Fantasy baseball players are always on the hunt for saves. So every other week during the Major League Baseball season, we’ll be checking in on the backends of those bullpens. Whose job is steady? Whose is uncertain? Who is waiting in the wings and ready to poach some saves?
We’ll break it all down below into different categories, ranging from those who have their job locked down to speculative adds worth keeping your eye on.
Locked In
Liam Hendriks – Chicago White Sox
Ryan Pressly – Houston Astros
Raisel Iglesias – Los Angeles Angels
Aroldis Chapman – New York Yankees
The lefty has taken two consecutive losses, but they were more fluky than blown saves. The second was in extra innings, and the runner-on-second rule is garbage.
Will Smith – Atlanta Braves
Craig Kimbrel – Chicago Cubs
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Dodgers
Bases loaded. No outs. 5-3 lead preserved June 13. Jansen was nails in a game he had no business needing to pitch in.
Josh Hader – Milwaukee Brewers
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Matt Barnes – Boston Red Sox
Brad Hand – Washington Nationals
Hand's 4.4 Walks per nine innings are his highest since he became a full-time reliever in 2016.
Mark Melancon – San Diego Padres
Yimi García – Miami Marlins
Richard Rodriguez – Pittsburgh Pirates
Alex Reyes – St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Romano – Toronto Blue Jays
Romano’s health brings stability to a closer situation that needed it after six weeks of injuries and inconsistent pitching.
Getting Save Opportunities, But No Lock
Héctor Neris – Philadelphia Phillies
A lot can happen over one weekend.
Daniel Bard – Colorado Rockies
Joakim Soria – Arizona Diamondbacks
Gambling with Soria, Stefan Crichton and/or Taylor Clarke is a losing bet.
Closer Committees
Gregory Soto and Jose Cisnero – Detroit Tigers
Paul Fry and Cole Sulser – Baltimore Orioles
Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero – Seattle Mariners
Graveman got his first back-to-back days of work June 12-13 and struggled on day two. He is recovering from COVID, so this was a test of durability in his recovery. Keynan Middelton was demoted to Triple-A after consecutive poor outings.
Lucas Sims and Sean Doolittle – Cincinnati Reds
Tejay Antone is currently on the 10-day IL, allowing Doolittle to slot in as a left-handed option.
Hansel Robles and Taylor Rogers – Minnesota Twins
Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee – San Francisco Giants
Lou Trivino and Jake Diekman – Oakland Athletics
Jake Diekman blew a save in the eighth inning June 11, leading to a Lou Trivino win later in the game. Trivino also logged his 10th save of the season June 13.
Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
The two have recorded all of the Rays' saves in June.
Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont – Kansas City Royals
One of the biggest headaches in fantasy baseball is guessing who closes for the Royals.
James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Indians
Injury Opportunities
Josh Sborz and Joely Rodriguez – Texas Rangers
Ian Kennedy was placed on the 10-day IL last week with a mild hamstring strain. Kennedy will take over closer duties once he returns and hold the role until he is presumably traded prior to the trade deadline.
Next Man Up
Ryne Stanek (HOU)
Kyle Crick (PIT)
Aaron Bummer (CHW)
Mike Mayers (LAA)
Rafael Dolis (TOR)
Chris Martin (ATL)
Ryan Tapera (CHC)
Carlos Estévez (COL)
Blake Treinen (LAD)
Dylan Floro (MIA)
Caleb Baragar (SF)
Baragar is interesting because his first appearance off the injured list was a save situation. It was during a doubleheader against Washington, but that says a lot to me.
