Who is the Twins Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlook

The Minnesota Twins have one of the best closers in the game in Jhoan Duran. Duran made his MLB debut in 2022, where he finished with a 1.86 ERA and eight saves across 57 appearances. Then, last year, he totaled a career-high 27 saves with a 2.45 ERA in 62.1 innings pitched.

However, the Twins will be without Duran to start the season. The flame-throwing right-hander injured his oblique in the middle of March and was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Twins before their season-opener.

So, who is the Twins new closer? Is he a viable fantasy option? Let's dive in and find out.

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Who is the Twins Closer?

With Duran set to miss the next couple of weeks and maybe even longer, the Twins will turn to 29-year-old Griffin Jax. This is Jax's fourth year in the majors, and he owns a 4.61 career ERA and 212 strikeouts across 155 appearances. 

However, Jax has been better than his ERA suggests. He finished with a 3.36 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 72.1 IP in 2022 and a 3.86 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 2023. The right-hander has also totaled five saves during those two seasons, including four saves last year. 

Sal Perez juuuuust missed this breaker from Griffin Jax pic.twitter.com/ZCTXekyjgu

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) March 28, 2024

Jax will be the Twins closer until Duran returns, which was seen in Thursday's season-opening win. With a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth inning, Minnesota gave the 29-year-old the rock to close out the game. He threw one scoreless inning with one walk and one strikeout to secure his first save of the season.

Griffin Jax Fantasy Baseball Outlook

It remains to be seen how long Duran will actually miss to start the season. Nonetheless, it will likely be a couple of weeks at the minimum, considering he is dealing with a moderate oblique strain. That makes Jax a strong roster add in most leagues -- given his save upside.

Jax should see plenty of save opportunities as the team's closer to begin the year. The Twins have games against the Kansas City Royals (2), Milwaukee Brewers (2), Cleveland Guardians (3), Detroit Tigers (7), Chicago White Sox (7) and Los Angeles Angels (3) over the next month. That schedule plays out nicely for the new closer and his potential save chances.

Griffin Jax gets the first save opportunity of the season in Jhoan Duran's absence.

Twins gave him some wiggle room with the two runs in the ninth.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 28, 2024

Jax will be the team's closer until Duran returns, but when the latter is activated from the IL, he will once again take over closer role duties. For now, though, Jax has that role locked down.

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