It feels like I share this every week, but rankings have been very challenging this season. Between varied usage patterns and performances, chaos remains at the forefront of the high-leverage ecosystem, not stability.
With this in mind, the following teams either have a reliever on the hot seat or roles in flux as we embark on June:
- Cincinnati Reds
- Colorado Rockies
- Detroit Tigers
- Kansas City Royals
How they handle their save situations this week will alter some of today’s rankings. Also, as a refresher, these teams deploy fluid, matchup-based bullpens:
- Baltimore Orioles
- Minnesota Twins
- San Francisco Giants
- The Athletics
- Washington Nationals
Revisiting our running saves trends tracker, reliever results through the end of May since 2024:
There have been more pitchers recording saves, but fewer with at least five, ten, and at least 15 this year compared with past seasons.
When assessing the rankings, understand that they remain fluid as sample sizes grow. They are a mix of in-season results and rest-of-season potential. Rankings should be part of a fantasy player’s toolkit, not the sole source of evaluation. This week may look different. I have continued to use updated SGPs (standard gains points) for the season and the last two weeks, with an eye on rest-of-season potential. As a bonus, I am including leaderboards for the last 14 days (through May 31), May, and March/April.
Saves Leaderboard
| Last 14 Days | Saves | May | Saves | March/April | Saves |
| Cade Smith | 6 | Cade Smith | 13 | Mason Miller | 10 |
| Jhoan Duran | 5 | Bryan Baker | 9 | David Bednar | 9 |
| Bryan Baker | 4 | Paul Sewald | 7 | Riley O’Brien | 8 |
| Paul Sewald | 4 | Aroldis Chapman | 7 | Paul Sewald | 7 |
| Trevor Megill | 3 | Jhoan Duran | 7 | Ryan Helsley | 7 |
| Gregory Soto | 3 | Mason Miller | 7 | Seranthony Domínguez | 7 |
| Louis Varland | 3 | Devin Williams | 6 | Cade Smith | 7 |
| Mason Miller | 3 | Gregory Soto | 6 | Lucas Erceg | 7 |
| Aroldis Chapman | 2 | Riley O’Brien | 6 | Bryan Baker | 7 |
| Clayton Beeter | 2 | Raisel Iglesias | 5 | Emilio Pagan | 6 |
| Bryan King | 2 | Bryan King | 5 | Kenley Jansen | 6 |
| Scott Barlow | 2 | Jacob Latz | 5 | Andrés Muñoz | 6 |
| Jacob Latz | 2 | Seranthony Domínguez | 4 | Raisel Iglesias | 5 |
| David Bednar | 2 | Lucas Erceg | 4 | Aroldis Chapman | 5 |
| Richard Lovelady | 2 | Tanner Scott | 4 | Pete Fairbanks | 5 |
| Raisel Iglesias | 2 | Trevor Megill | 4 | Jhoan Duran | 5 |
| Taylor Rogers | 2 | Louis Varland | 4 | Joel Kuhnel | 4 |
| Jeff Hoffman | 2 | Richard Lovelady | 4 | Victor Vodnik | 4 |
| Devin Williams | 2 | Hogan Harris | 3 | Jordan Romano | 4 |
| Abner Uribe | 3 | Edwin Diaz | 4 | ||
| David Bednar | 3 | Trevor Megill | 4 | ||
| Brad Keller | 3 | Louis Varland | 4 | ||
| Andrés Muñoz | 3 | ||||
| Caleb Kilian | 3 |
RP Rankings for Saves
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Cade Smith |
| 2 | Mason Miller |
| 3 | Jhoan Duran |
| 4 | Paul Sewald |
| 5 | Bryan Baker |
| 6 | Louis Varland |
| 7 | Trevor Megill |
| 8 | Aroldis Chapman |
| 9 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 10 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 11 | Josh Hader |
| 12 | Riley O’Brien |
| 13 | David Bednar |
| 14 | Jacob Latz |
| 15 | Daniel Palencia |
| 16 | Tanner Scott |
| 17 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 18 | Devin Williams |
| 19 | Gregory Soto |
| 20 | Seranthony Domínguez |
| 21 | Kirby Yates |
| 22 | Rico Garcia |
| 23 | Clayton Beeter |
| 24 | Lucas Erceg |
| 25 | Caleb Kilian |
| 26 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 27 | Will Vest |
| 28 | Yoendrys Gómez |
| 29 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 30 | Aaron Ashby |
