Mark Leiter Jr. Fantasy Stats

Athletics relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. came on to close out the Royals on Wednesday night, earning his third save of the season by getting Jac Caglianone to strike out swinging to end the game. He came in to replace Joel Kuhnel, who got five outs but gave up a run on a sacrifice fly and left a runner on third base. Leiter walked Isaac Collins to bring the tying run to the plate before securing the win with the strikeout. Leiter is 3-for-5 in save opportunities this season with a 6.23 ERA and 4.35 FIP. The back end of the bullpen is still unsettled for the AL West-leading A's, with Kuhnel leading the team in saves with four, while Jack Perkins and Hogan Harris are also in the mix, along with Leiter. Kuhnel is probably still the best option of the committee for fantasy, but Perkins could be an interesting solution if he starts getting more chances as well.

Athletics relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. came on in the eighth inning to help secure a win for his club on Tuesday, but allowed four runs on four hits instead, including a go-ahead three-run home run to Amed Rosario, resulting in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees. It was the second blown save of the season for the right-hander, who has now allowed at least one hit in all five of his appearances this season, with 10 hits and a walk in his 4 1/3 innings pitched thus far (2.54 WHIP). Although the 35-year-old owns the only save of the season of any A's reliever, he may be hard to trust with the next opportunity to close down a game. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on who that next opportunity goes to, as another bullpen option could emerge as the favorite for saves if they can prove capable of shutting the door on the opponent.

Athletics reliever Mark Leiter Jr. earned his first save of the season Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, working through traffic to secure the win. Leiter Jr. allowed two hits in the inning but limited the damage, recording one strikeout and stranding both runners. The left-hander is in his first season with Oakland and is working to establish a role early. The 35-year-old has never recorded more than eight save opportunities in a season, but early success could create more chances. He has pitched 2 2/3 innings this year, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout, and is beginning to emerge as an option in late innings.

The Athletics are in agreement with free-agent relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. on a one-year deal worth around $3 million, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Leiter Jr. will turn 35 years old in March 2026. Across 48 1/3 innings (59 games) with the New York Yankees last season, Leiter Jr. pitched to a 6-7 record with a 4.84 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts. Leiter Jr.'s 3.72 xERA and inflated .374 opponent batting average on balls in play could be indicators of poor luck and better results going forward. Still, Leiter Jr. also saw his strikeout rate drop from an excellent 33.6% in 2024 to 24.7% in 2025, his lowest mark since the 2018 season. Leiter Jr. has a tiny bit of closing experience, recording seven saves across two seasons with the Chicago Cubs in 2022 and 2023. With the Athletics, Leiter Jr. could have an outside chance at the closer role, but is more likely ticketed for middle relief.

The New York Yankees made just one change to their roster between the Wild Card Round and the team's American League Division Series matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays. Veteran right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has been left off the roster in favor of starting pitcher Luis Gil, who will get the ball in Game 1. Leiter Jr. pitched 48 1/3 relief innings for the Yankees this season, recording a 4.84 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 54 strikeouts. The Yankees opted to include veteran right-hander Paul Blackburn at the back end of their bullpen rather than Leiter Jr., likely because Blackburn can provide more length to save the rest of the bullpen in the case of a blowout game.

New York Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr. (leg) is expected to come off the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. The Yankees have already cleared space in their bullpen by optioning right-hander Jake Bird to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre and designating righty JT Brubaker for assignment. Leiter last pitched July 6 before going on the IL with a left fibula stress fracture. Although he suffered the injury a couple of weeks before his IL placement, Leiter tried to pitch through it before the Yankees shut him down. He'll return to a bullpen that is in a state of turmoil despite the acquisitions of Bird, David Bednar, and Camilo Doval at the July 31 trade deadline. Leiter has posted an uninspiring 4.46 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP in 34 1/3 innings, but he has been a good source of holds (11) and strikeouts (46). His strong xERA (3.58), FIP (2.79), and xFIP (2.96) suggest he has pitched much better than his ERA indicates.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. (leg) could come off the 15-day injured list when the team is in Texas for a series against the Rangers from Monday, Aug. 4, through Wednesday, Aug. 6. Leiter threw a live batting practice session on Thursday. The 34-year-old has been sidelined since early July with a left fibula stress fracture, but despite all the missed time, he could return to the team's bullpen early next week. When Leiter does return, he'll be coming back to a 4.46 ERA (2.77 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with 46 strikeouts and 12 walks in 34 1/3 relief innings over 41 appearances out of the bullpen in the Bronx. He's been a bit unlucky on the mound this year and has demonstrated solid command, but he won't really be on the fantasy radar down the stretch.

New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (oblique) and reliever Mark Leiter Jr. (leg) are both working their way through throwing programs, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Yarbrough has been out since late June with an oblique strain and has yet to begin throwing from a mound. The 33-year-old was solid in a hybrid starter/reliever role before getting injured, throwing 55 1/3 innings (8 starts) with a 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 49 strikeouts, and three wins. Yarbrough could be in the mix for the Yankees as a back-end starter or long reliever upon his return. Leiter Jr. suffered a stress fracture in his left leg in late June and attempted to pitch through the injury before being placed on the 15-day injured list in early July. Hoch reports that the team plans for Leiter Jr. to progress to a bullpen session next week. In 34 1/3 innings before getting hurt, Leiter Jr. was 4-6 with a 4.46 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 46 strikeouts, and two saves. He's an option in middle and late relief for the Yankees, but not a serious threat to rack up saves.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (leg) is hopeful to resume a throwing program this weekend, according to manager Aaron Boone. Leiter recently landed on the injured list due to a stress fracture in his leg. The Yankees haven't given much of a timetable for Leiter's return yet. The expectation is that he's going to need longer than the minimum 15 days. There should be more updates on his status once he's able to begin throwing again this weekend. Leiter isn't much of a fantasy option right now with his lack of save chances.

New York Yankees right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. (leg) hit the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a left fibular head stress fracture in his leg. The team recalled righty Clayton Beeter from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Leiter's roster spot. Leiter suffered the injury covering first base in a game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 24, but he tried to pitch through it over the past couple of weeks. That proved unwise, as Leiter went on to yield four earned runs over 2 1/3 innings in four appearances before going on the IL. Thanks in part to his recent struggles, the 34-year-old owns a subpar 4.46 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP and 46:12 K:BB across 34 1/3 innings. Leiter has managed to rack up 11 holds despite his mediocre numbers. There's no word on how much time he'll miss.