In this week’s Closer Report, Riley O’Brien has solidified his status as the Cardinals’ top ninth-inning option. The Rays look to be turning to Bryan Baker. And Ryan Walker tumbles down the rankings with some unexpected usage. We break it all down and more as we run through the latest closer rankings.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Edwin Díaz – Los Angeles Dodgers
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Miller worked back-to-back save chances against the Red Sox over the weekend, striking out the side each time to convert a pair of saves. He then pitched the ninth on Wednesday with a six-run lead after the Padres added four in the top of the ninth, striking out two in a clean frame. Miller has faced 18 total batters so far and has struck out 13. This is complete domination. Meanwhile, Díaz locked down a save on Sunday, striking out one in a clean inning against the Nationals, then struck out the side on Tuesday against the Blue Jays for his fourth save.
Duran is up to four saves after converting two more this week. He’s been outstanding so far, giving up one earned run while striking out seven batters with no walks over 5 2/3. Muñoz also hasn’t issued a walk across four innings of work while collecting seven strikeouts. He is, however, still searching for his first save opportunity. They will undoubtedly come.
Smith has worked through the most trouble among this top tier. After pitching a clean inning in his first appearance, he had allowed at least one hit in each of his next five outings. He got back on track with two strikeouts in a perfect frame on Tuesday before falling in line for a win against the Royals. There’s nothing in the profile to suggest any cause for concern despite the crooked 6.43 ERA in the early going.
▶ Tier 2
Devin Williams – New York Mets
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Ryan Helsley – Baltimore Orioles
So far, so good for Williams. He’s made five scoreless appearances with a 7/2 K/BB ratio while converting a pair of saves. In Chicago, Palencia got on the board with his first save on Sunday against the Guardians. He’s scattered three hits with no walks and three strikeouts over three innings of work.
Bednar gave up a run against the Marlins on Saturday before holding on for the save with two strikeouts. He then pitched a clean inning with one strikeout on Tuesday against the Athletics for his fifth save. And coming in with the game tied in the ninth on Wednesday, he surrendered a run on two hits while striking out two to take the loss.
Chapman picked up a save against the Padres on Friday, striking out one batter in a scoreless inning. He then surrendered a run and took the loss on Saturday before bouncing back with his third save of the season on Tuesday against the Brewers on just six pitches. The 38-year-old right-hander has just three strikeouts over five innings. It’s likely just early-season noise as he’s generated an excellent whiff rate.
▶ Tier 3
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Pete Fairbanks – Miami Marlins
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Seranthony Domínguez – Chicago White Sox
Jordan Romano – Los Angeles Angels
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
Hoffman has done a great job at missing bats so far, collecting 15 strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings of work. He was charged with a loss and a blown save on Friday against the White Sox, though both runs allowed were unearned. He then surrendered a run against the Dodgers on Tuesday, striking out two in an inning of work before bouncing back with his second save of the season on Wednesday. All of the strikeouts early on are certainly a good sign for the 33-year-old right-hander.
Iglesias converted his first two saves of the season this week, including a five-out save against the Angels on Tuesday. He’s pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with a 5/0 K/BB ratio. Behind Iglesias, Robert Suarez has pitched six innings with no runs and seven strikeouts, recording two holds and a win.
In Milwaukee, Megill converted a pair of saves this week as he continues to work as the Brewers’ primary closer. He’s up to three on the season. Meanwhile, Abner Uribe has pitched exclusively in the seventh and eighth innings.
Fairbanks made one appearance this week, starting Sunday’s contest against the Yankees as the opener to make an early departure for the birth of his child. He surrendered three runs in the outing, but has otherwise been solid as the Marlins’ closer with two saves. Fairbanks will likely return on Thursday.
O’Brien makes a jump in the rankings as he’s solidifying his role as the Cardinals’ closer. The 31-year-old right-hander has been outstanding, tossing 6 1/3 scoreless frames with a 7/0 K/BB ratio, generating whiffs and ground balls for a great closer profile. O’Brien is up to three saves after picking up one in extra innings on Tuesday against the Nationals.
Pagán recovered nicely this week. He’s made four scoreless appearances since giving up four runs against the Pirates on April 1, picking up three straight saves and earning a win. That four-run outing came on the road, where he’s likely to be a bit more volatile, followed by his last four appearances on the road.
No save chances for Jansen and the Tigers this week. He made one appearance, recording the final out against the Cardinals on Saturday. Jansen has made just three appearances all season, giving up one run with five strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings.
Domíguez worked the final four outs against the Blue Jays on Friday, falling in line for a win. He then worked around two baserunners on Saturday before closing out the game for his first save of the season. Grant Taylor was considered one of the better closers-in-waiting coming into the year. He made three straight appearances as the team’s opener. That kind of usage won’t put him in line for any holds or saves.
