Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Ryan Walker thriving again in Giants’ ninth-inning role

In this week’s Closer Report, Ryan Walker continues to have an excellent second half, taking over as the Giants’ closer with Randy Rodríguez set to undergo Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, Shawn Armstrong is taking the lead in the Rangers’ late-inning committee. All that and more as we review the last week in saves.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings

Tier 1

Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox

After blowing a save against the Guardians on Friday, Muñoz bounced back with a clean inning Sunday, striking out two batters for his 32nd save of the season. Behind Muñoz, Matt Brash has been outstanding in setup duties, registering 19 holds and a 1.86 ERA over 38 2/3 innings.

Díaz surrendered two runs against the Marlins in a non-save situation on Saturday, then converted a four-out save against the Tigers on Monday with a pair of strikeouts. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted 25 saves with a 1.87 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and an 81/18 K/BB ratio across 53 innings.

Chapman made two appearances this week, extending his perfect outing streak to six games. He struck out two against the Pirates on Sunday before striking out one in a clean frame against the Guardians on Monday, converting two saves to give him 28 on the season with a sparkling 1.00 ERA over 54 innings.

Tier 2

Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs

Duran made three perfect outings this week, picking up a pair of saves against the Braves and Brewers. The 27-year-old right-hander is up to 25 saves with a 1.95 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 66/18 K/BB ratio across 60 innings. José Alvarado returned from his suspension on August 19 and has allowed three runs with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in middle relief.

No save chances for Suarez this week. He recorded five outs in a non-save situation against the Orioles on Monday, striking out three batters. Meanwhile, Palencia worked four outings for the Cubs, taking two losses and recording two saves.

Tier 3

David Bednar – New York Yankees
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Angels
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Bryan Abreu – Houston Astros
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Abner Uribe – Milwaukee Brewers
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Kyle Finnegan/Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
Dennis Santana – Pittsburgh Pirates

Bednar pitched two scoreless innings against the White Sox on Saturday to fall in line for a win. Camilo Doval stepped in for a save in the bottom of the tenth inning. Devin Williams had pitched the seventh, giving up a run to charge him with a blown save. Bednar has run with the closer role, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 71/15 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings.

Fairbanks struck out two batters in each of his appearances, picking up two saves against the Nationals. The 31-year-old right-hander is up to 24 saves with a 2.81 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 53/15 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, Jansen also picked up two saves this week to bring him to 25 on the year.

Estévez worked around a hit on Saturday to pick up a save against the Tigers, breaking a streak of six clean outings. The 32-year-old right-hander has locked down a career-high 36 saves with a 2.58 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 50/20 K/BB ratio across 59 1/3 innings.

In Houston, Abreu struck out two in a scoreless inning for a save against the Rockies last Thursday, then surrendered three runs to take a loss against the Angels on Saturday. The three-run outing broke a 12-game scoreless streak. Still, the 28-year-old right-hander has recorded a 1.89 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 95/27 K/BB ratio across 62 innings.

Walker needed to record just one out against the Cubs last Thursday to fall in line for a win. He followed with a clean inning against the Rockies on Tuesday, then recorded the final two outs in Colorado on Wednesday to convert his 14th save. Walker is set to finish out the season as the Giants’ closer with Randy Rodríguez set to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Uribe made two scoreless appearances against the Blue Jays, picking up a save on Saturday. He then surrendered two runs for the loss against the Phillies on Monday, his third appearance in four days. Regular closer Trevor Megill, nursing a Grade 1 flexor sprain, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday with hopes of returning when he’s eligible on September 9.

Scott made just one appearance this week, giving up a three-run homer to blow the save against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. It was Scott’s third appearance since coming off the injured list. Still, the 31-year-old left-hander can be expected to continue working as the Dodgers’ primary closer.

Pagan struck out the side for a save against the Cardinals on Sunday, then surrendered three runs on two homers to blow a save against the Blue Jays on Monday, his third outing in four days. The 34-year-old right-hander has recorded 26 saves with a 3.34 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 66/20 K/BB ratio across 56 2/3 innings.

Smith struck out three batters in a clean, four-out save against the Mariners on Saturday. He had some trouble on Tuesday against the Red Sox, giving up three runs without recording an out. Hoffman also gave up three runs in an outing, taking the loss against the Brewers on Saturday. He recovered with a pair of scoreless innings, including his 30th save on Tuesday against the Reds. Hoffman’s up-and-down season has resulted in a 4.85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 78/20 K/BB ratio across 59 1/3 innings.

Iglesias continues his strong second half with two scoreless appearances, picking up a save against the Phillies on Sunday. Meanwhile, Vest recorded his 20th save against the Royals on Friday. And in Pittsburgh, Santana locked down three more saves, giving him 13 to go with a 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a 49/15 K/BB ratio across 60 innings.

Tier 4

JoJo Romero/Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Jose Ferrer – Washington Nationals
Shawn Armstrong – Texas Rangers
Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez/Tyler Phillips – Miami Marlins

Romero made five appearances on the mound this week, converting three saves. He’s up to seven with a 2.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 47/24 K/BB ratio across 52 1/3 innings. Romero has been working in a committee with O’Brien, who’s been sidelined for a few days with a shoulder issue but expects to avoid the injured list.

Ferrer converted two saves for the Nationals, giving him six since taking over as closer following the trade of Kyle Finnegan. In Texas, Armstrong has six saves as he picked up two this week. The 34-year-old right-hander has taken the lead for closing duties for the Rangers, posting a 2.51 ERA over 61 innings.

Tier 5

Keegan Akin – Baltimore Orioles
Justin Topa/Cole Sands – Minnesota Twins
Sean Newcomb – Athletics
Andrew Saalfrank – Arizona Diamondbacks
Jordan Leasure/Steven Wilson – Chicago White Sox
Victor Vodnik – Colorado Rockies

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