RADIO
Ryne Stanek Worth Rostering While He Holds the Ninth-Inning Role in St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryne Stanek appears to be the team's preferred closer early in the 2026 season, as he came into the game in save opportunities in each of his first two appearances of the season. Stanek converted the save in his first chance and blew the save in his second, so he may not have an ironclad hold on the ninth-inning role. However, St. Louis does not have an obvious alternative on its roster between high-leverage arms Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero, and Matt Svanson. The 33-year-old Stanek had recorded 14 saves across 458 1/3 career big-league innings entering 2026. He owns a 27.1% career strikeout rate, but has also walked 11.9% of the batters he's faced in his career and pitched to a 5.30 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP across 56 innings for the New York Mets in 2025. Still, Stanek is worth picking up off the waiver wire as an early-season saves candidate in most fantasy formats.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
