Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Alarm 2026 Bullpen Report. As we head into May, the fantasy baseball closer position remains as unpredictable as ever. There have been 102 different relief pitchers who’ve picked up at least one save so far this season. There were 84 at this time last season. With the high number of late-inning high-leverage relievers in the mix for potential save opportunities, the number of bullpens listed as being in flux on our closer grid seems to grow every week.

Saves and Holds Leaders Over The Past Week

Since our last column, Padres closer Mason Miller’s 34 2/3 scoreless innings streak came to an end, but he is still far and away the best fantasy baseball closer in the game today. He leads all closers with 10 saves. 

Yankees closer David Bednar, who’s been wiggling in and out of trouble lately but gets the job done, is right behind him with nine saves.

Bednar was among the list of five closers who had three saves over the past week, which included Rays closer Bryan Baker, Mariners closer Andres Munoz, Blue Jays new closer Louis Varland, and White Sox closer Seranthony Dominguez. Dominguez also won a game over the past week and had a 6:1 K:BB ratio while pitching to a 1.80 ERA. He is only 68% rostered in Fantrax fantasy baseball leagues.

Blue Jays setup man Tyler Rogers was one of four late-inning high-leverage relievers to record three holds last week. He has picked up a hold in five straight outings and is pitching to a microscopic 0.59 ERA. Jeff Hoffman, the former Blue Jays closer, is settling into his setup man role. He has a 7:1 K:BB ratio in his last 3.1 IP and has recorded three holds and a save during that time frame.

 

 

 

Help Is On The Way

By the time you read this, Cubs closer Daniel Palencia could be reinstated from the IL. He has been dealing with a mild lat strain.

Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, who is on the IL due to an oblique strain, is said to be days away from a potential return to action.

Raisel Iglesias is expected to be ready to come off the IL when first eligible this coming Tuesday. Robert Suarez has taken over as the Braves’ closer as expected and hasn’t given up a run in his last 5.2 IP while recording three saves and two holds. We’ll have to wait and see if Iglesias will step right back into the closer’s role upon his return.

MLB Closers 2026: Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Rankings

There’s still a lot of ground to cover when it comes to late-inning high-leverage relievers, and these are a few more bullpens that should be on your radar.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels released Jordan Romano earlier this week, and right now, there’s a void at the top of their bullpen depth chart. Until Kirby Yates or Ben Joyce come off the IL, it’s going to be up to Chase Silseth, Sam Bachman, Ryan Zeferjahn, or any other Angels reliever to step up. Drew Pomeranz, who was one of the relievers considered as Romano’s temporary replacement, has struggled recently. Bachman is the only reliever from those previously mentioned who hasn’t blown a save opportunity for the Angels over the past week. This is a fantasy baseball bullpen to avoid for now.

Miami Marlins

Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 15-day IL due to nerve irritation in his right thumb. Tyler Phillips and Calvin Faucher have picked up the Marlins’ last two saves and are likely the favorites to pick up the slack with Fairbanks on the IL. Anthony Bender, who has 15 career saves, and Michael Petersen each have one save this season as well, and could be in the mix for additional future save opportunities. 

Texas Rangers

Left-handed reliever Jacob Latz has picked up the last two saves for the Rangers. Teams are often reluctant to insert a south paw as their closer, but Latz has some pretty impressive reverse splits. He hasn’t given up a hit to a right-handed batter (26 at-bats) all season. Latz has been pretty good against left-handed hitters, too (.167 BAA). Jakob Junis looked as if he was going to take over the closer’s role for the Rangers earlier in the season, but the Rangers' bullpen appears to be very fluid right now. As a former starter, Latz is a versatile reliever who can pitch multiple innings per appearance and should be on your watch list. 

Athletics

Jack Perkins is rostered in just 40% of Fantrax leagues, and if he’s available in a league you play in, you might want to pick him up. I wouldn’t anoint Perkins as the A’s closer just yet, but heading into Friday’s action, he has three saves, a 2.70 ERA, and a 17:3 K: BB ratio. The A’s have been a pesky team, and they’re in first place in the AL West. There will likely be a good number of save opportunities available in their bullpen in the near future, and with Perkins having recorded three of the last saves for the A’s, he’s a late-inning high-leverage reliever on the rise.