Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Luke Weaver sidelined, Devin Williams steps back in as Yankees closer

NBC Sports

2 days ago

In this week's Closer Report, Devin Williams is getting another ninth-inning audition with the Yankees as Luke Weaver heads to the injured list with a left hamstring strain. And in Chicago, Daniel Palencia is making the most of his opportunity as the Cubs' closer.
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Hader locked down two more saves this week, striking out two batters in a clean frame each time out. The 31-year-old left-hander sits alone at the top of the rankings with a 1.38 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and a 39/6 K/BB ratio across 26 innings while going a perfect 16-for-16 in save chances.
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Mason Miller - Athletics
Muñoz surrendered his first runs of the season, giving up three runs to blow the save chance on Friday against the Twins. He followed with another blown save on Sunday, giving up one run on a walk and a hit. Still, he struck out two batters each time out and should get back on track.
Suarez had a big week on the mound, picking up two saves and a win over four games. With the night off on Tuesday, Jeremiah Estrada stepped in to pick up his second save in extras against the Giants. Suarez is up to a league-leading 19 saves with a 1.98 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 29/8 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings.
Díaz added two saves against the Rockies, striking out the side in both appearances. Then, pitching for the third time in four days, he gave up a run on two hits to blow a save against the Dodgers on Monday.
Duran made two clean appearances against the Mariners, picking up a win on Friday before pitching in a non-save situation Saturday. The 27-year-old right-hander now has a 0.95 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 34/11 K/BB ratio across 28 1/3 innings.
Clase continues to chip away at his ratios, tossing two more scoreless innings this week for a pair of saves. The 27-year-old right-hander is up to 13 saves on the season with a 3.96 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 26/5 K/BB ratio across 25 innings.
Miller made just one appearance this week, striking out one batter in a clean inning against the Blue Jays. He has just three saves since the start of May as the Athletics have completely fallen apart, winning just seven games since May 1.
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants
Will Vest/Tommy Kahnle - Detroit Tigers
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Devin Williams - New York Yankees
Justin Martinez - Arizona Diamondbacks
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Emilio Pagan - Cincinnati Reds
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Helsley struck out two batters in a perfect inning for a save in his lone appearance this week, picking up his 13th of the season to go with a 3.00 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and a 23/11 K/BB ratio across 21 innings. Meanwhile, Scott took a loss on Monday, giving up two runs in the tenth inning against the Mets. He then came back with a scoreless frame on Tuesday, striking out two and falling in line for a win.
Megill locked down back-to-back saves in a pair of scoreless outings against the Phillies and Reds. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted 12 saves with a 2.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 22/11 K/BB ratio across 20 1/3 innings. A couple of three-walk outings have inflated his walk rate, but Megill's skills are right in line with where he was last year when he posted a 2.72 ERA with 21 saves.
Chapman pitched three times in five days, striking out four batters over three scoreless innings while picking up one save. He's up to nine with a 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 33/9 K/BB ratio across 25 innings. In Tampa, Fairbanks tossed a clean inning against the Rangers in a non-save situation on Tuesday and converted his 11th save on Wednesday.
Doval had made 21 consecutive appearances without allowing a run going into Tuesday's contest against the Padres. He broke that streak, giving up two runs to blow the save chance. He had locked down two saves earlier in the week after being named the team's closer going forward. Doval should continue to operate as the primary ninth-inning reliever in San Francisco. With Doval getting the night off Wednesday, Ryan Walker stepped in for the save chance but allowed two runners on with one out before Randy Rodríguez cleaned up the inning for his first career save.
Vest converted two save chances for the Tigers in the last week. He gave up a run against the Royals on Friday before working a clean inning for his ninth save on Sunday. Vest then pitched the seventh and eighth on Wednesday against the White Sox, falling in line for a win before Kahnle recorded his eighth save.
Hoffman gave up a two-run homer against the Athletics on Saturday but held on for his 13th save before striking out two in a clean inning during a non-save situation on Sunday.
In New York, Luke Weaver was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain he suffered while warming up to enter a game on June 1. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Devin Williams is set to step back into the closer role for the Yankees. He's struggled in save situations this year and gave up a run against the Guardians on Tuesday before recording the save.
Martinez struck out two in a perfect inning against the Nationals on Sunday for a save. He then worked a five-out save against the Braves on Wednesday, giving up one run on four walks while striking out four batters. Meanwhile, Bautista recorded saves on back-to-back days against the White Sox, then tossed a clean frame in a non-save situation against the Orioles on Tuesday.
Palencia has been impressive in his run as the Cubs' closer. He added another save this week with a clean outing against the Reds on Saturday. The 25-year-old right-hander may not give up the role even when Porter Hodge returns from the injured list. He's posted a 1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 22/7 K/BB ratio across 20 2/3 innings.
Finnegan gave up one run before holding on for a save on Friday against the Diamondbacks, then converted his 17th of the season Wednesday against the Cubs. Meanwhile, Pagán recorded the final two outs against the Cubs on Friday, then pitched a scoreless inning against the Brewers on Tuesday for his 15th save.
Estévez worked a pair of scoreless innings to record two more saves. He's up to 17 with a 1.71 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 25/11 K/BB ratio across 26 1/3 innings. The 32-year-old right-hander has allowed just one run over his last 15 1/3 innings.
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
David Bednar/Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels
Jordan Romano - Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers
Iglesias pitched in two non-save situations. He allowed a run against the Phillies last Thursday before pitching a clean inning against the Red Sox on Sunday. The 35-year-old right-hander has struggled to a 5.79 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 25/5 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings.
Bednar pitched two clean innings in non-save situations against the Padres, then converted his seventh save with two strikeouts in a scoreless frame against the Astros on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Jansen gave up a run in a non-save situation against the Guardians on Friday, then pitched back-to-back days against the Red Sox for a save and a win.
In Philadelphia, Romano worked around three walks and a hit last Thursday before holding on for the save against the Braves. He then gave up one run in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Sunday and took the loss with a run allowed against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. For the Rangers, Garcia continued to be the presumptive closer despite no save chances this week.
Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez - Miami Marlins
Zach Agnos - Colorado Rockies
Jordan Leasure/Steven Wilson - Chicago White Sox
Bryan Baker has been excellent for the Orioles all season, posting a 2.67 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and an outstanding 35/6 K/BB ratio across 27 innings. The 30-year-old right-hander is throwing harder than he ever has and generating a career-high 14% swinging strike rate. Baker has two holds and a save in the last week as the Orioles start to string together some wins. He's likely elevated himself to the next-in-line for saves behind Félix Bautista.
While Devin Williams is in line to work most save chances for the Yankees in Luke Weaver's absence, he hasn't exactly seen the most success in that role this season. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on Mark Leiter Jr. and Fernando Cruz. Both have recorded a pair of saves this season while generating strong strikeout rates. Cruz was activated from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday after missing a couple of weeks with a shoulder issue.
If the Nationals become sellers at some time this summer, we may finally see the team move on from Kyle Finnegan. With Jorge López out of the picture, after he was released, the door would be wide open for someone to step in to close. Cole Henry could be a name to watch over the next two months. The 25-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 22/10 K/BB ratio across 21 2/3 innings.