Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds Rankings & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 4)

It amazes me how we have developments every week with these bullpens. You’d think these teams would want to have a steady ship in the backend of their pens, but that can’t happen with how volatile these relievers can be. One of my favorite parts about this article is stumbling into closers in my leagues. We’re hoping to do that again this week!

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Saves + Holds Rankings & Waiver Wire Targets

Closer Situations to Watch

These are bullpens we need to monitor.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Paul Sewald is inching closer to a return. We’ll discuss his timetable later. Kevin Ginkel has been the fill-in closer in his absence, recording three saves. He’s also blown two chances. Sewald is close enough to a return that we don’t need to worry about anyone else in this bullpen.

Colorado Rockies

This might be the only closer situation in which we have no clue what’s going on. Justin Lawrence started the year in high-leverage situations, but he’s got a 9.53 ERA and 2.12 WHIP. Tyler Kinley was the other guy in contention, but his 12.86 ERA and 2.86 WHIP are even worse. Guessing who gets the next chance is simply impossible right now, and a detriment to your health.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have the worst record in baseball, but they’ve settled into a closer. Michael Kopech has allowed just two runs across 9.2 innings, picking up the only two saves for this team.

Detroit Tigers

This is probably the last week we include Detroit because Jason Foley is running away with this job. He picked up his fifth save on Tuesday and has yet to allow a run this season. Alex Lange has fallen out of favor, posting an ugly 1.88 WHIP.

Kansas City Royals

Will Smith was supposed to be the closer coming into the year but his 12.50 ERA and 3.00 WHIP have cost him that job. Kansas City has chosen to go with James McArthur recently. He has recorded three saves and a win in his last five appearances.

Miami Marlins

It’s tough to read the Marlins since they only get one win a week, but Tanner Scott has two saves so far this season. The rest of the pen has been terrible. It appears Scott will keep this job for now after picking up nearly 20 saves last season.

Milwaukee Brewers

Talk about a difficult bullpen to read. We thought Abner Uribe stole this job, but he appeared in the fourth inning on Tuesday. He’s also posted a 7.71 ERA and 2.79 WHIP over his last four outings and has lost his grip on this role. Joel Payamps and Trevor Megill are next up because Devin Williams is still expected to miss at least another month or two. Payamps picked up a save on Wednesday, but this pen is still in flux.

Minnesota Twins

Jhoan Duran is steadily progressing in rehab and we haven’t gotten many chances without him. Griffin Jax has the only save for this team, while Brock Stewart leads the team with four holds. Those two have only allowed one combined run across 13.2 innings and should get more chances before Duran returns. We also saw Jax blow a save on Wednesday, so try to avoid this pen until Duran returns.

Oakland A’s

Oakland has the worst roster in baseball but they have an impressive reliever at the back end of their pen. Mason Miller has reached nearly 104 miles per hour (MPH) on the radar gun and is arguably the most valuable piece on this roster. He’s a must-roster player right now in fantasy, but don’t be surprised if he goes weeks without a save.

Philadelphia Phillies

This has been a frustrating bullpen. Jose Alvarado was the presumed closer coming into the season, but he’s been regularly featured in the seventh and eighth innings. He still leads the team with three saves but it looks like Jeff Hoffman will get some chances, recording a save last week. He’s also blown two saves, so keep an eye on who gets the next opportunity.

Seattle Mariners

This is a bullpen I thought we’d never include in this section. The sad thing is that Seattle is doing the smart thing, utilizing Andres Munoz in high-leverage situations. That has him featured in all parts of the game, with Ryne Stanek recording two saves. He looks like the ninth-inning guy whenever Munoz is used earlier, so don’t overlook him in fantasy leagues.

Texas Rangers

Texas has been in this section every week since I started writing this piece last season because we never know who the closer will be. Jose Leclerc has lost all high-leverage opportunities, posting a 9.00 ERA and 1.88 WHIP. Kirby Yates got the most recent chance, marking his seventh scoreless appearance this season. We also have David Robertson as one of the league leaders with six holds, allowing just one run across 9.1 innings. Yates and Robertson must be rostered until we see more over the coming weeks.

My Saves/Holds Rankings

Relievers on the Rise

Kirby Yates (TEX)

Texas has been in this article for two years. It looks like Kirby Yates might be the guy. He picked up the Rangers’ most recent save and has seven scoreless appearances this season. We saw him record 41 saves for San Diego a few years ago. He could be one of the best waiver wire adds of the season if he runs away with this gig.

Mason Miller (OAK)

We want to avoid this Oakland pen but Mason Miller has looked like their best player. He’s picked up three saves in his last four appearances and has recorded 15 strikeouts through eight innings.

Potential Closers on the IL

Felix Bautista (BAL): The O’s closer is out for the year after Tommy John surgery.

Jhoan Duran (MIN): Duran’s rehab is running ahead of schedule. The righty is expected to throw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Friday. He could return in the next two weeks if that goes smoothly.

Devin Williams (MIL): Williams will still miss the next two months with back issues.

Paul Sewald (ARI): Sewald completed his second bullpen session on Tuesday and could head out on a rehab assignment in the next two weeks if he progresses to batting practice this weekend.

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.