In this week’s saves and steals, Edwin Díaz is expected to return as the Mets closer following his return on Thursday, David Bednar continues his solid run after a rough start, and injury concerns cloud Seattle’s closer situation. We’ll look at all of this in the latest, more detailed rankings. In the steals department, David Hamilton is making the most of his chances in Boston, and Garrett Mitchell is closing in on a return in Milwaukee.
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Closest Fantasy Baseball Rankings
Layer 1: On top
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Mason Miller – Oakland A’s
Ryan Helsley – St.
Clase withdrew from running in back-to-back starts this week, his first runs allowed in nearly two months. Still, he picked up his 20th save of the season on Tuesday and owns a 0.84 ERA, a 0.68 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.
Miller made two scoreless appearances, striking out three batters in two clean innings of work. He picked up a win over the Blue Jays on Friday. Miller took the mound in a shutout against the Padres on Wednesday and surrendered the home run to take the loss. Meanwhile, after picking up his 21st save of the season on Friday, Helsley gave up two runs and lost to the Pirates on Tuesday. He bounced back on Wednesday to convert his league-leading 22nd save.
Tier 2: The Elite
Clay Holmes-New York Yankees
Robert Suárez – San Diego Padres
Josh Hader-Houston Astros
Craig Kimbrel – Baltimore Orioles
Holmes threw three scoreless games this week, making two saves to give him 19. All four of his earned runs allowed this season came in one game, as he prevented runners from scoring in 29 additional games.
Suarez ran out of chances this week, but managed two wins. He posted an excellent 0.61 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings while converting 17 saves. And there are no saves for Hader this week. He allowed two runs and suffered the loss on Sunday to the Angels.
Kimbrel has been on the rise over the past month after a brief period of concern. He made three more saves this week, with three goalless games. The 36-year-old veteran right-hander has up to 16 saves with a 2.59 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Jhoan Duran – Minnesota Twins
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Kirby Yates – Texas Rangers
Paul Sewald-Arizona Diamondbacks
Evan Phillips-Los Angeles Dodgers
Raisel Iglesias-Atlanta Braves
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Kenley Jansen-Boston Red Sox
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Duran surrendered three runs to the Pirates in a no-save situation on Saturday. He followed that up with two scoreless games, including a win against Pittsburgh on Sunday. Muñoz made just one appearance, recording a clean sweep in the eighth inning against the Royals on Sunday. He is still pitching due to a back injury which is a bit concerning. The team has decreased its usage, with Tayler Saucedo and Ryne Stanek making saves this week. Muñoz received an injection on Tuesday to help alleviate some discomfort and is considered daily.
Yates should have been saved after recording just one in the last month. He gave up a run for the Dodgers on Wednesday, but managed to hang on for his ninth save. He posted a 1.16 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.
Sewald recorded his seventh save on Thursday against the Padres. He has allowed just one run while striking out 11 in 10 1/3 innings of work since coming off the injured list.
Phillips has made just one save since coming off the injured list. He gave up three runs in a no-save situation against the Pirates on Thursday, then bounced back with a scoreless outing against the Rangers on Tuesday. Blake Treinen has excelled in a setup role after missing all of last season, throwing 11 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts to just two walks.
Iglesias threw two scoreless games against the Nationals, recording his 16th save of the season. The 34-year-old right-hander posted a 2.22 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP despite a 17.9 percent strikeout rate, the lowest of his career. He was able to limit damage by suppressing hard contact, only giving up one fired ball.
Doval had a big week on the mound, adding three saves to give him 12 on the year. He has struggled with some inconsistency this season, posting a 3.62 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.
No defense from the Rays bullpen this week. Fairbanks threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout against the Orioles on Sunday. Jansen pitched two scoreless innings with five strikeouts to come away with the win against the White Sox on Sunday, then converted his 10th save on Wednesday against the Phillies.
