Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates secured his 24th save of the season in Wednesday afternoon's resumption of Tuesday night's suspended game against the hosting Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Yates induced a groundout from Brooks Baldwin for the final out of Wednesday's win over Chicago, earning the save with two strikeouts and working around a walk in a scoreless ninth inning as the Rangers won the game 3-1. The 37-year-old veteran right-hander hasn't looked back after taking over as Texas' closer in favor of Jose Leclerc during the first month of the campaign, registering a 1.25 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 73:23 K:BB while converting 24 of his 25 save opportunities in 2024. He's been one of fantasy's best additions off waiver wires this year.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates picked up his 22nd save of the season in Monday's 4-3 win over the Pirates. Yates came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one and delivered a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. The 37-year-old has had a resurgent fantasy season, converting all but one save opportunity with a 1.33 ERA, a 12.93 K/9 rate, and a 4.18 BB/9 rate in 47 1/3 innings of work. The Rangers have not been as dominant as they were last season, but they have been playing better lately and Yates appears to have a firm grasp on the closer's role. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable with him in their lineups unless anything drastic changes.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates continued his strong season with a two-out save against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The veteran didn't open the inning, but came in to relieve Josh Sborz with one out and got Gavin Sheets to strikeout before Eloy Jimenez flew out to give Yates his 18th save and the Rangers their 49th victory. Yates has been great for the Rangers this season with a 1.22 ERA and there is no reason to think that he will not continue to operate as one of the best closers in the league this season as he has a 1.74 xERA to backup his success.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates picked up his 16th save of the season, giving up a run in the ninth inning but holding on to a three-run lead. The 37-year-old has been lights out for most of this season with a 1.05 ERA and 0.90 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been a big boon to fantasy managers who used an early waiver-wire claim for his services. He will look to continue his dominant run in the second half of the season.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates needed just five pitches to secure his 15th save of the season in Saturday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Astros. The 37-year-old got Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman to pop out on one pitch apiece, Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked, and then Yainer Diaz struck out on three pitches to end the game. Yates is having a fantastic season, recording 15 saves with zero blown saves while posting a 0.81 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 24.2% K-BB%.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates picked up his 13th save of the season in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rays. Yates faced only three batters and needed just 10 pitches to get through the frame. It was his second consecutive day with a save so his availability for Sunday is unclear. Nevertheless, Yates has been fantastic this season, posting a 0.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and a 14:43 BB:K across 31 1/3 IP with two holds to go along with his 13 saves.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Kirby Yates managed to secure his eighth save of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Yates came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first two outs on a ground-out and strikeout, allowed a walk and a single, and ended the game with another strikeout. The 37-year-old veteran has pitched very well this season, converting all of his save opportunities with a 0.90 ERA, an 11.25 K/9 rate, and a 4.50 BB/9 rate. However, he has only seen one-third of the team's save opportunities in May with three. This is frustrating from a fantasy perspective, as he has clearly been the best performer. Hopefully, this will translate into a more commanding lead over the closer's role.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Kirby Yates closed out the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in a 9-7 win. Yates got the final four outs of this one, allowing just a hit while striking out one. It was the 37-year-old's second save of the season, with his first coming on Monday. He has been used as Texas' highest-leverage pitcher for the past few weeks and is likely to continue in that role, which will presumably give him the best chance at saves in the Rangers bullpen. He should be added in any leagues where saves matter.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that the team will still keep things open in the closer role, but with the way right-hander Kirby Yates is throwing the ball right now, "we kind of like where it's at." In the 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday, Yates tossed a perfect inning with no hits allowed, no walks and no strikeouts to pick up his first save of the season. The 37-year-old veteran hasn't allowed a run yet in 2024 in six relief appearances while walking one and striking out five in six innings of work. Meanwhile, Jose Leclerc has surrendered eight earned runs on seven hits (one homer) while walking seven and fanning six in six innings. Nothing is official yet, but fantasy managers that are chasing saves should run to the waiver wire to pick up Yates right away.

Free-agent relief pitcher Kirby Yates agreed with the Texas Rangers on an undisclosed one-year deal on Tuesday, pending a physical, according to a source. The Rangers had a clear plan to upgrade their bullpen this offseason after winning the first World Series title in franchise history this past season. Yates became a free agent this winter when the Atlanta Braves declined his $5.75 million option for 2024. The 36-year-old veteran right-hander was strong for Atlanta and had a 3.28 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 60 1/3 relief innings in 2023. Texas is an excellent landing spot for Yates now that he's completely back from Tommy John surgery, and he could be a late-round target for saves and potentially even holds in his new home in the back end of Texas' bullpen.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates earned his first save of the season in Monday's 4-1 win over the Twins. Yates came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first out on a fly-out, allowed a single, but then got back-to-back strikeouts to end the game. Raisel Iglesias had pitched in each of the last two days, so the veteran got the call to close the game. The 36-year-old has pitched pretty well this season with a 3.00 ERA, 12.30 K/9 rate, and 5.10 BB/9 rate in 30 innings. However, his fantasy value will remain very limited as long as Iglesias continues to convert save opportunities.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates picked up his first win of the 2023 season in the team's 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Yates pitched a scoreless and hitless eighth inning while walking one and striking out one to pick up the victory. Left-hander A.J. Minter followed with his second save of the young season for Atlanta. The 36-year-old Yates has only thrown 11 1/3 innings in the last three years due to injuries, so it's nice to see him get rewarded with his first relief win since 2018. He'll be a volatile option in deep holds leagues, though, and he's allowed three runs on three hits (one homer allowed) while walking six and striking out four in 4 2/3 innings over his first five appearances in 2023.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow) is not expected to have any restrictions heading into spring training. The right-hander was left off the NLDS roster after experiencing right elbow inflammation. Yates is working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery. The 35-year-old threw seven innings for the Braves this season. It's unlikely that he'll be used as a closer in Atlanta. However, he will certainly boost the bullpen next season, assuming he can stay healthy.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow) threw a bullpen session before the start of the three-game series against the New York Mets on Friday, Sept. 30, and he felt fine after the session. It's too early to know whether Yates might pitch again this year, but he continues to make progress to help him feel confident that his elbow won't be a lingering issue this offseason as he distances himself from his second Tommy John surgery. He felt discomfort after tossing a scoreless inning against the Mariners on Sept. 10 and was placed on the 15-day injured list after his elbow continued to bother him when he played catch on Sept. 16. The 35-year-old shouldn't be expected to contribute out of the Braves bullpen in the postseason.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow) was placed on the 15-day IL on Friday with right elbow inflammation. Tough news for the righty, who just came back from his second Tommy John surgery in August. In his nine appearances since his return, Yates has a 5.14 ERA and 1.57 WHIP with six strikeouts in seven innings. Yates has certainly gone through the ringer in regards to injuries, and it's hard to believe that he was a top end fantasy reliever just a few years ago.

The Atlanta Braves activated relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow) from the 60-day injured list on Wednesday. Yates had Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery on his right arm in March of last year and hasn't pitched at all in the big leagues since 2020. On his minor league rehab assignment, he posted a nice 1.08 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 10 strikeouts and two walks in 8 1/3 innings pitched between the Florida Complex League, Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. The 35-year-old had 41 saves with the San Diego Padres back in 2019, but with Raisel Iglesias and Kenley Jansen already at the back end of the team's bullpen, it's unlikely that Yates will see many save chances to close out the year, if any at all.

Atlanta Braves reliever Kirby Yates (elbow) is set to make another rehab start on Sunday at Triple-A Gwinnett, according to manager Brian Snitker. The 35-year-old righty made back-to-back hitless appearances earlier this week and didn't sustain any setbacks. He'll likely need a few more rehab outings before joining the Braves' bullpen later this month. Once he arrives with the club he figures to work in a setup/high-leverage role for Atlanta.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow) worked a scoreless inning of relief for Double-A Mississippi on Friday. He allowed a pair of hits but whiffed two batters as well. The 35-year-old reliever was making his first rehab appearance as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Barring any type of setback, Yates should join the Braves' bullpen at some point in early-to-mid August.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Friday. The 34-year-old continues working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Yates has been throwing off a mound for three weeks. All of his pitches were fastballs, but the plan is for Yates to mix in breaking pitches soon. The hope is that Yates can return around August, so we'll see how much of an impact he brings to the Braves bullpen.

Relief pitcher Kirby Yates is the newest member of the Atlanta Braves, joining the defending champions on a two-year deal worth $8.25 million dollars in guaranteed money. The contract includes a $5.75 million dollar club option for 2024 with a $1.25 million dollar buyout. Yates has been a top fantasy closer in the past, but he's coming off Tommy John surgery and won't be ready to pitch until midway through 2022. He only managed a total of 4 1/3 innings between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. With 57 saves and 400 strikeouts in 291 career games, Yates could challenge for the closer role if he stays on track with his rehab, but that's a significant if.