect ninth for the save.

4/22: Houston showed faith by turning back to Enyel De Los Santos against Cleveland after being charged with three earned runs the day before. He responded by logging the last four outs to complete the shutout and gain his third save. We haven’t seen Bryan Abreu since April 17.

4/22: The Mets snapped their losing streak at 12 thanks to Luke Weaver snagging the final four outs. Three of those were strikeouts, which is a welcome sight after only four Ks in 8 ⅔ IP before Wednesday. His 5.40 ERA/4.24 FIP and 7:4 K:BB aren’t ideal, but he and Brooks Raley are the best they’ve got right now. Let’s see when they use Devin Williams when he’s rested up.

4/22: The Angels saw Ryan Zeferjahn and Chase Silseth combine to blow a three-run lead, but Toronto gave it back through Tommy Nance and Braydon Fisher. Fisher had been a candidate to see save chances alongside Louis Varland should they give Jeff Hoffman a breather, so two earned runs on a pair of hits and a walk with only one out recorded is poor timing. Jordan Romano then had to sidestep a pair of hard-hit singles (107 and 102.5 mph), but got the job done with a four-run lead. He’s still in the pole position, though Kirby Yates’ rehab assignment has progressed to Triple-A, where he’ll pitch on Wednesday and Friday before reevaluation.

4/22: Robert Suarez navigated around a leadoff single to land his second save of the year. Having a clear handcuff situation in 2026 should not be taken for granted! Raisel Iglesias’ MRI did not show any structural damage to the shoulder, so we’re hoping for about three weeks here.

4/21: Devin Williams gave up a hit and walked three without recording an out, with two runs scoring, as he took the loss to extend the Mets’ slide to 12 games. He now holds a 9.95 ERA and 2.68 WHIP with two saves in 6 ⅓ IP, mirroring his 2025 slump in the Bronx. Will the Mets give Luke Weaver a go? It hurts extra that Austin Warren followed Williams and rattled off three straight strikeouts.

4/21: Jeff Hoffman got into more hot water on Tuesday after striking out the leadoff man. Toronto’s volatile stopper then gave up a single before hitting consecutive batters to load the bases. A sharp liner scored one and brought the hook out. Louis Varland then entered and immediately iced the game by inducing a double play. Can they really stick with Hoffman?

4/21: Houston’s bullpen woes have spread, as Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan King each allowed three earned runs in a tilted eighth inning that melted away the Astros’ two-run lead. One bad night shouldn’t unravel the pecking order, especially when there’s no one else yet. Kai-Wei Teng did well with 2 ⅔ IP of no-hit action, but his multi-inning endurance is valuable.

4/21: The Giants defeated the Dodgers by a score of 3-1, getting seven scoreless outs from Erik Miller, Keaton Winn, and Ryan Walker. Walker struck out a pair in a perfect ninth to nail down his second save. Things remain ambiguous here, and all three of them could be the man on the closer throne that night.

4/21: Texas didn’t get a save chance, but the four-run lead was close enough for them to trot out the “A Team” of Cole Winn, Jacob Latz, and Jakob Junis, in that order. They’ll still use Junis earlier if a fireman spot is needed, but there’s still a loose structure to take note of.

4/21: The Phillies battled back to bring the tying man to the plate with one out in the ninth against the Cubs, which brought in Caleb Thielbar. He promptly got the final two outs and looks locked in as the preferred option. For Philly, Jhoan Duran played catch today, and Rob Thomson said he’s “feeling much better.” Jose Alvarado left the ninth of this with a mid-back spasm, so we’ll watch that. Brad Keller remains the play there.

4/21: Trevor Megill’s already-troubling velocity fell further when he pitched the sixth inning. Though he struck out one in a 1-2-3 frame, his heater averaged 96.3 mph (97.5 average in ‘26) and the knuckle curve sat at 85.9 (87.6). We remain on edge here.

4/21: Lucas Erceg only threw 6-of-14 pitches for strikes, but worked around a walk thanks to a 103.2 mph double play grounder. His hold remains tenuous. Matt Strahm helped Erceg’s case by giving up the lead with a two-run homer, allowing four baserunners in all. Daniel Lynch IV is the best reliever they’ve got left? Erceg wound up with the win after Ryan Helsley only managed nine strikes on his 22 pitches, walking the first two batters before advancing them on a wild pitch. A second wild pitch would then score Maikel Garcia and end the game. He’s dodged some iffy command already, but luck has limits.

4/21: Raisel Iglesias has been placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation, which elevates Robert Suarez into the ninth. Most of you won't have him available on the wire, while more desperate players can hope that Dylan Lee snags a few left-handed opportunities. That Iglesias was unavailable on Saturday, yet pitched Sunday and warmed up on Monday, suggests this could be a minor issue. But nothing comes easy with 36-year-old shoulders.

4/20: Jeff Hoffman’s back like he never left, because he didn’t! Despite much (deserved) attention going to Louis Varland over the weekend, Toronto utilized Varland for four outs in the seventh and eighth, then had Tyler Rogers finish the latter before Hoffman entered. After giving up a leadoff single, he recorded three straight strikeouts for 23 Ks in 10 ⅓ IP (!), even if they came against LAA’s 7-8-9 pocket. The team stayed true to its word and stood by the stopper. Now, Varland also got three strikeouts and remains incredible, worthy of a standalone add with hedge value, but it’s still Hoffman’s show.

4/20: Though Lucas Erceg was maxing out at 99.7 mph with roughly 1.5 mph more than his previous 2026 average, he couldn’t locate the extra oomph. Three walks and a hit saw him blow the save after his previous implosion already placed him on thin ice. Carlos Estevez hasn’t yet started a rehab assignment. But Matt Strahm struck out the side in the eighth and could get the next save chance. Daniel Lynch IV also retired all four batters faced in extras, striking out a pair to level up his 12:3 K:BB over nine frames. I’d take either over Erceg at this point, but Strahm’s experience should give him an edge.

4/20: The A’s got five perfect outs from Hogan Harris in the sixth and seventh before Mark Leiter Jr. had to dance around a pair of one-out singles for his first hold of the year. Joel Kuhnel came in to protect the three-run lead and allowed one run, but got the job done for his fourth save. It’s a dance with the devil to trust BABIP gods next to his 3:0 K:BB in seven innings.

4/20: In a crazy closer world, Aroldis Chapman has been a chill guy and got his fourth save of the year on Monday. Even though the temperature in Boston cooled back down, the southpaw averaged 99 mph on his sinker. That should continue to warm up as the year goes on.

4/20: Following yesterday's poor showing at Coors, Edwin Diaz has been placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow loose bodies, according to the team. Jake Eder is being called up in a corresponding move, but the spotlight now shifts to Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott. Blake Treinen seems to still have Dave Roberts' trust, but holds a 7.73 xERA behind the 4.05 ERA. Vesia (2.46 xERA, two saves already) and Scott (2.61 xERA, previous experience, and zero walks thus far in '26) are your premier adds. Elbow problems are completely different from simple "slow mechanics" stemming from the WBC knee injury years ago. Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, Diaz will undergo surgery to remove the bodies and miss around three months, with Roberts saying there's a "handful of guys" that he's comfortable with taking save chances. Be prepared for that committee carousel! Would they transition Roki Sasaki back to the bullpen with a few more poor outings?

4/19: Edwin Diaz came into the eighth at Coors with the Dodgers down by two, and it did not go well. He gave up an 85 mph single to Willi Castro on a 95.8 mph fastball, so the velo is still a problem. Then he walked Kyle Karros and gave up a bunt single to Brenton Doyle to load them before Edouard Julien roped an 86 mph liner to right. That would be it for Diaz, who didn’t get hit hard, but sure wasn’t sharp as he gave up three earned runs without an out recorded. Coors is cruel, though this is about Diaz’s lesser form affording him less leeway to mess up. Alex Vesia got the final out in the fifth with two on and two out. Blake Treinen allowed three runs on four hits without retiring a batter, and Tanner Scott did not pitch. Vesia and Scott are strong adds/holds.

4/19: Devin Williams blew his first save of 2026 by laying a 94 mph fastball right down the middle to Michael Conforto for an RBI double. Craig Kimbrel couldn’t strand the placed runner in the 10th for the Mets’ 11th straight loss, with Caleb Thielbar earning the win by keeping his “Manfred man” off the scoreboard.