Finnegan continues to impress on the mound. He converted three saves and picked up a win this week. He has as many as 19 saves with a 1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. Hunter Harvey has been excellent in a setup role, recording 20 holds. Both Harvey and Finnegan could be trade targets for contending teams at the deadline.
Bednar made two saves this week, putting him at 14 this season. Despite giving up a solo home run on Tuesday, he has been excellent over the past six weeks after struggling in April. Since the beginning of May, he has posted a 1.96 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings while converting nine of his 14 saves.
Level 4: there are advantages here
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
José Alvarado/Jeff Hoffman – Philadelphia Phillies
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Tanner Scott-Miami Marlins
Yimi Garcia – Toronto Blue Jays
Jason Foley – Detroit Tigers
Alexis Díaz – Cincinnati Reds
Díaz is expected to return from the injured list on Thursday after missing the last three weeks with a shoulder injury. Hopefully the time off can help get the veteran back on track. He converted just five saves with a 5.40 ERA in 20 innings. Coach Carlos Mendoza stated on Wednesday that Díaz will be closer to his return, after the team used a committee in his absence.
Alvarado was charged with a save on Sunday against the Mets, then bounced back with his 12th save on Tuesday against the Red Sox. Hoffman made just one appearance, recording four strikeouts in a clean start. And playing as Milwaukee’s closer, Megill had an excellent week, recording three saves. He’s up to 11 years old with a 1.89 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings. Devin Williams began a throwing program last month, but there has been no update on the status of his return.
Scott pitched multiple innings in both games this week, first recording five strikeouts to earn a win against the Guardians and then converting a two-inning save against the Mets. He has now thrown 20 scoreless innings with 23 strikeouts to nine walks while converting seven saves since April 16.
García has assumed the closer role in Toronto while Jordan Romano remains sidelined with an elbow injury. He converted two saves and picked up a win this week. The 33-year-old right-hander is having an excellent season, posting a 1.98 ERA, a 0.66 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings while recording five saves.
Foley pitched two scoreless innings this week but was held without a save. The Tigers haven’t presented the bullpen with many defensive chances lately. Foley has converted three of the team’s four total saves over the past month. In Cincinnati, Díaz gave up a run against the Cubs on Friday but held up his 13th save before picking up No. 14 in a scoreless draw against the Guardians on Wednesday.
Tier 5: Just Surviving
James McArthur – Kansas City Royals
Carlos Estévez – Los Angeles Angels
Héctor Neris – Chicago Cubs
McArthur made his 12th save against the Guardians on Thursday, then took the loss with two runs allowed against the Mariners on Sunday. Although he demonstrated excellent control with just five walks on the season, the limited strikeout upside and susceptibility to hard contact made McArthur a more volatile player. In Anaheim, Estévez has been pitching well lately, with four straight perfect games. He got a clean win on Sunday against the Astros. And after picking up a save against the Reds on Sunday, Neris wasted a save on Tuesday with four runs allowed against the Rays. He allowed another save on Wednesday, but held on for the tenth season.
Level 6: if you need it
Michael Kopech-Chicago White Sox
Tyler Kinley – Colorado Rockies
Injured
Devin Williams – Back
Jordan Romano – Elbow
Robbery Department
The leaders in stolen bases this week come from Boston, with Jarren Duran and David Hamilton stealing four bases each. Duran added two home runs on the week and is slashing .270/.337/.460 with five homers, 44 runs, 28 RBI and 15 steals in 310 plate appearances. More intriguing for those looking for speed, Hamilton is still widely available in 70% of Yahoo leagues. He hit his fourth home run of the season on Wednesday and is hitting .298/.351/.476 with 21 runs scored, ten RBI and 13 steals in just 134 plate appearances. He should be played in many more leagues. Milwaukee outfielder Garrett Mitchell is rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues and could represent solid stock in deep leagues. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since spring training due to a broken finger. He could be on track to return to the team next week and has interesting power/speed potential, contact issues aside.
