David Bednar Fantasy Stats

The New York Yankees announced on Thursday that they reinstated right-handed closer David Bednar from the paternity list. Bednar will return to the back end of New York's bullpen after he missed the entire three-game series against the Detroit Tigers to begin the week as he welcomed his child into the world. The Yankees have a scheduled day off on Thursday, but Bednar will be available if a save situation arises in Friday's series opener against the visiting Minnesota Twins. The 31-year-old veteran is in his first full season with the Yankees in 2026 and has gone 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA (2.68 FIP), 1.23 WHIP, 16 saves, 40 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 35 innings out of the bullpen. Bednar is currently tied with Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias for ninth among relievers in MLB in saves this season. He didn't allow a single run in nine appearances in June, with his last earned run coming in a save against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays on May 18. Bednar needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups with the holiday weekend approaching.

The New York Yankees announced on Monday that they placed right-handed reliever David Bednar on the paternity list and recalled right-handed reliever Jake Bird from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move. Bednar will now be away from the Yankees for up to three days and will most likely miss their three-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers that starts on Monday. With Bednar away from the team for few days this week, right-hander Fernando Cruz will likely be first up for saves for the Yankees if the situation arises in the ninth inning for manager Aaron Boone. The 31-year-old Bednar has gone 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA (2.67 FIP), 1.23 WHIP, 16 saves, 40 strikeouts, and 12 walks in his 35 innings out of New York's bullpen in 2026 in his first full year in the Bronx. The two-time All-Star is currently tied for seventh in the majors with his 16 saves in 33 appearances in his eighth year in the majors.

New York Yankees closer David Bednar continues to rack up saves while handling leverage opportunities out of the bullpen. He did experience a minor blip on Sunday when he surrendered one run over 0.2 innings and was hit with the loss, but for the most part, he has been productive. He's now 1-3 with a 2.47 FIP, 11.12 K/9, 2.65 BB/9, a 56.3% ground ball rate, and 10 saves over 17 games (17.0 innings). No other Yankees pitcher has earned a save this season, so Bednar's job remains safe despite an occasional subpar outing. Given that the Yankees have the second-best record in the American League, save situations should continue to present themselves to Bednar quite often. He remains a steady option for saves, and he ranks as the #9 reliever in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

Through his first 9 2/3 innings (10 games) of 2026, New York Yankees closer David Bednar has pitched to a 3.72 ERA and 1.76 WHIP with 13 strikeouts and six saves. While the 31-year-old has blown just one save and does not appear to be in any danger of losing the ninth-inning role for the Yankees, Bednar has not been particularly sharp. His 10.9% walk rate is the worst mark of his career, and his average fastball velocity is down from 97.1 mph to 95.9 mph. Some of Bednar's struggles can be chalked up to his .429 opponent batting average on balls in play, which seems likely to regress closer to his career mark of .296 over a larger sample. Still, it's worth noting that Bednar is allowing more contact this season and is also allowing a 61.5% ground ball rate, both of which could result in an elevated opponent BABIP. Before 2026, Bednar had never allowed a ground ball rate higher than 44.1% over the course of a full season. Bednar remains a quality closer option for fantasy managers, but his unorthodox early-season production could be worth monitoring.

New York Yankees closer David Bednar is off to a solid start to the 2026 campaign, his first full season in New York. Across his first two appearances (two innings), Bednar is two-for-two on save chances and has allowed just one hit. The 31-year-old has walked two while recording just one strikeout, but it's hard to take much in that respect from just an eight-batter sample size. Across 62 2/3 innings split between the Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025, Bednar pitched to a 2.30 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 86 strikeouts and 27 saves. He was especially effective after being dealt to New York at the trade deadline, recording 10 saves and 35 strikeouts across 24 2/3 innings while allowing just nine walks. Bednar profiles as a high-end number one closer for fantasy managers in 2026.

New York Yankees relief pitcher David Bednar continues to hold value as one of the top relievers in fantasy baseball heading into the 2026 regular season. Bednar joined the Yankees shortly before the 2025 trade deadline and was quite impressive during his first stint in the Bronx. Over his first 24 2/3 innings in New York, Bednar tallied 10 saves while carrying a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a 35:9 K:BB. He began the season in Pittsburgh, where he looked just as strong, holding a 2.37 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP across a larger 38-inning stint. This was a much-needed bounce-back season for the right-hander, as he posted a high 5.77 ERA in 2024. With Devin Williams and Luke Weaver now with the Mets, Bednar figures to have minimal competition for save opportunities in 2026. He remains a high-end No. 1 closer in all formats and should make a strong push to reach the 30-save mark for the second time in his career.

New York Yankees reliever David Bednar looked sharp in closing out a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Bednar entered with two down and a man on second in the top of the eighth, and he put out the fire with a strikeout of Nathan Lukes. The right-hander stayed in for the ninth and retired the side in order, striking out Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Alejandro Kirk along the way. It took Bednar 21 pitches to collect his 21st save of the season and his fourth since the Yankees acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the July 31 trade deadline. Bednar has given up a mere four runs in 14 2/3 innings as a Yankee and has logged a 2.52 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 76:16 K:BB in 53 2/3 frames this season.

New York Yankees reliever David Bednar continued an eventful first couple of weeks with the club on Friday, securing the save in a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts to hold off the Cardinals for his 19th save of the year. Since the Yankees acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 31, the right-hander has converted two saves, blown two saves, gotten a win, and picked up a hold in a six-appearance span. The Yankees traded for Bednar to add another high-leverage arm in front of then-closer Devin Williams, who has since lost the job to Bednar as a result of immense struggles. Bednar, meanwhile, has pitched to a stellar 2.35 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP, 65 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 46 innings.

New York Yankees reliever David Bednar earned his first save with the team in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Bednar, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, had to throw a whopping 42 pitches (25 strikes) to get the job done. He entered in the bottom of the eighth with one out and worked around a walk to escape the inning with a pair of strikeouts. Bednar stayed in for the ninth and ran into trouble with two outs when he allowed another walk and a single, but he fanned Adolis Garcia to end the game. The right-hander recorded all five of his outs via strikeout and has now converted 18 of 19 save opportunities this year with a 2.55 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and 59:12 K:BB in 42 1/3 innings. The two-time All-Star may go forward as the Yankees' top choice at closer with Devin Williams losing his grip on the job. Camilo Doval and Luke Weaver are also in the mix, though, so it's a situation that fantasy managers will have to continue to monitor.

The New York Yankees sent catching prospect Rafael Flores and two other prospects for Pirates closer David Bednar, according to Jon Heyman. Flores ranked as the number eight prospect for the Yankees and has been incredibly productive over the past two seasons. He cruised through High-A and Double-A in 2024, posting a combined 21 homers with eight steals and a 152 wRC+ across the two levels. The 24-year-old stayed at Double-A to begin 2025, and slashed .287/.346/.496 with 15 homers and six steals in 370 plate appearances before being promoted to Triple-A. While he was older for the level, it's positive to see him crush that level. Flores hasn't been quite as good at the highest level of the minors with a 99 wRC+, but has posted the highest walk rate of his career at 22.4 percent. Touted for his framing ability on the defensive side, Flores is MLB-ready and could debut with Pittsburgh soon. He'll be someone to keep an eye on in two-catcher leagues in deep leagues.