4/19: Andres Munoz struck out the side, getting three whiffs on six swings against the slider. It’s only his third save this year, but we’re just happy to see more comfort with the slidepiece. Carry on.

4/19: Emilio Pagan blew his second save of the season, but was rewarded with his second win after Cincy put up three in the top of the 10th. It could’ve been worse, as Josh Bell’s 101.8 mph liner found a glove. Graham Ashcraft’s first career save followed the comeback with Tony Santillan resting.

4/19: Riley O'Brien scooped his third win of the year, albeit with his first blown save after a wild pitch and single led to a pair of inherited runners scoring in the eighth. He is quickly rising in the closer ranks. For Houston, Enyel De Los Santos was used against the heart of STL’s order in the eighth to keep the deficit at three. Bryan King blanked the Cards in the ninth, but gave up three (one earned) in the 10th to take the loss. EDLS is still the lean.

4/18: Jeff Hoffman’s strange 2026 campaign trudged on with two more strikeouts (amazing, 20 Ks in 9 ⅓ IP!) and a grand slam to Corbin Carroll for the loss. His 7.71 ERA has a 1.68 xFIP, .550 BABIP, and 1.93 HR/9 behind it. But Louis Varland hasn’t allowed a run in 11 IP (1.69 xFIP, 1.67 SIERA) with a 16:3 K:BB of his own. Will they give Hoffman a breather?

4/18: Robert Suarez closed out the 3-1 lead with Raisel Iglesias unavailable after sleeping funny on his shoulder. Let the 30-something person who has not done so cast the first stone. Iglesias and Suarez have both pitched incredibly well to open ‘26, but Suarez will see his 56% Yahoo rostered rate bounce back up after this. Iglesias may be available on Sunday, per Mark Bowman.

4/18: Cincinnati clearly didn’t want to push Emilio Pagan into back-to-back days on after the hamstring scare, which left Tony Santillan to grab his first save of the year with a perfect ninth (two strikeouts). He remains a solid handcuff and elite solds arm. Justin Topa, Cole Sands, and Eric Orze each gave up a run to Cincy, which underscores how avoidable that bullpen is for us.

4/18: Ryan Walker took his first blown save of the year after allowing a run on three hits and two walks over two innings. Erik Miller and Caleb Kilian both pitched well, which doesn’t help Walker’s case.

4/18: Abner Uribe made his fourth appearance in five days on Saturday, tossing a two-out save after Jake Woodford allowed a trio of one-out singles. Luckily, it only took Uribe four pitches, but he may now require multiple days off. The entire ‘pen is overtaxed.

4/18: The A’s deployed Joel Kuhnel to end the seventh and take the eighth, which he did well, outside of one hit allowed. Mark Leiter Jr. walked two in the ninth, but one was intentional after letting Luisangel Acuna steal second. Jack Perkins then bailed him out to keep the game tied before blanking the ChiSox in the 10th and 11th for the win. He’s the most talented, but he’s used across multiple innings frequently.

4/18: Jhoan Duran was placed on the 15-day IL with an oblique strain, which is brutal news for one of the few closers who had been steadily doing his job well in the ninth. According to MLB.com's Phillies beat Todd Zolecki, Brad Keller will "get the bulk" of save chances with Duran out, despite slogging through bad luck early on. The 4.70 ERA/1.30 WHIP has a 3.55 FIP/2.46 SIERA underneath it, and of course, he was untouchable last year (2.07 ERA/0.96 WHIP/3.04 SIERA) over nearly 70 IP. Jose Alvarado has 30 combined saves over the last three years and should still get some chances. Look past that early 10.50 ERA/2.00 WHIP to the 2.49 FIP/3.33 SIERA as the .474 BABIP settles. He does need to get that 48.4% first-strike rate up to his usual 60% norm established over the last half-decade.

4/17: Daniel Palencia is heading to the 15-day Injured List due to a left oblique strain. He hadn't pitched since Sunday, but this adds another data point to the World Baseball Classic pitcher injury table. Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey are already on the IL, as is Porter Hodge. Jacob Webb and Caleb Thielbar could form a righty/lefty committee, with Hoby Milner sneaking in as well. They've lost their big righties besides Webb. The high-ceiling question is, would they trust Ben Brown in the ninth? He's got an early 3.07 ERA with a 14:5 K:BB in 14 2/3 IP, introducing a sinker this year to go with his four-seamer and wicked knuckle curve.

4/17: The Brewers keep needing their bullpen to go the extra mile, which led to Abner Uribe getting Friday’s win and Trevor Megill getting a save in the 10th inning. This makes four appearances for Uribe in the last six days, and three of the last four for Megill and Angel Zerpa, who took a blown save in the eighth. Is Megill back on the horse? He gave up two hard batted balls off the fastball, while hitters couldn't touch the curveball. It'll be interesting to see how that evolves.

4/17: Gregory Soto pitched the eighth with a 3-1 lead, and then PIT scored two more before Dennis Santana threw the ninth in a sudden non-save spot. However, Soto retired the side in order, while Santana gave up a double and a walk. Despite better save usage for Santana, Soto’s 15:5 K:BB far outpaces Santana’s 7:5 ratio. Griffin Jax gave up a home run to Oneil Cruz in the sixth inning, which goes with the Edwin Uceta setback to help solidify Bryan Baker’s position.

4/17: David Bednar got his average fastball velo back up to 96.3 mph on April 15, though it came back to the 95.5 mark on Friday night. Still, he got his sixth save of the year and was able to buckle down after a leadoff walk. Camilo Doval gave up a game-tying HR in the eighth, so the threat level remains low.

4/17: Emilio Pagan put his hamstring scare to rest with a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save, though soft tissue stuff always puts me on edge for about a week. Tony Santillan got his seventh hold in the eighth after Graham Ashcraft got his sixth. It’s a solds gold mine in Cincy.

4/17: Bryan Abreu came into the seventh with Houston trailing 4-3 and promptly gave up a three-run homer following a double and a walk. He threw 8-of-16 pitches for strikes and remains untrustworthy for our purposes. Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan King are the top duo.

4/17: Edwin Uceta has encountered a setback with his shoulder, with Kevin Cash saying that "he's sore in the back of his shoulder." Uceta will be shut down from throwing for "at least a few days," per Marc Topkin. Bryan Baker's runway grows with this news.

4/17: Josh Hader was transferred to the 60-day Injured List, but this seems procedural. Chandler Rome pointed out that mid-April to mid-May is effectively Hader's month of spring training, so this doesn't tack on much to that timeline. Enyel De Los Santos gets a further nudge, but this also gives Bryan Abreu more time to earn his way back to value.

4/16: Erik Miller’s first save of 2026 came with three strikeouts and loads of expletives pointed at Cincinnati’s dugout. Ryan Walker handled the seventh, but Sal Stewart was leading off, and Walker may have been getting warm for that leverage spot in what was a 0-0 game (SF then scored three). Keaton Winn struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth.

4/16: The Royals watched Lucas Erceg’s lack of whiffs and life in the strike zone bite him in the ninth. With two on, two out, and a two-run lead, Erceg laid up consecutive changeups down Broadway to Riley Greene and Colt Keith for his first loss. There isn’t a clear pivot for now, perhaps Daniel Lynch IV and Matt Strahm, but Carlos Estevez may start his rehab this weekend. All eyes will be on the velocity.

4/16: With Abner Uribe unavailable (rest), Milwaukee used Trevor Megill in the eighth (perfect, 2 Ks) before Angel Zerpa got his second save of 2026. Did Megill only need to show Pat Murphy that he’s okay one time? It’s a messy spot, and both Megill and Uribe need to be rostered for now. Aaron Ashby got his fifth win as well, which is wild.

4/16: Cade Smith entered the ninth after Parker Messick lost his no-hit bid, and the closer’s command still looks iffy. The five balls in play were a 105.5 mph single, 99.1 mph (355 ft) sac fly, 100.4 mph double, 101.8 mph flyout, and a 107.5 mph groundout. Perhaps he thought Messick was going the distance, but you can’t do that and be a star closer.

4/16: Seranthony Dominguez got slapped for three runs in just one-third of an inning, following a decent day from Grant Taylor (1 ⅓ IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K) and a great Sean Newcomb outing (1 ⅔ IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K). It’s still Dominguez’s role (Jordan Leasure was the opener), but Taylor should be rostered in deeper saves formats. Bryan Baker secured his fourth save after Tampa Bay’s comeback. Griffin Jax got two outs in the sixth, but not before allowing two baserunners.

