The Fourth of July weekend is often thought of as the end of the season’s first half in some circles. Any way you look at it, this weekend is a good time to reflect on where your team is at this point and take a deeper dive into your closer situation.
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MLB Bullpen Report
If you are anything like millions of other fantasy players, your saves situation may continue to be volatile. Looking at major league bullpens, it is easy to see how that extrapolates into fantasy baseball. There are currently at least seven bullpens that are committees, and there are 16 teams (by my count) that have different closers on July 4 than they did on Opening Day.
No wonder I have a headache. Let’s jump in and take a look at the details.
AL East
The Ryan Helsley news is not good. Manager Craig Albernaz reported that he has elbow discomfort and was set to undergo further imaging. Who will close in his absence? It could be time for Yennier Cano to step back into the role; he does have 16 career saves, all with Baltimore. However, Tyler Wells got the first save chance on Friday night and converted. Could we have a committee here?
Boston: With a month to go until the trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox are a source of intrigue. If they decide to sell, they have several quality arms that might be interesting to contending teams, specifically, closer Aroldis Chapman and ace setup guy Garrett Whitlock. Chapman has 17 saves with a 30.0 K%; Whitlock has 13 holds and a save with a 28.8 K%. Both would be attractive if available, and Chapman shows no palpable signs of slowing down.
David Bednar is back in New York and locked down his 17th save on Friday night.
Louis Varland continues to do a great job in Toronto, where he now has 18 saves, a 0.96 ERA, and a 35.9% K%. Quietly, former closer Jeff Hoffman has performed well in a setup role, where he had a 0.75 ERA and a 35% K% in June. A name to keep an eye on as summer rolls on.
AL Central
The Chicago White Sox are playing musical chairs at the most important spot in their bullpen; when this happens, it means you do not have a reliable closer. Grant Taylor got the opportunity for a two-inning save on Thursday and blew it, allowing a walkoff homer to Bryan Rocchio. The Sox may be a year ahead of schedule, but a shoddy bullpen hurts their playoff chances. This will likely remain a committee with Taylor and veteran Seranthony Dominguez getting the most chances, with lefties Sean Newcomb and Bryan Hudson also being involved. Taylor has the best stuff of the four, but that does not necessarily mean he will close games. Hudson and Newcomb both blew saves on Friday night in a first-place showdown matchup with the Cleveland Guardians.
Quiet week for Cade Smith, who, before an appearance in a tie game on Friday night, had not pitched since last Sunday. He has a whopping 26 saves so far to go with his 3.05 ERA and 35.6% K%.
Kansas City: Alex Lange got his last save chance last Sunday, which he converted. Unless desperate for saves, avoid this bullpen for now. Would-be closer Carlos Estevez was shut down this week from throwing in his rehabilitation and received a platelet-rich injection. Not good.
AL West
It appears that the committee situation remains for the Athletics, who have had no save chances this week. Who will get the next? It’s a pick-your-own-adventure book right now. Could be Elvis Alvarado, Hogan Harris, or Mason Barnett. Barnett intrigues me the most of the three.
Jacob Latz continues to slam doors shut for Texas. He locked down two more this week to give him 18 on the season with great ratios: a 1.71 ERA, a sparkling 0.62 WHIP, and a 28.3% K%. Peyton Gray continues to impress in his setup role alongside veteran Jakob Junis.
NL East
Robert Suarez has elbow trouble, which has landed him on the IL. Raisel Iglesias is the clear closer here, with a terrific 1.53 ERA, 17 saves, and a 28.1% K%. Tyler Kinley has taken over Suarez’s setup role to work alongside lefty Dylan Lee. If you’re looking for holds and Kinley is available, he might be a good addition right now.
Washington: Despite Justin Lawrence and PJ Poulin earning saves this week, I still think the preferred option here is Clayton Beeter. We will watch how the team uses the bullpen over the next week.
NL Central
The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen figures to be a work in progress. Closer Daniel Palencia is progressing in his rehabilitation, but will not be activated until after the All-Star break. That leaves save situations to a committee of Jacob Webb and Caleb Thielbar; each has two saves.
Emilio Pagan returned from the IL this week for Cincinnati and seems to have been immediately thrust into the closer role. As of this moment, it appears that Tejay Antone and Caleb Ferguson will be his top two setup options.
Pittsburgh: a committee approach here, with Gregory Soto seemingly being demoted temporarily from the role. This could mean chances for Dennis Santana again. This is an interesting menagerie of pitchers: Mason Montgomery has wipeout stuff and the highest swinging-strike percentage in the bullpen (15.4%), but has control lapses and a 4.54 ERA. Veteran Yohan Ramirez has been good, and I would love to see the team find a set role for Carmen Mlodzinski, who could develop into a multiple-inning stopper given the chance.
Riley O’Brien continues to hold down the top job in St. Louis, running his total to 21 this week with two more clean saves. Lefty JoJo Romero earned his 20th hold this season this week for a surprisingly competitive Cardinals team in 2026.
NL West
It’s been a quiet week in Arizona for closer Paul Sewald. He notched a save on Monday night but has not pitched since then. Sewald has 19 saves despite a hefty 4.50 ERA. Kevin Ginkel and Jonathan Loaisiga remain the top setup options.
It looks like we are back to a full-blown committee in Colorado. Would-be closer Antonio Senzatela only pitched once this week, and in a non-save situation. Jimmy Herget got the save last Saturday night, and lefty Brennan Bernardino got a save on Wednesday and a win on Thursday. A potential name to watch here could be rookie Gabriel Hughes, a former first-round pick who will debut in the bullpen. We will see what happens. Hughes earned a 53-pitch save on Friday night in his major league debut.
Edgardo Henriquez has moved up the ladder for the Dodgers. There was word this week that Edwin Diaz is throwing bullpen sessions and could return shortly after the All-Star break. This could become one of the best and deepest bullpens in the game soon. Tanner Scott got his 12th save on Friday night.
In San Francisco, things have quieted down with the reemergence of Caleb Kilian to the closer role. He has earned two saves this week to run his season total to seven. Dylan Smith has worked himself into a setup role here with Erik Miller.
San Diego: Ace setup man Jason Adam hit the IL this week with a right shoulder strain. That could open the door for Bradgley Rodriguez to a setup role along with lefty Adrian Morejon. Mason Miller continues a spectacular season with an incredible 0.78 ERA and a whopping 50% K%. He’s like a video game cheat code.
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