We are heading into the last week of June, and bullpens around baseball are evolving, and in some cases, disintegrating.
There are some intriguing, evolving situations to watch, especially with the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. And the Arizona Diamondbacks are now on their third closer of the year due to two devastating elbow injuries. Some other teams cannot decide if they even have a closer, like the Chicago White Sox and the Colorado Rockies.
Let’s dive in and take a look at the situations as well as the wreckage.
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Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Boston: Greg Weissert has gotten two saves this week despite veteran Aroldis Chapman being the clear closer. Chapman has 13 saves and a 1.45 ERA and 36.4% K%. Weissert has three saves now to go with his 2.65 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Weissert and Garrett Whitlock remain the top setup options.
New York: Luke Weaver is set to return this weekend (and may have already been activated before this comes out), while Devin Williams has been outstanding in June as the closer. Best guess, as stated on the Fantasy Baseball Beat this week, is that Williams remains in the closer role while Weaver moves back to the highest leverage role in the bullpen. Just my hunch, and we all know my hunches have been wrong in the past.
AL Central
Emmanuel Clase keeps rolling in Cleveland. He has 16 saves and a 3.69 ERA with a relatively paltry 23.8% K%. The Guardians have three relievers with at least 10 holds: Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith, and lefty Tim Herrin.
Grant Taylor could get some save chances in Chicago. There is no clear-cut closer or pecking order here. Do not be surprised if he starts getting chances by the end of this month. The White Sox have lost most of their close games and have been using a committee approach of Brandon Eisert, Steven Wilson, and Dan Altavilla, which has largely been unsuccessful.
Will Vest and Tommy Kahnle in Detroit continue to be the top two choices there. Vest is the closer right now and has shown no signs of slowing down, other than having a minor finger injury earlier this week. Vest has 12 saves, and Kahlne has eight saves and nine holds. Vest is a higher octane performer and looks to remain in the closer role.
AL West
Josh Hader continues his run of dominance in Houston. He has four wins and 18 saves on the season. Hader sports a 1.67 ERA and a whopping 40/.7% K%. Continue to use with the highest level of confidence.
Kenley Jansen does what he does: earns saves while throwing cutters 82% of the time. It is truly remarkable. He has 15 saves despite a 4.56 ERA and an average 22.7% K%. Reid Detmers has quietly become a significant weapon in the Los Angeles bullpen, with a zero ERA, a 0.75 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts in eight June innings. He could be their next closer if Jansen becomes a commodity at the trade deadline, or he could even be dealt himself as well.
Texas is a closer committee with Robert Garcia and Luke Jackson. Garcia blew a save last weekend, which led to Jackson getting a chance on Sunday, which he converted. I would avoid this situation unless desperate for saves.
NL East
Raisel Iglesias should remain the top option in Atlanta, simply because they don’t seem to have a better choice. Several folks have reached out to me speculating about Dylan Lee, but the preference seems to be to keep him in his current setup role, where he has a 1.91 ERA and 27.4% K%. Iglesias has thrown four run-free appearances in a row, generating four strikeouts and no walks over that period. Yes, it is a small sample size, but the signs are pointing in a more positive direction for the veteran closer.
Unrest in Philadelphia: Jordan Romano was the thought most had when it came to closing after the suspension of Jose Alvarado, but that hasn’t materialized with an ERA approaching 7, despite earning eight saves. This week, it has been a committee of lefty Matt Strahm and righty Orion Kerkering. Both have two saves. Kerkering also added a win and a hold. Both have been good in June, but Kerkering has been slightly better, avoiding hard contact despite a lower-than-average strikeout rate. I guess that situations will dictate who gets used and when for the next couple of weeks, unless someone separates themselves.
NL Central
Revisit Chicago: Daniel Palencia had taken the reins here, and then Ryan Pressly reentered the picture with a save last weekend. Not to worry; Palencia rebounded with two more saves this week, running his total to seven on the season. I still think Pressly will be heard from here at some point, but I have no way of knowing when that will be. Pressly has been spotless in eight June appearances.
Emilio Pagan has been a revelation in Cincinnati, helping keep the Reds afloat in a tumultuous NL Central. The veteran has 17 saves to go along with his 3.23 ERA and 31.4% K%. Tony Santillan and Scott Barlow have been the key setup men lately.
Is Ryan Helsley on the hot seat in St. Louis? It looked that way this week, but he was called upon for the save opportunity in a doubleheader Thursday afternoon, and grabbed a save in one of the games. Rookie Andre Granillo earned a win (in the game Helsley saved) and a save in the other. Granillo could work his way into a higher leverage role here. The Cardinals do have three relievers with at least 10 holds so far: Phil Maton (14), Kyle Leahy (12), and JoJo Romero (10).
NL West
Shelby Miller is the closer in Arizona, a team that has been snakebitten (see what I did there) by injuries. Justin Martinez just had Tommy John surgery and is lost for the rest of 2025 and most of 2026 as well. A.J. Puk is on the 60-day IL with elbow discomfort and was seeking a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache. which is never a good name to see in association with a pitcher. On Friday night, we learned that Ouk is having season-ending elbow surgery. Miller should remain the go-to guy in this bullpen, and he has been good at the job:Â a 2.10 ERA, a 26.2% K%, and seven saves and eight holds. Jalen Beeks and Ryan Thompson could get occasional chances depending on game situations and if Miller needs a day off.
Colorado: Seth Halvorsen seems to have stepped up and seized the closer role, notching two saves this week before blowing one Thursday night. Her has his ERA down to 4.45 with a 3.52 ERA this month. This team doesn’t have a better option, although veteran Jake Bird has shone with a 2.16 ERA and surprising 31.8% K%. Halvorsen has five saves on the year, and Bird has 10 holds.
Cracks in the armor for Robert Suarez in San Diego? The veteran has struggled lately: a worrisome 9.00 ERA and two losses in June, despite three saves. Now, much of that bloat is due to one horrific five-run outing last week in which he only retired one batter. Should the Padres decide to ease off Suarez for a bit, the best bets look to be Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada, who both have some experience in the closing role. Keep an eye on this one.
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