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Published April 15, 2026
We're almost a month into the 2026 regular season, which is enough runway to start separating preseason hype from actual ninth-inning reality. Below is a team-by-team look at every MLB closer situation as of April 15, listed alphabetically with a status, the primary arm(s), and a quick read on what the early in game results are showing.
Status Key
Tip: click any team's division pill (e.g., NL West) to show only that division.
Sewald worked the ninth in all three save situations over the last week, converting all three without giving up an earned run. Manager Torey Lovullo didn't formally name a closer going into the season, but Sewald has owned the role in practice. Ryan Thompson, Jonathan Loáisiga and Kevin Ginkel are active in setup.
The Athletics' ninth inning is the most distributed in baseball. Through the 14th of April, Mark Leiter Jr., Joel Kuhnel, and Hogan Harris have each worked the ninth twice, with Elvis Alvarado and Luis Medina drawing one look each.
Iglesias is the confirmed closer here, on a 1yr/$16M deal, and has owned the role going 3/3 on save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA across six game appearances so far. Robert Suarez has slotted into setup, and Osvaldo Bido has drawn two ninth-inning appearances.
Helsley is 5/5 converting his save opportunities so far, with Rico Garcia also drawing one ninth-inning look that resulted in a save. Helsley has said the pitch-tipping issue that plagued his stint with the Mets is fixed, and he looks locked in as the primary closer.
Even at 38 years of age Chapman appears to be fully locked into the closer role, with Garrett Whitlock as the primary setup arm. Usage has been spotty as there haven't been a lot of save opportunities available but we're not expecting much to change here.
Palencia is the named closer coming off a 22-save, 2.91 ERA 2025 season, and he leads the Cubs with three clean ninth-inning appearances through the first two weeks. Six different pitchers have worked the ninth overall, which largely reflects blowout non-save usage.
A significant change from our preseason coverage: Domínguez signed a 2yr/$20M deal and is now the named closer. Through fifteen days in April he has four ninth-inning appearances and is 3/4 on save opportunities.
Pagán has handled eight ninth-inning appearances over the first two weeks. He was roughed up in an outing on April 1st but has provided mostly clean work since. There are some early reports today that flagged a possible injury during his April 14 game so that is worth monitoring this week; Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft are in line as backups if Pagán misses time.
A shift from our preseason coverage, which projected a committee: Cade Smith has claimed the role with an impressive nine ninth-inning appearances already this season, though the run has been uneven with earned runs allowed in over half.
Vodnik has the unenviable task of being a closer in Coors field half of the season, but the job does appear to be his. Seth Halvorsen, a co-closer candidate this off season, was sent down to Albuquerque Isotopes to start the season (though he is pitching well).
Jansen is the closer and recently recorded his 479th career save (now tied for fourth all time). He has had a relatively light workload so far, but Jansen is clearly the primary.
Josh Hader opened the season on the IL with biceps inflammation, a significant setback from preseason expectations. Bryan Abreu was the presumed fill-in and has been covering the ninth inning work, though he has struggled mightily allowing earned runs in a staggering six of his seven relief appearances so far. Steven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos have each gotten ninth-inning looks as well. Hader is resuming bullpen sessions with an earliest-return target of early May.
Carlos Estévez was in fact the named closer entering the season, a detail that didn't solidify until the pre-season was wrapping up. However, he hit the 15-day IL on April 1 with a foot contusion, and Erceg has stepped in to work the ninth five times, going 5/5 on save opportunities.
With Kirby Yates (our preseason projected closer) still sidelined with knee inflammation, Romano has filled in as the primary closer with seven ninth-inning appearances through the first few weeks of the season. His April 13 outing was a meltdown (0 IP, 3 ER) and took some air out of the narrative, but he's still 4/5 on save opportunities.
Díaz was a highly touted addition and is the named closer but manager Dave Roberts has recently listed him as day-to-day with his avg fastball velocity dipping from 97.2 to 95.8 mph. Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia have each drawn multiple ninth-inning appearances, and Tanner Scott has one as well. Very much a committee look behind a named closer. One to monitor.
