Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Giants make a change as Camilo Doval assumes closer role

NBC Sports

2 days ago

In this week's Closer Report, Camilo Doval has officially been named the Giants' closer as he supplants Ryan Walker. Daniel Palencia is taking advantage of his opportunity in Chicago. And the Diamondbacks get Justin Martinez back from the injured list. All that and more as we run down the last week in saves.
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Muñoz picked up a save with a perfect inning against the Astros on Friday, needing just seven pitches to secure his 17th of the season. The 26-year-old right-hander still holds a clean 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and a 28/8 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings.
Hader got his turn on Saturday and struck out the side against Seattle for the save. He then worked around a hit, collecting three more strikeouts to lock down his 14th save against the Athletics on Wednesday.
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Mason Miller - Athletics
Luke Weaver - New York Yankees
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Suarez had a busy week on the mound, pitching in four out of six games and picking up two saves. The 34-year-old right-hander is up to 17 this season with a 2.35 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 23/8 K/BB ratio across 23 innings. With Suarez getting the night off on Tuesday, Jeremiah Estrada stepped in for his first save of the season, striking out two batters against the Marlins.
Díaz recorded a save and a win this week as he extended his scoreless streak to 12 appearances. He's up to 11 saves with a 2.42 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 31/11 K/BB ratio across 22 1/3 innings.
Miller worked three straight games against the Phillies this week. His struggles continued Friday as he allowed three runs in a non-save situation. He got a save chance Saturday but allowed a game-tying homer before striking out the side. Miller finally came through with a scoreless outing Sunday, picking up his 12th save.
Weaver secured two more saves over the last week against the Rangers and Rockies, then worked a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Angels on Monday. The 31-year-old right-hander has recorded eight saves with a 0.73 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, and a 23/7 K/BB ratio across 24 23 innings. With Weaver getting a day off, Devin Williams stepped in for the save chance with a three-run lead and surrendered two runs before converting the save, his first since April 17. Weaver's role should be safe for the time being.
It was a mixed bag of results for Duran. He fell in line for a win Saturday against the Royals, then took a loss Sunday before bouncing back with a save against the Rays on Tuesday. Still, the 27-year-old right-hander holds a 1.07 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 30/11 K/BB ratio across 25 1/3 innings.
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
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
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Justin Martinez - Arizona Diamondbacks
Clase worked back-to-back games against the Tigers, picking up a save Friday with a clean inning before giving up two runs, one earned, in a non-save situation Saturday. He bounced back Wednesday with his 11th save, striking out one batter against the Dodgers.
Helsley held on for a save on Friday against the Diamondbacks despite giving up two runs. He then fell in line for a win with a scoreless inning Saturday and struck out two in a clean outing for a save Tuesday. The 30-year-old right-hander has converted 11 saves with a 3.32 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and a 21/11 K/BB ratio across 19 innings.
Scott is in the middle of a rough stretch, giving up nine runs over his last five outings. He blew a save Friday with three runs allowed against the Mets, then surrendered a lead in the eighth with four runs given up against the Guardians on Wednesday.
Hoffman gave up two runs to blow a save chance against the Padres last Thursday, then bounced back with saves on Monday and Wednesday against the Rangers. The 32-year-old right-hander has struggled this month, giving up 13 runs after taking a 1.17 ERA through April.
Megill secured three saves in five days over the last week, giving him ten on the season to go with a 2.45 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 20/11 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings. He's recorded seven saves this month after just three through April.
Chapman blew a save chance Tuesday against the Brewers, then pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation Wednesday. He remains at eight saves with a 2.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 29/8 K/BB ratio across 22 innings.
Fairbanks worked back-to-back saves against the Blue Jays this week, collecting two strikeouts over two scoreless innings. The 31-year-old right-hander is up to ten saves with a 2.05 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 22/12 K/BB ratio across 22 innings.
This is where Doval starts in the rankings after he was anointed the Giants' closer on Wednesday. Manager Bob Melvin stated Ryan Walker will take a step back into setup duties while Doval moves forward as closer. The 27-year-old right-hander has already recorded five saves and has not allowed a run over his last 19 appearances dating back to April 7.
Vest converted back-to-back saves on Monday and Tuesday against the Giants. After pitching in three of four games, Kahnle stepped in for the save Wednesday. Both relievers are up to seven saves, though Vest has been the preferred option over the last several weeks.
Finnegan was sidelined for a few days as he nursed some shoulder fatigue. Jorge López stepped in for a save on Saturday against the Giants. Meanwhile, Iglesias continues his inconsistent performance and he's struggled with home runs. He gave up a solo homer on Friday against the Padres to take the loss. And in Baltimore, Bautista had some better outings this week with two clean appearances, including his eighth save of the season Monday against the Cardinals.
Martinez returned for the Diamondbacks this week. He made his first appearance on Saturday against the Cardinals and surrendered two runs to blow the lead. While not the results he wanted, his velocity was back up to 100 mph. He made a clean appearance with one strikeout against the Pirates on Monday. Martinez should step into primary closing duties with Shelby Miller potentially mixing in if Martinez faces the tough part of a lineup in the eighth. AJ Puk is in the middle of his rehab from an elbow injury and is eligible to return on July 1.
Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs
David Bednar/Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates
Emilio Pagan - Cincinnati Reds
Jordan Romano - Philadelphia Phillies
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers
With Porter Hodge on the injured list with an oblique strain, Palencia has gotten the chance to run with the closer role for the Cubs. He's locked down four saves over the last eight days and holds a 1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a 21/7 K/BB ratio across 19 2/3 innings.
Bednar recorded two saves for the Pirates and has three of the team's last four as it seems he's becoming the preferred option for the ninth inning.
Pagan surrendered a run against the Cubs on Saturday before holding on for his 13th save. He allowed another run Monday in a non-save situation. In Philadelphia, Romano broke a nine-game scoreless streak with three runs allowed in a non-save situation against the Athletics on Friday, then bounced back with a save against the Braves on Tuesday.
Jansen made one appearance this week, working around two walks and striking out one batter for a save against the Marlins on Friday. The 37-year-old right-hander is up to 11 saves with a 4.96 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and a 16/5 K/BB ratio across 16 1/3 innings.
Estévez earned a win in his only outing this week as he recorded four outs and collected two strikeouts against the Twins on Sunday. And in Texas, Garcia has the last two saves and three on the season as he usurps Luke Jackson as closer.
Ronny Henriquez - Miami Marlins
Zach Agnos - Colorado Rockies
Jordan Leasure/Steven Wilson - Chicago White Sox
Henriquez was featured in last week's stash section and was given a chance to close out games this week. He picked up a win Saturday against the Angels, then converted a save with two strikeouts on Sunday. However, he gave up two runs to lose the lead when the team used him in the seventh and eighth on Wednesday. Calvin Faucher recorded the save. It's been a fluid situation all season, but Henriquez likely has the most upside of the group. Meanwhile, Agnos recorded one save for Colorado and Wilson locked down a save for the White Sox.
Aaron Ashby made his season debut for the Brewers this week after missing the beginning of the season with an oblique injury. The 27-year-old left-hander once showed promise as a starting pitcher but has been much more effective out of the bullpen. He's made two appearances, pitching three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. While Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe have the late innings locked down, Ashby could be in line for multi-inning outings that could be useful for strikeouts in deeper leagues.
The Angels could be getting a major bullpen upgrade with the addition of Robert Stephenson, who was activated from the 60-day injured list on Wednesday. The 32-year-old right-hander missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Stephenson struck out two in a clean inning of work against the Yankees in his first action back and could work his way into high-leverage work in short order.