Fantasy Baseball Closer Report for American League Teams: Have Closers Emerged for the Rangers and White Sox?
Looking at closers from each American League team at the start of July.
After looking at how National League fantasy closers are faring, let's break down the American League closers.
Here's the last update we did on the AL.
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Yankees
Devin Williams appears to be the Yankees' closer for now.
He took a loss after allowing two runs in his last appearance, but got two saves in the three appearances before that. Williams is 2-3 with 11 saves and one blown save on the season. He has 39 strikeouts and a 5.17 earned run average over 31 1/3 innings.
Luke Weaver has pitched in non-save situations since returning from the injured list. He's allowed four runs over five appearances as well.
Williams is at 87% rostered, while Weaver is down to 58% The players will continue to trend in opposite directions with more saves from Williams going forward.
Blue Jays
Jeff Hoffman has been stellar of late and is the clear closer for Toronto.
He's up to 20 saves on the season. Hoffman has a 6-2 record and four blown saves. Over 36 1/3 innings, Hoffman has a 4.71 ERA and 50 strikeouts.
Hoffman is rostered in 94% of fantasy leagues. He'd get to 100% if he can continue putting up zeros and earning saves.
Rays
Pete Fairbanks has 15 saves on the season, with his last save coming on June 26.
He has a 3-2 record and two blown saves on the year. Fairbanks has a 2.45 ERA over 33 innings, along with 29 strikeouts.
Fairbanks is rostered in 75% of leagues, and will likely stick there. He doesn't get enough saves, or have the strikeout potential some other closers have, to be rostered in any more leagues.
Red Sox
Aroldis Chapman earned his 15th save on July 1.
He has a 3-2 record and just one blown save on the season. Chapman has a 1.29 ERA over 35 innings, along with 51 punchouts.
Chapman is a better fantasy asset despite playing on a weak team, with the big strikeout totals and stellar ERA being why. He's owned in 89% of leagues, a number that could improve if he's dealt to a better team at the trade deadline.
Orioles
Felix Bautista hasn't had a save since June 20. A bad Orioles' team is holding him back as a fantasy asset.
Bautista has 16 saves and one blown save on the season, along with an 0-1 record. He has a 2.73 ERA over 29 2/3 innings, along with 43 Ks.
Bautista is at 93% owned, which has held steady over the past couple weeks. He's probably a little overvalued, but strong K numbers are helping him out.
Astros
Josh Hader is the go-to closer in Houston. He has 24 saves on the season, and has a save in six straight appearances.
Hader is 5-1 with no blown saves on the year. He has a 1.86 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 38 2/3 innings.
Hader is one of the top fantasy closers this season, and should continue to deliver monster numbers if he's healthy all season.
Mariners
Andres Munoz got his 19th save on Wednesday.
He has a 3-1 record and five blown saves this season. Munoz has a 1.13 ERA over 32 innings, while also racking up 42 strikeouts this season.
Munoz has been one of the top fantasy relievers all season, and hasn't shown signs of slowing down yet.
Rangers
The closer situation is up in the air in Texas.
Robert Garcia is owned in 21% of leagues, while Chris Martin is at 20% and Luke Jackson sits at 16%.
Jackson earned his last save on June 15. He has nine saves, two holds, a 2-1 record and two blown saves over 29 innings this season. Jackson has a 3.41 ERA and 21 strikeouts along the way.
Garcia got his last save on June 24. He has six saves, three blown saves and a 1-3 record this season. Garcia has a 2.97 ERA and 32 punchouts over 33 1/3 innings.
Martin got his last save on June 21. He has two saves, a blown save, 11 holds and a 0-3 record this year. Martin has a 2.33 ERA and 29 punchouts over 27 innings.
I have no idea who would get a save opportunity if one presented itself tonight. It's a situation to watch daily, but we might not see any Texas fantasy reliever be a standard league fantasy asset again this season.
Angels
Kenley Jansen is the clear closer in LA, but he hasn't had a save since Jun 18.
He has 15 saves and just one blown save on the season. Jansen is 1-2 and has a 3.94 ERA over 29 2/3 innings, while also having 28 punchouts.
Jansen is trending down a bit and is at 63% owned now. That still is probably a little high looking at his numbers of late.
Athletics
Mason Miller claimed his 17th save on July 1.
He has three blown saves and a 1-2 record this season. Miller has a 4.55 ERA and 52 Ks over 31 2/3 innings.
Miller has taken a step back this season, but is still rostered in 95% of leagues. He's a good trade target because he's due to improve, while also being valuable enough to trade away if you have enough other fantasy closers to roll with.
Tigers
Will Vest claimed his 13th save of the season on June 29, which was his last appearance.
He's 5-1 with three blown saves as well. Vest has a 2.37 ERA over 38 innings, while also racking up 42 strikeouts along the way.
Tommy Kahnle has struggled of late, and doesn't have a save since June 4.
Vest is up to 68% rostered, while Kahnle is down to 43%. Expect the numbers to keep trending in those directions as Vest continues to serve as the team's closer.
Twins
Jhoan Duran has improved his stock of late, claiming saves in three straight appearances.
He has 13 saves, two blown saves and a 4-3 record in 2025. Duran has a 1.64 ERA and 42 Ks over 38 1/3 innings.
Duran is trending back up a bit, and is owned in 93% of leagues. Maybe he is on his way to a big July, just like the monster May he had.
Guardians
Emmanuel Clase hasn't had a save since June 22, but he's the clear closer for Cleveland.
He has 18 saves, three blown saves and a 4-1 record this season. Clase has a 3.28 ERA over 35 2/3 innings, and has 38 strikeouts as well.
Clase has taken a step back from a monster 2024 fantasy season, but he's at least back to being a top-end fantasy reliever now.
Royals
Carlos Estevez has been great despite the Royals' shortcomings overall.
He has 23 saves, including four over his past five appearances. Estevez is 2-2 with three blown saves and a 2.02 ERA this season. He's covered 35 2/3 innings and has struck out 30 batters along the way.
Estevez is rostered in 94% of leagues, which is a huge amount for a closer on a below-average team.
White Sox
Grant Taylor is on the rise in Chicago. He's owned in 18% of leagues after sitting around 7% a week ago.
Taylor has two saves and two holds over his past four outings. He has an 0-1 record, four holds, two saves and a blown save over 11 1/3 innings this season. Taylor has a 4.76 ERA and 12 strikeouts along the way.
Mike Vasil earned a save on June 29 - it was his second save of the season. He has a 2.73 ERA and 40 punchouts over 56 innings, but is more a long reliever than he is a closing option.
Taylor is an intriguing fantasy asset, but just for deeper leagues. He's a pretty highly-regarded prospect, and in time could be the go-to closer in Chicago. The White Sox don't win enough to support a closer outside deeper fantasy leagues, but he's worth tracking in case he's elite in his appearances.