As the fantasy regular season winds down, my corner of the internet here at Waiver Relief begins to outlive its usefulness. This article’s structure and weekly frequency aren’t well-suited for the fantasy playoffs, as long-term projections give way to the immediacy of matchups and streamers. And so, this week’s issue is my penultimate article of the 2026 season; I’ll tie a bow on things next week.
Regardless, there were a few developments over the past seven days that should retain significance the rest of the way. As usual, I’ll recap the week in closer news and provide my updated waiver rankings for saves, holds, and SPRPs. Those rankings are particularly noteworthy this week, as they each have a new name holding down the #1 spot.
(stats updated through Thursday, 8/27)
Closer Updates
ARI
Two Diamondback pitchers nabbed a save this week – Juan Morillo and Kevin Ginkel – though neither is found on my closer rankings. That’s because, on Tuesday night, Justin Martinez made his first ninth-inning appearance since returning from the injured list last week. While that outing came with Arizona trailing 4-3, it only amps up the feeling that Martinez will retake his old closing gig in short order. Martinez looks as electric as ever, topping out over 102 mph despite his lengthy time off. The likes of Morillo and Brandyn Garcia may still be in the mix, but for rest-of-season saves, there’s no D-back I’d take over Martinez.
ATH
Official Waiver Relief My Guy Elvis Alvarado makes his way back to my closer rankings this week. Alvarado tallied a save in each of his last three appearances, including on back-to-back nights this Tuesday and Wednesday. While his top competition in Hogan Harris continued his erratic ways, Alvarado locked in. Across 11 appearances in August, he’s struck out 13 batters and allowed just two earned runs, good for three holds and a win along with those aforementioned saves. Crucially, he allowed just one home run in that stretch, mitigating the issue that saw him lose the job to begin with. There’s no reason Alvarado shouldn’t see the lion’s share of the A’s save chances for the remainder of the season.
CHC
Daniel Palencia was activated from the injured list last Friday. I noted in last week’s column that Palencia was no sure thing to take back over as closer due to the recent excellence of Jacob Webb, who at that point had registered four saves and two wins in his preceding six appearances. Palencia was indeed slotted into the seventh and eighth innings in his two looks since, including an unfortunate three-run outing on Tuesday in which he was pulled in favor of Webb. Alas, said “excellence” seems to have waned, as Webb put up his second stinker in a row, surrendering the game-winning two-run home run in the ninth to Ryan Waldschmidt.
In other words, while Palencia seems unready for the ninth, Webb has been unable to cement himself there either. Both pitchers simply linger on my watchlist for now, though Webb still has a decent edge until we at least see Palencia get a real shot.
KC
Yet another week passed that saw Nate Pearson perform well and Steven Cruz perform poorly. Cruz has been languishing through a rough patch for weeks now (4 ER, 8 baserunners last 4.1 innings), as Pearson has rocketed up the Royals’ bullpen hierarchy. While Cruz’s last appearance did come in a “save-like” situation (up 5-1 in the ninth), the ensuing struggles (3 hits, 2 ER) ought to preclude him from such spots moving forward. My money is on Pearson to pull away with the closer role down the stretch for Kansas City.
(I feel obligated to mention the fact that Craig Kimbrel matched Pearson with a save of his own this week… but let’s not even go there.)
MIA
Closer Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with nerve irritation. It’s a sad story for Fairbanks, as this has been an ongoing issue for a few years now. Expect the Marlins’ save chances to be split amongst Calvin Faucher, Michael Petersen, and Josh Ekness, with Faucher’s experience giving him the edge. This is a committee you really don’t want any part of other than in the most desperate of circumstances.
Saves – Top 10 (<=60%-rostered Yahoo)
Rising names among closers this week include Justin Martinez, Elvis Alvarado, and Nate Pearson.
- Mason Montgomery – PIT (27%)
- Tanner Scott – LAD (54%)
- Ben Joyce – LAA (23%)
- Yoendrys Gómez – MIN (38%)
- Justin Martinez – ARI (8%)
- Elvis Alvarado – ATH (5%)
- Jordan Romano – COL (13%)
- Grant Taylor – CHW (33%)
- Dylan Smith – SF (2%)
- Nate Pearson – KC (3%)
The Watchlist: Clayton Beeter (WSH), Steven Cruz (KC), Calvin Faucher / Michael Petersen (MIA), Jacob Webb / Daniel Palencia (CHC), Andrew Kittredge / Rico Garcia (BAL)
Temporary Add: Kodai Senga (NYM)
IL Stash: Félix Bautista (BAL), Carlos Estévez (KC)
Holds
Top 10 (<=10%-rostered)
Rising names among setup men this week include Bradgley Rodriguez, Jack Dreyer, and Edgardo Henriquez.
- Erik Miller – BOS (5%)
- Juan Morillo – ARI (7%)
- Tyler Wells – TB (9%)
- Jonathan Bowlan – PHI (3%)
- Bradgley Rodriguez – SD (4%)
- Jack Dreyer – LAD (5%)
- Edgardo Henriquez – LAD (1%)
- Dylan Dodd – ATL (5%)
- Tyron Guerrero – BOS (5%)
- Nate Lavender – NYM (3%)
Honorable Mention: Brooks Raley (PHI), Cam Booser (TB), Daniel Duarte (NYM), Gabe Speier (SEA), Colin Holderman (CLE)
SPRPs
Top 10 (Yahoo-eligible)
Rising names among SPRPs this week include Jack Dreyer, Sean Newcomb, and Hagen Smith.
- Mason Montgomery – PIT (27%)
- Jacob Latz – TEX (70%)
- Grant Taylor – CHW (33%)
- Didier Fuentes – ATL (12%)
- Tyler Wells – TB (9%)
- Bradgley Rodriguez – SD (4%)
- Jack Dreyer – LAD (5%)
- Yoendrys Gómez – MIN (38%)
- Sean Newcomb – CHW (4%)
- Hagen Smith – CHW (2%)
Honorable Mention: Jordan Hicks (CHW), Kodai Senga (NYM), Andrew Morris (MIN), Mason Fluharty (TOR), Tyler Holton (DET)
