In terms of saves and steals this week, Joan Duran and Craig Kimbrel are back on track with four and three saves, respectively. Edwin Diaz is out with a shoulder injury. Evan Phillips is close to returning to the mound. In the speed department, David Hamilton has a chance to make a big impact for Boston.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: Top
Emanuel Klass – Cleveland Guardians
Mason Miller – Oakland Athletics
He recorded two more saves this week, pitching two shutout games to earn his 17th save of the season, the first in the American League. His 0.33 ERA is also the best among qualified relief pitchers. He’s allowed just two walks and no home runs this season, so that should be enough. Miller, meanwhile, continues to strike out batters. He recorded two more saves, giving him a 1.88 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, 47 strikeouts in 24 innings, the best strikeout rate in baseball, and his 11th save of the season.
Tier 2: Elite
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals
Clay Holmes – New York Yankees
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Andres Munoz – Seattle Mariners
Helsley recorded a save against the Reds on Wednesday and now leads the saves list with 18. JoJo Romero has emerged as one of the top relief pitchers in the league by saves, leading the way with 18. Close behind Helsley is Holmes, who picked up three more saves this week for 16.
Hader earned his seventh save of the season on Friday against the Athletics but gave up a solo home run in a non-save situation on Sunday. Among qualified relievers, he ranks behind Mason Miller and Fernando Cruz in strikeout rate.
Suarez picked up three more saves for the Padres. He had 16 career saves with a 0.73 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. Behind Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada has risen quickly through the ranks. He’s a strikeout machine and a player who will make the roster in deeper formats, leading the league with a 0.55 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.
Munoz continues to perform well, earning his 11th save of the season this week with a 1.48 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. With Munoz sidelined Tuesday, Ryne Stanek earned his third save of the season and first since April 12.
Tier 3: Solid Choices
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Kirby Yates – Texas Rangers
Joan Duran – Minnesota Twins
Craig Kimbrel – Baltimore Orioles
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
Kenley Jansen – Boston Red Sox
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Doval only had one save this week, nine in the last two months of the season, not exactly on pace to record 39 saves last season. The Giants have been on a roll lately and could get more save opportunities. Yates also only had one save this week, bringing his total to eight. He has been outstanding this season, posting a 0.89 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and striking out 25 batters in 20 1/3 innings.
Duran led the saves list this week with four saves in a five-day span. He has assumed the closer role for Minnesota after the team worked by committee for a while. Duran has posted a 3.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 13 strikeouts and eight saves in 13 innings.
Kimbrel is back on track after a tough stretch, not allowing a hit or a walk in seven straight games, and with three saves this week, he now has 12 on the season with a 3.15 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 20 innings.
Save opportunities have been few and far between for Sewald since returning from the disabled list earlier this month. He earned his fourth save, striking out seven and allowing just one run over seven innings. Jansen also added another save this week, allowing no runs and striking out two in nine innings against the Brewers on Sunday.
Iglesias added two more saves this week, bringing his total to 13. He pitched two perfect innings in both appearances, striking out two batters. It was the third time he’s struck out multiple batters in a single outing, but hopefully that’s a sign of more to come.
Finnegan recorded his 14th save. He has been in good form this season with a 1.71 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 21 innings. He has allowed just one earned run in his last 19 games since giving up three runs on March 31. Finnegan could be traded to a championship contender before the trade deadline.
Tier 4: Here’s the advantage
Jose Alvarado/Jeff Hoffman – Philadelphia Phillies
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Jordan Romano – Toronto Blue Jays
James MacArthur – Kansas City Royals
Pete Fairbanks/Jason Adam/Garrett Clevinger – Tampa Bay Rays
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Jason Foley – Detroit Tigers
Alexis Diaz – Cincinnati Reds
Tanner Scott – Miami Marlins
Alvarado missed a chance to get a save against the Rockies on Friday, a day after Hoffman recorded his fourth save of the season. Alvarado leads the team with nine saves and Hoffman has four, but the two should continue to work well together.
Bednar pitched three shutout games and earned one save, his 11th of the season. He struggled in April but had a strong May, giving up just three runs over 12 1/3 innings. Like Bednar, Romano has struggled a bit since coming off an injury. He gave up three runs and was the losing pitcher against the Tigers on Sunday, but bounced back with his eighth save against the White Sox on Wednesday.
MacArthur allowed just one run over two innings in Saturday’s win over the Rays. He posted a 3.80 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. Fairbanks pitched two shutout innings for Tampa Bay and earned his fifth save of the season.
Megill picked up his eighth save of the week but will be out for a few days after being hit by a ball on his elbow while pitching on Tuesday. Brian Hudson has been great in the setup role and could be the next guy to get the save.
Foley recorded his 11th save on Friday and picked up a hold on Saturday, but gave up three runs to the Blue Jays on Sunday for his third failed save in three days. Tyler Holton earned his first save, but Foley remains the favorite to lead the team in saves in Detroit.
Diaz pitched three shutout innings this week and earned two saves, posting a 5.75 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings to earn his 10th win, while Scott earned his seventh save of the week, extending his shutout streak to 16 appearances.
Level 5: I can manage
Carlos Estevez – Los Angeles Angels
Hector Neris – Chicago Cubs
Michael Kopech – Chicago White Sox
Daniel Hudson/Alex Bethea – Los Angeles Dodgers
Reid Garrett/Adam Ottavino – New York Mets
Estevez has played one game this week, pitching a shutout victory over the Yankees on Tuesday for his eighth save of the season. With his contract expiring and the Angels sitting last in the West, he could be a trade candidate in the next few months.
Neris was credited with a failed save after giving up one run against the Brewers on Tuesday, but he still contributed to the win. Mark Leiter Jr. has had a strong start to the season but has struggled a bit, giving up six runs in his last three games. The Cubs may be one of the teams looking to bolster their relief corps before the trade deadline.
Kopech gave up two home runs in Saturday’s win over the Orioles and missed a chance for a save. He has a 4.18 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings to record five saves.
Hudson and Bethea both earned saves for the Dodgers in Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Mets. Evan Phillips is set to return to the closer’s role in Friday’s home series against the Rockies. He has missed the last four weeks with a hamstring injury. Things have only gotten worse for New York, with Edwin Diaz on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury. Garrett and Ottavino should work by committee for save opportunities, but Jake Diekman could also be in the running.
Level 6: When absolutely necessary
Jalen Beeks – Colorado Rockies
I was injured
Devin Williams – Back
Evan Phillips – Hamstring
Edwin Diaz – Shoulder
Stolen Goods Division
Brenton Doyle leads the way with five stolen bases this week. His 10 stolen bases in May are second only to Ellie de la Cruz’s 13. He has 14 stolen bases this season, batting .271/.346/.422 with five homers, 36 runs scored and 15 RBIs in 217 at-bats. The 26-year-old outfielder is likely on the roster outside of the shallow point formats, but should be registered immediately in any league category if one is still available. More widely registered in all formats is Jesse Winker, who stole four bases this week to bring his season total to nine. Winker has only stolen three bases in 2,267 at-bats this year. Still, his success rate with his new aggressive approach on the bases (9 hits in 11 at-bats) doesn’t seem to be slowing him down. In Boston, David Hamilton should get a chance to play shortstop every day. With Tyler O’Neill on the disabled list, Sedan Raffaella will be the outfielder in his absence. Hamilton stole his eighth base on Wednesday in just 92 at-bats this season. He’s hitting .265/.337/.410 and has shown improvement in his small sample size in the major leagues in 2023. While he’s listed in just 1% of Yahoo leagues, he could be a difference maker in the speed department.
