It’s an abbreviated article this time around, as I’m heading out of town for the holiday weekend. It may have been that way regardless, as other than a few exceptions, there were no major shakeups at the backend of big league bullpens. Sorting through the last seven days of saves mostly generates a list of the better closers in baseball, each having a solid stretch.
Last week’s issue featured an extensive recap and waiver rankings, so feel free to pick through that first. Still, we’ve got a few new(ish) closers to cover, and just to prove I’m not entirely slacking, I dug deep for pitchers below 1%-rostered in this week’s Holds section.
(note: this week, stats are updated only through Friday 5/23)
Saves
Jordan Romano (PHI) (71%-rostered Yahoo)
This inclusion is obligatory, as the news of José Alvarado’s 80-game suspension for PEDs hit minutes before last week’s post.
Jordan Romano has been featured here the past few weeks and now officially enters the middle tier of fantasy closers. His turnaround in the past month has been remarkable, even including a rough night on Friday against the A’s.
Romano is heavily rostered at this point, but in any leagues where your opponents have been slacking, snatch him up.
Justin Martinez (ARI) (57%)
Justin Martinez was activated from the IL on Friday and should reassume his role as Arizona’s closer shortly, if not immediately. Notably, he topped 101 mph in his last rehab appearance and certainly seems back to full strength.
Martinez is actually quite under-rostered at 57%, and anywhere he was dropped due to his brief injury stint, he should be reacquired posthaste. That means go get him now.
Daniel Palencia / Ryan Pressly (CHC) (10% / 57%)
Daniel Palencia was featured here last week as one of my top pickups for holds leagues. Woops… sorta.
Turns out, as Porter Hodge hit the IL, Palencia took over in the ninth for the Cubbies. It didn’t go smoothly, as Palencia blew his first save chance on Monday, but he rebounded with a clean one on Wednesday.
As you can see, though, I’m pairing Palencia here with Ryan Pressly. It seems like only a matter of time until the Cubs slot Pressly back into his former role as closer. Since his apocalyptic meltdown on May 6th, Pressly has put up a solid-if-unspectacular 5.1 innings, allowing six baserunners while striking out five.
It’s a decent time to rent Palencia for the short term in deeper leagues, but my primary focus would be grabbing Pressly anywhere he was dropped. My secondary focus would be praying he doesn’t blow up your ratios at the first chance.
Holds (all <1%-rostered)
Bryan Baker (BAL)
I’ll admit that when scanning exclusively for sub-1% rostered relievers, Bryan Baker snuck up on me a bit. I knew he’d been good, but even I didn’t realize how good. No advanced stats necessary here – a 2.11 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 34.6% strikeout rate tell the story well enough.
Baker was one of just two Orioles with holds this week, and when evaluating his competition, it’s fair to say he’s been Baltimore’s best reliever in 2025 – and yes, that’s including Félix Bautista.
Jackson Rutledge / Cole Henry (WSH)
I’m having a bit of fun combining these two, but Jackson Rutledge and Cole Henry make for a pair of solid Washington relievers with SP eligibility.
Rutledge has been mentioned here before as a viable SPRP in deeper leagues. The counting stats haven’t been there thus far, but Rutledge is rising in the Nats bullpen, given poor performance of the likes of Jose A. Ferrer and Jorge López. Washington saw fit to give Rutledge the 10th inning on Thursday, and he rewarded them (and fantasy owners) with a W. He then went and followed that up with a clunker on Friday, but hey, we’re digging deep here after all.
Henry is climbing the SPRP rankings himself and may even crack my top 10. He notched his first two holds this week, and while his season stats are good, they would be phenomenal if not for one five-run blowup in late April. Those five are the only runs Henry has allowed all year.
Ronny Henriquez (MIA)
Marlin reliever Ronny Henriquez rounds out our foursome of sub-1%ers. While being a Marlin reliever at all certainly hurts his cause, Henriquez has been excellent enough to merit a mention here. He’s finally cemented himself in a high-leverage role in the Miami ‘pen, as his last week netted him a pair of holds with sparkling ratios.
Since he can’t exactly change the uniform on his back, let’s address the stuff Henriquez has control over. Besides his quality surface-level numbers, he possesses a 30.2% strikeout rate generated by elite 34.5% chase and 36.2% whiff rates. There’s a real chance that Henriquez ends up similar to Palencia, making his Waiver Relief origins in the Holds section before finding himself as a closer recommendation before long.
