Louis Varland Fantasy Stats

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Louis Varland has emerged as one of the best closers in baseball in 2026, pitching to a 1.24 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP with 89 strikeouts and 33 saves across 72 1/3 innings (66 games). Varland is averaging 98.9 miles per hour on his fastball and has struck out 31.3% of the batters he's faced this season. The 28-year-old has allowed only two home runs for the entire year and has also blown only one save chance. Varland has been slightly less dominant of late, pitching to a 2.20 ERA and recording fewer than a strikeout per inning since the start of August. Still, the hard-throwing righty looks like an excellent late-inning reliever and remains an elite closer option for fantasy managers heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Louis Varland has been one of the biggest surprises in fantasy baseball as a closer through the first half of the season, going 3-3 with a 1.10 ERA (1.43 FIP), 0.98 WHIP, his first 19 career saves, 67 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 49 innings pitched to become a first-time All-Star. The 28-year-old has yet to blow a save so far in 2026, which could lead many to believe that he's due for plenty of regression in the second half in his first full season with the Blue Jays. However, with the third-best xwOBA (.223) among all pitchers in baseball, Varland's underlying metrics back up his strong first-half showing. The former 15th-rounder by the Minnesota Twins in 2019 out of Concordia University has allowed five earned runs on 12 hits (one homer) in 18 innings since the start of June, but he's also struck out 25, walked four, and recorded 11 saves during that span. Varland's expected ERA of 2.04 predicts some regression coming, but not enough to consider him a true sell-high candidate as a closer in fantasy. His hard-hit rate sits in the 64th percentile, and his barrel rate is in the 98th percentile. When you combine that with a strikeout rate in the 99th percentile, you have an elite closer.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Louis Varland continues to dominate in 2026, as he recorded his 11th save of the season on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles by working 1 1/3 innings and allowing one hit and two strikeouts in only 17 pitches. Varland has converted on all of his save opportunities on the season (11-for-11) and now owns an impressive 0.95 WHIP with a 0.26 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings pitched. While Jeff Hoffman continues to struggle, it has become clear to the Blue Jays and the fantasy community that Varland is the preferred choice for save opportunities and has worked his way into being one of the more dominant closers in all of MLB. He has become a must-start player in all formats that reward saves as a category in your leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland notched his seventh save of the season after striking out three over two scoreless innings in Friday's 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. With runners on first and second base, Varland entered the game in the eighth inning and was able to escape the jam. He retired all six batters he faced en route to his seventh save. The 28-year-old has been excellent this season, posting a 0.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 40:9 K:BB, and is 7-for-7 in save opportunities. The 28-year-old is the primary closer for the Blue Jays and is emerging as a must-start reliever in all leagues. Varland is currently rostered in 69% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues, but expect that number to rise as he continues to be one of the more reliable relievers in fantasy baseball so far.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Louis Varland allowed a run in his most recent appearance on Wednesday against the New York Yankees for the first time since April 25 against the Cleveland Guardians, but he still held on for his sixth save of the season and struck out two hitters in an inning of work. The 28-year-old has been reliable for manager John Schneider in the closer's role since taking over for Jeff Hoffman, going 2-1 with a 0.70 ERA (1.27 FIP), 1.17 WHIP, his first six career saves, 37 strikeouts, and nine walks in 25 2/3 relief innings for the Blue Jays. Although Varland gave up a run to the Yankees this week, he has given up just two earned runs in his 25 2/3 frames all year and should be attracting more interest off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues from managers who need more saves. Right now, Varland is available in 31% of Yahoo leagues and is firmly entrenched as Toronto's ninth-inning arm.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Louis Varland wasn't perfect on Wednesday night in New York, but he did enough to get the job done and secure his team the victory. He entered the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead after a brilliant performance from Trey Yesavage. After striking out Aaron Judge, he allowed a double, a single, and a groundout to plate one run and place the potential tying run in scoring position. He was able to strike out Amed Rosario, though, to end the game and secure the win. Varland still has an impressive 0.70 ERA and 1.28 FIP with 37 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings this season. He still seems locked in as the Blue Jays closer moving forward, as long as Wednesday's issues don't develop into a bigger problem. He should be owned in almost all formats and makes a great closer addition if available.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Louis Varland appears to have fully taken over the closer role for the Blue Jays. Since it was announced by the team on April 21 that they would be moving to Varland as their closer, he has now converted all five of his save opportunities, solidifying himself as the clear favorite after because of a struggling Jeff Hoffman's struggles. Varland has been outstanding this season, regardless of the situation, with a 0.42 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, along with 32 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. In addition to his five saves, he also has three holds, as he was generally used as a high-leverage arm for the Blue Jays prior to being called upon as the ninth-inning guy. In formats where you prioritize saves, Varland is a must-add, as he has worked his way into being a top-10 closer in baseball, so long as he continues to get the opportunities, which appears to be the case.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Louis Varland came into the eighth inning of his team's 5-3, extra-inning win on Wednesday night. The Jays were trailing the Rays 1-0 at the time, so it wasn't set up for a typical save scenario. He was brought in to face the heart of Tampa Bay's lineup and was able to escape a scoreless inning with two hits and a walk, leaving the bases loaded. Toronto eventually rallied and won, but Varland didn't earn a win, hold, or save. He is still the most likely closer when the team has a lead late, but Wednesday's appearance shows the team will use him in high-leverage spots earlier in the game if the situation calls for it. The strategy could cost him some saves, but he remains the top option in Toronto's bullpen at this point and is worth holding in most standard-sized leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Louis Varland is quickly running away with the full-time closer job. He recently took over for the struggling Jeff Hoffman and has looked fantastic in the ninth-inning role. Varland tossed a scoreless frame on Friday to notch his fifth save of the season. The right-hander has allowed one earned run across 19.2 innings of work this season. He owns a 1.07 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and only seven walks to his name. Given how well he's pitching, Varland should remain the favorite for saves in Toronto going forward. Fantasy managers looking for a source of saves or need a reliable relief pitcher should check the waiver wire to see if Varland is available.

While not a save situation, the Toronto Blue Jays used right-hander Louis Varland in the ninth inning of their 7-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. With Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman recently being removed from the closer role amid persistent struggles, Varland appears to have taken over as the team's new primary option in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old has been dominant across his first 17 innings of 2026, pitching to a 0.53 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and four saves. Varland has now been used in the ninth inning in five consecutive appearances, dating back to April 21. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a ridiculous 43.1% strikeout rate on the year and is averaging 98.4 miles per hour on his fastball. Varland's excellent start to the year has come despite an inflated opponent batting average on balls in play of .406. Once that number regresses closer to his career mark of .316, Varland's numbers could look even better. In any fantasy league where he's not already rostered, Varland is a must-roster closer off the waiver wire.