In careful reports this week, it appears that Daniel Palencia and Joan Duran will return from the injured list in the coming days, while the Marlins lost Pete Fairbanks. Mason Miller’s scoreless streak ended at 34 2/3. We’ll take a closer look at the chaos as we break down last week’s saves.
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MLB: Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Francisco Giants
Fantasy Baseball Tackle Report: Is Luis Alaes running now? And there’s the Cubs running problem.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Close Rankings
▶ Level 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Andres Munoz – Seattle Mariners
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Ryan Helsley – Baltimore Orioles
Joan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Miller made two saves this week and was held scoreless in two games against the Rockies and Padres. He had warmed up for a potential save against the Cubs on Monday, getting out in the ninth inning despite leading by four runs without a save. A contested line drive to third base was ruled a foul, putting a runner on base, and two hits later brought two runs, ending Miller’s scoreless streak in the 34 2/3 inning.
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It was a better week for Munoz, who had back-to-back scoreless saves against the Cardinals on Friday and Saturday before making a clean save against the Twins on Wednesday. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed up to six saves in 12 innings with a 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 20 strikeouts. With strand ratios normalizing at 0.333 BABIP and 53%, these ratios are expected to continue to decline.
Smith is also working on a bloated .385 BABIP. He allowed one hit against the Rays on Wednesday, but held them at bay while recording his seventh save with a 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 14 innings. In Baltimore, Helsley returned from the bereavement list and pitched a perfect inning against the Astros on Tuesday for his seventh save.
The Phillies, meanwhile, don’t have any saves this week, but Brad Keller does have a shot at the win after finishing with four outs against the Braves on Saturday. According to reports, Joan Duran may be ready to be cleared from the injured list and resume closing duties in the next few days.
Chapman is the top and last person who makes you feel absolutely safe. Things still look grim in Boston though. He recorded his fifth save Sunday against the Orioles cleanly with two strikeouts.
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▶ Level 2
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Robert Suarez – Atlanta Braves
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
O’Brien, who started the season without a score in 12 straight games, ran into trouble Saturday against the Mariners. He was asked to put out a fire in the eighth inning with two runners on and one out, leading by two runs. O’Brien gave up a walk in the ninth inning and ultimately lost the game. He came back from a winless game Wednesday against the Buccaneers to record his eighth save.
Suarez continued to fill in for Russell Iglesias, going scoreless in two appearances and recording his third save. He has allowed just one run in 12 2/3 innings this season with a 0.71 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 13 strikeouts. Iglesias is recovering from a shoulder problem. He resumed throwing drills this week and is expected to return in early May.
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In Chicago, Phil Mayton gave up two runs in his first game on the injured list on Monday. Ben Brown struck out five in the eighth and ninth innings on Wednesday before Holby Milner came on for the final out and made his first save. It appears Daniel Palencia will return from an oblique injury as early as Friday.
Bednar had three saves this week and had two hits in each of his last two games against the Rangers. In 12 2/3 innings, he had a whopping nine saves, a 3.55 ERA, a 1.66 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts. Through the first month of the season, Bednar’s velocity remained at about a mile an hour, and he produced fewer swing hits. He hit for a higher percentage, resulting in a .390 BABIP inflation.
Jansen gave up two points to the Braves on Wednesday, his second blown save this week. Kyle Finnegan is outstanding if the team decides to try a committee approach. In Arizona, Sewald also allowed three runs against the White Sox last Thursday. On Wednesday, he bounced back with a clean inning without a save.
▶Level 3
Louis Wallander – Toronto Blue Jays
Emilio Pagan – Cincinnati Reds
Devin Williams – New York Mets
Brian Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Serantoni Dominguez – Chicago White Sox
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Tanner Scott/Alex Vicia/Blake Trenin-Los Angeles Dodgers
Abner Uribe/Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
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Despite claims the Blue Jays will adopt a tighter committee approach, the team turned to Louis Wallander for three saves this week. He got into some trouble against the Guardians on Saturday and held on to make the save, then pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday and struck out Tuesday for his fourth save.
