Thursday’s 10-game slate provided more rough outings on fantasy teams’ ratios. Relievers recorded seven wins, with one accompanied by a blown save, and seven losses while converting seven saves. Here are the saves in condensed form, with two career-firsts highlighted:
As for the vulture options across today’s slate:
Vulture Save Options for 4.17.2026
- Gregory Soto (PIT): He’s a co-closer, not a vulture, but if he’s available to stream, Santana has appeared in back-to-back games.
- Shawn Armstrong (CLE): Smith has pitched in three of the previous four days and logged 55 pitches. I’m not sure if Hunter Gaddis is ready for high-leverage innings yet.
- Jordan Leasure (CHW): Domínguez struggled during a blown save on Thursday, and his high pitch count (32 pitches) in it should signal he will get tonight off.
- Gus Varland (WSH): Beeter threw 32 pitches during a blown save yesterday and should be unavailable today.
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Although he may not receive the accolades or attention other relievers do, a Rays reliever has been quietly effective, benefiting the fantasy managers who took a chance on him two weeks ago. Capping his team’s come-from-behind rally, Bryan Baker secured his fourth save, working around a lead-off walk with a two pop-outs sandwiched around a groundout, preserving a two-run lead against the White Sox. He threw 20 pitches (60 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (15 SwStr%).
He’s posted a 0.955 WHIP with seven strikeouts versus two walks (17.2 K-BB%) while converting four of five save chances through 7.1 innings this season.
- Kevin Kelly collected his second win, logging two innings, giving up a solo home run and a walk while striking out two.
- Griffin Jax let one of two inherited runners score during his two-thirds of the sixth, allowing Edgar Quero’s RBI double, issuing a walk, and striking out one.
Help may be on the way soon in this leverage ladder as well. Edwin Uceta logged 1.1 innings on Wednesday during a rehab outing for the Durham Bulls. He did give up five hits and two earned runs while striking out three, with his velocity almost in line with his averages last year:
Garrett Cleavinger may not need a prolonged buildup or rehab before he returns. He threw live batting practice on Thursday and can be activated as soon as this weekend.
Updated Hierarchy: Bryan Baker | Griffin Jax | Ian Seymour
The Wild American League West
Houston Astros
Given that Josh Hader could return in mid-May, based on recent reports, roles in this leverage ladder remain fluid. Bryan Abreu could not cement the closer role, though his last two outings have been scoreless. Still, he has produced 12 strikeouts versus 12 walks, resulting in a WHIP of three and a 6.81 SIERA. Until his batted-ball results improve, he may not be used in save chances. He’s allowed a 69.2 percent hard-hit rate through his first 13 batted ball events, giving up three home runs of his seven hits against.
Using Win Probability Added (WPA) as a guide, two names surface:
How lineup lanes progress may determine who gets the save on any given day, but a co-closer concept with Bryan King and Enyel De Los Santos may result through the end of the month. Here are their results through April 16, noting King was warming up in case his team took the lead during the bottom of the eighth against Colorado yesterday.
- King 2026: 7 games, 8 innings, 1 save, two holds, 11:3 K:BB (23.5 K-BB%), 1.25 WHIP, 2.35 SIERA, 10.7 swinging strike percentage, 78.6 percent contact rate allowed, 19 batted ball events with a 26.3 hard-hit percentage
- De Los Santos 2026: 6 games, 6.2 innings, two saves, 0.75 WHIP, 6:1 K:BB (20 K-BB%), 3.24 SIERA, 10.9 swinging strike percentage, 80 percent contact rate allowed, 18 batted ball events with a 33.3 hard-hit percentage
One of these two relievers may distance himself this weekend in Miami, but with relievers like Kai-Wei Teng forced into multi-inning outings, the shared save concept may continue.
Updated Hierarchy: *Enyel De Los Santos | *Bryan King | Bryan Abreu
*= closer-by-committee
Los Angeles Angels
Things were pretty settled in this bullpen until it arrived in the Bronx. Jordan Romano suffered two blown saves in a three-day span, causing this response by his manager, Kurt Suzuki, covered by Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register:
Romano has converted four of six save opportunities. However, his 1.88 WHIP with a 7.7 K-BB percentage (7:5 K:BB), 4.88 SIERA, and 42.9 hard-hit percentage do not inspire confidence that he keeps receiving them.