4/16: Jakob Junis was thrown into the seventh inning and got done dirty by the weather, as a wind-aided double emptied the bases rather than simply falling into Wyatt Langford’s glove. Unfortunately, we have to add Texas to the list of murky bullpens where the manager is willing to deploy the “closer” early. Cole Winn remains on the radar. The A’s saw Justin Sterner take the blown save/loss, which only helps further Joel Kuhnel’s case for a tenuous grasp on the closer committee chairman position. Jack Perkins threw a 1-2-3 eighth to set things up.

4/16: The Nationals won’t be committing to Gus Varland yet, as he pitched the final two outs of the seventh for his second hold. Cionel Perez then got his fourth hold in the eighth before Clayton Beeter’s second blown save. Orlando Ribalta wound up with an extra-inning save, but he is not a target. Varland, Beeter, and Perez could all snag a save on any given day.

4/15: Milwaukee was gifted a tight save chance after yesterday’s debacle, and Abner Uribe rose to the occasion by retiring the Blue Jays in order for his first save of the year. This also gave Aaron Ashby his fourth win of the year already! Perhaps Uribe never gives this back, no matter what Pat Murphy said about a potential temporary change. Do note that this makes three games in four days for Uribe, so Megill may get a Thursday chance if it arises.

4/15: The Astros went to Bryan Abreu for four outs between the seventh and eighth innings against the Rockies before letting Enyel De Los Santos strike out a pair in the ninth. That’s consecutive nights with a save for EDLS, and Houston surely wants to take whatever stabilizing force it can. We’ll push him to the top for now, though he’s now thrown in three of the last four days.

4/15: David Bednar’s fastball velocity rose to an average of 96.3 mph en route to two Ks in a scoreless ninth. He got the win thanks to another Jordan Romano blown save/loss that throws LAA into flux. Yes, the Angel infield let a simple pop-up fall in. But the only out Romano recorded was a 107.5 mph laser to the warning track, so let’s call it even? The slider he hung to Jose Caballero for the game-winning double was also terrible. His command wasn’t sharp. Drew Pomeranz retired all four batters faced for his fifth hold. Kirby Yates threw a bullpen on Tuesday.

4/15: Okay, Joel Kuhnel might be a thing. The A’s held a 6-2 lead before Mark Leiter Jr. got tagged for three runs in the eighth, which led to Kuhnel finishing the frame before logging a 1-2-3 ninth and his third save. He’s the clear “chair” of the closing committee, and we can nudge Justin Sterner out of the mix.

4/15: Edwin Diaz was warming up on Wednesday night before the Dodgers widened the gap (sorry Devin Williams managers, that grand slam hurt), and so the star sat back down while Kyle Hurt finished the game. The Dodgers now have a Coors series, so hopefully Diaz looks right at altitude.

4/15: Cincinnati won by five and didn’t need its closer, but it sounds like Emilio Pagan wouldn’t have pitched if the opportunity arose. Calling himself “hurt” rather than “injured,” Pagan said he didn’t want this to go from a couple of days to weeks and months. Re-tweaks are common, so keep Tony Santillan close by.

4/15: Pittsburgh defended its 2-0 lead after seven innings with Gregory Soto against Washington’s 1-2-3 pocket headed by James Wood in the eighth. He struck out Wood and Daylen Lile in a perfect effort. Dennis Santana did log the save, but hit CJ Abrams with one out before skirting danger. Two liners hit over 95 mph each found outfielder gloves. #FreeSoto!

4/14: After duelling blown saves where Trevor Megill and Jeff Hoffman combined for five earned runs, Milwaukee skipper Pat Murphy acknowledged that they'll consider a change at closer. Today comes after the no-out, four-run implosion on April 10, you'll recall. Murphy also said, "But what are we going to do? Who's throwing the ball good back there that deserves it more? We'll figure that out." It was only a couple of days ago that Murphy discussed Abner Uribe's diminished velocity affecting the RP, who also gave up a run on two hits in Tuesday's loss (though owns a 1.45 FIP behind the 5.68 ERA). He still has to be the clear pivot lean rather than a leapfrog for Grant Anderson, Angel Zerpa, or Aaron Ashby. The latter would be fascinating, but they value his multi-inning capability.

4/14: Emilio Pagan retired the Giants in order, but tweaked his hamstring on the final pitch. Terry Francona said he's getting it checked out. Meanwhile, Graham Ashcraft struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Tony Santillan handled the eighth despite two baserunners for his sixth hold. Both would be solid adds if Pagan is unavailable. Ashcraft has the more desirable profile (13:3 K:BB) versus Santillan (10:6), but the latter hasn't allowed a run yet, and six walks are palatable with only two hits dropping in over eight innings. Santillan also had seven saves last year, while Ashcraft has none in his career.

4/14: Holding onto a 2-1 lead, the Dodgers used Blake Treinen to wrap up the eighth before Alex Vesia struck out the side for his second save of the 2026 campaign. It seems that an afternoon bullpen session prevented Edwin Diaz from entering. Tanner Scott had pitched in three of the previous four days and was presumably unavailable.

4/14: With Bryan Abreu unavailable, Houston tried to squeeze the last five outs out of Bryan King, but a two-out, two-strike single by Ezequiel Tovar made it first and third with a righty coming up. They went to Enyel De Los Santos, who struck out Jordan Beck with a fastball after four low-and-away sliders for his first save. EDLS and Kai-Wei Teng look like complementary pieces to King and Abreu.

4/14: The Nationals clung to a 5-4 lead throughout the final four innings, with Mitchell Parker striking out five in two innings for the win. Cionel Perez got his third hold, and then Clayton Beeter came in to wrap up the eighth after Perez issued a one-out walk. He got the job done, and that set the stage for intrigue. Gus Varland then came in and got his second save in three days, though he made things tricky with two men on and one out. He then struck out Oneil Cruz with high fastballs and got Nick Yorke to pop out for the ballgame. Trust is low here, but working behind Beeter and converting is notable.

4/13: To say Jordan Romano didn’t have it on Monday would be an understatement. His first loss and blown save of the year went like so: Single, Home Run, Double, Stolen Base, Walk, and then one last Walk where he spiked ball four, which allowed the winning run to score. All five Yankees who reached against him are batting .180 or worse. (Kirby Yates’ rehab assignment may start this week.)

4/13: The Orioles came back from down 7-1 against a now-demoted Taylor Rashi and Jonathan Loaisiga (his third blown save, Paul Sewald’s grip tightens). This led to Rico Garcia’s fourth hold with a 1-2-3 eighth and a much-needed clean save for Ryan Helsley. It’s his first game with zero baserunners allowed in seven games. Whiffs good, traffic bad.

4/13: Just when some were warming up to Eric Orze, he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in the seventh inning of a blowout win. This remains an avoidable carousel of relievers for most formats.

4/13: Hunter Gaddis is back after a forearm injury that hit early in spring training. Cleveland had a 9-3 lead, but it’s telling that they immediately threw him into the eighth anyway. He gave up a run on a pair of hits and a walk, but the velo looked good. Shawn Armstrong threw 28 pitches yesterday, so we don’t yet know if Gaddis is already ahead for top RHP setup rights.

4/13: Tanner Scott handled the ninth in a 4-0 win and still hasn’t issued a walk in 7 ⅔ IP. With last year’s health woes behind him, Scott is a strong play even if Edwin Diaz swiftly recovers from this slow start.

4/12: Edwin Diaz is another early-season velo decliner, averaging just 95.8 mph on the heater after sitting over 97 in ‘25 and ‘24. He couldn’t even break 97 as a maximum in his latest appearance, starting with 94.2 and 94.8, which got tagged for a home run. He has started slower in Aprils, following the 2023 knee injury. Diaz said he is not dealing with a physical problem, but Dave Roberts said the dip is “pretty significant.” But the team isn’t considering the IL at this point (allegedly), and Roberts said he doesn’t think it’s a mechanics issue. Roberts opted not to provide an answer when asked if Diaz would have been available on Sunday. Keep Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia nearby! Blake Treinen isn't throwing enough strikes for me.

