Welcome back to the latest edition of the “Closer Report.” We saw a few closers recently activated off the injured list (IL) this past week, leading to a number of uncertain situations with relievers returning from injuries. Those situations will be ones to monitor in the next couple of weeks.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Andres Munoz, Adam Ottavino, Jose Alvarado (2023)
| Rank | Team | Closer | Change | Notes |
| 1 | Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | 0 | MLB-high 20 saves |
| 2 | Blue Jays | Jordan Romano | 2 | |
| 3 | Orioles | Felix Bautista | -1 | |
| 4 | Giants | Camilo Doval | 1 | |
| 5 | Angels | Carlos Estevez | 2 | |
| 6 | Padres | Josh Hader | -3 | Last save on May 25 |
| 7 | Rangers | Will Smith | 1 | |
| 8 | Mariners | Paul Sewald | -2 | Andres Munoz activated off IL |
| 9 | Red Sox | Kenley Jansen | 0 | |
| 10 | Pirates | David Bednar | 0 | |
| 11 | Braves | Raisel Iglesias | 0 | |
| 12 | Astros | Ryan Pressly | 0 | |
| 13 | Reds | Alexis Diaz | 1 | |
| 14 | Twins | Jhoan Duran | 1 | |
| 15 | Brewers | Devin Williams | 1 | |
| 16 | Mets | Committee | -3 | Adam Ottavino seeing save chances |
| 17 | Rays | Jason Adam | 0 | |
| 18 | White Sox | Liam Hendriks | 5 | First save for Hendriks on Tuesday |
| 19 | Cardinals | Committee | -1 | |
| 20 | Marlins | A.J. Puk | 4 | Activated off IL Tuesday |
| 21 | Phillies | Committee | 4 | Jose Alvarado activated off IL Friday |
| 22 | Dodgers | Committee | -3 | |
| 23 | Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | -3 | |
| 24 | Rockies | Committee | -3 | Justin Lawrence seeing save chances |
| 25 | Yankees | Committee | -3 | |
| 26 | Diamondbacks | Committee | 0 | |
| 27 | Tigers | Alex Lange | 0 | |
| 28 | Royals | Scott Barlow | 0 | |
| 29 | Cubs | Committee | 0 | |
| 30 | Athletics | Committee | 0 |
News and notes:
Liam Hendriks recorded his first save of the season last Tuesday. He did allow a solo home run to Josh Donaldson but otherwise held the Yankees in check to help the White Sox hold onto a one run win. It appears Hendriks is back in his primary closer role with Kendall Graveman in a set-up role.
Andres Munoz, A.J. Puk and Jose Alvarado were all recently activated off the IL.
Munoz pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning in his first game back with two strikeouts. It is likely he’ll rotate with Paul Sewald depending on the matchups who pitches the 8th and 9th innings.
Puk should take back his closer role in Miami, with Dylan Floro moving back to a set-up role. It is still worth monitoring, though, to see if that’s how the situation plays out.
We started to see Craig Kimbrel take over the closer role in the Phillies bullpen, so that’ll be a situation to monitor as Alvarado started to take over the role right before he landed on the IL.
The Mets are missing Edwin Diaz more than ever. After David Robertson opened the season as the closer and excelled, we’ve started to see Ottavino earn more save chances as of late.
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