This week in Saves and Steals, Emmanuel Clase shows why he’s the best closer in baseball with four saves in as many days. In Milwaukee, Devin Williams is off to a great start from the injured list with two saves. In the steals department, Derek Hill is earning regular playing time for the Marlins. And the Giants promoted an outfielder who stole 52 bases in 2023.

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Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings

Level 1: At the top

Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals

Clase proved this week why there is no one better at the top of the closer rankings, recording four saves in four days. He now has 37 saves, tied with Helsley for the most in the major leagues. He has posted a 0.64 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP over 56 1/3 innings. I wouldn’t be surprised if Clase gets Cy Young votes this season. Helsley recorded a save this week, his 37th of the season, with a 2.66 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and 57 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings.

Level 2: The Elite

Kirby Yates – Texas Rangers
Mason Miller – Oakland Athletics
Andres Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Josh Hader – Houston Astros

Yates earned a save against the Red Sox on Wednesday by getting a strikeout in a clean inning. He now has 21 saves, a 1.02 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. Miller earned a save against the Blue Jays on Saturday, his 17th of the season. Muñoz earned a clean inning against the Mets in his only appearance of the week. And Hader now has 26 saves after converting two of them this week, with a 3.48 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings.

Level 3: The solid options

Robert Suarez-San Diego Padres
Raisel Iglesias-Atlanta Braves
Devin Williams – Milwaukee Brewers
Edwin Diaz – New York Mets
Kenley Jansen – Boston Red Sox
Clay Holmes – New York Yankees
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Jhoan Duran/Griffin Jax – Minnesota Twins
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Carlos Estevez – Philadelphia Phillies
Alexis Diaz – Cincinnati Reds

It was a great week for Suarez and the Padres, picking up three saves and a win. He was one of the most valuable relievers this season, collecting seven wins, 27 saves and a 1.68 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. Iglesias added two saves and a win, giving him 25 saves with a 1.54 ERA this season. His strikeout rate has increased in recent months, with a 33.7 percent strikeout rate since the start of June after striking out just 18.6 percent of batters through May.

Williams earned his first save since coming off the injured list, striking out the team against the Reds. He followed that up with his second save on Wednesday against the Dodgers. He has now struck out nine batters with one run allowed in his first five innings. Díaz struck out two batters in a scoreless inning against the Athletics. He remains at 14 saves with a 3.71 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Jansen recorded a four-out save against the Rangers on Tuesday, his 22nd of the season. Holmes also recorded a save this week, allowing one run, but saved his 25th on Sunday. And Fairbanks, after two saves this week, now has 23 saves. He struck out the Orioles in a scoreless inning on Sunday.

Duran earned a save on Friday by getting a strikeout against the Guardians. It was his first save in nearly a month. He now has 16 runs and a 3.52 ERA in 38 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, Finnegan allowed two runs in a game against the Giants last Thursday, then threw two scoreless innings and picked up a win against the Angels on Friday.

Estévez made his first save with the Phillies on Thursday against the Marlins. He appears to have most, if not all, of the save opportunities in Philadelphia. Díaz also moves up a level with two more saves this week. He has 24 saves this season and a 2.18 ERA since the beginning of June.

Level 4: There is upside potential here

Chad Green – Toronto Blue Jays
Daniel Hudson – Los Angeles Dodgers
Justin Martinez – Arizona Diamondbacks
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Seranthony Dominguez – Baltimore Orioles

Green had a great week, turning three saves for the Blue Jays. He has 12 with a 1.86 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings.

Although Hudson was not named the primary closer, he is the only Dodger relief pitcher to get a chance at a save since Evan Phillips was moved from that role. Hudson earned his ninth save of the season on Monday against the Brewers. In Arizona, Martinez picked up a win and converted his third save for the team. He has established himself as the primary closer, recording three saves with a 1.89 ERA in 52 1/3 innings.

Not only did the Giants remove Camilo Doval from the closer role, the team also sent him down to Triple-A this week. Walker has been named the team’s closer for the time being. He made his first save on Saturday against the Tigers. The 28-year-old right-hander has posted an impressive 2.17 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings. Walker could continue to play the closer role and should be used in all formats.

With Kimbrel struggling in Baltimore, Dominguez has the opportunity to take on the role of closer. He made his first save for the team on Saturday against the Rays and his second against the Nationals on Wednesday. Felix Bautista has started throwing from the mound as he rehabs after Tommy John surgery, but is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Level 5: Just getting by

Hector Neris – Chicago Cubs
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Victor Vodnik-Colorado Rockies
Lucas Erceg – Kansas City Royals
Ben Joyce – Los Angeles Angels
Jason Foley/Tyler Holton/Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
John Brebbia – Chicago White Sox

Neris made two saves this week against the White Sox. He has been much better in the second half, allowing two runs in 9 1/3 innings since the All-Star break.

It’s been a forgettable season for Bednar. He’s allowed seven runs in his last five games and has a 5.75 ERA after 40 2/3 innings. In Colorado, Vodnik made two saves for the Rockies, but then wasted a save opportunity against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

With Hunter Harvey on the injured list with a back injury, Erceg has made two straight saves for the Royals, including a four-out save against the Twins on Wednesday. He is probably the best reliever in the Kansas City bullpen and should be used wherever saves are needed.

No saves for Joyce this week. He struggled on two occasions without a save and allowed three runs in his last three appearances. In Detroit, it went before a full committee, with Vest getting the team’s last save. Meanwhile, the Marlins and White Sox struggled to produce saves.

Theft Department

Xavier Edwards led the way in the steals department this week, collecting seven steals. Since the All-Star break, he leads the majors with 16 steals. This season, he has 19 steals while posting an excellent .358/.437/.432 batting average in 175 batting appearances. His teammate Derek Hill has settled into a starting role with the Marlins, posting a .256/.286/.442 batting average with four home runs and five steals in 91 batting appearances. The 28-year-old outfielder probably won’t have much success with a 34 percent strikeout rate, but he could be worth a shot in deeper mixed and NL-only leagues. In San Francisco, the Giants sent shortstop Marco Luciano to Triple-A and promoted one of their top outfield prospects, Grant McCray, to the majors. The 23-year-old had hit 12 home runs with 14 steals in 97 minor league games after capturing 52 bases in High-A last season. If he gets regular playing time, he could be worth a speculative signing in the big leagues as well.