American League Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Who Will Take Over in Baltimore After the Felix Bautista Injury?

It's time to get back into our fantasy baseball series where we look at each team's closer situation.

We'll begin with American League teams in this article. Check back soon for the National League writeup.

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Blue Jays

Jeff Hoffman is still functioning as the team's closer. He's coming off a game in which he took a loss, but has mostly been trending up.

Hoffman is 6-3 with 24 saves and four blown saves over 45 appearances and 43 1/3 innings this season. He's allowed 24 runs (23 earned) on 35 hits and 11 walks, but has 60 strikeouts as well.

Hoffman is rostered in 96% of leagues and has held steady near that mark for about the past month.

Yankees

Devin Williams is back as the Yankees' closer. He has four saves, a win and a loss so far in July. He has a 3-3 record, 15 saves, a blown save and seven holds on the season.

Williams has allowed 22 runs (20 earned) on 28 hits and 15 walks over 38 1/3 innings, while striking out 51 batters. He's allowed four runs this month, with two of those coming since the All-Star break.

He's rostered in 90% of leagues, which is probably a bit high considering how he's pitched this season. Williams is getting closer to being worth a roster spot in that many leagues though, and is trending up.

Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman is up to 17 saves on the season. He hasn't worked a ninth inning since July 13 though, so his outlook is a touch murky.

He's 3-2 with 17 saves, two blown saves and three holds over 43 games and 40 1/3 innings this season. Chapman has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 21 hits and 10 walks, while punching out 60 batters.

Chapman is on the rise as a fantasy asset and is at 94% rostered right now. His low ERA and big strikeout totals are powering his own percentage and fantasy value, but his role needs to be watched. I think he's still the closer, but he could lose value if he isn't getting every save chance.

Rays

Pete Fairbanks has struggled a bit of late, but is still the Tampa Bay closer. He has a 4-3 record, 17 saves and three blown saves on the season. 

He's covered 38 innings over 39 appearances, and has 32 strikeouts along the way. Fairbanks has allowed 14 runs (12 earned) on 28 hits and 15 walks. He's allowed three runs over his past three appearances, but has two saves and just one blown save in that stretch.

Fairbanks is a trade candidate, and could see his fantasy outlook increase with a trade to a contender. He's trending up a bit now and is owned in 76% of leagues for now. Keep a close eye on him and be ready to pounce if he moves to a contender without a closer.

Orioles

Felix Bautista hit the injured list, so Baltimore is looking for a new closer. Bautista made my drop candidate story, so you can read a bit more on him there.

Gregory Soto got the first save chance on Thursday, and he converted it. He's 0-2 with the save, one blown save and 10 holds on the season. He has a 3.96 ERA over 36 1/3 innings, while striking out 44 batters along the way.

Seranthony Dominguez got the eighth inning and picked up a hold on Thursday. He has a 2-3 record, two saves, three blown saves and 13 holds on the year. Dominguez has a 3.32 ERA over 40 2/3 innings and has struck out 53 batters.

Dominguez is at 14% rostered, while Soto is at 8%. I'd give Soto the edge after he earned the first save on Thursday, but this is a situation to monitor daily.

Update: Soto was traded to the Mets on Friday, so Dominguez now looks to be the top closing option for Baltimore. Soto will be a high-leverage reliever for New York, but shouldn't be added in any leagues.

Astros

Josh Hader has gotten back on track after a rough stretch of outings. He is 5-2 with 27 saves and one blown save over 43 appearances and 46 2/3 innings.

Hader has 68 strikeouts and a 2.31 ERA so far, so he's a top-end fantasy reliever. Keep rostering him and expect big things out of him down the stretch.

Mariners

Andres Munoz continues to excel and is up to 23 saves. He's blown six saves, but has a 3-1 record.

Munoz has 51 punchouts over 39 innings, and has four straight scoreless outings. He's another top-end option who should be trusted down the stretch of the season.

Rangers

Robert Garcia appears to be the team's closer for now. He has a 1-5 record, eight saves, three blown saves and 11 holds over 45 games and 39 2/3 innings this season.

He has 43 strikeouts and a 2.72 ERA so far. He has two saves over his past three appearances, but has allowed at least one baserunner in each of those outings.

Garcia is up to 27% rostered and is trending up. He'll need an extended stretch of strong pitching to get into standard leagues, but he's a good deep-league asset for the time being.

Angels

Kenley Jansen is the team's closer and has been on a role of late. He has two wins and two saves over his past four appearances.

Jansen is 3-2 with 17 saves and a blown save over 39 appearances. He has 35 punchouts over 35 2/3 innings, along with a 3.28 ERA. Jansen hasn't allowed a run since June 29, and his last earned run came on June 15.

He's rostered in 72% of leagues and he's trending a bit up for now. I don't think that number should rise much more, as he's not on the best of teams.

Athletics

Mason Miller has finally locked in and is back to being an elite fantasy option. His ERA is down to 3.86, after it was at 5.20 on June 19, when he gave up his last run.

Miller is 1-2 with 20 saves and three blown saves over 37 appearances. He has 58 punchouts over 37 1/3 innings. 

Miller is rostered in 95% of leagues, but I think it should be back to 100% with how he's looked of late.

Tigers

Will Vest is still the go-to guy for Detroit, even though he blew a save on July 13. He picked up a save on July 20, which is his only appearance since the All-Star break.

Vest has a 5-1 record, 16 saves, four blown saves and one hold over 41 games. He has 50 strikeouts over 44 1/3 innings.

He is trending up and is rostered in 78% of leagues. I'd like to see him pitch more often before adding him in any more leagues.

Guardians

Emmanuel Clase has been in a groove since July 7, collecting five saves and a win since. He has a 5-2 record, 23 saves, four blown saves and a hold on the year.

Clase has 47 strikeouts over 46 innings, and his ERA is down to 2.74. He's a top-end fantasy reliever again, and that should stick as the Guardians chase a postseason berth. 

Royals

Carlos Estevez is the closer for KC. He allowed five runs over a recent two-game stretch, but bounced back with a save on July 20. 

Estevez has a 4-3 record, 26 saves and six blown saves on the season. He's posted a 2.74 ERA over 42 2/3 innings, and has struck out 35 batters.

His own percentage is down to 92%, and until he posts some scoreless outings, I'd expect his own percentage to keep falling.

Twins

Jhoan Duran is the Minnesota closer, but the team's struggles haven't given Duran a save chance since July 11. He's allowed three runs in three appearances and four innings since then, so he's trending down, right as his name was gaining traction in trade talks.

Duran is 5-4 with 15 saves, two blown saves and a hold over 46 appearances and 46 1/3 innings. He has a 1.94 ERA still, along with 51 strikeouts.

He's at 94% rostered, and I'd do my best to hold him until after the trade deadline, just in case he becomes the closer for a contending team. Duran will likely see that own percentage drop if he sticks with Minnesota.

White Sox

Grant Taylor leads Chicago with three saves, but he's one of seven guys with a save. Dan Altavilla got the latest save on July 23.

Taylor is rostered in 15%, but a lot of that is due to him being a pretty highly-regarded prospect. No Chicago reliever is worth rostering outside the deepest of leagues, and that's likely to remain true for the rest of the season.