In this week’s Closer Report, the Brewers lose Trevor Megill to the injured list, with Abner Uribe expected to step in for saves. And in San Francisco, an injury to Randy Rodríguez opens the door for Ryan Walker to get back to closing duties. All that and more as we review the last week in saves.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Muñoz surrendered a run against the A’s on Friday before holding on for a save. He then bounced back with a pair of scoreless appearances before picking up his 31st save on Wednesday against the Padres. It’s the first 30-save season for the 26-year-old right-hander to go with an incredible 1.56 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 66/24 K/BB ratio across 52 innings.
Both of Díaz’s appearances came in non-save situations this week. He tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Braves on Saturday, then struck out four of the five batters he faced as he entered with one out in the eighth against the Phillies on Tuesday to keep the game tied before falling in line for a win. The 31-year-old right-hander now holds a 1.60 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 76/17 K/BB ratio across 50 2/3 innings.
It was four perfect outings for Chapman this week as he locked up four more saves for the Red Sox, bringing his total to 26 to go with a 1.04 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and a 74/14 K/BB ratio across 52 innings. It’s been a career year for the veteran 37-year-old left-hander.
Tier 2
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
After picking up his 30th save of the season on Thursday against the Cubs, Megill blew his next two opportunities over the weekend against the Giants. He gave up one run on Friday before falling in line for a win, then took the loss with two runs allowed on Sunday. With Megill getting the day off on Monday, Abner Uribe stepped in for a save against the Diamondbacks.
Duran was charged with a blown save and a loss on Friday against the Nationals, then bounced back for a save Saturday. He ran into more trouble on Tuesday, giving up a run on four straight hits to take the loss without recording an out. Still, the 27-year-old right-hander is currently sporting a 2.05 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 62/18 K/BB ratio across 57 innings. And in San Diego, Suarez made three scoreless appearances. He converted two saves on the week, including his 35th with a clean inning against the Mariners on Wednesday.
Palencia locked down a pair of saves over the weekend against the Angels, striking out two in a clean inning on Friday before striking out the side Sunday for his 20th save of the season to go with a 1.89 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 54/15 K/BB ratio across 47 2/3 innings.
Tier 3
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Angels
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Bryan Abreu – Houston Astros
Abner Uribe – Milwaukee Brewers
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Kyle Finnegan/Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
Dennis Santana – Pittsburgh Pirates
The Yankees saw no save chances this week. Bednar made a pair of scoreless appearances against the Red Sox and Nationals. He remains the leader for saves in the bullpen with a 2.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 70/15 K/BB ratio across 49 1/3 innings.
It was a similar week in Cincinnati, where Pagán made two scoreless outings in non-save situations to remain at 25 saves. Meanwhile, Fairbanks struck out two in a clean inning of work in a non-save situation against the Cardinals on Friday, then gave up a run to blow a save chance Wednesday against the Guardians.
Scott returned from the injured list this week, making a scoreless appearance against the Padres on Sunday before converting his 20th save of the season on Tuesday against the Reds. After the team utilized a committee in his absence, Scott should step back into primary closing duties for the Dodgers.
Jansen allowed a run to take the loss on Friday against the Cubs. He bounced back with a clean inning against the Rangers on Monday in a non-save situation. Robert Stephenson was activated from the 60-day injured list to give the team more depth in the middle innings. He tossed a clean inning against the Cubs on Friday.
Estévez has been perfect over his last six outings. He made three appearances this week, converting three saves to bring his total to 35 with a 2.62 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 50/20 K/BB ratio across 58 1/3 innings.
In Houston, Abreu struck out four of the five batters he faced on Friday against the Orioles to complete the five-out save. He locked down another save on Saturday with a clean inning against Baltimore for his third of the season. The 28-year-old right-hander could be one of the better closers around over the final month as he fills in for Josh Hader. He’s posted a 1.52 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and an 89/25 K/BB ratio across 59 1/3 innings.
After picking up his 30th save of the season on Thursday against the Cubs, Megill blew his next two opportunities over the weekend against the Giants. With Megill getting the day off on Monday, Abner Uribe stepped in for a save against the Diamondbacks. The Brewers then placed Megill on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with a flexor strain in his right arm. The 31-year-old right-hander is hoping for a minimum stay on the injured list. While he’s out, Uribe should be in line for more save chances. He’s had an excellent season, posting a 1.71 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 78/24 K/BB ratio across 63 1/3 innings.
Smith surrendered two runs and failed to record an out as he blew the save and took the loss against the Rangers on Friday. He bounced back with a scoreless inning Tuesday against the Rays for his eighth save, then pitched a scoreless tenth inning on Wednesday to fall in line for a win.
The Giants lost closer Randy Rodríguez to the 15-day injured list with right elbow soreness, something he’s apparently been pitching with throughout the season. Ryan Walker steps back into the closer role in San Francisco. The 29-year-old right-hander made two scoreless appearances to convert two saves. Walker has been excellent in the second half, with a 2.30 ERA over 15 2/3 innings since the All-Star break.
Iglesias snapped a 13-game scoreless streak when he gave up a run against the Mets on Sunday. Still, he held on for his 22nd save to go with a 3.95 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 58/10 K/BB ratio over 54 2/3 innings. He’s put the early-season home run issue well behind him, with just one homer allowed since the start of June.
It was a rough week for Hoffman. After picking up a save on Friday against the Marlins, he blew his next two chances, including an outing Tuesday in which he surrendered four runs and took the loss. He recovered with a scoreless inning on Wednesday for his 29th save. The 32-year-old right-hander now holds a 4.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 75/19 K/BB ratio across 55 2/3 innings.
In Detroit, Vest converted a four-out save against the Royals on Saturday, then blew a one-run lead and took the loss in the tenth inning against the Athletics on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Finnegan fell in line for a win with two scoreless innings against Kansas City on Friday, then pitched a scoreless ninth in a tie game Tuesday in Sacramento. There’s no clarity on who will get the next save on a daily basis, but expect both to continue to split chances.
Santana pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Rockies on Sunday, then took the loss with a solo homer allowed against the Cardinals on Monday. He converted his tenth save of the season with a scoreless inning on Wednesday. Pittsburgh finally promoted top prospect Bubba Chandler to the major league roster to pitch out of the bullpen. He converted a four-inning save, holding the Rockies scoreless with three strikeouts in his debut, then tossed another four scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Tier 4
Jojo Romero/Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Ronny Henriquez/Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Phil Maton/Robert Garcia – Texas Rangers
Jose Ferrer – Washington Nationals
Romero and O’Brien are working in a closer committee in St. Louis. Romero struck out three batters over two scoreless innings to convert a save against the Rays last Thursday. O’Brien got the save chance on Monday against the Pirates but blew the lead with one run allowed before falling in line for a win.
It continues to be a mix-and-match game in Miami. Tyler Phillips picked up a save on Sunday before Faucher stepped back in for his 12th save on Monday against the Braves.
No saves in Texas this week as Robert Garcia, Phil Maton, and Shawn Armstrong remain in the mix for ninth-inning work. And in Washington, Ferrer struck out three batters on his way to a four-out save last Thursday against the Mets.
Tier 5
Keegan Akin/Yennier Cano – Baltimore Orioles
Justin Topa/Cole Sands – Minnesota Twins
Sean Newcomb/Tyler Ferguson – Athletics
Juan Morillo/Kyle Backhus – Arizona Diamondbacks
Grant Taylor/Steven Wilson – Chicago White Sox
Victor Vodnik – Colorado Rockies
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