Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds Rankings & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 10)

This was one of the most exciting weeks for bullpens since the opening month. Numerous teams have gone in different directions this week, and it’s getting frustrating from a fantasy perspective. The last thing we want to see is a “closer by committee,” but we have a handful of teams using that method right now.

With that said, let’s get started and look at some of the developments for this week.

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Saves + Holds Rankings & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 10)

Closer Situations to Watch

These are bullpens we need to monitor.

Chicago White Sox

We’re pretty sure this is Michael Kopech‘s gig, but Chicago will remain in this section because they might finish with the fewest saves in baseball. The righty has only five saves to go along with two blown opportunities, recording just three saves since April 10. That’s a guy who needs to be on the waiver wire, especially since he might get dealt at the trade deadline.

Colorado Rockies

It appeared as though Jalen Beeks took over closing duties when he picked up three saves in four days last week, but the Rockies will do Rockies things. He’s only recorded one save since that stretch, allowing a run in four of his last six appearances. We saw Tyler Kinley receive the most recent save and appear in the ninth inning ahead of Beeks on Wednesday. We’d bet on Kinley getting the next chance, but these two might split the few chances this team will get going forward.

Detroit Tigers

Alex Lange getting demoted was shocking, and it should allow Jason Foley to get most of the saves as we advance. The only issue is that Detroit has been throwing him in high-leverage situations, with Foley recording just two saves since April 29. That’s not what you want to see from a closer, but it goes hand-in-hand with Detroit’s struggles.

Los Angeles Dodgers

This is Los Angeles’ last week in this section with Evan Phillips projected to come off the injured list (IL) this weekend. He’s one of the best closers in the game and it should move Daniel Hudson back to a set-up role.

Milwaukee Brewers

Trevor Megill leads the team with eight saves, but he’s allowed a run in three of his last six appearances and suffered a bruised elbow from a comebacker early in the week. He’ll need a few days off to recover, but he should resume closing duties until Devin Williams returns. We’ll remove Milwaukee from this section if Megill gets another save by next weekend.

New York Mets

We thought New York wouldn’t be in this article all season when Edwin Diaz returned from his ACL surgery, but the stud closer is back on the IL. He blew four of his last five save chances before landing on the IL with a shoulder issue, which could explain a lot. This has developed into one of the worst teams in baseball, but Reed Garrett and Adam Ottavino look like the best bets for saves until Diaz is ready to return.

Philadelphia Phillies

This situation gets murkier every week. Jose Alvarado led the club with nine saves, but he’s appeared in the eighth inning multiple times over the last few weeks. That has allowed Jeff Hoffman to record two saves over the last two weeks, but we’ve also seen Orion Kerkering and Gregory Soto pick up multiple saves. Those two aren’t in consideration, but this feels like a true committee, with Hoffman and Alvarado getting the most of the chances. We’d bet on Hoffman stealing this gig. We’ll talk about that later.

My Saves/Holds Rankings

Relievers on the Rise

Jeff Hoffman (PHI)

With Jose Alvarado struggling recently, Jeff Hoffman has recorded two saves over the last two weeks. He has four saves on the year, providing a 1.14 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 11.4 K/9 rate. He’s only surrendered one run since April 10 and has looked much steadier than Alvarado. He is a must-add player right now because you could stumble into an elite closer for one of the best teams in baseball.

Reed Garrett/Adam Ottavino (NYM)

This is a challenging situation to figure out because we haven’t seen a save since Edwin Diaz lost his job. Reed Garrett looked like the guy before allowing six runs last week, but he had a 0.72 ERA and 14.8 K/9 rate before those two ugly outings. He also recorded the most recent save on May 19, but Adam Ottavino is the most experienced of the two. He’s recorded double-digit saves in two of the last three years but has struggled to the tune of a 5.48 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. We’d bet on Garrett getting the next chance, but who knows?

Potential Holds Specialists

JoJo Romero, Hunter Harvey, Ryan Pressly, David Robertson, Scott Barlow, Matt Moore, Bryan Abreu, Aroldis Chapman.

Potential Closers on the IL

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

Devin Williams (MIL): Williams is finally making some steps in his rehab stint, doing some throwing over the last two weeks. He says he won’t return until around the All-Star break, which is still over a month away.

Evan Phillips (LAD): Phillips is rehabbing his hammy issue but has been featured in rehab games and could be back with the Dodgers by this weekend.

Edwin Diaz (NYM): Diaz suffered a shoulder impingement on Wednesday and will be on the IL for at least 15 days. We don’t have any updates outside of that but don’t look for the Mets to rush back their star closer with how poor they’ve looked recently.

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