4/12: The Giants hadn’t used Ryan Walker since April 7, pressing on without save chances through early troubles. And so, already down 4-1 in the sixth, Walker was brought in with one out and a man on second. He allowed an RBI single before two strikeouts, then allowed two singles in the seventh before being lifted for Erik Miller. Neither Caleb Kilian nor Keaton Winn pitched, but they’d appeared on Saturday and Friday, respectively.

4/12: Paul Sewald’s renaissance continued with two strikeouts and an innocent pop-up as he retired the Phillies in order. For some, five saves and a 9:0 K:BB through 6 ⅓ IP is more than they ever imagined when making the click. It’s house money now, yes?

4/12: The A’s went with four relievers for 3 ⅓ IP of hitless action, with Hogan Harris and Scott Barlow getting their third holds, Elvis Alvarado notching his second, and ending Joel Kuhnel’s second save. Kuhnel has a career 5.66 ERA and only one strikeout in 3 ⅓ IP. Meh.

4/12: Finally, with a save chance and a rested bullpen, Texas showed its hand by using Cole Winn for four outs to wrap the seventh and take the eighth against the Dodgers. Jakob Junis struck out Alex Call and Shohei Ohtani, but also walked Will Smith on four pitches and fell behind Kyle Tucker 3-0 before battling back to a flyout. It’s a tenuous grip, but the job is his.

4/11: Andres Munoz loaded the bases with a pair of two-out walks, no good for any leverage reliever, but got Yordan Alvarez to fly out and maintain the 7-7 tie. This led to Bryan Abreu making another ill-fated appearance. He struck out Luke Raley, but then walked three straight before J.P. Crawford’s walkoff single. Now with 10 walks, nine earned runs, and nine strikeouts in only four innings, it’s hard to imagine Houston can turn back to Abreu with the lead. Bryan King and A.J. Blubaugh kept the scoreboard clean in the setup innings and should be the next men up.

4/11: The Dodgers jumped out to an early lead over Texas, but Edwin Diaz was down after Friday’s long assignment. This saw Jack Dreyer get his second save by striking out the side in the seventh before Tanner Scott (Hold No. 3) took the eighth. Blake Treinen (Hold No. 3 and Alex Vesia (Save No. 1) combined for the ninth. The Rangers saw fit to pitch Robert Garcia in the seventh before Chris Martin allowed a run in the eighth. They look more and more like the B Squad for Skip Schumaker.

4/11: Clayton Beeter was all over the place on Saturday, allowing a solo homer with two walks and two strikeouts, but ultimately landed his second save. Frankly, there’s just no one else more interesting in D.C. than Beeter and his double-edged sword of a slider.

4/11: Tampa Bay used Bryan Baker in the eighth of a 2-1 game, which potentially set up Hunter Bigge for a save chance. However, Baker gave up two runs in his first bad game of the year. The game was tied 3-3 by the ninth, which saw Bigge evade two walks to avoid damage. The bigger headline is David Bednar once again stumbled, blowing his save and taking his second loss on two hits and a walk while recording one out. This cold-weather/mechanics tweak is not going well. Would Aaron Boone open things up to Camilo Doval or Fernando Cruz sooner rather than later, giving Bednar a chance to smooth things out in earlier frames?

4/11: The Royals got eight exceptional innings out of Michael Wacha and then watched a perfect ninth from Lucas Erceg for his fifth save. Carlos Estevez is going to have a supremely impressive rehab stint to wrest the job back from Erceg at this rate. We’ll see when that ball gets rolling.

4/11: Cincinnati scored two in the eighth to extend the lead beyond a save chance, but they still lined up as if it were. Graham Ashcraft got his fourth hold in the seventh before Tony Santillan notched his fifth in the eighth. Emilio Pagan walked one in an otherwise quiet ninth, throwing 7-of-14 pitches for strikes. His early command still sketches this writer out.

4/11: Cole Sands gave up two runs in a non-save situation, which makes five consecutive non-save appearances since his first of the year resulted in his lone save. Kody Funderburk pitched the eighth, though he allowed multiple baserunners without a strikeout. Avoid Minny.

4/11: Pittsburgh had Gregory Soto get the final out of the seventh while clinging to a 3-2 lead before Isaac Mattson worked around two hits in the eighth. Dennis Santana then blew his first save of ‘26 on a hit and two walks, though Pittsburgh would win it in extras. One game doesn’t tilt the table, but 2026 Santana doesn’t have the whiffs to afford issuing multiple walks.

4/10: Mason Miller once again struck out the side and is in a clear tier of his own, blazing a warpath to NL Cy Young votes. Congratulations to those who prioritized the top closer.

4/10: The Cardinals are making their blueprint rather clear, as the last three innings went Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero, and Riley O’Brien. The 31-year-old has scattered four hits across 8 ⅓ IP, issuing zero walks with eight strikeouts. He appears firmly entrenched as the STL closer.

4/10: Edwin Diaz couldn’t get it done on Friday, allowing three runs, including a two-run homer, in his first blown save of 2026. Luckily for him, Max Muncy’s third homer of the game was of the walkoff variety and supplied Diaz with a win. Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia both logged holds ahead of Diaz.

4/10: Poor Trevor Megill was undone by a string of bunts that started with hitting CJ Abrams with a pitch. It was a 3-3 game, and Washington would then uncork three bunts and a grounder up the middle with zero outs recorded. Megill’s second loss is a crooked one, though it still feels early for any swap to Abner Uribe (who threw a scoreless eighth).

4/10: Bryan Baker took the ninth, though he had to work around back-to-back singles to start the action. It’s his second save, and now he has a 7:0 K:BB in five innings of work. Griffin Jax got his first hold of the year in the sixth, registering two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 frame.

4/10: Kenley Jansen hadn’t pitched in about a week, but looked no worse for wear in a clean ninth for his second save. They seem comfortable giving him downtime in between save chances, and perhaps warmer weather will get him out there more frequently.

4/10: Pittsburgh turned to Gregory Soto in the eighth inning, perhaps due to Pete Crow-Armstrong being due up third. He had to work around two walks, but got the job done. Dennis Santana then got a pair of strikeouts in a perfect ninth for his first save of the year.

4/10: Paul Sewald gave up some loud contact, but is already up to four saves on the young season. Jonathan Loaisiga struck out all three batters faced for his third hold, while Juan Morillo secured his fifth hold after that.

4/9: Mason Miller continues to be a buzzsaw on the bump, as he struck out all three Rockies faced on 10 pitches in a tie game. The Pads had Bradgley Rodriguez and Adrian Morejon combine for seven outs ahead of Miller Time, with Jeremiah Estrada allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks in extras. Jason Adam should be activated tomorrow. Victor Vodnik went two innings for COL (0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) before an eventual Brennan Bernadino blown save and Valente Bellozo loss. Jaden Hill and Juan Mejia pitched well to set Vodnik up.

4/9: Aside from a questionable ABS challenge, Seranthony Dominguez took care of business on Thursday (1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) for his second save. Jordan Leasure notched his third hold with two strikeouts in the eighth, while Grant Taylor got his first hold of ‘26 via four outs after Anthony Kay exited.

4/9: Capping off a one-hitter win over the Yankees, the A’s had Justin Sterner face the 8-9-1-2 pocket in the eighth (including Aaron Judge) before Hogan Harris retired three straight lefties for his first save of the year. This remains a messy situation to speculate on, with limited upside and dire downside (looking at you, Mark Leiter Jr.).

4/9: The Twins bullpen had several arms who were down after back-to-back games, or who had thrown in two of the last three. So, Garrett Acton took the seventh and eighth innings in a 1-0 game, but Detroit tied it. Luckily for him, Will Vest’s poor season continued with two runs on three hits and a walk in the eighth, which led to Eric Orze’s 1-2-3 ninth and first save. The avoidable carousel continues!

4/8: Cole Winn got his first save thanks to Texas landing a third straight day with a save chance, seeing as Jakob Junis was resting after nailing down the previous two. Those two could form an interesting duo, with Robert Garcia presumably still able to sneak in for some southpaw chances. Let’s see what happens the next time that Junis and Winn are each available.

4/8: Jeff Hoffman nearly gave up the lead to the Dodgers, but he buckled down to nab his second save of the year. He struck out Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and now has 15 Ks in 6 ⅔ IP, making him a stud whose WHIP should soon stabilize.

