Bryan Baker Fantasy Stats

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-handed closer Bryan Baker (illness) was pulled from his outing early on Friday against the Texas Rangers with an illness and is dealing with "nothing physical," according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Baker was brought in for the ninth in a save situation and allowed an earned run on two walks without recording an out before he was replaced by Tyler Wells, who hung on for his sixth save of the season in the 7-6 win in Texas. The 31-year-old Baker might not be available for the rest of the weekend series against the Rangers, but it is unlikely that he will need a stint on the injured list, which is great news for fantasy managers. The former 11th-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2016 from North Florida came out of nowhere in 2026 to be an elite source of saves. Baker, a first-time All-Star this year, came into Friday's outing with a 1.47 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, a league-leading 39 saves, 60 strikeouts, and 18 walks in 55 innings pitched. Before this season, Baker had four saves in five MLB campaigns with the Rays, Orioles, and Blue Jays. Consider him day-to-day going into Saturday.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Bryan Baker hit the break with 25 saves, a 1.73 ERA, and a 0.83 WHIP, then recorded the final out of the American League shutout in the July 14 All-Star Game. The spring committee talk feels ancient now. Baker is tied for second in the majors in saves, opponents are batting .150 against him, and Tampa Bay has no reason to touch the ninth inning. This is not just a hot run. His fastball is averaging 97.1 mph, his strikeout rate sits at 29.3%, and the changeup he now throws nearly as often as the heater has limited batters to a .137 average. The only reason to shop Baker is that his value may never be higher. Even that feels forced. He has the job, the stuff, and a first-place club creating chances. Treat him as a high-end closer for the second half.

With roughly a third of the 2026 season in the books, Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Bryan Baker has emerged as his team's preferred option in the ninth inning. Across 24 appearances (22 1/3 innings) so far this year, Baker has pitched to a 2.42 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and 14 saves. The 31-year-old has been deployed in the ninth inning in five consecutive outings and has not entered a game before the eighth inning in 2026. Baker is also averaging a career-best 97.1 miles per hour on his fastball and owns a stellar 29.1% strikeout rate. The veteran reliever has had some issues with command (10.1% walk rate), and his 0.40 HR/9 is considerably better than the 1.70 HR/9 he posted in 2025. If his home run rate regresses a bit and he continues issuing free passes, Baker's ERA could rise over the course of the year. Still, he has a stranglehold on the closer role in Tampa Bay for the time being, making him a must-add off the waiver wire across all fantasy formats.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Bryan Baker has been great in 2026, with a 2.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings pitched. He picked up his 13th save of the season on Tuesday against Baltimore and is now third in MLB with 16 save opportunities and 13 saves on the season, trailing only Mason Miller and Cade Smith in both. Not only has Baker looked solid on the surface, but his 2.53 xERA, .187 xBA, and 85.9 mph average exit velo all rank in the 90th percentile or better, and he has great swing and miss stuff, which is evident by his 29.3 percent strikeout rate. He has proven to be Kevin Cash's top option to close out games. Because it is the Rays, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Baker, every so often, is used in the 7th or 8th inning in a high-leverage situation, but overall, they should feel comfortable knowing they have a top 5 closer given the current state of closers in 2026.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Bryan Baker picked up his ninth save of the season on May 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays, recording the final out of the inning. Baker now has nine saves on the season in 11 opportunities, and currently has the sixth most saves in MLB thus far through the 2026 season. Under the hood, Baker has also looked great, holding hitters to a .169 xBA, striking out 28.6 percent of hitters, and walking only 5.4 percent. All of those metrics rank in the 85th percentile or better in all of baseball. Baker has never been a true closer before, with seven career saves in his previous five seasons, but appears to be the clubhouse leader for the Rays and the preferred option in the highest leverage moments. In a season where saves have been scarce, Baker has worked himself into a top-10 option at the position, making him a must-roster and must-start player in all formats that prioritize saves.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Bryan Baker picked up his seventh save of the season in his team's 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday. Baker pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits and recording two strikeouts. Across 11 1/3 innings so far in 2026, Baker has pitched to a 3.18 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 13 strikeouts. He's recorded saves in seven of his last nine outings and has emerged as the clear go-to ninth-inning option for the Rays. With Tampa Bay right-hander Edwin Uceta (shoulder) recently being transferred to the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury, Baker should have an extended runway as the Rays' closer, provided he continues to produce. At this point, Baker has reached must-start closer territory across most fantasy formats.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Bryan Baker pitched a scoreless ninth inning en route to earning the save during Friday's win over the Minnesota Twins. Trevor Martin had allowed a home run, single, and double to open the ninth, creating a situation where the tying run was on deck for the Twins. That's why they turned to Baker, and he effectively slammed the door by getting three straight outs without allowing a run to score. This isn't exactly uncharted territory for the veteran righty, who is now up to five saves across seven situations in 2026. In fact, each of his last seven outings has been a save opportunity. He currently owns an impressive 2.43 xERA with 9.64 K/9, 2.89 BB/9, and a 48% ground ball rate across 9.1 innings of work. He has also gotten his fastball up to a career-high average velocity of 97 mph. All signs point to Baker being the Rays' go-to closer moving forward. As a result, he's an intriguing fantasy baseball waiver wire target, given his potential to accrue saves.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Bryan Baker appears to be the preferred bullpen option for saves right now. The 6-foot-6 hurler was charged with a blown save his last time out, but he had come on to face the meat of the Pirates' order in the eighth in an attempt to preserve a win, so it shows the confidence the team has in him. Before that, the right-hander had converted four save chances, and for the season, he owns a 4.32 ERA (2.70 xERA), 1.20 WHIP, and a 9:3 K:BB in 8 1/3 innings pitched. Griffin Jax (8.00 ERA, 1.89 WHIP) lost the closer role in the early going and has yielded runs in two of his last three appearances, so the struggles continue for him, and Garrett Cleavinger (calf) is on the injured list with a calf issue. Edwin Uceta (shoulder) has encountered setbacks in his recovery from a shoulder injury and won't be back any time soon, so Baker's job looks to be secure for the time being. The 31-year-old is still available in 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker has already doubled his career total in saves with the four games he has locked down this year. Baker came into the season with one save from the 2022 season and three from last season, split between two teams. He has four this year, putting him two behind the league lead and making him the only Tampa Bay reliever with more than two. While Griffin Jax has been better of late, his rough start to the season took him out of the closer conversation and opened the door for Baker to take over. Edwin Uceta (shoulder) is working his way back from an injury and may be competition for Baker, but it seems more likely that he will slide into a setup role, keeping Baker in the ninth inning. Baker is currently rostered in just 22% of Yahoo leagues and should be immediately added in most formats. He's posted a 3.68 ERA (2.65 xERA) with seven strikeouts and two walks in 7 1/3 innings.

Tampa Bay Rays' right-hander Bryan Baker picked up his fourth save of the season on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, allowing no hits, one walk, and one inning pitched. The four saves for Baker are a career high, and through eight appearances on the season, he owns a solid 3.68 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Baker does not have a ton of experience closing out games, with his previous career high being three saves in 2025, but so far this season, he has five save opportunities compared to Griffin Jax's two. Kevin Kelly also has two save chances, and Mason Englert has one. While Baker may not be deployed as the Rays' full-time closer, he appears to be the most likely reliever to pitch the ninth inning for the foreseeable future, making him a strong add off the waiver wire heading into Week 5 for fantasy managers looking to bolster their saves category.