In this week’s Closer Report, Jhoan Duran continues to dominate as he’s on track for his best season yet. No one has been better at run prevention than Louis Varland. And Trevor Megill appears to be back in the driver’s seat for saves in Milwaukee. All that and more as we cover the last week in saves around baseball.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Raisel Iglesias– Atlanta Braves
Miller worked around two walks, striking out two batters while converting a four-out save against the Nationals on Friday. After giving up his only two runs of the season on April 27, he’s back on a ten-game scoreless streak. His 22.5% swinging-strike rate leads the majors, well above the next best at 19.8% by Andrés Muñoz.
Smith made two appearances this week. He struck out the side against the Red Sox on Friday, then gave up one run before holding on for his 21st save against the Yankees on Wednesday. The 27-year-old right-hander holds a 2.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings.
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Duran locked down three saves with perfect outings against the Dodgers and Padres. He struck out the side against the Padres on Tuesday, then struck out two more on Wednesday for his 14th save. His current 42% strikeout rate is by far a career high, topping his 33.5% in his 2022 rookie year.
Chapman didn’t see any save chances this week, but made one scoreless appearance against the Guardians on Sunday, striking out two. The 38-year-old left-hander had gone ten days without pitching, with his last save coming on May 20. He owns a 0.48 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings.
Iglesias converted two saves this week, tossing scoreless innings against the Blue Jays and Reds. His only two runs of the season have come in one outing, giving him a 0.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings while converting 11 saves.
▶ Tier 2
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Gregory Soto – Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
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Two more saves for Baker this week, giving him 16 on the season with a 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings. There’s been no doubt for a while that Baker has earned the trust to operate as the full-time closer in Tampa Bay. It’s still just surprising that we have a Rays reliever well inside the top ten.
In Toronto, Varland recorded his eighth save of the season, recording four outs against the Orioles on Thursday. He then pitched the eighth against the heart of the order on Saturday before Jeff Hoffman surrendered five runs to blow the lead in the ninth. That further cements Varland as the reliever to roster on the Blue Jays. The 28-year-old right-hander has the lowest ERA among closers at 0.29 with a 1.03 WHIP and 42 strikeouts over 31 innings.
Muñoz surrendered a run to blow a save chance against the Diamondbacks on Friday, his fourth blown save of the season. He then pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Mets on Monday. The 27-year-old right-hander remains at nine saves with a 4.76 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. At some point, we hope the results will start to fall in line with the underlying indicators. Still, Muñoz just hasn’t been able to string together enough scoreless outings, making it harder to justify a top spot in the closer rankings.
Scott tossed a clean ninth inning with one strikeout on Friday for a save against the Phillies, then was hit for three runs in the eighth to blow a lead on Saturday. The three runs matched the number of runs he had allowed all season. Scott then bounced back with a scoreless ninth inning against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday for his sixth save. Edwin Díaz has started a throwing progression, but is still expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break as he recovers from surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.
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It’s been a frustrating season for fantasy managers rostering Palencia. He made three scoreless appearances this week, but is still searching for his first save since May 14. He’s converted just three this season despite an excellent 1.98 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings.
Soto picked up a win and two saves. The Pirates had entered the ninth inning with a six-run lead on Tuesday, and Dennis Santana was out to finish the game. Santana surrendered two runs and brought the tying run on deck before Santana stepped in and struck out the final two batters for his eighth save. Soto couldn’t quite get it done on Wednesday. He was summoned with two outs and two runners on to protect a three-run lead and gave up three hits and a walk, bringing five runs in without recording an out. Still, there’s no doubt about who’s taking the ninth inning in Pittsburgh. Soto has enjoyed a resurgent season, posting a 2.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts over 28 1/3 innings.
Sewald made one appearance this week, tossing a clean inning against the Dodgers on Monday for his 15th save of the season. The 36-year-old right-hander has been effective for the Diamondbacks, with a 3.63 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings. Sewald has been a bit lucky, with a .122 BABIP and 61.4% strand rate. While those numbers aren’t likely to hold up, we’ll take the saves production for now.
▶ Tier 3
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Devin Williams – New York Mets
Jacob Latz – Texas Rangers
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Pete Fairbanks – Miami Marlins
Seranthony Domínguez – Chicago White Sox
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In Houston, the Astros get their closer back, activating Hader from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday. He got his first save opportunity on Wednesday and converted, working around one walk while striking out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Pirates. The 32-year-old left-hander was sidelined with a biceps issue all season. He hadn’t pitched for the team since August 8 of last year after a shoulder injury ended his 2025 campaign early. Hader steps back in as the primary closer, but will continue to carry an elevated injury risk.
