Although fantasy players expect volatility in the high-leverage ecosystem, 2025 has arrived like a hurricane. There have been tumultuous outings, pathway adjustments, closers demoted and varied results by last year’s top relievers.

With this in mind, my latest bullpen report will highlight interesting results and updated tiered rankings, which will fluctuate as sample sizes expand. Try not to overreact, but waiting too long can hurt a team’s ratios, causing frustration for the save chasers.

Recognizing how a manager prefers handling high-leverage innings can create a competitive advantage. Here are high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels:

Mostly linear: This is a more traditional approach, with a manager preferring one reliever in the seventh inning, another in the eighth, and a closer (when rested) in the ninth. There are shades of gray, but it’s usually a predictable leverage pathway.

Primary save share: The team prefers one reliever as the primary option for saves. However, he may also be used in match-up-based situations, whether dictated by batter-handedness or batting order pockets in the late innings. This provides multiple relievers with save chances each series or week throughout the season.

Match-up-based: Usually, two relievers split save opportunities, so    metimes based on handedness, rest, or recent usage patterns to keep them fresh. While these situations usually rely on a primary and ancillary option, others can get into the mix. Some teams also prefer a match-up-based option, assigning pitchers a hitter pocket for a series, causing fluid save opportunities.

In-flux: The manager has not confirmed the projected closer based on past struggles or rough spring appearances.

Access The Athletic’s guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball. 

American League leverage pathways

Notes and observations

Baltimore Orioles: It’s a limited sample, but Yennier Canó has been terrific. He’s posted six strikeouts (46.2 K/BB%) in his first four appearances with a 19% swinging strike rate and a minuscule 0.25 WHIP.

Chicago White Sox: Mike Clevinger has not received a save chance, and his negative 27.8 K/BB% through his first three appearances and a strike percentage below 50 have removed him from the leverage ladder.

Cleveland Guardians: Emmanuel Clase allowed three hits and an earned run while securing his first save of the season. He has been affected by some early batting average on balls in play regression, illustrated by his 1.40 WHIP across his first five innings this year.

Detroit Tigers: Through the Tigers’ first 11 games, Brant Hurter leads with two saves, with Tommy Kahnle recording one. This remains a match-up-based approach, but fantasy managers would benefit from seeing the leverage plan over a larger sample.

Houston Astros: Josh Hader recorded more than three outs in seven of his 71 outings last year. During the preseason, his manager intimated he would prefer Hader not being used in this manner in 2025. However, Hader has already logged two two-inning appearances in the team’s first 12 games. A more significant issue could be Bryan Abreu. He has started slowly, posting a 2.25 WHIP with seven strikeouts versus six walks across 5.1 innings.

Kansas City Royals: As his velocity chart illustrates, Carlos Estévez has been a slow starter in terms of his velocity and has converted three of four save opportunities this year. But his 4.5 K/BB% and 5.6 SwStr% sit well below past results:

National League leverage pathways

Notes and observations

Arizona Diamondbacks: Although fantasy managers prefer clarity, Tory Lovullo’s match-up-based approach has been effective since the season’s onset. Justin Martinez has converted both save chances and a hold with a 0.64 WHIP and a 38.9 K/BB%. A.J. Puk has two saves and two holds with a 28.6 K/BB% and 1.20 WHIP through his first five outings, spanning five innings.

Atlanta Braves: As noted in the leverage pathway, the team has changed its bridge relievers ahead of Raisel Iglesias, which remains fluid based on performance.

Chicago Cubs: On the one hand, Ryan Pressly has converted all three save chances. However, his underlying statistics provide fantasy players a cautionary tale. Through his first seven games, he has a 5.98 SIERA, 2.43 WHIP, and negative 11.9 K/BB% (six walks versus two strikeouts). His contact rate of 85.5% is almost 10 percentage points higher than last year, and he’s only produced a 6.1 SwStr%. Can he stave off Porter Hodge for save chances without improved results? Time will tell.

Cincinnati Reds: There will be good days for this leverage ladder and bad ones, as the series in San Francisco illustrated. Tony Santillan secured his first save in a shutout win, and Emilio Pagán notched one in a one-run win. But in the series finale, Santillan suffered a blown save, allowing a game-tying home run, and Pagán was tagged with a loss, giving up a walk-off home run. Meanwhile, Alexis Díaz had his minor league rehab assignment extended, but he has a 4:4 K:BB with a 2.333 WHIP through three innings at Triple-A.

Colorado Rockies: It feels like Seth Halvorsen will emerge as the closer, but this leverage ladder lacks stability despite its improved velocity. Tread lightly, mining saves from the Rockies.

New York Mets: Assessing small samples remains challenging, and Edwin Díaz fits this perfectly. He has converted both save chances this season but struggled in a recent non-save appearance working with reduced velocity (he averaged 94.7 miles per hour on April 9), resulting in three earned runs. This may be a blip, but he has a 1.50 WHIP with six strikeouts versus two walks (18.2 K/BB%) in 4.2 innings. Here are his four-seam velocity results since 2019:

Philadelphia Phillies: Jordan Romano represents another reliever struggling with velocity this year. He has recorded a save, a hold and a blown save with an inflated 2.50 WHIP and a 9.1 K/BB%. Of more concern is his recent dip in velocity:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Just when it seemed like Dennis Santana would emerge as the preferred save share, he has only received one save chance since David Bednar’s demotion. Manager Derek Shelton has not named a closer this year, and this feels like a fluid leverage ladder until clearer roles emerge.

San Diego Padres: Robert Suarez has quelled any fears about his second-half struggles last season by converting an MLB-leading six saves with a 0.33 WHIP with seven strikeouts against two walks (25 K/BB%) over six shutout innings.

San Francisco Giants: Camilo Doval has struggled in recent appearances after a strong start, which could be tied to an increased workload. Still, he could be replaced if challenges continue. Keep tabs on Randy Rodríguez in this bullpen.

Relievers on the rise and leaderboards

Updated Tiered Rankings for Saves and SOLDS

Save stashes

• Graham Ashcraft (CIN)
• Mason Montgomery (TB)
• Abner Uribe (MIL)
• Ryne Stanek (NYM)

Ancillary save options

• Blake Treinen (LAD)
• Yennier Canó (BAL)
• Orion Kerkering (PHI)
• Justin Slaten (BOS)
• Will Vest (DET)

Ratio Relievers

*Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios.

• Garrett Whitlock (BOS)
• Ben Casparius (LAD)

Statistical Credits (through games played on April 9): Fangraphs.com, Baseball-Reference.com, BaseballSavant.com, BrooksBaseball.net

Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates.

(Photo of Yennier Canó: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

In front of the Geisel Library, dozens of UC San Diego activists made their voices heard — loud and clear.

“We are here to say one simple thing, ‘Not on our watch, not in our America!’” said lead protest organizer Daniel Soria.

The San Diego native and fourth year UC San Diego student said the group was voicing opposition to student visa revocations.

In recent weeks, several international university students in the U.S. have been taken by immigration agents or had their legal status questioned.

UCSD said five of its students had their visas revoked. A sixth student was detained at the border, and deported.

“The only wrong these students committed was attaining an education, expressing opinions, joining our community, exercising rights that belong to each and every one of us,” Soria said during his speech at the rally.

“I was born here as an American citizen, but mostly all my family, my community, even my brothers friends and the friends I’ve made during my years here, are immigrants,” said UC San Diego student Denisse Lopez.

Like Soria, Lopez is from San Diego County.

She was one of many activists who gathered and marched across campus with megaphones and posters.

“The main concern is that our own friends, our own people are getting deported. In my department a lot of the students are international students with H-1 visas,” she said.

In particular, Lopez said she was protesting for those who couldn’t afford to do the same.

“I haven’t seen my uncle for 10 years because of deportation. So this makes me want to speak in my own voice for my family, for my friends, because I don’t want to see my friends taken away from me,” the fourth year student said.

The rally coincides with a new federal policy to screen “Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism” as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.

In its announcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the organization will “consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or other antisemitic activity as a negative factor in any USCIS discretionary analysis when adjudicating immigration benefit requests.”

Those at the rally said the government has been targeting and attempting to censor those with certain political opinions.

“Lawful political speech and association are not crimes in this country. They are not valid grounds for deportation in our law and in our democratic tradition,” Soria said.

In regard to what they hope the protest can accomplish, Soria had a goal in mind:

“To the federal immigrant judges here in San Diego and at the Otay Mesa detention facilities, do your duty. Do not rubber stamp these deportations, scrutinize every case,” he said. “If the government claims these students pose a threat, insist they prove it with actual evidence.”

A smaller group of protestors took the trolley Wednesday afternoon to rally outside of the San Diego County Courthouse at the John Rhodes Federal Judicial Center downtown.

There, they planned to deliver letters with the hope that federal judges would listen and read their united message.

People are concerned over a plan that could end free parking in some of the most popular places to go in the city of San Diego. Now, some residents and business leaders are pushing back.

The Hillcrest Business Association has sent a letter to Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, urging the city to reconsider. That’s because as construction on the new Pride Promenade in Hillcrest is moving along, Benjamin Nichols, the association’s executive director, says construction never would’ve happened without money they saved from their share of the parking meter revenue.

He’s now worried future projects and maintenance could be in jeopardy because of the city’s proposed parking changes, especially the possibility of slashing the percentage of meter money parking districts get from 45% to 15%.

It’s money that Hillcrest used for things like signage and sidewalk improvements, as well as the promenade.

“If the money does go away, I think Hillcrest is really going to suffer,” Nichols said. “And we’re essentially going to be helping to balance the city’s budget without getting a community benefit, and I think that will really be a problem.”

Balboa Park, one of San Diego’s crown jewels, could also see parking changes. Meters, passes and other paid parking methods are being considered for the now free parking lots.

Peter Comiskey, the head of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, says they’d prefer parking remain free, though paid parking could create a revenue stream to help improve the park.

Comiskey says they’re worried about the implementation of a paid parking plan on visitors.

“People will simply get uncertain about visiting the park. We have enough people now who maybe don’t visit Balboa Park because they think parking is difficult,” Comiskey said.

The proposed changes are all part of the city’s plan to help make up its more than $250 million budget shortfall.

Earlier this year, most hourly parking rates were doubled to $2.50. The city’s hoping to raise $100 million from parking changes, like no more free Sunday parking.

“They’ve really lost their minds,” Hillcrest resident Juan Pablo Perez said.

“They need to find other ways to cover the shortfall, not by putting it on their residents,” Lisa Alexander, who works in Hillcrest, told NBC 7.

There are 5,700 parking meters in San Diego, according to the city. But none are in high-traffic neighborhoods like La Jolla and Liberty Station.

Nichols says it’s only fair to level the playing field.

“Before deploying enforcement of parking meters on Sundays in Hillcrest, they need to think about deploying enforcement of parking meters in Liberty Station,” Nichols said.

The proposed parking management plan will likely go to the city council for consideration in May.