4/8: It was another wacky saves day, with lots of established leverage ladders seeing multiple high-tier players resting. This led to saves for Joel Kuhnel (A’s), Rico Garcia (Orioles), Kody Funderburk (Twins), Matt Festa (Guardians), Zach Agnos (Rockies, via pitching the last 3+ IP), and Michael Petersen (Marlins). Garcia is neat, but Andrew Kittredge’s imminent return should push him back.

4/7: Josh Hader could face live batters next week. Edwin Uceta started his rehab assignment with a strikeout and no walks in a scoreless inning at Double-A, working back from right shoulder impingement.

4/7: Washington saw most of its bullpen give up runs on Tuesday, with PJ Poulin, Gus Varland, and Cole Henry all getting tagged. Only Clayton Beeter, the best option they’ve got, kept it blank (though he had to evade two walks). The Cards scored two in the top of the 10th and turned to Riley O’Brien for the save. A run did come home on a wild pitch where the batter nearly went around to end the game, but that happened on the next offering to ice things. O’Brien is the man in the Gateway City.

4/7: The Rangers went back to Jakob Junis for his second save chance in as many nights, and the veteran once again converted it. It got dicey after a .210 xBA leadoff single and a 76 mph liner dropped in for traffic, but he bore down and retired three in a row. Is Junis becoming the anchor that Skip Schumaker needs? So note that both Robert Garcia and Cole Winn would’ve been pitching in a third straight day, and it would’ve been four for Jalen Beeks. But still, getting the save in two straight is undeniable momentum.

4/7: We got the good Cade Smith (1 IP, 0 H/BB, 2 K) after many problematic appearances to start the year. He was rewarded with the win after John Schreiber couldn’t contain the bottom of Cleveland’s lineup. Erik Sabrowski and Shawn Armstrong also struck out two apiece.

4/7: Aroldis Chapman maxed out at 96.8 mph during a six-pitch ninth, where he managed a four-pitch walk, a fly out, and a double play. Statcast called his final pitch a 90-mph fastball, but that seems off, even in his current state on a chilly Boston night. His heater averaged 98.5 mph and the sinker at 100.5 in April 2025, and now these are down 2-3 mph.

4/7: David Bednar got a much-needed 1-2-3 save on 14 pitches after some traffic-filled efforts. On the other side, Mark Leiter Jr. got crushed for four runs in the eighth after saying that the Yankees threw him off by not using him in high enough leverage spots for them. The A’s remain an all-around avoid, though Justin Sterner did throw two scoreless innings for his second hold.

4/7: Speaking of largely-avoidable bullpens, the Twins pieced together a tightrope act. Taylor Rogers allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh. Cole Sands walked two while only getting one out. Eric Orze ended Sands’ trouble, but gave up two doubles in the ninth. Justin Topa walked Riley Greene to bring up the winning run, but ultimately got the save. Messy!

4/7: With Pete Fairbanks on paternity leave, Miami went to Anthony Bender after two got on with one out against Sandy Alcantara to start the ninth. What followed was a double steal, a sac fly, a walk, and a wild pitch to score the tying run. Calvin Faucher allowed four runs (three earned) in the 10th to blow it wide open. Andrew Nardi is the best of the rest without Fairbanks. Emilio Pagan got the win for Cincinnati thanks to a scoreless bottom of the ninth, but he walked two of the first three batters faced and nearly served up a meatball to Jakob Marsee after falling behind 2-1 in the count. But Marsee flew out to left instead, and all is well. Graham Ashcraft gave up a run on a 45-mph groundout before inducing a double play.

4/6: Bryan Baker’s first baserunner allowed in 2026 was a solo home run to Matt Shaw, but he shook it off and got two strikeouts in an otherwise clean inning for his first save of the year. Hunter Bigge was immediately given five outs in the seventh and eighth to reach Baker, while Kevin Kelly took the fifth after Shane McClanahan’s spotty command got him pulled early.

4/6: Lucas Erceg converted a 1-2-3 save, which should put that icky non-save effort of his from Sunday far in the rearview. We’ll see if Carlos Estevez can recover his form while rehabbing, but Erceg looks solid. Matt Strahm gave up a solo homer and hasn’t gotten a save chance yet. Both have pitched back-to-back days, so John Schreiber could sneak in a Tuesday save.

4/6: The Reds are staying loyal to Emilio Pagan, who retired the Marlins in order to trim his ERA to 7.11 while snagging his fourth save. Tony Santillan got his fourth hold and remains scoreless in 2026.

4/6: Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe had each pitched on Saturday and Sunday, so they went with Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, and Angel Zerpa to wrap up an 8-6 win. Ashby already has three wins, Anderson has three holds, though Zerpa did surrender a two-out homer to Willson Contreras. He’ll be needed even more with Jared Koenig (elbow sprain) out for a while.

4/6: Spotted a 2-0 lead, Ryan Helsley walked the first two hitters before getting two 100-mph groundouts. He’d allow a run before the game-ending strikeout of Edgar Quero, but this makes two straight sketchy games for Helsley. Rico Garcia has come on nice and pitched a scoreless eighth, and Andrew Kittredge is (seemingly) nearing the end of his rehab assignment.

4/6: Texas continues to make for a tough bull to tame. Cole Winn and Robert Garcia got their second holds of the year before Jakob Junis got the ninth for his first save. They won’t press a nearly 40-year-old Chris Martin into frequent back-to-backs, which leaves the ‘pen extremely open. Junis has only allowed one baserunner over six innings.

4/5: Cade Smith gave up a run for the fourth time in his last five games, thanks to two walks and sitting ~1.5 mph below his 2026 norm. This needs to get sorted out quickly before it snowballs on his confidence and mechanics. Erik Sabrowski is a strong add just based on ratios and K help alone. Shawn Armstrong is doing alright, but he did serve up a loud solo HR to Ian Happ in the eighth.

4/5: The Cardinals once again gave Riley O'Brien the save chance on Sunday, and he delivered with a 1-2-3 ninth. Ryne Stanek struck out two while recording his second hold in the eighth, while JoJo Romero secured his third hold by getting five outs after George Soriano got into hot water.

4/5: Miami threw Pete Fairbanks as an opener so that he had more time to get to his wife, who is being induced tomorrow morning. Perhaps he was distracted, or the change in routine didn’t fly, but he gave up a three-run homer to Ben Rice. Couldn’t he have just left like everyone else? Anthony Bender got a dirty save, yielding two runs on a hit and three walks. Calvin Faucher worked around a walk in the eighth for his first hold, and Andrew Nardi tossed a clean second inning after Fairbanks exited. Faucher and Nardi are the short-term adds with Fairbanks out.

4/5: Tampa Bay turned to Griffin Jax for six outs in a 1-1 game, tasking him with the seventh and eighth innings. Though he kept Minnesota off the scoreboard, he did have to work out two weak groundball hits and a walk, recording zero strikeouts. We need the whiffs to buy back in. Bryan Baker rang up two Twins in a pristine ninth and wound up with the victory after Justin Topa allowed three runs (two earned) in the top of the 10th. This left Kevin Kelly to snag his second save. Kelly is a fine ancillary option, but Baker still looks like the top rung of the ladder. Minnesota remains frustrating. Cole Sands allowed one hit over two strong frames before Topa’s mess, and Taylor Rogers walked two of his four batters faced, including one with the bases loaded. Sands is the only dart I’d want to throw here.

4/5: Bryan Abreu is nowhere near out of the woods. With Josh Hader continuing to progress with bullpen sessions, Abreu took the loss against the A’s. He came in with two on and two out with a 9-9 tie in the ninth and gave up a 101.3 mph grounder up the middle, though Jose Altuve saved the day. Then he uncorked a wild pitch en route to a walk before allowing a walk-off shot. Bryan King got five outs and still looks like the pivot, if you want to dance with this ‘pen at all.

4/5: The Rangers needed to pony up for bullpen help this offseason, that’s for sure. Robert Garcia took his first loss of the year (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K), and Chris Martin allowed three hits while getting his four outs. Jalen Beeks and Cole Winn could see the spotlight soon. For Cincinnati, Brock Burke was fired up to face his old team (that DFA’d him) in a save opportunity. With the top arms resting, the southpaw struck out the side after Connor Phillips got his first hold with a scoreless eighth.

4/5: With Paul Sewald unavailable, Arizona called on Jonathan Loaisiga to get the save against Atlanta. Unfortunately, he gave up three straight singles and the lead. To his credit, he did bear down and get the next three hitters out to get to extras, where they won it in the 10th.

