Tuesday’s slate featured seven wins by relievers, six saves, and four losses. Here are the saves in condensed form:
As for the vulture option during today’s slate:
Vulture Save Option for 5.6.2026
- Brad Keller (PHI): Druan threw 27 pitches during his return from the injured list and should be unavailable today.
- Camilo Doval (NYY): Bednar worked 1.2 innings, throwing 28 pitches, and has thrown 44 over the three previous days.
- Eduard Bazardo (SEA): Muñoz had appeared in consecutive contests.
- Gregory Soto (PIT): Santana allowed two earned runs in a non-save outing yesterday and has given up six earned runs across his last three.
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In the year of the injured reliever, the list grew on Tuesday night. Emilio Pagán was removed from a tied game after throwing his first pitch with a hamstring injury. As Mark Sheldon of MLB.com shared in this update, the closer will be placed on the 15-day injured list:
As he alluded to, this bullpen has been struggling in recent contests, but Tony Santillan is lined up to replace Pagán. Terry Francona runs a structured bullpen. If Santillan struggles, Graham Ashcraft could usurp him for save chances. The timing could not be worse; he suffered his second blown save, serving a game-tying solo home run by Busch. He’s allowed at least a run in back-to-back outings and in three of his last five.
Sam Moll was tagged with his second loss, allowing Michael Busch’s walk-off RBI single leading off the top of the tenth. As an injury replacement, Jose Franco escaped with a scoreless ninth, despite issuing two walks.
Fantasy managers hope Santillan can find his 2025 form, during which he converted five saves with a 1.11 WHIP. This season, he’s allowing more and better contact, which makes him a risky addition to any roster. This bullpen will be closely monitored moving forward, but the unit could make or break the team’s postseason aspirations.
Projected Hierarchy: Tony Santillan | Graham Ashcraft | Connor Phillips
Three Takeaways
Sleepless in Seattle? Not yet, but: Entering a tied game at the top of the ninth, Andrés Muñoz allowed Matt Olson’s leadoff home run and issued a one-out walk while recording two strikeouts, resulting in his third loss. He threw 23 pitches (12 strikes – 52.2 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (13 SwStr%). First, his illustrator:
Against a tough lineup, when his command strays, he usually misses arm side, as the image above shows. As for his results:
Although his underlying data does not cause too much concern, the closer has allowed four barrels (11.8 percent) and a 50 percent hard-hit rate through his first 34 events this season, resulting in a 4.48 xERA and his 1.40 WHIP. It’s perplexing since he’s posted a 2.35 SIERA with 25 strikeouts against seven walks (27.3 K-BB%) and his highest since 2022. Even more confusing, he’s producing more swinging strikes this year compared to last season while allowing less contact.
The culprit may be his four-seam fastball. He has a .596 weighted on-base average with the pitch and a .588 xSLG. Referencing count leverage, when he’s behind in counts, hitters have a .667 wOBA and a .612 xSLG. Although two of his three home runs have been against his slider, when he has to throw it for strikes, it’s not as effective. Better days should lie ahead, backed up by his SIERA, but fantasy managers cannot ignore his 4.99 xERA, which factors in quality of contact.
Hierarchy Remains: Andrés Muñoz | Eduard Bazardo | Jose A. Ferrer
The plan is, there is no plan: Losing Pete Fairbanks to the injured list has sent the Marlins’ leverage ladder into a tailspin. Not only in results, but usage patterns have been unpredictable. Here are the usage patterns in May:
If Clayton McCullough is using this time to see what his young guns can provide, it’s understandable. Josh Eckness has turned in two clean appearances, and William Kempner retired the side during his debut on Tuesday. Are they ready for leverage situations? Perhaps not yet, but we know who Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender, and Tyler Phillips are. Why not find out what the rookies can offer?
Hierarchy Remains: *Calvin Faucher | *Anthony Bender | *Tyler Phillips
*= closer-by-committee
Santana’s slider erosion: Getting work in after five days off, Dennis Santana allowed three hits and two earned runs while facing Arizona’s ninth batter, and the top of the lineup at the bottom of the eighth. His illustrator:
And, his results, noting both singles were against his slider while Alek Thomas’ double was on a change-up:
He’s allowed multiple runs in two of his last three appearances. Through 16 games, he owns a 1.277 WHIP with 10 strikeouts against eight walks (3 K-BB%) across 15.2 innings. Santana is allowing more contact (up five percent) and inducing fewer swinging strikes (down over three percent) compared to 2025. His 5.31 SIERA and 5.43 xERA are almost identical, confirming he’s struggling. His slider has a .422 wOBA versus a .212 rate last season, exacerbating his rough outings. If he does not improve his results with his most used pitch, his save chances will be limited moving forward.