Romano has paid off the late-round and waiver wire speculation. He locked down two more saves for the Angels this week, giving him four with seven strikeouts over five scoreless innings. The 32-year-old right-hander has pitched well enough to probably warrant a long look in the closer role, even when Kirby Yates returns from the injured list. This, of course, also hinges on Romano staying healthy.
Sewald had an up-and-down week, taking two losses and converting one save. It was an encouraging sign when his velocity came in at 92 mph to start the season. And he has the trust of manager Torey Lovullo. The velocity has fluctuated across Sewald’s outings, becoming much more hittable when he’s at 90 mph. Still, a 7/0 K/BB ratio across 4 1/3 innings will get the job done; it just might come with volatility.
▶ Tier 4
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Lucas Erceg – Kansas City Royals
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Dennis Santana/Gregory Soto – Pittsburgh Pirates
Bryan Abreu – Houston Astros
It seemed as though the Rays were holding Baker out of games to save him for a ninth-inning situation. Sure enough, he got two ninth-inning appearances this week, pitching in a tie game against the Twins on Sunday to fall in line for a win before converting his first save against the Cubs on Monday. Griffin Jax’s struggles aside, Jax’s usage never suggested that the closer role, or a significant share of it, was his to lose. As well as Baker is pitching, he’s a great pickup for fantasy managers looking for a shot at saves from a relatively skilled reliever.
In Kansas City, Erceg gave up two runs in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Sunday, then bounced back with a clean inning against the Guardians on Monday for his third save of the season. He hasn’t pitched particularly well enough to feel confident he’ll hold the closer role all season, but take the saves while they’re there.
Walker’s usage has taken an unexpected turn early on. In last week’s edition, I highlighted Keaton Winn and Caleb Kilian as possible save specs behind Walker after he was used in the sixth inning. Walker made another appearance before the ninth inning this week, pitching the seventh and eighth with a four-run lead against the Phillies on Tuesday. Winn pitched the ninth in a non-save situation. The Giants haven’t had many save situations, so it warrants monitoring, but this may end up more of a committee under first-year manager Tony Vitello.
The Pirates seem to be going with a full matchup-based committee. Soto converted his first save last Friday against the Orioles with a clean inning of work, with Santana pitching the eighth. Santana got the ninth the next day with the game tied and fell in line for a win. Soto has been the more impressive of the two, striking out 13 batters over 7 1/3 innings.
Abreu is still here only by the fact that the Astros continue to give him ninth-inning looks, though that may not be far off if his struggles continue. He’s yet to pitch a scoreless inning this season, giving up at least one run in all five appearances for a 19.64 ERA. Bryan King would be the next reliever to speculate on for saves until Josh Hader returns, likely sometime next month.
▶ Tier 5
Jakob Junis/Cole Winn – Texas Rangers
Cole Sands/Taylor Rogers/Justin Topa – Minnesota Twins
Victor Vodnik – Colorado Rockies
Clayton Beeter/Cole Henry – Washington Nationals
Hogan Harris/Mark Leiter Jr./Justin Sterner – Athletics
The Rangers recorded three saves this week, none by Robert García or Chris Martin. It was Junis who stepped in for back-to-back saves before Winn picked up his first on Wednesday against the Mariners. Neither reliever has much strikeout upside and isn’t worth chasing in such a fluid situation, outside of the deepest of leagues. The same can be said in Minnesota, where Cody Laweryson, Justin Topa, and Kody Funderburk each recorded a save.
Relievers on the rise/Stash candidates
Hunter Bigge (RHP) – Tampa Bay Rays
Hunter Bigge could be working his way up the leverage ladder in Tampa Bay. He recorded the final two outs in the seventh before pitching a clean eighth on Monday against the Cubs, with Bryan Baker taking over for a save in the ninth. Bigge probably has some of the best stuff in the Rays’ bullpen. He had an excellent spring, striking out 12 over seven innings. The 27-year-old pitched just 15 innings last season after he suffered an unfortunate injury when he was struck in the face by a foul ball.
Antonio Senzatela (RHP) – Colorado Rockies
I can’t believe I’m going here, but Antonio Senzatela has actually been good out of the bullpen for the Rockies. He helped put the Astros away on Tuesday with 2 2/3 perfect frames to come away with a save. The 31-year-old right-hander has now pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings on the season with a 9/1 K/BB ratio. Senzatela has fully shifted to a relief role this season, and it’s brought with it a significant rise in his fastball velocity. It hasn’t necessarily translated to more whiffs yet, but he is getting batters to chase outside of the zone at a far higher rate while showing excellent control. There’s nothing to act on yet for fantasy purposes, but he’s someone to keep an eye on if he starts working shorter, one-inning stints in high-leverage.
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