4/5: Victor Vodnik’s first save of the year came with tension, as he allowed two singles to bring the tying run up with one out. But he struck out all three left-handed bats that he faced to lock things down. You’ll want to look elsewhere for bullpen help.

4/4: Grant Taylor struck out one as he retired the top of Toronto’s lineup in order as the opener. His upside remains elite, but these are not the innings we want to see him go. Seranthony Dominguez worked around a hit and walk to grab his first save.

4/4: Dennis Santana got his second win of the early season thanks to a Nick Yorke walkoff against Ryan Helsley. Baltimore was out of challenges, but Helsley should’ve rung up Yorke on pitch No. 7 (though it would’ve only been the second out). Both Santana and Gregory Soto remain plus plays.

4/4: Three days after David Bednar needed 40 pitches to get four outs against Seattle, he required 33 to handle the ninth versus Miami. Though he converted the save in both instances, he gave up a run with three hits allowed in each contest. We saw him require a minor-league reset in Pittsburgh after early struggles, so we’ll keep an eye on things here.

4/4: Paul Sewald rebounded from giving up two homers in a tie game by striking out a pair of Braves for his third save. Arizona got four perfect innings out of Taylor Clarke, Jonathan Loaisiga, Juan Morillo, and Sewald.

4/4: Jordan Romano and the Angels better buy Jo Adell a steak dinner, as his third HR robbery of the night brought back a clear game-tying blast for the first out of the ninth. This eventually led to Romano’s third save, which followed holds by Drew Pomeranz (3), Sam Bachman (2), and Chase Silseth (3).

4/4: Emilio Pagan slipped around a hit and two walks to record a scoreless save, but it continues a troubling overall trend for the stopper. Meanwhile, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft looked good in the eighth and seventh, respectively. Pagan still has the team’s trust; however, an early 6:3 K:BB with five earned runs through 5 ⅓ IP is concerning.

4/3: Pittsburgh went with Dennis Santana for the eighth (1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K) before turning to the red-hot Gregory Soto for the save opportunity. The southpaw did hang a sweeper to Gunnar Henderson for a solo HR, but struck out the other three batters he faced. Santana, a righty, faced three LHB before Soto took on three righties and Gunnar. But the 29-year-old has slight reverse splits (career .608 OPS vs. LHB, .675 OPS vs. RHB), so perhaps that was a factor. Regardless, Soto now has an 11:2 K:BB in 5 ⅓ IP, which soars to 24:3 in 11 IP if you include spring and the World Baseball Classic. That’s elite territory.

4/3: Emilio Pagan leaned on his fastball during a 1-2-3 save, though he did lay up back-to-back fastballs down Broadway to Danny Jansen (who fouled one off and then popped it up). Tony Santillan threw a perfect eighth for the win after Graham Ashcraft ate a blown save in the seventh. Chris Martin took the loss for Texas after allowing a two-run homer.

4/3: Cade Smith struck out three for his second save of the season, which snaps a cold streak of three straight games with a run allowed. He should continue to be a top-tier source of fantasy value for us all year long.

4/3: After Grant Taylor retired the side in order as the opener, the White Sox saw Jordan Leasure give up a game-tying, two-run homer in the eighth for his first blown save of ‘26. Taylor will reprise the opener role on Saturday. Seranthony Dominguez did well to get four outs and put his foot back down as the late play after a poor first game. In the 10th, Jeff Hoffman went exclusively splitter/slider and nearly got through the inning. However, down to their last out with the placed runner on third base, Derek Hill dropped a perfect bunt, and Tyler Heineman’s throw got past first. A liner on an edge splitter brought him in to end the game (he’s A-OK).

4/3: Boston gained a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth and, with Garrett Whitlock on the paternity list, rolled out Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten, and Aroldis Chapman for a trio of hitless/scoreless innings. Chapman was down 1-2 mph compared to last year, but induced five whiffs on seven swings, so we’re happy.

4/3: Josh Hader revealed that he got into the 90s during his latest bullpen session, remarking that he hadn’t ever done that when healthy. He’ll have a few more bullpens this week, and then perhaps he’ll progress to live batting practice or a rehab assignment.

4/3: Tampa Bay placed Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with right calf tightness after starting the year with a 2-3 mph dip in velocity, issuing more walks than strikeouts, and now getting his usual groundball results. Small samples for the latter two points, but velo dips become crucial immediately. We'll see if the time off helps him, or if it truly was all in the calf. Hunter Bigge was recalled to take his spot and could quickly become a factor, given the state of Tampa Bay's RP trust circle. Ian Seymour is now the only left-hander present.

4/2: The Giants used Ryan Walker for the final two outs of the sixth inning with a 6-2 lead. Skipper Tony Vitello said that it might've been the highest leverage spot of the game to come and that Walker was a much different look than Robbie Ray. You can debate the merits of the approach, but his willingness to do so is a data point. Blade Tidwell got the save by pitching the final three innings, but Vitello being flexible with Walker does give a slight bump to Keaton Winn and Erik Miller.

4/1: Bryan Abreu showed renewed life on the mound, averaging 96.1 mph and hitting 97.4 while recording the save against Boston. He did allow a solo homer to Roman Anthony on an 0-2 slider that didn’t go quite wide enough, but it was honestly just a great swing. The velo and strike-throwing is what we needed to see, so exhale (a little).

4/1: Griffin Jax’s early struggles continued, as he gave up three singles (one of which was over 110 mph), a walk, and endured an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt to eat five runs (three earned) without getting an out. This likely solidifies a bump for Bryan Baker over Jax. Edwin Uceta is throwing live batting practice sessions and should begin his rehab assignment soon.

4/1: David Bednar needed 40 pitches to ice a 5-3 win over Seattle, but not before allowing his first run of the year. Camilo Doval didn’t have it in the eighth and had to be rescued, while Fernando Cruz once again looked sharp to wrap up the seventh. NYY has an off day ahead, so Bednar should be available to open the Miami series on Friday.

4/1: Shoutout to Jonathan Loaisiga, who picked up Wednesday’s save with Paul Sewald unavailable. He did well to induce a double play after Kevin McGonigle hit a grounder up the middle.

4/1: Locked in a 1-1 tie through six, St. Louis used Ryne Stanek for two outs before flipping to JoJo Romero for the next four and letting Riley O’Brien handle the ninth. They remain the trio of interest, and we still like this as the ultimate fantasy-priority pecking order.

4/1: The Rockies deployed Victor Vodnik against the heart of Toronto’s order in the eighth of a 1-1 game. He worked around a two-out single to handle things before an eventual Jimmy Herget save in the 10th. Vodnik still got the “highest leverage” label and remains in favor.

4/1: Washington’s relievers couldn’t contain the Phillies, resulting in a 6-5 loss and a Jhoan Duran win. First, Cionel Perez allowed a homer to Bryce Harper, and then Clayton Beeter needed to get the final two outs of the eighth after an error and a single. He gave up a one-out single to Trea Turner in the ninth before the Nats turned to PJ Poulin with lefties Kyle Schwarber and Harper due up. He went walk, out, wild pitch, and another walk. Cole Henry then came in to allow a game-tying, two-RBI single to Edmundo Sosa. Beeter is still the best arm here.

4/1: Gregory Soto was lined up to pitch the ninth in a 4-3 game, but then Pittsburgh hung four runs on Emilio Pagan in the top of the inning. Soto wasn’t thrown by the non-save-situation curse, striking out two in a clean frame. Justin Lawrence threw a 1-2-3 eighth after Isaac Mattson handled four outs following another day of inconsistent command from Mason Montgomery (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). Soto is on the rise, and I know many want Montgomery to ascend, but this version can’t be trusted. Graham Ashcraft and Tony Santillan pitched well before Pagan, in his words, couldn’t execute his secondaries well, which let hitters set their sights on the fastball.

4/1: Carlos Estevez has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left foot contusion. This will give him and the team a chance to evaluate what's going on with his mechanics and try to recover his velocity. Lucas Erceg remains the big waiver winner, with Matt Strahm possibly capturing lefty-heavy save opportunities.

3/31: The Cardinals went with Ryne Stanek against the Mets’ 6-7-8 lineup pocket in the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead. This set lefty JoJo Romero up to face Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto in the eighth before Riley O'Brien tossed a perfect ninth for his first save. This is the hierarchy we want to see, with O’Brien/Romero in the last two frames pending L/R matchups.

