Which American League Fantasy Baseball Closers are Trending Up and Down?

It's time for another fantasy baseball report on closers across the MLB.

We'll begin by looking at the American League in this story - here's the last update on the AL. Check back later for the National League closer report.

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Tigers

Tommy Kahnle leads Detroit with five saves, while Will Vest has three and Brant Hurter two.

Kahnle has worked the eighth inning in three straight games, although he got four outs in one of those games to claim a save. Vest has pitched in the ninth inning to start his last two appearances - he earned a win after tossing two innings in his last outing. Hurter pitched between the fourth-sixth innings in his last appearance.

There's still no clear closer in Detroit, and I'm not sure we'll get there all season. Kahnle is the most-owned fantasy asset, but none of this trio is rosterable outside deep leagues.

Guardians

Emmanuel Clase has eight of the team's 13 saves. Cade Smith has three saves.

Clase has settled in a bit after a rougher start to the season. He has saves in four straight appearances, and is starting to earn back some fantasy value after looking like a big draft bust early on.

Smith has been really good in the latter innings, but has worked the seventh inning in four straight outings. He'd only get save chances if Clase were unavailable.

Royals

Carlos Estevez has 11 of the team's 13 saves. He's converted six straight saves, has a 2.65 earned run average and has blown just two chances this year.

Estevez is the locked-in closer for Kansas City. Lucas Erceg (0.59 ERA and one save) is there if Estevez ever slips up or needs a break.

Twins

All of a sudden, Jhoan Duran has five saves. He was at just two saves at the last closer report.

Duran's saves of late has helped him become a much better fantasy asset. He'll get each save opportunity, unless he's pitched too much or is battling an injury.

White Sox

Brandon Eisert is still the only Chicago reliever with a save, and he has just one. He's also got a 4.80 ERA.

Nobody on the White Sox is worth rostering in any fantasy leagues. We'll see if anyone actually emerges as a legit fantasy asset over the course of the season - I doubt it happens.

Mariners

Andres Munoz has 13 of the team's 14 saves on the year. He's 1-0 and still hasn't allowed an earned run over 18 innings. Munoz has 25 punchouts over his time on the bump, and is one of the top fantasy relievers with those numbers.

Munoz has been stellar to start the season, and he's got the closer role locked down. The only times he won't get a save is if he's pitched several days in a row or is battling an injury.

Athletics

Mason Miller is the locked-in closer for the Athletics. He's 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA, but has 10 of the team's 12 saves. Miller has 26 punchouts over 13 2/3 innings to offset some of the runs he's allowed.

The Athletics are over .500 right now, which gives Miller some good fantasy value. He was a great fantasy asset last season despite the team not being that good, so their improvement this year is a fantasy boost for the closer.

Astros

Josh Hader has eight of the team's nine saves this season. He's 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 22 punchouts over 16 frames.

Hader is one of the top fantasy closers year in and year out, and this year is no different. He should contend for the No. 1 closer spot if the Astros can improve just a bit.

Rangers

Luke Jackson has eight of the team's 12 saves on the season. He's pitched just once since our last closer update, working a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in a lopsided win for Texas.

Jackson still looks to have the closer role to himself, but the Rangers' inconsistencies aren't helping his cause. After some recent struggles, Jackson is just a deep-league fantasy asset.

If he struggles again, Chris Martin or Robert Garcia are likely next in line for saves. This is a closer situation to monitor daily.

Angels

Kenley Jansen has seven of the team's nine saves. He's 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA though, and has nine strikeouts over just 9 1/3 innings pitched.

The veteran is dealing with an illness, but his fantasy stock is dropping because he's not getting many appearances. Jansen has pitched twice this month, earning a save in one game and then surrendering six runs in the other contest.

Jansen worked on May 2 and 3, but hadn't pitched since April 24 before that. Unless he gets more consistent work (even in non-save situations), Jansen is just a deep-league fantasy asset.

Yankees

Devin Williams still leads the Yankees with four saves. Luke Weaver has three saves, while Fernando Cruz has two.

Williams hasn't been working in the ninth inning. In his past five games and 4 2/3 innings, Williams has allowed three runs on a hit and four walks, but has eight strikeouts. He earned a win and got two holds over that stretch. Williams is still the most rostered Yankee reliever at 82%.

Since being named the closer for New York, Weaver has a save and a blown save across three games and innings. He's allowed a run on three hits and a walk, while striking out a pair. Weaver hasn't been able to take advantage of the opportunity.

Cruz hasn't been working too late in games, appearing between the sixth-seventh innings since Williams lost the closer role. His 29 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings, along with a 1.37 ERA still makes Cruz a decent fantasy option in deep leagues.

There's no clear leader for saves in New York. With that in mind, dropping Williams is still hard for fantasy owners to go through with. He needs to be held onto in deeper leagues for sure, and I'd do my best to keep rostering him in standard leagues because he was such a high draft pick.

Weaver could emerge as the closer too, so he's one to keep close tabs on. Really, this entire Yankees' bullpen is one to watch on a daily basis, because this is an ever-evolving situation.

Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman leads Boston with five saves, while Justin Slaten has three.

Slaten has worked in the eighth innings of both his appearances this month, and he's been tagged for five runs on six hits and a walk, while failing to record a strikeout.

Chapman has worked in the ninth innings in his past three appearances. He has just one appearance in May though, but did claim a save in that contest. Chapman allowed a run in his inning of work.

Chapman is the better fantasy asset, but with a lack of save opportunities, he's a better deep-league asset right now. His big strikeout numbers put him in the standard league mix at least.

Rays

Pete Fairbanks has eight of the 10 Tampa Bay saves. He's 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 13 punchouts over 14 1/3 innings.

In three games this month, Fairbanks has two saves, no runs or baserunners allowed and three punchouts. He's an underrated fantasy asset right now. 

Blue Jays

Jeff Hoffman has seven of the team's 10 saves, with Yimi Garcia adding two saves.

Garcia has a save this month, but also has allowed seven runs and blown two saves in his latest appearances.

Hoffman hasn't been much better, allowing six runs over his past two appearances. He has a save and a blown save so far in May.

Orioles

Felix Bautista has all six saves for the last-place Orioles. He's got a 1.80 ERA and 12 punchouts over 10 innings so far.

He has just one appearance in May, working a 1-2-3 inning with a punchout to get a save. Until the Orioles rack up more wins, Bautista's fantasy ceiling is capped.