Updated Hierarchy: *Gregory Soto | *Dennis Santana | Isaac Mattson
*= closer-by-committee
Here are the remaining leverage events of interest from Tuesday’s slate.
American League
Baltimore Orioles
Pressed into action at the bottom of the eighth, Rico Garcia took over with a runner at second and two outs during a tied game. He walked Xavier Edwards, then bore down with an inning-ending strikeout of Liam Hicks, thwarting the threat. Returning for the ninth, Garcia retired the side, including a game-ending strikeout, collecting his third win. He worked 1.1 scoreless frames, throwing 19 pitches (12 strikes – 63.2 Strike%) and generated five whiffs (26.3 SwStr%).
- Andrew Kittredge suffered his first blown save, giving up a hit, an unearned run, and a walk while striking out one during two-thirds of the eighth. He was distracted by pinch-runner, Esteury Ruiz, who stole two bases and scored on an error, tying the game. Yennier Cano was unavailable after pitching the previous two days; he will be preferred in leverage situations over Kittredge based on recent outcomes.
- Grant Wolfram notched his fourth hold, striking out both batters in the seventh.
- Anthony Nunez allowed two solo home runs and recorded a strikeout during 1.1 innings, getting credited with his fourth hold.
Updated Hierarchy: Rico Garcia | Yennier Cano | Grant Wolfram
Houston Astros
More Astros anarchy in the late innings, with Bryan King logging two innings against the Dodgers. He recorded his third save despite spoiling a shutout, giving up three hits and an earned run while striking out two. His outing began with an Alex Call leadoff double, who scored on a two-out, RBI single by Kyle Tucker. King threw 37 pitches (26 strikes – 70.3 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (13.5 SwStr%). He’s converted a save in his last two contests, though roles seem far from assured in this bullpen.
Josh Hader made his first Triple-A appearance, issuing a walk and striking out one during a scoreless inning. He threw 16 pitches (9 strikes – 56.3 Strike%) with two whiffs (12.5 SwStr%).
His velocity should improve, but it’s an encouraging start to his buildup toward a return. Here is his illustrator:
He’s eligible for a return during the last week of May.
Hierarchy Remains: *Enyel De Los Santos | *Bryan King | *Kai-Wei Teng
*= closer-by-committee
Kansas City Royals
Finishing off his team’s two-run lead, Lucas Erceg notched his tenth save, working around a two-out walk and striking out one during a scoreless ninth. He threw 15 pitches (8 strikes – 53.3 Strike%) and induced two whiffs (13.3 SwStr%). He’s running pure in recent outings, producing a seven-game scoreless streak, during which he’s won two games while converting all five save chances with a 0.857 WHIP and nine strikeouts against five walks (15.4 K-BB%) across seven innings.
- Daniel Lynch IV issued a walk during a scoreless eighth, securing his fourth hold.
- Nick Mears fired a clean seventh, striking out one for his fifth hold.
Carlos Estévez did not pitch on Tuesday, but it was not his fault:
Hierarchy Remains: Lucas Erceg | Matt Strahm | Daniel Lynch IV
Los Angeles Angels
Called upon at the top of the eighth with a runner on and two outs, Ryan Zeferjahn produced an inning-ending strikeout against Munetaka Murakami. Returning for the ninth, he hit Sam Antonacci with a pitch, issued a one-out walk to Miguel Vargas, and loaded the bases with a two-out walk before inducing a game-ending groundout against Edgar Quero for his first save of the season. Zeferjahn threw 33 pitches (16 strikes – 48.5 Strike%) while getting three whiffs (9.1 SwStr%) in an inefficient outing.
- Sam Bachman worked 1.2 innings, allowing Chase Meidroth’s solo home run, and striking out three for his sixth hold.
- Drew Pomeranz navigated around two hits and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless sixth, securing his sixth hold.
- José Fermin was awarded his first win, yielding a hit and striking out two during a scoreless fifth.
Before this game, Kirby Yates was activated, but he may need to be eased into leverage situations. His velocity and results should be tracked before putting him into fantasy lineups.
Updated Hierarchy: Ryan Zeferjahn | Sam Bachman | Kirby Yates
New York Yankees
Forced into an extended outing, David Bednar recorded his tenth save despite allowing Ezequiel Duran’s one-out triple and an RBI groundout while striking out two, closing out an eventual three-run margin over Texas. He threw 26 pitches (18 strikes – 69.2 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (15.4 SwStr%) while striking out two over his 1.2 innings. Through 15.1 innings, he owns a 1.50 WHIP with 18 strikeouts versus five walks (18.3 K-BB%).
- Fernando Cruz allowed a hit and a walk with one strikeout during his scoreless combined inning.
- Tim Hill allowed two hits and retired one batter, getting his sixth hold.
- Brent Headrick was awarded his second win, firing 1.1 clean frames and striking out three.