Pagan made one appearance this week without a save and pitched a scoreless inning against the Tigers on Saturday. Williams, meanwhile, gave up one run last Thursday and was expected to win, but on Sunday he pitched a clean inning for the first time since March 30, striking out two without a save. The team didn’t consider moving Williams closer to give him a chance to sort out his troubles in the ninth. He had a 9.00 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in eight innings of work. On the bright side, the strikeouts are there, and there’s no way he can maintain a .591 BABIP all season long.
Baker has done an excellent job filling the closer role in Tampa Bay. He added three saves this week, posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings with seven saves remaining. Given his excellent 18.4% swing rate, his strikeout rate has room to grow even more.
Domiguez is coming. He had a big week, recording three saves and a win, and was on the mound in five of seven days. He also allowed one run against the Nationals on Sunday. Domiguez is getting the job done, just don’t expect the numbers to be pretty. Behind him, Grant Taylor has played an ambiguous role all season but seems to be adapting to the high-leverage job and could be next in line to make the save.
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Walker came into the game with a four-run lead in the ninth inning against the Marlins on Saturday. Even though Walker was available, Eric Miller got the save the next day. This will likely be a matchup decision for Miller as a southpaw. Walker won’t get every save opportunity, but he still appears to be leading the charge in San Francisco.
After losing Edwin Diaz, the Dodgers turned to last offseason’s most expensive reliever, Tanner Scott. Scott made the save last Thursday against the Giants. The team hasn’t posted a save since then, but Scott’s last two outings came in a two-run seventh inning deficit. So while he’s still the Dodgers’ favorite to lead in saves over the next few months in Diaz’s absence, they’re not rescuing him primarily for a save situation. Alex Vesia and Blake Treinan are still involved at times.
The Milwaukee bullpen backfield didn’t have any saves this week, but Uribe did make all three runs in the ninth inning. He gave up a run on Thursday, took the loss, and bounced back with two clean sheets. Megill threw the seventh pitch in both games. Uribe might only need one or two bad outs before Megill gets another chance in the ninth.
▶Level 4
Lucas Elseg – Kansas City Royals
Jacob Junis/Jacob Ratz – Texas Rangers
Tyler Phillips/Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Dennis Santana – Pittsburgh Pirates
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Erceg dealt with traffic in every game, but managed to have a strong week, going three games scoreless, recording two saves and recording a win. Carlos Estévez is recovering from a foot injury. His velocity has reportedly improved in recent bullpen sessions. Look for him to get a chance to reprise a closer role upon his return.
The intense shuffle continues in Texas, and this time Latz made two saves for the Rangers this week. Ratts is having a great season so far, posting a 1.08 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.
Pete Fairbanks exited Monday’s ninth inning against the Dodgers with the bases loaded and one out with a one-run lead. He was placed on the 15-day injured list with nerve irritation. Phillips stepped in and recorded his second save of the season on Tuesday. With Phillips unavailable Wednesday, Faucher earned the save. The two could form a committee to fill in Fairbanks’ absence, but Phillips has been more consistent so far this season.
The Buccaneers weren’t great in terms of saves. Santana was charged with a blown save in Monday’s game against the Cardinals, which allowed four runs. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gregory Soto exit the race quickly due to a relief situation.
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▶Level 5
Joel Kunell/Jack Perkins – Track and Field
Victor Wodnik – Colorado Rockies
Gus Wallander – Washington Nationals
Enil de los Santos – Houston Astros
Cole Sands/Eric Oz/Justin Topa-Minnesota Twins
Sam Bachman/Chase Silseth – Los Angeles Angels
Jack Perkins and Gus Wallander have the best strikeout potential in the bottom tier and may represent the best upside if you’re hungry for saves in the deeper leagues. Perkins struck out three against the Rangers on Sunday and worked two save innings.
