It seems we’re always talking about a high-end reliever dealing with an injury or a closer potentially losing his job in this column, so let’s start out with some good news. A fantasy baseball closer who has consistently been close to the top of the MLB closers rankings for more than a decade is about to be reinstated from the IL. Need more good news? Orioles closer Ryan Helsley struck out the side in his first outing of his rehab assignment and might be back in action before the end of June. 

If you’re looking for some action of your own and looking to increase your bankroll by playing MLB DFS or placing a few bets, start here and you’ll find the best fantasy baseball picks, projections and predictions in the industry!

In the meantime, we’ve adjusted our MLB closers rankings and refreshed our fantasy baseball closer grid. There’s lots of ground to cover, so enjoy this week’s Fantasy Alarm Bullpen Report.

Saves Leaders Over The Past Week

Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, Blue Jays closer Louis Varland and Royals closer Alex Lange each had three saves last week. Duran now has 17 saves this season, and that ties him for the third most in baseball with Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien.

Varland has been extremely effective since replacing Jeff Hoffman as the Jays closer, pitching to a microscopic 0.50 ERA, saving 11 games and recording five holds. 

Lange has been given most of the Royals’ save opportunities since they relieved Lucas Erceg of his closer duties and moved to a matchup-based approach to managing their late-inning high-leverage situations last week. Despite having an off night on Wednesday, Lange has a 0.96 ERA, and he’s saved four games and held another in his last 10 appearances spanning 9.1 IP.  The Royals have suggested that they still may eventually use Erceg in the ninth inning in the future, but with Carlos Estevez, who is recovering from a rotator cuff injury, expected to come off the IL relatively soon, the Royals will likely continue to tinker with their bullpen hierarchy.

Four other fantasy baseball closers recorded two saves last week, including Rangers closer Jacob Latz. Latz has been gradually climbing up the MLB closers rankings. He has 10 saves, two holds, and a 1.80 ERA to go along with a 0.667 WHIP.

 

 

 

Holds Leaders Over The Past Week

Phillies reliever Brad Keller tied MLB late-inning high-leverage relievers for a third week in a row with three holds. He now has 13 on the season. Blue Jays setup man, Tyler Rogers, also had three holds last week, and with 14, is tied for having the second most in baseball. Padres reliever Jason Adam and Rays reliever Kevin Kelly recorded two holds last week and also have 14 on the season.  Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero and Guardians reliever Erik Sabrowski (who is currently on the IL) continue to lead MLB with 17 holds.

Relievers on the Rise

Marlins late-inning high-leverage reliever Anthony Bender hasn’t given up a run in his last five outings, spanning 4.2 IP. He has a 9:1 K:BB ratio to go along with a save and three holds during that time span. Bender has 16 career saves and has been consistently used as a late-inning high-leverage reliever by the Marlins since the 2021 season. Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks, who has eight saves and a 6.63 ERA this season, has struggled at times. If he continues to do so, Bender could see more save opportunities come his way, which would cause him to rise in the MLB closers rankings.

The A’s bullpen is still a work in progress, but two of their relievers have distinguished themselves of late. Elvis Alvarado’s season-long 5.79 ERA is ugly, but since being recalled from Triple-A last Friday, he’s pitched 4.1 scoreless innings across three appearances and locked down a save and a hold. Alvarado has also struck out nine and walked none during that time frame.  

Mason Barnett picked up a save for the A’s on Tuesday in a two-inning effort. Barnett has been a starting pitcher throughout his minor league career and could eventually join the team’s starting rotation. For now, consider Barnett a long-relief option who can provide good ratios (12:4 K:BB, 8 IP, 3 appearances) and who might have the opportunity to convert an occasional save or hold.

Like the A’s bullpen, the Angels are hoping that one of their late-inning high-leverage relievers will step up and take control of the team’s closer role. With the way Sam Bachman has been pitching lately, there’s a good chance that he’ll continue to climb up the MLB closer rankings. Most of his appearances have come in the eighth inning of late, but with Kirby Yates struggling lately, the Angels may opt to make Bachman their go-to guy in the ninth inning. Yates has two losses, a blown save, and a 6.75 ERA in his last five appearances. Bachman, on the other hand, hasn’t given up a run in his last 13 IP spanning 12 appearances, and he has converted five holds during that time span

 

 

 

Bullpens To Take Note Of

Detroit Tigers

Kenley Jansen, one of MLB’s best closers of all time, is set to come off the IL on Friday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch described Jansen as being “rusty” in his first and only rehab outing this past Wednesday. Look for the Tigers to ease Jansen back into action. Will Vest and Enmanuel De Jesus converted the Tigers’ only two saves with Jansen sidelined. De Jesus’ save was a four-inning effort. 

Milwaukee Brewers

In last week’s column, we talked about how Trevor Megill had converted the last three Brewers saves and was moving up in the MLB closer rankings. Since then, Megill has blown a save opportunity and, according to manager Pat Murphy, was dealing with “discomfort,” making him unavailable to pitch on Monday. He pitched a scoreless inning on Wednesday, but if you’ve picked Megill up off the waiver wire hoping that he’d be a good resource for saves, make sure to have a backup plan. Murphy wasn’t specific about why Megill was feeling “discomfort,” and it might be nothing to worry about, but sometimes when there’s smoke there’s fire. Hold onto your shares of Abner Uribe, who will get the majority of save opportunities if Megill is unavailable.

Seattle Mariners

Andres Munoz was one of MLB’s best closers last season, but he’s fallen on hard times recently. His 10 saves, 5.18 ERA, and 1.356 WHIP are a far cry from his dominating 2025 season in which he saved 38 games and pitched to a 1.73 ERA. While his surface-level stats are disturbing, his Statcast K% and Chase% are at the 98th and 97th percentile, respectively,  which is encouraging. If you spent a lot of your preseason draft capital on Munoz, the fact that Mariner’s manager Dan Wilson is sticking with Munoz as his closer is also encouraging. With Matt Brash recently placed on the IL due to a lat strain, if the Mariners were to replace Munoz as their closer, Jose A. Ferrer or Eduard Bazardo would likely be the next men up.