Fantasy Baseball Closers: Breaking Down Every AL Bullpen Situation

Let's wrap up this week's fantasy baseball closer rundown by going over American League teams.

Here's the last closer update we did for the AL. Also check out the National League closer roundup.

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Yankees

David Bednar is the closer for New York. He pitched twice over the past six days, and earned a save on Thursday.

He's the clear closer, and the Yankees are winning enough to make Bednar a good fantasy asset. 

There's no clear setup man in front of Bednar, so if he's ever unavailable or hurt, I'm not sure who might get the save chances.

Rays

Bryan Baker appears to be the Tampa Bay closer for the time being. He pitched once over the past six days, and blew a save on Saturday.

Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour could close games too, and with Baker not locked into the closer role, this is a situation to keep watching in Tampa Bay.

Guardians

Cade Smith is still the team's closer. He pitched twice over the past week, earning a save back on Saturday.

Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski are the setup men, so they'd probably be next in line for saves if Smith is ever unavailable/hurt or needs to be replaced after struggling.

Tigers

Kenley Jansen earned saves in both of his appearances over the past week. He is the clear closer in Detroit.

An injury is likely the only way he loses save chances this season. Kyle Finnegan or Will Vest would be next in line for saves, and Tyler Holton could join that mix.

Athletics

Joel Kuhnel and Jack Perkins earned a save each over the past six days. 

Kuhnel got his save on Monday. He took a loss on Wednesday and also pitched last Saturday. Perkins got his save on Tuesday, and picked up a win on Saturday.

Hogan Harris and Mark Leiter Jr. are also options to earn saves for the Athletics. This is a situation to watch closely, but until a go-to closer emerges, all the Athletics' relievers are better deep-league fantasy assets.

Rangers

No Texas reliever earned a save over the past six days.

Jakob Junis is the projected closer right now. He pitched three times this week, but didn't earn any decisions.

Cole Winn and Jacob Latz are the setup men, while Tyler Alexander is another trusted reliever. Robert Garcia and Chris Martin are other relievers who could earn saves in 2026, but are on the injured list for now.

I trust Junis the most right now, but until he earns more saves, he's a better deep-league fantasy asset. Keep tabs on who is getting saves, as Junis might not be locked into the role.

Orioles

Ryan Helsley has been the team's closer this season. He took a loss on Tuesday, and is now on the bereavement list.

Anthony Nunez earned a save on Wednesday, and Rico Garcia is also a top setup man for Helsely. When active, Helsley is the go-to guy, but keep Garcia and Nunez in mind if Helsley is ever unavailable or injured.

Twins

No Minnesota reliever earned a win over the past six days. It was a pretty poor week for the Twins' bullpen overall.

Cole Sands took a loss on Saturday, while earning a win on Tuesday. Taylor Rogers earned a hold, but took a loss, over his two appearances. 

Justin Topa had a hold over his three appearances this week. Eric Orze and Andrew Morris each were charged with blown saves, and Morris also took a loss.

There's no telling who would get a save opportunity for the Twins right now. My bet is on Sands, but it's a situation that needs to be watched daily, as things could change in a hurry.

Angels

Jordan Romano appears to still be the team's closer, despite some recent struggles. He appeared in a game on Wednesday, but has made no other appearances over the past six days.

Romano is worth holding out hope for, but this is another situation that needs to be monitored. 

There's no dominant setup men, so Romano's role appears safe for now.

Mariners

Andres Munoz is the team's clear closer. He had saves on Saturday and Sunday, but then blew a save on Wednesday. Munoz ended up getting the win in that one.

Munoz is in no danger of losing his role right now. With Seattle winning more of late, his fantasy stock is back on the rise.

Matt Brash or Gabe Speier could be next in line for saves if Munoz is ever unavailable or hurt.

Blue Jays

Jeff Hoffman has been the team's closer, but that's not locked in anymore. He took a loss on Saturday, then got a save on Monday. Hoffman was credited with a hold on Tuesday after Louis Varland came on and cleaned up a mess that Hoffman made.

For now, I still think Hoffman is the closer, but Varland or Tyler Rogers could get save chances moving forward if Hoffman keeps struggling. 

It's another situation to keep tabs on.

White Sox

Seranthony Dominguez had a good week, earning two saves over three appearances over the past six days. He's the clear closer in Chicago.

Dominguez's fantasy value is tied to how much Chicago can win. He's probably a better deep-league asset in the long run.

Jordan Leasure and Grant Taylor are the setup men by the looks of it, but would only get save chances if Dominguez was unavailable, or after he struggled and lost the closer role.

Astros

Enyel De Los Santos picked up the only Houston save over the past week. He didn't earn a decision on Sunday, took a loss on Tuesday and then got his save on Wednesday.

With Josh Hader still out, De Los Santos, Bryan King and Bryan Abreu are closer options in Houston. Hader is out through near the end of May at least, so this is a situation that might remain fluid until then.

I like De Los Santos for now, but he's a better deep-league asset, and might stick that way unless he really excels going forward, and the Astros win enough to support him.

Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman is the clear closer in Boston, but the team isn't winning enough to support his fantasy cause. He pitched once over the past six days, earning a save on Monday.

Chapman is still worth holding in deeper leagues, but he has been let go in some standard leagues, and could continue to drop if the team isn't giving him enough save opportunities.

Garrett Whitlock is likely next in line for saves in Boston. It's Chapman's job for now though, and should stick that way for as long as he's on the team.

Royals

Things are a mess in Kansas City right now.

Carlos Estevez opened the year as the closer, but has been out with an injury for a while. Lucas Erceg has filled in as closer.

Erceg blew a save on Monday, then got a win on Tuesday, after Matt Strahm blew a save. It looks like Erceg is still the go-to closer, but things aren't settled, and won't be especially after Estevez returns.

We'll keep an eye on things and let you know who to add/drop after we get answers on who the go-to guy is.