| 31 | Matt Strahm |
| 32 | Kyle Hurt |
| 33 | Tyler Rogers |
| 34 | Luke Weaver |
| 35 | Antonio Senzatela |
| 36 | Richard Lovelady |
| 37 | Hogan Harris |
| 38 | Mark Leiter Jr. |
| 39 | Gus Varland |
| 40 | Robert Suarez |
| 41 | Grant Taylor |
| 42 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 43 | Daniel Lynch IV |
| 44 | Ian Seymour |
| 45 | Tony Santillan |
| 46 | Brock Burke |
| 47 | Bryan Hudson |
| 48 | Taylor Rogers |
| 49 | Scott Barlow |
| 50 | Abner Uribe |
| 51 | Drew Anderson |
| 52 | Erik Miller |
| 53 | Will Klein |
| 54 | George Soriano |
| 55 | Hunter Gaddis |
| 56 | Orion Kerkering |
| 57 | Jaden Hill |
| 58 | Seth Halvorsen |
| 59 | Bryan King |
| 60 | Brad Lord |
SOLDS Leaderboards
| Last 14 Days | SOLDS | May | SOLDS | March/April | SOLDS |
| Yoendrys Gómez | 6 | Cade Smith | 13 | Erik Sabrowski | 12 |
| Cade Smith | 6 | Bryan Baker | 10 | Tony Santillan | 10 |
| Louis Varland | 5 | Bryan King | 8 | Mason Miller | 10 |
| Jhoan Duran | 5 | Kevin Kelly | 8 | Juan Morillo | 9 |
| Tyler Rogers | 5 | Paul Sewald | 7 | David Bednar | 9 |
| Tim Herrin | 5 | Aroldis Chapman | 7 | Riley O’Brien | 9 |
| Jason Adam | 4 | Tim Herrin | 7 | JoJo Romero | 9 |
| Trevor Megill | 4 | Trevor Megill | 7 | Graham Ashcraft | 8 |
| Enyel De Los Santos | 4 | Yoendrys Gomez | 7 | Lucas Erceg | 8 |
| Bryan Baker | 4 | Jhoan Duran | 7 | Paul Sewald | 7 |
| Alex Vesia | 4 | Brad Keller | 7 | Hogan Harris | 7 |
| Hunter Gaddis | 4 | Mason Miller | 7 | Robert Suarez | 7 |
| Kyle Hurt | 4 | Jose A. Ferrer | 7 | Rico Garcia | 7 |
| Bryan King | 4 | Eduard Bazardo | 7 | Ryan Helsley | 7 |
| Paul Sewald | 4 | JoJo Romero | 7 | Seranthony Domínguez | 7 |
| Jose A. Ferrer | 4 | George Soriano | 7 | Cade Smith | 7 |
| Brooks Raley | 4 | Matt Strahm | 7 | ||
| Bryan Abreu | 4 | Trevor Megill | 7 | ||
| Brad Keller | 4 | Gregory Soto | 7 | ||
| Steven Okert | 4 | Jason Adam | 7 | ||
| Bryan Baker | 7 | ||||
| Jakob Junis | 7 | ||||
| Louis Varland | 7 | ||||
| Tyler Rogers | 7 |
Updated RP Rankings for SOLDS
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Cade Smith |
| 2 | Jhoan Duran |
| 3 | Louis Varland |
| 4 | Mason Miller |
| 5 | Robert Suarez |
| 6 | Paul Sewald |
| 7 | Bryan Baker |
| 8 | Tanner Scott |
| 9 | Gregory Soto |
| 10 | Aroldis Chapman |
| 11 | Rico Garcia |
| 12 | Trevor Megill |
| 13 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 14 | Dylan Lee |
| 15 | Jason Adam |
| 16 | Kevin Kelly |
| 17 | Hunter Gaddis |
| 18 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 19 | Riley O’Brien |
| 20 | Josh Hader |
| 21 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 22 | JoJo Romero |
| 23 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 24 | Adrian Morejon |
| 25 | David Bednar |
| 26 | Jacob Latz |
| 27 | Bryan Hudson |
| 28 | Aaron Ashby |
| 29 | Orion Kerkering |
| 30 | Seranthony Domínguez |
| 31 | Abner Uribe |
| 32 | Kyle Hurt |
| 33 | Tyler Rogers |
| 34 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 35 | Devin Williams |
| 36 | Daniel Palencia |
| 37 | Luke Weaver |
| 38 | George Soriano |
| 39 | Keaton Winn |
| 40 | Enyel De Los Santos |
| 41 | Bryan King |
| 42 | Brad Keller |
| 43 | Antonio Senzatela |
| 44 | Caleb Kilian |
| 45 | Ian Seymour |
| 46 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 47 | Fernando Cruz |
| 48 | Brad Lord |
| 49 | Alex Vesia |
| 50 | Brooks Raley |
| 51 | Justin Sterner |
| 52 | Daniel Lynch IV |
| 53 | Matt Brash |
| 54 | Yoendrys Gómez |
| 55 | Adam Macko |
| 56 | Grant Taylor |
| 57 | Juan Morillo |
| 58 | Will Vest |
| 59 | Mason Montgomery |
| 60 | Will Klein |
| 61 | Taylor Clarke |
| 62 | Braydon Fisher |
| 63 | Sam Bachman |
| 64 | Jaden Hill |