There is wiggle room in the quotes above, but if the team changes its approach in the ninth inning, two candidates stand out:
The last thing the fantasy community craves is another co-closer situation, but it may make sense for the Angels.
- Chase Silseth 2026: He’s had varied results this year. The upside lies in his 17.3 percent swinging-strike rate and his 62.9 contact percentage allowed. He’s learning about leverage appearances on the fly, but his stuff could work in them. There will be bumps, so some patience will be required.
- Drew Pomeranz 2026: After a slow start, he has been scoreless in five of his last six outings, posting a 5:1 K:BB (18.2 K-BB%) with a 0.80 WHIP across six innings.
This may be fleeting as well. Kirby Yates may be on the precipice of minor league rehab outings, though his workload will be managed once he’s activated. But he has ties to Mike Maddux after their time together in Texas. Last but not least, Ben Joyce has faced live hitters and continues to make progress toward a return, perhaps in June? The ninth inning for the Angels remains far from settled, and may not be until the All-Star break. Enter with eyes wide open.
Updated Hierarchy: *Jordan Romano | *Drew Pomeranz | *Chase Silseth
*= closer-by-committee
Texas Rangers
Battling the conditions, Cal Quantrill was awarded his first win this season during his first relief appearance since June 9, 2021. He worked around Jacob Wilson’s lead-off single with a double play groundout and a game-ending pop-out by Lawrence Butler. The home scorer enacted the brief and ineffective rule with the win designation.
Quantrill threw 12 pitches (66.7 Strike%) and induced one whiff.
Jacob Latz was summoned with the bases loaded and two outs. He let all three runners score on Nick Kurtz’s double, then retired Tyler Soderstrom, resulting in his first blown save. He’s learning how to be a leverage reliever on the fly.
Jakob Junis entered in the bottom of the seventh; this is not a typo. He stranded both runners and retired both batters. However, during his return for the eighth, he allowed a lead-off single, recorded two quick outs, then was removed after giving up Jeff McNeil’s double and an intentional walk. Junis was credited with his third hold, giving up two hits, three earned runs, and a walk during his 1.1 innings. In this interview, he acknowledges he’s not the “closer,” or at least not yet. This usage pattern hints at a most leveraged reliever label, though he has three of his team’s last four saves:
This feels like an isolated incident. Junis was forced into the game’s highest leverage moment at the time with Cole Winn unavailable after an elevated pitch count on Wednesday making him unavailable. There may be times usage patterns vary, and roles may be fluid. Hopefully more clarity emerges this weekend. As for the team’s updated WPA, it favors Junis:
Updated Hierarchy: *Jakob Junis | *Cole Winn | *Jacob Lats
*= closer-by-committee
The Athletics
Taking over with a one-run lead at the top of the ninth, Justin Sterner allowed consecutive singles by Jake Burger and Josh Jung, then let the game-tying run score after an errant throw during a fielder’s choice groundball. With no outs, Sterner gave up Joc Pederson’s go-ahead RBI single, recorded an out on a sacrifice bunt, intentionally walked Josh Smith, followed by another RBI single, plating the innings’ fourth run, before recording the last two outs. He gets charged with his second loss and a first blown save with four hits, four runs (three earned), and a walk while striking out one.
- Jack Perkins retired the side on 11 pitches (54.5 Strike%) in the eighth. Hindsight can be 20-20, but he was capable of logging two innings, and was passed over.
- Scott Barlow let an inherited runner score, giving up a hit, an earned run, and two walks during two-thirds of the seventh.
- Luis Medina was tagged with his first blown save, allowing two hits, two earned runs, and a walk with one strikeout over his 1.1 innings.
Although it feels more unsettled than it may be, only three A’s relievers have converted a save this season:
- Joel Kuhnel (3)
- Mark Leiter Jr. (2)
- Hogan Harris (1)
How has this leverage ladder fared in WPA?
Kuhnel has posted a 0.21 WHIP with three strikeouts and no walks through his first five games, spanning 4.2 innings. Although he’s allowed a 58.3 hard-hit percentage, he mitigates it with a matching 58.3 ground-ball percentage and a robust 2.33 ground-ball-to-fly ratio, a key to success in Sacramento. He may not be a closer in Mark Kotsay’s bullpen, but if he’s the preferred save share, fantasy players will assume the risk.
Long term, Jack Perkins or Elvis Alvarado may prove themselves worthy of larger leverage roles, and are intriguing options if they are effective during leverage situations.
Updated Hierarchy: *Joel Kuhnel | *Hogan Harris | *Mark Leiter Jr.
*= closer-by-committee
Here are the remaining leverage events of interest from Thursday’s slate.
American League
Chicago White Sox
This week’s theme of rough outings also included Seranthony Domínguez. He took over at the top of the ninth with a one-run lead and served up a game-tying home run by Junior Caminero. After striking out Cedric Mullins, he gave up a single by Yandy Díaz, walked Jonathan Aranda, and uncorked a wild pitch, moving them up a base, then hit Richie Palacios, to load the bases, prompting his removal. He threw 32 pitches (19 strikes – 59.4 Strike%) and only induced three whiffs (9.4 SwStr%):
- Lucas Sims recorded a strikeout, but with two outs, issued consecutive RBI walks, scoring two of his three inherited runners, before inducing an inning-ending groundout. Domínguez finished with his second loss and second blown save, yielding two hits, three earned runs, and a walk during one-third of the ninth. Inserting sarcasm font, but using a reliever with command issues in this situation almost assured this outcome.
- Sean Newcomb was also tagged with his first blown save, letting one of two inherited runners score in the seventh on a Palacios RBI single, and recorded three strikeouts during his 1.1 innings.
Jordan Leasure was used as the “opener,” and even though the team said it would stretch out Grant Taylor, he worked 1.1 innings as a reliever. Will Venable can operate his leverage ladder as he chooses, but this was not a masterclass. For now:
Hierarchy Remains: Seranthony Domínguez | Jordan Leasure | Jordan Hicks
Cleveland Guardians
Pressed into action with two runners and no outs at the bottom of the ninth, Cade Smith allowed a single to load the bases, retiring Gunnar Henderon on a sacrifice fly, and let his second inherited runner score on Pete Alonso’s RBI double, then bore down, retiring the next two batters while recording his fourth save. He threw 19 pitches (13 strikes – 68.4 Strike%) with one whiff, and location matters, illustrated by his pitch results:
One tips his cap on the double, but the 3-2 fastball for a single was in a sweet spot. His 1.40 WHIP could be better, but he’s racked up 11 strikeouts versus three walks (17.8 K-BB%) and, with some BABIP migration to the mean, will whittle his ratios down as the season progresses.
Hierarchy Remains: Cade Smith | Shawn Armstrong | Erik Sabrowski
Kansas City Royals
There was a pending regression for Lucas Erceg, illustrated by his 4.12 SIERA and 3.78 xERA through his first seven appearances. However, fantasy players were not expecting it when he took over with a two-run lead at the bottom of the ninth in Detroit. His outing began with Gleyber Torres’ lead-off single and a walk. Erceg bounced back with a strikeout and a lineout, but with two outs, allowed Riley Greene’s game-tying two-RBI double, followed by Colt Keith’s walk-off RBI single, resulting in his first loss and a first blown save. He finished with three hits, three earned runs, and a walk while striking out one during two-thirds of the ninth, throwing 24 pitches (62.5 Strike%) with two whiffs. There was weather, but he left too many pitches in the heart of the strike zone:
- Daniel Lynch IV retired the side and recorded a strikeout for his second hold in the eighth.
- Nick Mears gave up two hits and an earned run in the seventh, credited with his second hold.
Hierarchy Remains: Lucas Erceg | Matt Strahm | Nick Mears
Quick Hits
- Detroit Tigers: Even though he allowed Vinnie Pasquantino’s solo shot at the top of the ninth, Connor Seabold was awarded his first win, logging 1.1 innings and recording two strikeouts courtesy of his team’s walk-off rally.
- Houston Astros: As the first reliever in, Christian Roa suffered his first loss, allowing three hits and an earned run during his 1.1 innings.
- Toronto Blue Jays: Summoned at the bottom of the sixth, Tommy Nance was saddled with his first loss, giving up a hit, an earned run, and two walks, recording an out in the sixth and seventh innings.
National League
Colorado Rockies
Provided a one-run margin, Victor Vodnik navigated around Jose Altuve’s one-out walk with consecutive flyouts against Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes, securing his second save. He threw 14 pitches (57.1 Strike%) with two whiffs (14.3 SwStr%). After this outing, he owns a 1.50 WHIP with five strikeouts versus four walks across eight innings.
- Jimmy Herget notched his second hold, walking and striking out one during a scoreless eighth.
