Each week during the season, I take a look at the reliever landscape to aid with waiver wire and trade decisions. This past week saw some familiar faces return from the injured list (IL) and back into the rankings.
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Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds League Advice
Saves + Holds Leaders
Here are the top 17 relievers in total saves plus holds (SV+H) through June 25th.
| Player | Team | SV+H |
| Tanner Scott | LAD | 23 |
| Robert Suarez | SDP | 22 |
| Carlos Estevez | KCR | 22 |
| Abner Uribe | MIL | 22 |
| Josh Hader | HOU | 21 |
| Emilio Pagan | CIN | 20 |
| Emmanuel Clase | CLE | 19 |
| Bryan Abreu | HOU | 19 |
| Camilo Doval | SFG | 19 |
| Tony Santillan | CIN | 19 |
| Andres Munoz | SEA | 18 |
| Cade Smith | CLE | 18 |
| Tommy Kahnle | DET | 18 |
| Kyle Finnegan | WSH | 18 |
| Phil Maton | STL | 18 |
| Trevor Megill | MIL | 18 |
| Jeremiah Estrada | SDP | 18 |
Takeaways
- Despite other talented options in the bullpen, the Dodgers continue to use Tanner Scott as their sole closer. He has been outstanding in June, pitching to a 1.59 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with 12 strikeouts, six saves, two holds and a win in 11.1 innings. He leads the league in saves plus holds and is 10th in saves alone.
- Robert Suarez received a suspension for his role in the Padres/Dodgers “disagreement,” let’s call it. It couldn’t come at a better time, with him giving up seven earned runs in his last five appearances. Despite the poor stretch, he has a 3.51 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 33.1 innings on the year, to go along with 22 SV+H.
- Josh Hader looks like the best reliever in baseball, as he has for most of the past nine years. He’s third in the league in saves and has a 1.78 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, five wins and insane 14 K/9.
- Andres Munoz has continued to limit the runs, but has only one save or hold to his credit since May 23rd. Two other pitchers on his team, Matt Brash (five) and Carlos Vargas (two), have more SV+H in the past month.
Saves + Holds Reliever Rankings
Here are my updated top 40 relievers for SV+H leagues.
| Rank | Player | Team | Change |
| 1 | Josh Hader | HOU | +1 |
| 2 | Robert Suarez | SDP | +1 |
| 3 | Andres Munoz | SEA | -2 |
| 4 | Edwin Diaz | NYM | – |
| 5 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | – |
| 6 | Tanner Scott | LAD | – |
| 7 | Mason Miller | ATH | – |
| 8 | Cade Smith | CLE | +1 |
| 9 | Bryan Abreu | HOU | +1 |
| 10 | Jason Adam | SDP | -2 |
| 11 | Abner Uribe | MIL | – |
| 12 | Devin Williams | NYY | +1 |
| 13 | Carlos Estevez | KCR | -1 |
| 14 | Griffin Jax | MIN | – |
| 15 | Aroldis Chapman | BOS | +3 |
| 16 | Tommy Kahnle | DET | -1 |
| 17 | Camilo Doval | SFG | -1 |
| 18 | Luke Weaver | NYY | IL |
| 19 | Lucas Erceg | KCR | – |
| 20 | Daniel Palencia | CHC | +4 |
| 21 | Jhoan Duran | MIN | +3 |
| 22 | Shelby Miller | ARI | +6 |
| 23 | Robert Garcia | TEX | – |
| 24 | Kirby Yates | LAD | -4 |
| 25 | Ryan Helsley | STL | – |
| 26 | Kyle Finnegan | WSH | -9 |
| 27 | Tony Santillan | CIN | – |
| 28 | Jeff Hoffman | TOR | +2 |
| 29 | Hunter Gaddis | CLE | -3 |
| 30 | Reed Garrett | NYM | -9 |
| 31 | Felix Bautista | BAL | – |
| 32 | Emilio Pagan | CIN | +1 |
| 33 | Phil Maton | STL | +3 |
| 34 | Chris Martin | TEX | +4 |
| 35 | Trevor Megill | MIL | UN |
| 36 | Jeremiah Estrada | SDP | +1 |
| 37 | Bryan King | HOU | -3 |
| 38 | Matt Strahm | PHI | +2 |
| 39 | Ryan Walker | SFG | – |
| 40 | Reid Detmers | LAA | UN |
Biggest Risers
Trevor Megill (RP – MIL) | Unranked
Trevor Megill started the year as my No. 15 pitcher on this list. Coming into the season, he was slated as the Brewers’ closer after putting up terrific numbers in 2024. He started a little shaky, but has settled into a 2.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. Abner Uribe is still the better pitcher to roster because of the strikeout upside, but Megill is coming back around.
Reid Detmers (RP, SP – LAA) | Unranked
Yes, you read that correctly, Reid Detmers is a bullpen arm. Detmers has been a popular breakout pick as a starter in fantasy for a couple of years, and it hasn’t worked out. This year, he’s coming out of the bullpen, and it has paid dividends for the Angels.
Detmers had his roughest stretch of the season, giving up 13 runs in 2.1 innings in four outings at the end of April/beginning of May. Since May 9th, however, he has gone 19.2 innings, allowing one earned run, picking up eight SV+H and striking out 30 batters. Kenley Jansen has struggled this year, but he’s entrenched in the closer’s role, leaving Detmers to be the set-up man.
Biggest Fallers
I was hesitant about moving Kyle Finnegan up the rankings, but he continued to rack up SV+H, and I couldn’t hold him down any longer. He had eight saves in April and seven in May, but has only two through nearly all of June. Other than a three-run outing against Colorado, he hasn’t allowed many runs in the month.
The problem is an 11-game losing streak the Nationals went on from early to mid-June. Finnegan should still be a solid source of saves, but may not have the same volume as the top pitchers in saves plus holds leagues.
Reed Garrett has struggled in June. In eight appearances, he’s pitched 6.1 innings, given up six earned runs on 10 hits and five walks while striking out 11. He’s picked up only two saves plus holds in the month, and hasn’t recorded one in over 20 days. He is still getting strikeouts at a good clip to have some fantasy value, but fantasy managers would love to see him improve on the walks.
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