It seems like every intro to this article lately is some variant of “boy, it sure was a wild week in bullpens” but boy, it sure was a wild week in bullpens. In the last few days we saw a quartet of star closers hit the injured list and multiple high-profile names fall out of favor. On the bright side, my job security has never been higher.
This week, I’ll recap the latest in closer news, including those aforementioned injuries. In an attempt to answer as many “Player X vs Player Y” questions as possible, I’ll follow this up by ranking all available closers, along with setup men and SPRPs for holds leagues.
(stats updated through Thursday, 4/23)
Closer News (by team)
ATL
Up first on our list of teams with injured closers, the Braves placed Raisel Iglesias on the injured list on Tuesday with right shoulder inflammation. Reports indicate Iglesias is likely to return as soon as he’s eligible in early May. In the meantime, elite backup Robert Suarez will have his old job back in full. Suarez is already so heavily rostered as to not qualify for discussion here, but is certainly worth the pickup where available.
CHC
Closer Daniel Palencia hit the injured list last Friday with a left oblique strain. The latest prognosis sounds as though Palencia will only be on the shelf for a few weeks, so he’s an easy IL stash. Caleb Thielbar briefly took on the role, only to exit Thursday’s game with hamstring tightness. With Thielbar, Phil Maton, and even Hunter Harvey all banged up, there aren’t any Cub relievers worth chasing for saves in Palencia’s absence.
COL
Victor Vodnik has given up seven earned runs in his last two appearances, five of which came in a blown save against the Padres on Thursday. The Colorado bullpen isn’t exactly loaded with high-end options, but Jimmy Herget is worth considering. Herget was quietly solid in 2025 (2.48 ERA) and is off to a good start in 2026, allowing just two earned runs with a 11:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 12 innings. Herget (and perhaps Brennan Bernardino) should be considered watchlist material in 15-team leagues; Vodnik, meanwhile, is droppable just about anywhere.
LAA
Jordan Romano seemingly lost his grip on the closer role after a pair of poor outings, but his replacement Drew Pomeranz blew his first chance against Toronto on Tuesday. Pomeranz still has a slight edge for Angels saves, but we may see someone like Sam Bachman enter the conversation soon. The real play here is probably just to stash Kirby Yates in an IL spot and hope he takes over when he returns. Yates made a rehab appearance in Triple-A on Wednesday and should be rejoining the team shortly.
LAD
Edwin Díaz is set to undergo elbow surgery and likely won’t pitch again until August, making him droppable unless you can really spare that IL spot. Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia are the two Dodgers to roster, and should be picked up wherever they’re available. I’ll give a 70/30-ish edge to Scott here given his closing experience and the fact that he notched the save in Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Giants. If either does end up running away with a heavy share of the ninth inning, Scott’s the best bet.
NYM
Different borough, same story. Just like in 2025, Devin Williams seems to be allergic to the ninth inning in New York, pitching to the tune of a 10.29 ERA and 2.86 WHIP so far this season. It’s time to grab Luke Weaver where you can in case Williams doesn’t figure things out immediately. Seeing as Weaver has hardly been dominant himself (5.40 ERA, 16.7 K%), Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazobán can be considered watchlist material in deep leagues as well.
PHI
A la Daniel Palencia, Jhoan Duran was also placed on the injured list this week with a left oblique strain. Fortunately, like Palencia, it sounds as though Duran should only miss a couple weeks. In the meantime, Brad Keller should see the bulk of the Phillies’ save chances. Keller is worth adding in any league until Duran returns.
TOR
Manager John Schneider’s stubbornness seems to have worn off, as Jeff Hoffman sounds like he’ll finally be replaced as the Blue Jays’ closer. Hoffman had the day off on Wednesday to discuss his role with the team. I’m not exactly a relationship guru, but I can tell you that “we need to talk” never ends well. Louis Varland (1.36 SIERA, 34.8 K-BB%) has been one of baseball’s best relievers this season, and figures to take over the role with aplomb. Varland is this week’s best pickup among all relievers, and immediately claims the top spot on my rankings to follow.
Saves – Top 10 (<=60%-rostered Yahoo)
Recent graduates from this list include Riley O’Brien (82%), Abner Uribe (65%), and Paul Sewald (72%).
- Louis Varland – TOR (26%)
- Lucas Erceg – KC (42%)
- Bryan Baker – TB (31%)
- Tanner Scott – LAD (44%)
- Alex Vesia – LAD (39%)
- Jakob Junis – TEX (28%)
- Joel Kuhnel – ATH (26%)
- Clayton Beeter – WSH (11%)
- Drew Pomeranz – LAA (9%)
- Gregory Soto – PIT (24%)
The Watchlist: Luke Weaver (NYM), Gus Varland (WSH), Jimmy Herget (COL), Jack Perkins (ATH), Keaton Winn (SF)
Temporary Adds: Brad Keller (PHI), Enyel De Los Santos (HOU)
IL Stash: Kirby Yates (LAA)
Holds – Top 10 (<=5%)
Recent graduates from this list include Caleb Thielbar (22%), Louis Varland (26%), and Dylan Lee (6%).
- Anthony Nunez – BAL (2%)
- Keaton Winn – SF (3%)
- Brooks Raley – NYM (2%)
- Caleb Kilian – SF (1%)
- Tyler Wells – BAL (2%)
- Yennier Cano – BAL (1%)
- Braydon Fisher – TOR (3%)
- Daniel Lynch IV – KC (<1%)
- Jack Dreyer – LAD (4%)
- Cole Winn – TEX (4%)
Honorable Mention: Mason Montgomery (PIT), Brent Headrick (NYY), Greg Weissert (BOS), Will Klein (LAD), Sam Bachman (LAA)
SPRPs – Top 10 (Yahoo-eligible)
Rising names among SPRPs this week include Grant Taylor, Ben Brown, and Jack Perkins.
- Tyler Wells – BAL (2%)
- Jack Dreyer – LAD (4%)
- Tyler Holton – DET (10%)
- Kai-Wei Teng – HOU (1%)
- Jacob Latz – TEX (2%)
- Grant Taylor – CHW (7%)
- Tyler Alexander – TEX (9%)
- Ben Brown – CHC (3%)
- Tobias Myers – NYM (2%)
- Jack Perkins – ATH (<1%)
Honorable Mention: Drew Pomeranz (LAA), Jimmy Herget (COL), Antonio Senzatela (COL), Blade Tidwell (SF), Cole Sands (MIN)