Fairbanks is the closer after coming over from Tampa Bay but had been absent from the team since April 5th for the birth of his child and just rejoined the team. Before leaving he made three ninth-inning appearances and served as an opener once. In his absence, Anthony Bender has carried the bulk of the ninth-inning work with three appearances.
Megill has the closer role but is off to a very rough start. Through April 14th he has given up earned runs in three of his six appearances, including back-to-back outings where he gave up three and four runs respectively. There are rumblings Abner Uribe could potentially shift from setup man to closer if Megill can't right the ship, though he hasn't actually worked the ninth in a game yet.
Manager Derek Shelton's staff has confirmed no defined roles, and the early usage matches. Justin Topa leads with three clean ninth-inning appearances, Cole Sands has two (including a 2 ER outing on April 11), Laweryson (now on the IL) has two, and Eric Orze and Funderburk have one each. Neither Anthony Banda nor Taylor Rogers, both preseason candidates, has worked the ninth yet.
Williams is the named closer on a 3yr/$51M deal, and in the first month he has five clean ninth-inning appearances (0 ER across the set). Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley have been handling the eighth. A narrow role so far, but exactly what you want from your closer.
Bednar is the named closer but has taken losses in back-to-back appearances. Through fifteen days in April he has three ninth-inning appearances with earned runs allowed in two of three. This has the makings of a closer by committee, or potential closer change, if things stay rocky in the Bronx.
Duran is now the sole named closer, with the preseason potential co-closer arrangement featuring José Alvarado resolved in Duran's favor. He's 5/5 on save opportunities and has only given up earned runs in one of his seven outings.
The early picture here appeared to be a potential closer battle between Santana and Soto. We'll leave this as a closer by committee given manager Don Kelly stated that would be the case a few weeks ago. Sure does look like Santana has potentially taken over though.
Miller has been dominant. Forget counting earned runs, through eight outings this season he's only given up one...hit, while striking out twenty batters. Insane.
Our preseason work pegged Ryan Walker as the leading candidate, but he hasn't made a ninth-inning appearance at all in April. Blade Tidwell and Erik Miller have each worked the ninth twice (both with a 2 ER outing in their ledger), and Kilian, Brubaker, Butto (now on the IL), and Winn have each drawn one look. Truly unsettled.
Fully confirmed closer, with Muñoz working the ninth four times (all scoreless) in April. Wilcox and Criswell have each drawn one ninth-inning look behind him. Matt Brash serves as the high-leverage setup complement, aligning perfectly with our pre-season expectations.
O'Brien has taken near-exclusive control of the ninth with five clean appearances (1 IP each), and two more in the tenth inning. He looks sharp and has yet to give up an earned run.
A change from our preseason projection of a potential committee led by Jax/Sulser: Baker appears to have solidified the role with six of his seven appearances coming in the ninth inning, including a save at the refurbished Tropicana Field opener. Still some potential for committee usage, but Baker appears to be the primary closer if he can stay on track.
Through the first few weeks, Jakob Junis and Chris Martin lead with three ninth-inning appearances, though Junis has had all clean outings and the more recent opportunities. Cole Winn, Beeks, and Alexander have each drawn at least one look. A change from preseason expectations: our work had projected Robert Garcia and Chris Martin as co-closers per Schumaker. Robert Garcia still hasn't worked the ninth in April. Junis is emerging as the likely option, but the role is not clearly settled.
Hoffman is the official closer and leads Toronto with eight ninth-inning appearances, plus one in the tenth inning. He's struggled at times and sits at 2/5 on his save opportunities. Tyler Rogers continues to work the eighth, and Varland remains a potential high-leverage option if Hoffman needs a spell.
Still a true committee. Gus Varland and Clayton Beeter have each drawn multiple ninth-inning appearances, with Cole Henry also a candidate to see late-game action. A rebuilding pen which will probably continue to be a work in progress.
For a deeper view of how each pen is performing behind these arms, check the Season Long Bullpen Power Rankings, the Snapshot Power Rankings, and the Bullpen ERA Rankings. You can also click any team name above to see the full bullpen breakdown.
-- InsidethePen Staff
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