In this week’s Saves and Steals, Mason Miller had an excellent week on the mound, collecting three saves. Ryan Helsley became the first closer to reach the 40-save milestone, something done just four times since 2019. And there’s still a month to go. In the steals department, the Cubs ran wild this week, with Dansby Swanson leading the way. But not a player on the team is hotter at the plate than Pete Crow-Armstrong.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Clase added two saves this week, recording his 39th of the season on Wednesday against the Royals. He’s now posted a 0.58 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts while issuing just eight walks across 62 1/3 innings. Ahead of Clase in the saves category is Helsley, who became the first closer to 40 saves this week with a pair of scoreless appearances.
Tier 2: The Elite
Kirby Yates - Texas Rangers
Mason Miller - Oakland Athletics
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Devin Williams - Milwaukee Brewers
Yates added two saves this week with two clean innings of work. He’s up to 24 with a 1.25 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts across 50 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, Miller comes in right behind Yates with 23 saves after picking up three this week. The 26-year-old right-hander has been a strikeout machine in the ninth inning, collecting 86 punchouts over 52 innings while posting a 2.08 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.
This tier, consisting of four of the five AL West teams, continues with Muñoz. He made two scoreless appearances, striking out five batters over two innings while adding his 19th save. In Houston, Hader picked up his 28th save on Sunday against the Orioles before taking the loss with an unearned run allowed against the Phillies on Monday. He’s now posted an excellent 1.65 ERA in the second half. And after pitching in five of seven days and giving up two runs for his first blown save, Williams has had a break this week with no save chances.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Clay Holmes - New York Yankees
Edwin Diaz - New York Mets
Kenley Jansen - Boston Red Sox
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Chad Green - Toronto Blue Jays
Iglesias fell in line for two wins and picked up his 28th save with three scoreless appearances. The 34-year-old veteran has yet to allow an earned run over 17 1/3 innings since the All-Star break.
Suarez added a win this week, then gave up a run in a non-save situation. After pitching on back-to-back days, Tanner Scott picked up a save for the team on Tuesday against the Cardinals. In New York, Holmes picked up a pair of saves with two scoreless appearances. He’s up to 28 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts across 53 innings.
Díaz gave up a solo homer, taking the loss against the Padres on Sunday. He then surrendered the go-ahead grand slam to Corbin Carroll in a blown save on Wednesday. Jansen also gave up a solo homer in a non-save situation, then bounced back with a save Wednesday. Meanwhile, Duran allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings, three earned, to take the loss in both of his appearances. And Green continues to get the job done in Toronto. He’s up to 15 saves after adding two this week while posting an impressive 1.65 ERA across 43 2/3 innings.
Tier 4: There’s Upside Here
Ryan Walker - San Francisco Giants
Seranthony Dominguez - Baltimore Orioles
Carlos Estévez - Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Alexis Díaz - Cincinnati Reds
Michael Kopech/Daniel Hudson- Los Angeles Dodgers
Justin Martinez - Arizona Diamondbacks
Lucas Erceg - Kansas City Royals
Edwin Uceta/Manuel Rodríguez - Tampa Bay Rays
Walker recorded two saves with a pair of scoreless outings. He’s up to four while posting a 1.95 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 90 strikeouts across 69 1/3 innings. Camilo Doval rejoined the team after a stint in Triple-A. He converted a hold and fell in line for a win this week. Still, walks continue to trouble the 27-year-old right-hander. It’s hard to envision Walker giving up the closer role to Doval through the end of the season. Another new closer, Dominguez, has now gone six-for-six in save chances since taking over the ninth-inning role in Baltimore after adding three saves this week.
Estévez still has just two saves since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline. He did make a pair of scoreless appearances. Meanwhile, Jeff Hoffman hasn’t seen a save chance since before the All-Star break. Finnegan gave up one run on Tuesday against the Yankees but held on for a save before adding his 34th on Wednesday against the Yankees. And Díaz joins Estévez and Finnegan, taking a step back in the rankings as home runs have given him trouble this month.
The Dodgers’ situation continues to be a fluid one. Five different relievers have converted a save for the team this month, with three recording multiple saves. Kopech snapped his 15-game scoreless streak, giving up a run against the Rays on Saturday. It was the only run he’s allowed over 13 1/3 innings since joining Los Angeles. He bounced back Wednesday with a save against the Orioles, striking out two in a clean inning.
Martinez gave up a solo homer against the Red Sox on Sunday but held on for a save before locking down his seventh of the season on Wednesday against the Mets. Erceg has been impressive since taking control of the closer role in Kansas City. He converted a pair of saves before blowing his first opportunity with the team, giving up a run against the Guardians on Wednesday. Still, he’s up to eight saves with a 2.88 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 50 innings.
In Tampa Bay, Manuel Rodríguez and Garrett Cleavinger picked up saves, with Uceta adding a win. It seems likely that Pete Fairbanks will miss the rest of the season. Uceta remains the most skilled reliever among those in the closer mix, but this could be a committee for saves over the final month.
Tier 5: Just Getting By
Porter Hodge/Jorge López - Chicago Cubs
Ben Joyce - Los Angeles Angels
Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
Jason Foley - Detroit Tigers
Tyler Kinley - Colorado Rockies
Chad Kuhl/Justin Anderson - Chicago White Sox
It was López who got the Cubs’ only save chance this week. He struck out two in a clean inning of work against the Marlins, with Hodge picking up the win. Joyce didn’t see a save chance with the Angels this week. As with most of the teams in this tier, it’s unlikely the team will see many save chances over the final month.
Faucher did get a save chance, striking out the side against the Rockies in Colorado on Tuesday for his fourth save. Meanwhile, Bednar picked up his 23rd save on Friday, then surrendered five runs against the Cubs on Wednesday. In Detroit, Foley added three saves for the Tigers. They came against the White Sox and Angels. Kinley picked up a save for the Rockies while Victor Vodnik remains on the injured list with right bicep inflammation. The White Sox designated John Brebbia for assignment. Who steps in as the team’s closer is irrelevant at this point, as the situation isn’t worth chasing for fantasy purposes.
Injured
Jordan Romano - Elbow
Pete Fairbanks - Right lat strain
Victor Vodnik - Biceps
Steals Department
Looking at the players atop the steals leaderboard over the last week, the Cubs were out to swipe some bags, with four players recording multiple steals. Dansby Swanson led the way across baseball with five steals over the last six days. It’s been an overall disappointing season for the 30-year-old shortstop. He’s slashing just .227/.302/.365 with 12 homers and 15 steals across 477 plate appearances. Swanson’s underlying numbers look incredibly similar to what we’ve seen across the previous three seasons, with the exception of an elevated ground ball rate. He’ll be a bounceback candidate and likely value in 2025 drafts. Nico Hoerner was four-for-four in steal attempts for the Cubs this week. Ian Happ got in on the fun with two steals. But the most impressive player on the team this week has been 22-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong. He’s 12-for-27 (.444) over the last week with two homers and three steals, including a four-for-four day at the plate with four runs scored against the Pirates on Wednesday. He’s still widely available in shallow formats (28 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues). In St. Louis, Victor Scott III is getting another shot with the team, he has three steals and a home run over his last five games.