- Jaden Hill gave up a hit and two walks while striking out one in a scoreless seventh for his second hold.
- Chase Dollander collected his second win as the “bulk follower,” giving up a hit and two walks while striking out nine over 5.1 scoreless frames.
Hierarchy Remains: Victor Vodnik | Jimmy Herget | Brennan Bernardino
Milwaukee Brewers
Preserving a one-run lead, Ángel Zerpa worked around Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s lead-off single with three consecutive groundouts, closing out his second save. He threw 10 pitches (60 Strike%) without a whiff.
- Trevor Megill fired a clean top of the eighth, striking out two against the Blue Jays’ 9-1-2 hitters, throwing 16 pitches (11 strikes – 68.8 Strike%) with three whiffs (18.8 SwStr%).
- Aaron Ashby is running pure. He was awarded his MLB-leading fifth win despite giving up a hit during one-third of the seventh, ahead of his team’s go-ahead rally at the bottom of the frame. That’s five wins through his first 11 appearances across his team’s first 18 games.
Hierarchy Remains: *Abner Uribe | *Ángel Zerpa | Trevor Megill
*= closer-by-committee
San Diego Padres
Slamming the door on his sixth save and striking out the side for the fifth time in his nine outings this season, Mason Miller has been utterly dominant. He threw 14 pitches (64.2 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (28.6 SwStr%) while facing Seattle’s 7-8-9 lineup pocket. He’s been scoreless over his last 30.2 innings since last August and has retired 23 of 30 batters faced via strikeout this season (76.7 K%) while posting a minuscule 0.214 WHIP across 9.1 scoreless frames.
- Jason Adam gave up a hit during a scoreless eighth for his second hold.
- Adrian Morejon stranded all three runners at the top of the sixth and logged 1.2 clean innings, recording two strikeouts and his third hold.
Hierarchy Remains: Mason Miller | Jason Adam | Adrian Morejon
San Francisco Giants
Called upon at the bottom of the ninth against the Reds’ top of the lineup, Erik Miller worked around a one-out walk to Matt McLain with three strikeouts, finishing off his first career save and a combined shutout. He threw 24 pitches (58.3 Strike%) and generated five whiffs (20.8 SwStr%).
After a rough patch, he’s been scoreless in his last three appearances with six strikeouts versus one walk (38.5 K-BB) across three innings.
- Keaton Winn fired a clean eighth, striking out two for his third hold.
- Ryan Walker worked a clean seventh against the 4-5-6 lineup pocket and recorded one strikeout, securing his second hold.
This was the team’s first save since April 2, and three relievers have recorded one save each through 19 games. Walker has not been used as a closer since March:
Now, fantasy managers await Tony Vitello’s next save opportunity variance choice. Will it be based on matchups? Will Winn or Caleb Kilian be involved? For now:
Updated Hierarchy: *Erik Miller | *Keaton Winn | *Caleb Kilian
*= closer-by-committee
Washington Nationals
Handed a one-run lead at the bottom of the tenth, Orlando Ribalta recorded his first career save, working around Konnor Griffin’s lead-off single with a strikeout and a game-ending double play groundout by Jake Mangum. He threw 14 pitches (12 strikes – 85.7 Strike%) without a whiff.
Clayton Beeter suffered his second blown save but was awarded his first win. His outing began with a walk, a leverage no-no, followed by a hit batter, a fielder’s choice groundout, a strikeout, and another walk to load the bases. Facing Brandon Lowe, a seeing-eye single off two gloves plated the game-tying run. Beeter logged 32 pitches (19 strikes – 59.4 Strike%) and did not register a whiff.
- Cionel Pérez notched his fourth hold, giving up a hit and striking out two in a scoreless eighth.
- Gus Varland retired both batters in the seventh for his second hold.
Hierarchy Remains: *Clayton Beeter | *Gus Varland | *PJ Poulin
*= closer-by-committee
Quick Hits
- Cincinnati Reds: Entering a scoreless game at the top of the seventh, Brock Burke allowed two hits and three unearned runs while striking out two during his first loss of the season. Connor Phillips let his only inherited runner score, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two during a combined inning of relief.
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Tasked with the top of the tenth, Dennis Santana retired the first two batters, then gave up a go-ahead RBI single by James Wood, and a stolen base, before inducing an inning-ending flyout by Brady House, resulting in his first loss. He threw 11 pitches (72.7 Strike%) without a whiff working in back-to-back games.
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