Hierarchy Remains: David Bednar | Camilo Doval | Fernando Cruz
Tampa Bay Rays
Capping his team’s rally at the bottom of the eighth, Cole Sulser secured his second save, retiring the side against Toronto’s 8-9-1 lineup pocket. He threw 12 pitches (7 strikes – 58.3 Strike%) without a whiff. It appears that he’s another Rays’ reliever revival, extending his scoreless streak to nine games, spanning 10.2 innings.
- Casey Legumina collected his first win, working around a hit and a walk for a scoreless top of the eighth.
- Hunter Bigge worked a scoreless seventh, walking one and striking out two.
Hierarchy Remains: Bryan Baker | Cole Sulser | Garrett Cleavinger
Toronto Blue Jays
In order of appearance, Jeff Hoffman notched his fourth hold, allowing a hit and striking out one in a scoreless bottom of the seventh. Tyler Rogers suffered his second loss and a second blown save, giving up four hits and two earned runs during one-third of the eighth. Louis Varland stranded two runners while retiring both batters, one via strikeout, finishing the frame. He threw seven pitches (85.7 Strike%) without a whiff.
Hierarchy Remains: Louis Varland | Tyler Rogers | Jeff Hoffman
Quick Hits
- Boston Red Sox: As the “bulk follower,” Brayan Bello collected his second win while logging six innings, giving up four hits, an earned run, and a walk while striking out seven. Alec Gamboa retired the side and recorded two strikeouts at the bottom of the ninth.
- Chicago White Sox: In an eventual one-run loss, Bryan Hudson gave up a hit during a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Jordan Leasure fired a clean seventh, striking out two. Tyler Davis logged 1.1 scoreless frames, striking out one.
National League
Atlanta Braves
Handed a one-run lead, Raisel Iglesias returned from the injured list with a scoreless bottom of the ninth in Seattle, securing his sixth save. He allowed a one-out single by Josh Naylor and a stolen base, but recorded a strikeout, followed by a game-ending groundout against Dominic Canzone. Iglesias threw 19 pitches (13 strikes – 68.4 Strike%) and induced three whiffs (15.8 SwStr%) while striking out two in this outing, averaging 95.5 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball.
- Robert Suarez collected his third win, firing a clean bottom of the eighth with two strikeouts ahead of his team’s go-ahead rally at the top of the ninth, extending his scoreless streak to nine games.
- Dylan Lee worked a clean seventh, striking out the side.
Updated Hierarchy: Raisel Iglesias | Robert Suarez | Dylan Lee
Chicago Cubs
Two appearances have resulted in consecutive wins for Ryan Rolison, and his third of the season. Tasked with the top of the tenth, he stranded the “courtesy runner,” working around a walk and striking out two against the Reds’ 9-1-2-3 hitters.
Daniel Palencia navigated around a two-out single for a scoreless ninth, keeping the game tied. He threw 15 pitches (8 strikes – 53.3 Strike%) and induced one whiff.
- Jacob Webb tossed a clean eighth, striking out one.
- Javier Assad logged 1.1 scoreless frames and recorded one strikeout.
Hierarchy Remains: Daniel Palencia | Phil Maton | Ben Brown
Philadelphia Phillies
Displaying signs of rust while making his first appearance since April 11, Jhoan Duran spoiled the combined shutout, allowing a hit and an earned run on a bases-loaded walk, while striking out two. He threw 27 pitches (12 strikes – 44.4 Strike%) and induced one whiff.
Three walks are less than ideal, but he will round into form in short order. These are his first walks all season.
Hierarchy Remains: Jhoan Duran | Brad Keller | José Alvarado
San Diego Padres
Summoned at the bottom of the sixth, Jeremiah Estrada stranded both inherited runners with a strikeout and an inning-ending groundout. Returning for the seventh, he allowed a one-out solo home run, but was awarded his fourth hold, finishing 1.2 innings with only the hit against and an earned run while striking out two.
- Jason Adam fired a clean eighth.
- Ron Marinaccio tossed a clean ninth, striking out one, closing out a five-run lead.
Hierarchy Remains: Mason Miller | Jeremiah Estrada | Jason Adam
Quick Hits
- Arizona Diamondbacks: Completing a combined shutout, Brandyn Garcia fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded two strikeouts versus the Pirates’ 3-4-5 lineup pocket. Jonathan Loáisiga retired the side in the eighth.
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Keeping his team within one run, Alex Vesia fired a clean bottom of the eighth while facing Houston’s 9-1-2 hitters.
- San Francisco Giants: Making his season debut, Joel Peguero allowed Xander Bogaerts’ two-out single during a scoreless top of the ninth, throwing eight pitches (75 Strike%) without a whiff. Gregory Santos allowed two hits and two earned runs across two innings.
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Statistical Credits: