Mark

Leiter Jr.

Leiter came in to pitch the bottom of the 10th and had to deal with the free runner at second in a one-run game. He gave up a single to Jo Adell that moved that runner to third, but he was able to strikeout Josh Lowe, and Jorge Soler bounced into a double play to end the threat and the game. Leiter has four saves on the season with a 6.23 ERA over 24 appearances.

The A’s were down only 1-0 went Leiter entered to start the seventh, but it was 4-0 when he departed and 6-0 by the time the inning ended. The showing pushed his ERA up to 7.98, so it’s probably a good bet that he won’t be adding to his save total of two any time soon.

Joel Kuhnel got five outs between the eighth and ninth tonight, but since it was 5-1 when he entered, he wasn’t in line for a save. Leiter came in with one on in a 5-2 game in the ninth and walked Isaac Collins before striking out Jac Caglianone to end the game. It’s his third save, but he has a 6.23 ERA and seems to be only a minor part of the Athletics’’ closer-by-committee situation at the moment.

Mark Leiter Jr., who was brought in with a 6-2 lead in the eighth, gave up a three-run homer to Jake Burger, necessitating Kuhnel’s early entrance. All worked out for the A’s, though, as Kuhnel retired the four batters he faced. He’s 3-for-3 saving games and has yet to allow a run since being called up on Apr. 7. There still isn’t much reason to believe Kuhnel will be an above reliever going forward, but he’s definitely the pitcher worth rostering in the A’s pen at the moment.

Leiter Jr. got the call on Tuesday to close out the game against the Rangers with a one-run lead. He shut the door with a clean inning, striking out two for his second save of the season. He’ll remain in the closer mix for the A’s, with Hogan Harris and Joel Kuhnel recording the previous two saves. Just don’t expect any consistency here. Leiter Jr. holds a 6.14 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP across 7 1/3 innings.

If anyone in the A’s pen was worth taking a flier on, it seemed to be Leiter, and he made good for one day, at least. Hogan Harris, Justin Sterner and Scott Barlow all also pitched scoreless innings for holds. We wouldn’t bet big on Leiter getting consistent save chances with the A’s still trying to figure out their bullpen hierarchy, but the team lacks any clearly better options.

Kelly replaced Hogan Harris on the mound for the A’s with the bases loaded and two outs with a one-run lead in the eighth. He was able to escape the inning and returned for the ninth before blowing the save chance on a solo homer by Alejandro Kirk. Harris had given up two runs in the eighth, while Mark Leiter Jr. and Elvis Alvarado surrendered runs in the sixth and seventh. The takeaway here is to avoid the situation if hunting for saves.

Leiter has allowed one run through four innings this spring, so he’s still shaping up as a strong candidate for saves with the A’s. Ideally, a younger reliever would step up, but until it happens, Leiter might be the safest pick.

Leiter will join the A’s bullpen after posting a 4.84 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. The 34-year-old should be a high-leverage option in 2026, and could even be inline for saves this summer. Fantasy managers will need some clarification in that situation before investing a draft pick.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers says it’s a one-year contract worth about $3 million. Leiter was non-tendered by the Yankees after putting up a 4.84 ERA in 48 1/3 innings last season. He also had a 4.50 ERA in 2024, but between the two seasons, he’s struck out 140 batters in 106 1/3 innings. He’d become the immediate favorite to close in a pretty barren A’s pen, but we imagine they’ll add a better candidate prior to spring training.