A couple of highly-rostered closers landed on the injured list this week. Liam Hendriks will miss some time with right elbow inflammation. He’s reportedly dealing with a right flexor strain, an injury he dealt with last summer. Hendriks had given up three runs with three strikeouts over five innings while recording two wins and a save before he was placed back on the injured list. In St. Louis, Ryan Helsley was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 10 with a right forearm strain. With no timetable for a return, he’s set to miss at least a few weeks. We’ll take a look at the injury fallout and any movers in this week’s rankings.
Tier 1: Untouchable
Felix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Alexis Diaz - Cincinnati Reds
The top tier remains. Bautista picked up another save to give him 17 on the season. He’s allowed only four runs for a 1.16 ERA while striking out 50.8 percent of the batters he’s faced. He’s also gone six consecutive outings without issuing a walk. Diaz joined Bautista with his 17th save on Wednesday against the Royals. These relievers have been the total package, providing plenty of strikeouts and saves to go with elite ratios.
Tier 2: The Elite
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants
Josh Hader - San Diego Padres
We have a few shifts but not too much movement in the following tiers. Bednar and Doval continue to roll, with 14 and 17 saves, respectively. And after getting shut out from the saves department in last week’s column, Hader locked down three saves this week to give him 16. The fact that these relievers aren’t in the top tier is only a testament to how good Diaz and Bautista have been. Each one of these relievers had some question marks coming into the year. Bednar with his back issues and team context, Doval with control issues and inconsistency, and Hader’s second-half meltdown. They’ve all answered the call, dominating on the mound as some of the best closers in the game.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Jordan Romano - Toronto Blue Jays
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Carlos Estevez - Los Angeles Angels
Devin Williams - Milwaukee Brewers
Paul Sewald, Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Jhoan Duran, Jorge Lopez - Minnesota Twins
Romano locked down a pair of saves, giving him 19 on the season and one behind Clase for tops in baseball. Clase was shut out from saves this week. Williams served up two homers and allowed four runs to blow his save chance, keeping him at ten on the season. This knocked him down from the previous tier, as he doesn’t have the save totals the others do.
Sewald was held without a save chance this week, keeping him at 12 on the season. Muñoz struck out three batters over 1 1/3 innings against the Angels on Saturday and has looked sharp since his return from the injured list. I’d expect Sewald to continue leading the way in save chances, but it’s only a matter of time before we see Muñoz get some occasional chances.
Carlos Estévez added two more saves to his total, giving him 18 to go with an excellent 1.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts across 30 innings. With Matt Moore and Ben Joyce on the injured list, Chris Devenski and José Soriano have stepped up as setup men in Anaheim.
Duran added a win with two shutout innings against the Blue Jays, then recorded a hold in the eighth inning Wednesday against the Brewers. He’s been outstanding, posting a 1.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts across 26 innings. But his usage leaves him lacking in saves.
Tier 4: There’s Upside Here
Ryan Pressly - Houston Astros
Jason Adam - Tampa Bay Rays
Kenley Jansen - Boston Red Sox
Alex Lange - Detroit Tigers
Will Smith - Texas Rangers
Giovanny Gallegos - St. Louis Cardinals
Pressly gets bumped down a tier here. He blew the save against the Nationals on Wednesday and has allowed runs in four of his last six outings. There is no real danger to his job, but he’s been inconsistent this season, posting a 3.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts across 27 1/3 innings.
Adam recorded his 11th save of the season on Wednesday against the A’s. He’s worked exclusively as the primary closer in Tampa Bay while Pete Fairbanks is on the injured list. Fairbanks began a minor league rehab assignment this week and could be close to a return. I’d still expect Adam to lead the team in saves with Fairbanks’ troubles staying on the field.
Jansen tossed a few scoreless outings this week, picking up a win and a save to give him 14 on the season. Meanwhile, both Lange and Smith went without a save this week. Lange did pick up the win on Monday against the Braves.
With Helsley on the injured list, Gallegos should fill in as the primary closer. He’s been inconsistent, picking up a save this week before giving up two runs to the Giants on Wednesday to blow the lead. Gallegos carries a 4.05 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts across 26 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate is down significantly from last season.
Tier 5: Just Getting By
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
David Robertson, Adam Ottavino - New York Mets
A.J. Puk - Miami Marlins
Michael King, Clay Holmes - New York Yankees
Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro - Arizona Diamondbacks
Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Caleb Ferguson - Los Angeles Dodgers
Iglesias had been on a roll, getting up to nine saves before hitting a skid. He blew the save chance with three runs allowed against the Tigers on Monday and surrendered a run in a non-save situation on Wednesday.
The Mets were held without a save. Meanwhile, A.J. Puk got back on the board with a save for the Marlins. His usage since his return from the injured list indicates a return to full-time closing duties in Miami.
It had appeared Clay Holmes was taking control of the ninth inning once again, but King got the save chance on Tuesday for his fourth of the season. Holmes may get more consistent chances but expect King to remain in the mix.
Castro has been struggling of late with the Diamondbacks. He narrowly hung on for the save on Monday but has surrendered a run in each of his last three outings. Keep an eye on Scott McGough as someone that can step in as the right-handed compliment to Chafin in the ninth inning.
Tier 6: If You Must
Kendall Graveman - Chicago White Sox
Justin Lawrence - Colorado Rockies
Craig Kimbrel/José Alvarado- Philadelphia Phillies
Scott Barlow - Kansas City Royals
Mark Leiter Jr., Adbert Alzolay - Chicago Cubs
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Trevor May - Oakland A’s
Hendriks going on the injured list means a return to closing duties for Graveman. He tossed a scoreless frame in a non-save situation against the Dodgers on Wednesday, but blew his only other opportunity in the last week.
Kimbrel was held without a save. He pitched the ninth inning in a tie game against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Alvarado got the tenth with a one-run lead and locked down his first save since returning from the injured list. I’d expect Kimbrel to be used as the primary closer unless he struggles. But Alvarado with get occasional chances should the matchups call for it.
Injured
Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays - Hip inflammation
Liam Hendriks - Elbow Inflammation
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Steals Department
Elly De La Cruz is off to the races, leading MLB in steals this week with five. He’s hit .235/.350/.412 with one homer and the five steals across his first 40 plate appearances. He’s also struck out 15 times, which is cause to temper expectations for the top prospect. Shohei Ohtani swiped three bags this week. There was some question coming into the season regarding how much he would run. He’s up to ten for the year, just one behind his 2022 total of 11. Nolan Jones has been impressive in his limited action with the Rockies. He stole three bases this week, giving him four while hitting .339/.397/.613 with four home runs across 68 plate appearances. Michael A. Taylor also stole three bases this week while hitting three homers. His 11 steals and ten homers over 189 plate appearances are certainly usable in deep mixed and AL-only formats. He’s available in 94 percent of Yahoo leagues.