3/31: Sporting a 5-2 lead after five innings, the A’s went with Hogan Harris in the sixth against a lefty-heavy section for Atlanta before going with a Justin Sterner-Scott Barlow-Mark Leiter Jr. combo to finish the win. This will be a messy committee until someone earns the trust.

3/31: Facing Detroit’s 5-6-7 pocket, Paul Sewald struck out the side to further tighten his grip on the closer’s role. His fastball velocity was down around 91, which may be what happens when he pitches on back-to-back days. The effectiveness is what matters!

3/31: The Angels let Drew Pomeranz stay on to strike out Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the ninth inning after he’d pitched the eighth before ceding the final two outs to Jordan Romano. This is the tandem they’re going with. Chase Silseth pitched the seventh for his second hold.

3/30: Ryan Walker notched his first save of the season, although he gave up a full-count, two-run homer to Jackson Merrill. Keaton Winn struck out the side in the eighth and now has a 6:1 K:BB over 3 IP.

3/30: Paul Sewald ended a 9-6 win with a 1-2-3 inning for save No. 1 on the year. He did give up two fly balls that traveled to the lip of the warning track before striking out Spencer Torkelson on three straight pitches, so it wasn’t “dominant.” But the job got done, and his momentum builds.

3/30: We saw lots of ancillary relievers get saves on Monday night, thanks to others on the leverage ladder having pitched on back-to-backs. It’s easy to get swept up in early save notifications, but sometimes it is as simple as rest for the A Team. This led to John Schreiber (Kansas City), Tyler Alexander (Texas), and Connor Phillips (Cincinnati) scoring saves. Jordan Hicks (Chicago, AL) also snagged one for getting the final out with the bases loaded and a five-run lead in the eighth inning. Kevin Kelly (Tampa Bay) has a bit more intrigue, as Griffin Jax pitched the seventh after Tampa tied it in the top of the seventh, and Garrett Cleavinger handled the eighth with Brice Turang and Christian Yelich coming up. Kelly got the final out after Ian Seymour handled more lefties.

3/30: Carlos Estevez remains in a boot on Monday and is probably not available again. They're off on Tuesday, which will help them determine whether Estevez will go to the 15-day injured list or not. Having an excuse to give him time off and a rehab assignment in the minors to get his mechanics/velocity back sounds prudent.

3/29: Bryan Abreu once again could not locate on Sunday, which led to Houston pulling him after two more walks (10 balls, four strikes). He also averaged just 93.2 mph on his fastball, down from 95.9 last year. Nolan Schanuel, a lefty who homered off of Abreu on Saturday, was coming up as the tying run, which brought Bryan King (a southpaw) in. King struck a pair out to snag the save. This continues a troubling trend for Abreu and throws his status as the closer into question. King is an immediate committee threat, and someone like AJ Blubaugh (who threw two perfect innings today) or Kai-Wei Teng could sneak in. Stay tuned.

3/29: Following earlier reports of Carlos Estevez being unavailable (ankle) and possibly resetting in low-leverage spots, Lucas Erceg promptly came in to log a scoreless save. The winds may have already shifted, though Estevez may get one more chance to prove himself in the days to come.

3/29: Jeff Hoffman racked up two strikeouts in a clean ninth for his first save of the season, so everyone can tamp down the agita around his status in Toronto.

3/29: Following a Seranthony Dominguez blown save on a pinch-hit homer by Christian Yelich, Trevor Megill came on to throw 11 strikes on 15 pitches for a two-strikeout save. Abner Uribe did not pitch after throwing a perfect inning in Saturday’s 6-1 win.

3/29: Clayton Beeter logged a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the year, which followed Cionel Perez facing the lefty-heavy Cubs pocket in the eighth (he gave up a solo homer). Those two may be the L/R duo throughout ‘26, or at least until the trade deadline.

3/29: Victor Vodnik took the loss on a two-run Owen Caissie home run, which just hammers home that this is not a bullpen you want to tangle with. If anyone is going to supply a stabilizing presence, our money is still on Zach Agnos.

3/29: MLB reporter Anne Rogers said that Carlos Estevez was in a boot today after taking a Michael Harris II line drive to his ankle (deemed a contusion), and that manager Matt Quatraro would be "surprised" if Estevez was available on Sunday. The bigger news is that Quatraro also said that if Estevez were okay, that “we would not be averse to putting him in a lower-leverage situation," before further saying how it would "be probably smarter for us to try to build him a little bit in lower leverage first." Get your Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm adds in!

3/28: The spring fears around Carlos Estevez came to an immediate head in his first regular-season appearance. Sporting diminished velocity and poor control, he gave up six runs while recording just one out, throwing 12 of his 27 pitches for strikes. Lucas Erceg handled the eighth after Matt Strahm pitched the seventh, with both blanking Atlanta. Each of them is worth an add, with Erceg the priority bid for now.

3/28: If Estevez’s spring troubles didn’t take center stage, then perhaps Bryan Abreu’s woes would’ve gotten more buzz. He’s been a wrecking ball throughout the last four seasons, but struggled to a 5:7 K:BB over 7 IP during camp. In today’s game, he entered with an 11-6 lead and struck out the first two batters before the top of the lineup went walk-walk-home run. The command evaporated for a spell, and he only got one whiff on six swings against his slider. Houston doesn’t have much behind him, but he’ll have to be better.

3/28: Emilio Pagan couldn’t keep a lid on Boston’s offense after being tasked with the final four outs. A hung splitter to Wilyer Abreu was punished, though Cincinnati would eventually win in extras. Tony Santillan was brought in to end the seventh inning after Graham Ashcraft got into trouble, but two walks in the eighth necessitated a move to Pagan. There are no shake-ups here, but Pagan is not in the fantasy inner circle of trust.

3/28: Robert Garcia was handed a 3-0 lead and promptly got two outs before allowing a single and a walk, which led to Chris Martin coming in for the righty Adolis Garcia. Jake Burger dropped a foul pop-up that would’ve ended things, but two hits later, and the game was tied. Martin wound up with the win/blown save combo after Jhoan Duran’s wild pitch brought a run home, with an Andrew McCutchen single tacking on an insurance run. This came in handy, as Tyler Alexander couldn’t keep the Manfred runner at bay in the bottom of the 10th, but held on for his first save and the 5-4 win. It’s messy, but Garcia/Martin is still the duo.

3/28: Minnesota gained the lead in the fifth inning, which led to Kody Funderburk and Eric Orze for the sixth and seventh innings. Justin Topa pitched a clean eighth before Cole Sands struck out two for save No. 1 on the year. He faced a R-R-L-R pocket of Baltimore’s order.

3/28: St. Louis used Riley O'Brien for a scoreless seventh before JoJo Romero tossed a perfect eighth, but then things got ugly again. Ryne Stanek had been warming for the save chance, but STL went with Matt Svanson when they gained a 4-0 lead. Svanson would give up a run and leave two on with two outs for Stanek, who gave up two hits for a tie game. He stayed in for the 10th and only let the “ghost runner” score, which led to a win after JJ Wetherholt laced a two-RBI single off of Griffin Jax. It’s another bad result for Jax, who walked Jordan Walker on four straight pitches to open the frame. We’ll see how they react.

3/28: The A’s bullpen had a horrid Saturday, as Mark Leiter Jr. gave up a run in the sixth, Elvis Alvarado surrendered two in the seventh, and then Michael Kelly and Scott Barlow each registered a blown save before Luis Medina took the loss in the 11th. Hogan Harris allowed two inherited runners to score and needed to be bailed out by Kelly to wrap up the eighth.

3/28: Paul Sewald came in to face one batter, Freddie Freeman, and while he did touch 92.6 mph and record an out, the out traveled 383 feet. We’ll lean on the good news here.

3/27: Jordan Romano warmed for another save on Friday, but Zach Neto's solo shot in the ninth bumped it to a non-save appearance. Romano showed a bit more life on the radar gun (maxed at 95.7 mph) and got many bites on sliders that fell below the strike zone. One wonders if he can dot that slider higher on the edges when needed, but he's got the trust and early results going. Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a perfect sixth and seventh inning to scoop up the win, with Sam Bachman working around two walks with three strikeouts in the eighth for his first hold.