| 65 | Eduard Bazardo |
| 66 | Sam Moll |
| 67 | Lucas Erceg |
| 68 | Kirby Yates |
| 69 | Hogan Harris |
| 70 | Gus Varland |
| 71 | Mark Leiter Jr. |
| 72 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 73 | Scott Barlow |
| 74 | Richard Lovelady |
| 75 | Drew Anderson |
Holds Leaderboards
| Last 14 Days | Holds | May | Holds | March/April | Holds |
| Yoendrys Gómez | 5 | Kevin Kelly | 8 | Erik Sabrowski | 12 |
| Tim Herrin | 5 | Tim Herrin | 7 | Tony Santillan | 9 |
| Steven Okert | 4 | Eduard Bazardo | 7 | JoJo Romero | 9 |
| Brad Keller | 4 | JoJo Romero | 7 | Juan Morillo | 8 |
| Alex Vesia | 4 | Dylan Lee | 6 | Graham Ashcraft | 7 |
| Jason Adam | 4 | Matt Festa | 6 | Matt Strahm | 7 |
| Brooks Raley | 4 | Brooks Raley | 6 | Tyler Rogers | 7 |
| Tyler Rogers | 4 | Fernando Cruz | 6 | Taylor Clarke | 6 |
| Jason Adam | 6 | Hogan Harris | 6 | ||
| Adrian Morejon | 6 | Scott Barlow | 6 | ||
| Keaton Winn | 6 | Rico Garcia | 6 | ||
| George Soriano | 6 | Jaden Hill | 6 | ||
| Ryne Stanek | 6 | Gregory Soto | 6 | ||
| Isaac Mattson | 6 | ||||
| Jason Adam | 6 |
Updated RP Rankings for Holds
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Robert Suarez |
| 2 | Aaron Ashby |
| 3 | Dylan Lee |
| 4 | Adrian Morejon |
| 5 | Hunter Gaddis |
| 6 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 7 | Jason Adam |
| 8 | Rico Garcia |
| 9 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 10 | JoJo Romero |
| 11 | Kyle Hurt |
| 12 | Abner Uribe |
| 13 | Tyler Rogers |
| 14 | Kevin Kelly |
| 15 | Brad Keller |
| 16 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 17 | George Soriano |
| 18 | Luke Weaver |
| 19 | Orion Kerkering |
| 20 | Alex Vesia |
| 21 | Fernando Cruz |
| 22 | Keaton Winn |
| 23 | Ian Seymour |
| 24 | Daniel Lynch IV |
| 25 | Bryan Hudson |
| 26 | Justin Sterner |
| 27 | Brad Lord |
| 28 | Huascar Brazobán |
| 29 | John Schreiber |
| 30 | Matt Brash |
| 31 | Juan Morillo |
| 32 | Will Klein |
| 33 | Kevin Ginkel |
| 34 | Jaden Hill |
| 35 | Brooks Raley |
| 36 | Eduard Bazardo |
| 37 | Adam Macko |
| 38 | Scott Barlow |
| 39 | Wilber Dotel |
| 40 | Michael Petersen |
Rankings for American League Only Saves
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Cade Smith |
| 2 | Bryan Baker |
| 3 | Louis Varland |
| 4 | Aroldis Chapman |
| 5 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 6 | Josh Hader |
| 7 | David Bednar |
| 8 | Jacob Latz |
| 9 | Seranthony Domínguez |
| 10 | Kirby Yates |
| 11 | Rico Garcia |
| 12 | Lucas Erceg |
| 13 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 14 | Will Vest |
| 15 | Yoendrys Gómez |
| 16 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 17 | Matt Strahm |
| 18 | Tyler Rogers |
| 19 | Hogan Harris |
| 20 | Mark Leiter Jr. |
| 21 | Grant Taylor |
| 22 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 23 | Daniel Lynch IV |
| 24 | Ian Seymour |
| 25 | Bryan Hudson |
Rankings for National League Only Saves
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Mason Miller |
| 2 | Jhoan Duran |
| 3 | Paul Sewald |
| 4 | Trevor Megill |
| 5 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 6 | Riley O’Brien |
| 7 | Daniel Palencia |
| 8 | Tanner Scott |
| 9 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 10 | Devin Williams |
| 11 | Gregory Soto |
| 12 | Clayton Beeter |
| 13 | Caleb Kilian |
| 14 | Kyle Hurt |
| 15 | Luke Weaver |
| 16 | Antonio Senzatela |
| 17 | Richard Lovelady |
| 18 | Gus Varland |
| 19 | Robert Suarez |
| 20 | Tony Santillan |
| 21 | Brock Burke |
| 22 | Abner Uribe |
| 23 | Erik Miller |
| 24 | Will Klein |
| 25 | George Soriano |
Thanks for being a part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe, and be well.
Statistical Credits: