Riley O'Brien Fantasy Stats

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Riley O'Brien (illness) was unavailable for Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds. George Soriano instead worked the ninth inning of a 2-2 game, allowing one hit and striking out two in a scoreless frame. Matt Svanson entered in the 10th and was charged with three runs, two earned, on two hits while recording one out as Cincinnati pulled ahead for good. O'Brien should be considered day-to-day ahead of Monday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs. He remains St. Louis' primary closer after recording his 26th save Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels. The Cardinals are also without JoJo Romero, who is on the 15-day injured list following an emergency appendectomy. If O'Brien remains unavailable, Soriano or Ryne Stanek could receive the next save opportunity.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Riley O'Brien came into Monday's game with a 2-1 lead and struck out Mike Trout to start the inning. Unfortunately, things went downhill for him from there, as he gave up a single, a hit-by-pitch, a double, an intentional walk, and another hit-by-pitch to allow two runs and turn the 2-1 lead into a 3-2 defeat. The Cardinals bullpen collapsed on Sunday against the Diamondbacks as well, but O'Brien wasn't involved in that contest. The 31-year-old righty is 3-4 with a 3.76 ERA and 3.50 FIP on the season and has picked up 25 saves in his 41 games. He had seven saves in his previous eight scoreless outings, and he's still a strong closer, although his save opportunities have diminished as the Cardinals have started to struggle after their hot start. In most leagues, he's still worth holding at this point, but his value is slipping, and he would be a drop candidate in standard-sized leagues with more outings like Monday's.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Riley O'Brien picked up his 21st save of the season on Tuesday, marking his third save in as many appearances. O'Brien worked a clean inning while allowing one hit to seal the win over the Atlanta Braves. The save tied him for the National League lead as he continues to emerge as one of the premier ninth-inning options in MLB. The 31-year-old now owns a 3.82 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP with 34 strikeouts across 35 innings. After a difficult stretch in early June, O'Brien has put together a strong run of appearances and appears to be regaining his early-season form. He remains a high-end closer option in all fantasy formats.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Riley O'Brien took the loss on Tuesday after giving up three runs in the ninth inning, but the team went right back to the 31-year-old righty on Wednesday in a save situation. O'Brien entered to start the ninth inning with a 5-3 lead and walked the leadoff batter, but he escaped with no damage done, getting Josh Jung to fly out to end the game. O'Brien has 15 saves in his 27 games with a 3.95 ERA and 2.66 FIP. While things have been a little bumpy lately, he still seems to be clearly the go-to option for the Cardinals at the end of the game and can continue to be used as a strong closer option, even though he's not quite as dominant as the truly elite relievers.

Cardinals right-hander Riley O'Brien endured another rough outing on Tuesday, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk while taking the loss against the Rangers. The appearance continued a concerning trend for O'Brien, who now owns a 7.04 ERA over his last 15 games. Despite the recent struggles, he remains the Cardinals' leader with 14 saves and has handled the majority of the club's ninth-inning opportunities this season. His season ERA has climbed to 4.10, and the margin for error is beginning to shrink as the bullpen picture becomes less certain. It is not time for fantasy managers to abandon O'Brien, but his recent performance warrants close monitoring. Another few shaky outings could put his role as the primary closer in jeopardy.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed closer Riley O'Brien blew his fourth save of the season on Tuesday in an eventual 9-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while walking one and hitting two batters in an inning of work. The 31-year-old flamethrower could not protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Despite the rough appearance on Tuesday night, O'Brien is still 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 25 strikeouts across 23 innings. He is still tied for third in the league with 13 saves. O'Brien has blown two saves in May but has also picked up five saves while allowing six earned runs on nine hits in 7 2/3 innings of work. He has not been perfect and has given up multiple runs in four outings this year, but overall, O'Brien has mostly been solid for the Red Birds and shouldn't be in any immediate danger of losing save opportunities in St. Louis.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Riley O'Brien has emerged as his team's primary closer with a strong start to the 2026 season. Across 19 innings, O'Brien has pitched to a 2.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and 11 saves. However, the 31-year-old has run into a bit of a rough patch of late, as he's allowed six earned runs and blown two saves over his last 5 2/3 innings pitched. Even with the recent struggles, O'Brien's ridiculously dominant 29.3% K-BB rate indicates that the downturn is likely a momentary blip. Still, O'Brien does not have a long track record as a closer, which could lead to him being on a shorter leash in the role. Fantasy managers should remain positive on O'Brien's season-long outlook, but his next few appearances are worth monitoring.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed closer Riley O'Brien has been as dominant as they come among relief pitchers early in the 2026 season. O'Brien had another scoreless appearance while giving up one hit and striking out one to earn his seventh save of the year on Tuesday in the team's 5-3 win over the hosting Miami Marlins. The 31-year-old veteran has yet to allow an earned run in his 13 1/3 innings of work so far with no walks and 15 strikeouts. He hit 100 mph three times out of his 17 pitches on Tuesday and has converted seven of his eight save chances for the Cardinals. In addition to his seven saves, O'Brien has picked up three wins and two holds, giving his fantasy managers plenty to be happy about. It's clear that O'Brien has taken hold of the team's closer gig in the ninth inning, and he should have a pretty long leash. He's only rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues currently, but that number should rise if he continues to be dominant in the ninth.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien is off to an impressive start to the season, having not allowed an earned run yet through seven appearances. The right-hander has yielded just four hits and has yet to walk a batter as well, while striking out seven in 7 1/3 innings of work, tallying three saves along the way. The 31-year-old showed well last season, too, posting a 2.06 ERA and 1.15 WHIP while converting six saves and six holds in 48 innings pitched. Despite the sterling results this year, the 6-foot-4 hurler is still available in over half of Yahoo! leagues. That number should be higher for a reliever having so much success and who does not currently have competition for the closer role.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Riley O'Brien picked up his second save on Sunday night, helping the Cardinals secure the 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers and avoid getting swept over the weekend. The Cardinals' bullpen has been a bit of a mystery box to start the season, with O'Brien, JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek, and Matt Svanson all rumored at one point either during Spring Training or to start the season to be the Cardinals' most likely closer. O'Brien appears to have taken the front seat in that race, with two saves on the season and 5 1/3 shutout innings, a 0.75 WHIP, and five strikeouts. The 31-year-old pitcher closed six games for the Cardinals in 2025, but outside of that, he has not had much experience closing, so if he truly has taken over, fantasy managers should expect the leash to be fairly short. For leagues that prioritize saves, O'Brien would be a strong pickup to see if he retains the closer job and earns some more opportunities in the meantime.