O’Brien has made 27 appearances so far this season. He didn’t allow a run across his first 13 outings. Over the last 14, he’s given up 12 runs. He recovered with a scoreless outing on Wednesday against the Rangers to convert his 15th save to go with a 3.95 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings.
Bednar worked around two baserunners in his only outing against the Athletics on Sunday. He continues to work through a high volume of traffic on the bases, but I wouldn’t expect his .368 BABIP to last all season.
Williams had a much better week despite not seeing any save chances, tossing two clean frames against the Marlins and Mariners. He had a solid stretch through May until giving up four runs on May 24. Inconsistencies have led to a 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 20 innings.
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The Rangers have consistently gone to Latz for most of the team’s save situations since late April. He picked up two more saves this week on back-to-back days, giving him eight with a 2.00 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts over 27 innings.
Megill has been pitching well over the last couple of weeks, with seven straight scoreless outings. He’s appeared to take back the role of primary closer in Milwaukee, picking up two saves this week. Megill has converted the last three saves for the team and is up to eight on the season. Meanwhile, Abner Uribe recorded his last save on May 19. During Megill’s seven-game scoreless streak, he’s struck out nine batters to zero walks while allowing just two hits.
Fairbanks gave up two runs in the tenth inning to take the loss against the Mets on Friday, then tossed a scoreless inning on Monday before locking down his seventh save on Wednesday against the Nationals. The 32-year-old right-hander is a possible trade candidate at the deadline should the Marlins slide out of contention over the next two months.
Domínguez didn’t see a save chance this week, but did make back-to-back scoreless outings with a pair of clean innings. He was unavailable on Sunday, as Tyler Davis stepped in for the final two outs to record the save against the Tigers. Domíguez has converted 11 saves with a 3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
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▶ Tier 4
Rico Garcia – Baltimore Orioles
Kirby Yates – Los Angeles Angels
Kaleb Killian/Keaton Winn – San Francisco Giants
Clayton Beeter – Washington Nationals
Kyle Finnegan/Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
Lucas Erceg – Kansas City Royals
Garcia made three scoreless appearances, including a clean frame with two strikeouts against the Red Sox on Tuesday for his fourth save. Garcia had been splitting save chances with Anthony Nunez, but Nunez has given up eight runs over his last six outings. Garcia is filling in for Ryan Helsley, who is progressing through his recovery from right elbow inflammation. Helsley is in the live bullpen session stage of his rehab, but will likely still need at least a couple more weeks before he’s ready to return.
Yates gave up one run and took a loss against the Rockies on Monday, then tossed a scoreless ninth inning in a blowout win on Wednesday. The 39-year-old right-hander has given up four runs with a 12/4 K/BB ratio across 9 1/3 innings while converting one save.
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Kilian blew the save and took the loss on Friday, giving up five runs against the Rockies in Colorado. He bounced back with a scoreless inning on Sunday, falling in line for a win. With Kilian coming off three appearances in five days, Winn handled the final five outs against the Brewers on Wednesday for his first save. Winn has been the most effective reliever in the Giants’ bullpen, but it remains a situation that is unlikely to produce many saves from any one player, given the team’s lack of success and Tony Vitello’s matchup play in the late innings.
Beeter seemed to step back into the closer role, converting back-to-back saves against the Padres over the weekend. He then entered with two outs in the seventh on Wednesday against the Marlins. Beeter returned for the eighth and gave up two runs. He’s probably the likeliest to get the most save chances in Washington, but inconsistency and some matchup-based usage make him incredibly volatile.
The Tigers lost closer Kenley Jansen to the 15-day injured list with pelvic inflammation. Finnegan figured to get the first chance to fill in for the ninth-inning role, but blew a save chance on Friday against the White Sox. Vest recorded the final five outs, giving up one run before holding on for his first save. Vest is probably the reliever to take the chance on, displaying the better underlying skills. Finnegan’s -2.6% K-BB rate is nowhere near closer material. That K-BB ratio ranks last among qualified relievers.
The wheels have fallen off for Erceg as he blew two more saves this week. He’s now blown a save in four of his last six outings, including three straight. If speculating for saves here, Alex Lange stepped in for the save chance on Wednesday, with Erceg likely unavailable. He struck out two, working around two baserunners to convert the save against the Reds.
▶ Tier 5
Antonio Senzatela – Colorado Rockies
Tony Santillan/Sam Moll – Cincinnati Reds
Yoendrys Gómez/Eric Orze – Minnesota Twins
Mark Leiter Jr./Joel Kuhnel/Hogan Harris – Athletics