3/27: Jeff Hoffman's managers got flashbacks to last year when he served up a game-tying home run to Shea Langeliers on a four-seamer that wasn't high enough in the zone, though a win would follow thanks to Andres Gimenez's walk-off heroics. Hoffman also had a rare four-strikeout inning thanks to a wild pitch. The A's had Hogan Harris get four outs to get through the seventh and eighth innings before Justin Sterner took the loss with three straight hits allowed after getting to two outs. This shouldn't change anything, but it's good to see Harris and Sterner get the later looks.

3/27: Pete Fairbanks needed 12 pitches to log his first save as a Miami Marlin, which followed a combined eighth from Andrew Nardi (2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and Anthony Bender (1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 K). That matches our general expectation for the bullpen hierarchy, with Calvin Faucher right there with the trusted setup men.

3/26: With Kirby Yates starting the year on the 15-day injured list, the Halos turned to Drew Pomeranz for a perfect eighth on 12 pitches before Jordan Romano took center stage. On the surface, he operated around a walk to notch the save. All is well, no? Perhaps, but his control wasn’t great, with the majority of his six sliders being uncompetitive chucks near the dirt. And his fastball only averaged 94.4 mph (95.5 last year). Still, the job got done, and we’re off to the races.

3/26: The Rays and Cardinals went off in the sixth inning, with many fantasy-relevant relievers responsible for the ruckus. Ian Seymour (zero outs, five runs), Garrett Cleavinger (one out, two runs), Griffin Jax (two outs, one run), and Matt Svanson (one out, three runs) took it on their chins. With a new 9-7 lead, JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien combined to blank Tampa in the seventh and eighth innings. Ryne Stanek earned the first STL save of 2026, but not before walking the bases full. Svanson being used in the sixth in a 1-1 game is a red flag. Cleavinger/Jax were trying to maintain the lead, at least.

3/26: Pittsburgh reinforced its assumed hierarchy with usage and performance. Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana pitched well in the final two frames of the day. But this came after Mason Montgomery only threw 23-of-42 pitches for strikes, walking three with two earned runs. Then Isaac Mattson allowed five baserunners and two runs while recording just two outs before Justin Lawrence allowed two solo homers. Soto and Santana are who you want.

3/26: Sporting an 8-4 lead ahead of the eighth inning, Washington turned to Clayton Beeter, who walked two in a scoreless frame. They padded the lead to 10-4 before the bottom of the ninth, which brought a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of Ks for Cionel Perez. He may be the left-handed closer-mate we want.

3/26: Josh Hader will throw another bullpen on Friday and is currently slated to face batters in the box in "mid-April," so we shouldn't expect a return until May.

3/24: The Angels placed Kirby Yates on the 15-day injured list due to left knee inflammation, which seemingly paves the way for a clear Jordan Romano/Drew Pomeranz R/L closer duo. Manager Kurt Suzuki said Yates suffered this about a week ago and that they're "playing it cautious." It sounds like he'll return before April is up, but one can never be sure, especially for an older pitcher. Romano has much to prove, but he did complete six innings of one-run ball with a 6:0 K:BB this spring, so it seems he'll get his chance. Also, Ben Joyce (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day IL, and Robert Stephenson (elbow) went to the 60-day IL.

3/23: Skip Schumaker has said that the closer role will "depend on the situation" each day. Chris Martin and Robert Garcia were named as comfortable options, but also how "there's a chance you see a couple different guys there." That's not what fantasy managers love to hear. Perhaps Cole Winn, Josh Sborz, or even Carter Baumler make a splash down the line!

3/23: Pirates' skipper Don Kelly talked up how Dennis Santana, while still getting plenty of ninth-inning looks, may be used for high leverage earlier than that. He specifically named Gregory Soto as another reliever with closing experience. Isaac Mattson and Justin Lawrence also jump out as pitchers with strong recent form for PIT (Lawrence also briefly closed in Colorado). Mason Montgomery's high ceiling will entice, but there are seemingly many hurdles, including his own control consistency, to get there. We'll downgrade the group to "volatile" for now and see how Kelly rolls when an actual win is on the line!

3/21: Bryan Abreu is still the clear closing option for Houston without Josh Hader, but this spring has not been encouraging. He only threw 13-of-27 pitches for strikes against the Marlins, walking three to give him a 5:7 K:BB with three runs allowed (all solo home runs) in seven innings. His game-action fastball velocity also typically hovers around 97 mph, though he's sitting in the 95s this spring, including a dip to nearly 94 mph last night. Make the click with all data available!

3/21: Hunter Gaddis is expected to open the season on the injured list after he couldn't rebound from a spring forearm issue that cropped up after one game. There is additional weight placed on the shoulders of Shawn Armstrong and Erik Sabrowski to step up behind Cade Smith.

3/20: Minnesota has granted Liam Hendriks his release from the club, which tightens up a still-crowded closer committee to Taylor Rogers and Cole Sands as the presumed favorites, with Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk also options.

3/18: The Chronicles of Carlos Estevez continued with more depressed velocity and a severe lack of command. He averaged 89 mph on 15 fastballs, maxing out at 90.7 mph, and only threw 9-of-28 pitches for strikes. Perhaps the control rust can be attributed to this being his first game since March 9 at the World Baseball Classic, but we're rapidly running out of time to round into form. Keep Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm close!

3/18: St. Louis opted to let Matt Svanson pitch both the eighth and ninth innings after JoJo Romero struck out two in the seventh. We'll bump him up alongside Romero as the righty to watch, for now.

3/14: Robert Stephenson has experienced a setback, and they suspect renewed UCL damage in his elbow. It's terrible for a guy who flashed such a promising ceiling before getting hurt, but this does winnow the closer committee candidate pool. Kirby Yates and Jordan Romano get a slight bump.

3/13: Hogan Harris is ripping off 96-97 mph heat after sitting in the 93-94 range last season. This is a rejuvenated southpaw, as evidenced by the 11:3 K:BB over 7 IP this spring. The A's will deploy him wherever a leverage left-hander is needed, and sometimes that'll be the ninth.

3/13: Paul Sewald touched 93.5 mph with the fastball, which brings him back from the 90-mph plateau seen throughout his recent struggles. The Driveline-infused arm could become the preferred closer here until reinforcements arrive, especially given the trust Torey Lovullo had in him before as the closer.

3/10: MLB's Bill Ladson projected the St. Louis roster and said this of the bullpen: "[JoJo] Romero is the likely closer with O’Brien, Stanek, and Svanson in the setup role." It seems improbable that the Cards roll with a set closer, especially if Romero's southpaw advantage is needed earlier, but who am I to override a beat writer? Romero's 1A advantage amongst the bullpen options is solidifying by the day.

3/10: Josh Hader "felt good" after throwing about 15 fastballs off the mound on Tuesday. They won't rush him and will require a few bullpen sessions before going to live batting practice against hitters. Opening Day is still up in the air, but having a week-to-week status at this point is not promising. (Hader will open the year on the injured list, though it sounds like the time will largely be for building up his arm. Bryan Abreu's ADP will hinge on how your league perceives Hader's recovery odds.)

3/9: Josh Hader is slated to throw a bullpen on Tuesday. It still seems likely that even the most encouraging work from here on out will result in an early IL stint, but we shall see. Houston will want Hader for the long haul and shouldn't be too aggressive in March and April. Bryan Abreu's rising draft stock may start to fall if optimism follows Hader's impending sessions.

3/9: Not that most want to dance with Coors, but Colorado has seen Zach Agnos and Jimmy Herget have strong starts to their spring training, while Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen have faltered. Deep-leaguers may want to nudge Agnos up, considering his extremely brief stint as closer for the Rox last year.

3/8: Arizona could see a familiar face in the ninth to kick off 2026, as Paul Sewald has showcased offseason work at Driveline Baseball by touching 92.6 mph instead of the flat 90 he'd been pushing through lately. Having closer experience is a feather in the cap, but having that experience for the team you're on makes it quite a bright feather. He, Kevin Ginkel, and Ryan Thompson are the ones to circle for now.

3/7: Liam Hendriks averaged 93.7 mph on his four-seamer and 84.7 mph on the slider in a World Baseball Classic appearance for Australia, which is down 1-2 ticks from where we want it to be. The encouraging news is that he did max out at 94.8. If he can get into that 95-96 range with the heater, then we've got another rebounding guy with closer experience who could leapfrog a murky committee.