Fantasy baseball bullpen report featuring Elvis Alvarado and Anthony Bender

Since my last report, the avalanche of pitchers recording a save has not stopped. Through June 10, 165 different pitchers have recorded a save. Teams have not reached the statistical midpoint of the season, yet the number of different relievers with a save has been staggering. For perspective, here are the MLB save trends since 2021, with the five-year averages included:

YearRPs 1+ SavesRPs 5+ SavesRPs 10+ SavesRPs 20+ SavesRPs 30+ SavesRPs 40+ Saves

2025

215

2024

223

2023

214

2022

222

2021

198

Last 5

214.4

58.8

20.6

9.4

1.4

Updating last week’s note regarding the Royals, Alex Lange has surfaced as their primary save option, with Lucas Erceg working as a setup reliever. Carlos Estévez hopes to complete a bullpen session this weekend and reactivate his return-to-play protocols. In the interim, if your ratios can absorb the risk, Lange will be a popular target. Those who remember his command issues with Detroit may be more cautious before adding him, but saves are saves for those who are desperate. He had his nine-game scoreless streak snapped, but he has converted four saves in his past five appearances, posting a 2.00 WHIP with eight strikeouts against five walks. Enter with eyes wide open.

In the same division, White Sox reliever Seranthony Domínguez has recorded 11 saves across 14 opportunities, but he has been deployed in the seventh or eighth inning in his past four outings. Has the door been opened for Grant Taylor? More on this in the AL “Stock up” section below.

There is good news for relievers on the rehab trail. Baltimore’s Ryan Helsley will have a rehab outing for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. It has not been reported how many rehab appearances he needs before being activated.

Detroit’s Kenley Jansen had a “rusty” outing in his Triple-A appearance on Wednesday, allowing two hits, three earned runs and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. However, he remains on track for a return on Friday.

Cincinnati’s Emilio Pagán has thrown off a mound and, if there are no setbacks, he could face live hitters before heading out on his rehab assignment soon.

Amid the volume of relievers recording saves, situations remain unsettled for many teams. There are multiple teams without a “closer,” necessitating updated pathways with some caveats. My leverage pathways try to provide accurate team approaches for procuring saves despite the multitude of confusing usage patterns throughout the league. Each team will receive one of the following labels:

Mostly Linear: This is a more traditional approach, with a manager preferring one reliever in the seventh inning, another in the eighth, and a closer (when rested) in the ninth. There are shades of gray, but it usually follows a predictable pattern in high-leverage situations.
Primary save share: The team prefers one reliever as the primary option for saves. However, the player may also be used in matchup-based situations, whether dictated by batter-handedness or batting order, especially in the late innings, providing multiple relievers with save chances each series or week throughout the season.
Shared saves: Typically, two relievers share save opportunities, often based on handedness, rest or recent usage patterns that keep them fresh. While these situations typically involve a primary and ancillary option, others may be used. Some teams also prefer a matchup-based option, which creates fluid save opportunities.
Fluid: The manager has not named a closer, and usage patterns regarding the leverage roles remain unclear.
American League leverage pathways
TeamLeverage PathwayCloser (Primary)Stopper/HLRStealth/Ancillary Option

Primary Save Share

Rico Garcia

Andrew Kittredge

Yennier Cano

Mostly Linear

Aroldis Chapman

Garrett Whitlock

Justin Slaten

Fluid

Grant Taylor

Seranthony Domínguez

Bryan Hudson

Mostly Linear

Cade Smith

Hunter Gaddis

Tim Herrin

Primary Save Share

Kenley Jansen

Will Vest

Kyle Finnegan

Mostly Linear

Josh Hader

Bryan King

Enyel De Los Santos

Primary Save Share

Alex Lange

Daniel Lynch IV

Lucas Erceg

Primary Save Share

Kirby Yates

Sam Bachman

Chase Silseth

Fluid

Yoendrys Gómez

Travis Adams

Anthony Banda

Mostly Linear

David Bednar

Fernando Cruz

Camilo Doval

Mostly Linear

Andrés Muñoz

Jose A. Ferrer

Eduard Bazardo

Primary Save Share

Bryan Baker

Kevin Kelly

Garrett Cleavinger

Mostly Linear

Jacob Latz

Jakob Junis

Cole Winn

Fluid

Hogan Harris

Elvis Alvarado

Justin Sterner

Primary Save Share

Louis Varland

Tyler Rogers

Jeff Hoffman

Stock up

Grant Taylor (CHW): Taylor has been a featured reliever previously in these columns, and if he’s a high-leverage option moving forward, he’s worth taking a flier on. In deeper leagues or keeper formats, he may not be available, but he’s a nice target as a SPARP (starting pitcher as a relief pitcher) or a save stream at a time when saves are tough to find. Since his first save on May 19, he hasn’t allowed a run in six of eight appearances, recording a 0.69 WHIP with 16 strikeouts against one walk (39.5 K-BB%) through 10.1 innings. In this sample, he owns a 75.3% K rate and a 17.3% swinging-strike rate. Will Venable has pulled the rug out from under fantasy managers before, but Taylor’s the real deal if he’s closing contests, even if it’s in a fluid situation. I guess he can no longer be on the stash list.

Elvis Alvarado (ATH): Another week, another reliever from the amorphous A’s bullpen. Before being demoted in April, Alvarado posted a 60.4% K rate and issued seven walks (15.9 BB%). In his three outings since his promotion on June 6, he has had zero walks with nine strikeouts (60 K-BB%) and 57 strikes of 78 pitches (73.1 Strike%). Is this a hot streak or the precipice of a breakout? He recorded his first career save on Wednesday (June 10), retiring the top of Milwaukee’s lineup in order while recording two strikeouts. If anyone could take over the primary save share in this bullpen, it’s him. There will be volatility, but if he hones his command, it’s wheels up.

Closer concern

Andrés Muñoz (SEA): The good news is that he secured his 10th save on Monday against Baltimore. However, he has already suffered five blown saves, including three of his previous four chances. It’s frustrating since he has a 25% K-BB rate, a 59.1% contact rate and his highest swinging-strike percentage (18.8) since 2023. He’s struggled with his four-seam fastball — through 24.1 innings, the pitch has been tagged for a .438 BABIP, .481 wOBA, and 1.076 OPS. Can he overcome this? His SIERA (2.53) says it’s possible, but his xERA (4.36) is cause for concern regarding the quality of contact allowed. Stay tuned.

Stash list

*For keeper-league managers or those trying to mine future saves, with some new names because of the trade deadline less than two months away.

Elvis Alvarado (ATH)
Garrett Whitlock (BOS)
Carlos Lagrange (NYY)
Travis Adams (MIN)
Sam Bachman (LAA)
Ben Joyce (LAA)
Jose A. Ferrer (SEA)
National League leverage pathways
TeamLeverage PathwayCloser (Primary)Stopper/HLRStealth/Ancillary Option

Mostly Linear

Paul Sewald

Kevin Ginkel

Juan Morillo

Mostly Linear

Raisel Iglesias

Robert Suarez

Dylan Lee

Mostly Linear

Daniel Palencia

Jacob Webb

Caleb Thielbar

Fluid

Tony Santillan

Tejay Antone

Zach Maxwell

Fluid

Antonio Senzatela

Jaden Hill

Juan Mejia

Primary Save Share

Tanner Scott

Alex Vesia

Will Klein

Mostly Linear

Pete Fairbanks

Michael Petersen

Anthony Bender

Mostly Linear

Trevor Megill

Abner Uribe

Aaron Ashby

Mostly Linear

Devin Williams

Luke Weaver

Brooks Raley

Mostly Linear

Jhoan Duran

Brad Keller

Orion Kerkering

Primary Save Share

Gregory Soto

Mason Montgomery

Carmen Mlodzinski

Mostly Linear

Riley O’Brien

JoJo Romero

Ryne Stanek

Mostly Linear

Mason Miller

Jason Adam

Adrian Morejon

Shared Saves

Keaton Winn

Erik Miller

Caleb Kilian

Fluid

Clayton Beeter

Orlando Ribalta

Brad Lord

Stock up

Anthony Bender (MIA): He’s not sexy, and he’s definitely not popular with fantasy managers, but sometimes bland gets the job done. Through 28 games, he’s posted a 0.84 WHIP with 31 strikeouts versus nine walks (20.4 K-BB%) while recording two saves. He does not produce many whiffs and relies on bad contact, but his sweeper has produced a minuscule .120 wOBA and a .188 xwOBA, accounting for 23 of his 31 strikeouts this season. If an opportunity arises, he could be a sneaky source of saves.

Orlando Ribalta (WSH): Over the past 30 days, he has led Washington in Win Probability Added (1.05), while his team’s preferred closing options are slightly above zero (Gus Varland) or provide negative value (Clayton Beeter and Richard Lovelady). This season, Ribalta has a 0.93 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and 7 walks, which needs improvement, but his 2.27 xERA reflects the poor contact he allows. Will this manifest itself with some save chances?

Closer concerns

Daniel Palencia (CHC): Coinciding with his team’s 7-22 record since May 8, Palencia owns a 1.72 WHIP, allowing 13 hits with an inflated .393 BABIP and 10 strikeouts versus three walks (16.3 K-BB%) through 9.1 innings. Fantasy managers were attracted to the upside he flashed during the WBC, but that iteration of the closer has not resurfaced since his stint on the injured list. Better days lie ahead, but his rest-of-the-season WHIP projections are between 1.21 and 1.28, which begs the question: Is this as good as it gets? He has not recorded a save since May 14.

Pete Fairbanks (MIA): He has not gained traction since returning from the injured list on May 16. Over his past 10 appearances, he’s posted a 1.67 WHIP with 12 strikeouts against seven walks (14.3 K-BB%) across nine innings. He’s allowed at least a run in four of those outings, with multiple runs allowed in two of these contests. His 3.40 xERA and 3.69 SIERA predict better outcomes moving forward, but can he whittle down his WHIP (currently at 1.56) with a 13.3% walk rate through his first 18 innings?

Stash list

*For keeper-league managers or those trying to mine future saves, with some new names because of the trade deadline less than two months away.

Emilio Pagán (CIN) — if he was dropped
Anthony Bender (MIA)
Orlando Ribalta (WSH)
Brad Lord (WSH)
Ryan Walker (SF)
LeaderboardsSaves leaders through June 10SOLDS leaders through June 10

My rankings are a blend of in-season performance and rest-of-season expectations. If you feel strongly about a player, by all means, roster him.

Ratio relievers

*Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios.

Shane Drohan (MIL)
Chad Patrick (MIL)
Didier Fuentes (ATL)
Mason Barnett (ATH)
Sean Newcomb (CHW)

Statistical Credits: FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference.com, Baseball Savant, BrooksBaseball.net. Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates.

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