Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31 as part of MLB's gambling investigation, according to Zack Meisel of MLB.com. Clase's teammate, right-hander Luis L. Ortiz, is already under the same parameters and hasn't pitched since June 27. This is big news for the fantasy community, as the 27-year-old is one of baseball's top closers despite taking step back statistically in 2025. The Dominican right-hander is 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings while converting saves in 24 of his 29 chances. Clase was a potential trade chip before this week's July 31 deadline, but that's unlikely to happen now that he's out through August. Manager Stephen Vogt hasn't said how he plans to treat the closing situation with Clase out at least a month, but fantasy managers should run to add Cade Smith immediately.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is reportedly drawing heavy interest ahead of the trade deadline, but a move appears unlikely. The Guardians would need to be "blown away" by an offer to consider parting with the flamethrowing right-hander. Clase has anchored Cleveland's bullpen for five seasons and continues to dominate late innings. The 27-year-old owns a 3.23 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 24 saves in 29 chances this season. He averages 98.3 mph with his fastball/cutter and pairs it with a sharp slider, making him one of the most coveted relievers on the market.

With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, the Cleveland Guardians are fielding offers for top relievers Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. It's unlikely the Guardians will trade either right-hander, per Heyman. It would take a haul for Cleveland to move Clase or Smith, as both hurlers are under control at eminently reasonable prices for the foreseeable future. One of the game's premier closers, the 27-year-old Clase is earning a relative pittance compared to some of his peers. The three-time All-Star and two-time AL Reliever of the Year is on a $4.5 million salary this season and will collect $6 million in 2026. Clase then has two affordable club options for $11.5 million each. Those are on track to be exercised as of now, but if not, he has a $2 million buyout for both 2027 and '28. Smith, meanwhile, isn't even due to reach arbitration until after the 2026 season. That means he's under wraps for four and a half more years. The 26-year-old has excelled in a setup role since he debuted last season.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase earned his 20th save of the season on Friday, working a scoreless ninth inning in his team's 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. Clase got off to a rough start to the season with a 6.75 ERA at the end of April, but he's been much better of late. He's allowed just one earned run since June 17th (10 2/3 innings pitched). For the season, Clase has converted 20 out of 24 save chances while posting a 3.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings. He's allowed too many base runners but remains elite at home run suppression (0.22 HR/9), which limits his blow-up potential. Clase may not get back to the dominant form he showed in 2024, but he's still a solid closer option for fantasy.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase had a nice bounce-back performance after a blown save on Sunday to earn his 19th save of the season in Monday's 7-5 win over the Astros. Clase came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by two and shut the door with a 1-2-3 outing. The 27-year-old has not been quite as automatic as he has in previous seasons, but he has still converted 19 of 23 save opportunities with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and an 8.92 K/9 rate in 39 1/3 innings of work. He has gotten unlucky on balls in play, with a .357 BABIP that is almost 100 points higher than his career average of .261. This is an encouraging sign for fantasy managers, who can hope for some positive regression throughout the rest of the season.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase suffered his fourth blown save of the season in a 7-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Clase entered in the top of the ninth inning with a 1-0 lead, but a leadoff hit by pitch to Spencer Torkelson proved costly. The Tigers subbed in Zack McKinstry for Torkelson. McKinstry stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch. Clase finished off the ninth with a strikeout of Parker Meadows. However, after he squandered the lead, fellow reliever Cade Smith imploded in the 10th inning and took the loss. Clase posted otherworldly production a year ago, but the right-hander's numbers have been more solid than spectacular this season. He owns a 3.29 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP, 39:10 K:BB, and 18 saves across 38 1/3 innings.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase wiggled out of a ninth-inning jam on Sunday to secure his 18th save in a 3-0 victory over the Athletics. Clase retired the first batter of the inning and then allowed a single, a walk, and an infield single to load the bases. The right-hander came up with a clutch strikeout of Max Muncy and induced a groundout from Lawrence Butler to end the game. It took 31 pitches for Clase to shut the door, but he nonetheless racked up his fourth scoreless appearance in a row. While Clase hasn't posted the near-spotless results he produced a year ago, he's still an above-average option late in games. The 27-year-old has converted 18 of 21 save chances while pitching to a 3.48 ERA with 34:9 K:BB over 33 2/3 innings.

It wasn't pretty, but Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase came away with his 15th save of the season in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Giants. Clase came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up 3-2. He allowed a leadoff single, got the first out on a fly-out, allowed another single, walked the bases loaded, got the second out on a fly-out, and ended the game with a strikeout. The 27-year-old has relatively settled down after having some rough outings earlier in the season. Even so, his overall stats are not quite back to what fantasy managers have expected, converting 15 of 18 save opportunities with a 3.82 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and a 9.68 K/9 rate. Even if he isn't performing as one of the best closers in baseball, Clase should provide plenty of fantasy value if he is most of himself.

Cleveland Guardians right-handed closer Emmanuel Clase locked down the team's 4-2 victory over the visiting Houston Astros at Progressive Field in Sunday's series finale for his 14th save of the year. Although Clase didn't give up a run in his inning of work, he didn't strike anyone out and allowed two hits to catcher Yainer Diaz and outfielder Jake Meyers. The hard-throwing 27-year-old reliever currently sports a career-high 3.67 ERA (2.11 FIP), but he's now converted his last 10 save opportunities and has allowed just one earned run since the start of May. He's gone 4-0 with a 1.29 WHIP, 30 strikeouts and only five walks in his 27 innings over 28 appearances out of the bullpen. While Clase didn't exactly start out strong for fantasy managers, he looks locked in now and remains one of the most dominant closers in the game when he's right. His 14 saves are tied for eighth-most in baseball.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase was called upon to hold a two-run lead versus the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. Clase didn't need to work too hard as he needed only 10 pitches to record his 12th save of the season. The right-hander struggled to begin the season, but has settled down nicely. Clase allowed only one run across 10 innings of work in May. His stats aren't exactly elite, but Clase remains a must-have player across all fantasy formats.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase secured his seventh save of the season on Sunday in a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. He allowed one unearned run on one hit and struck out one. He's rebounded nicely over the past week after struggling throughout the month of April, collecting three saves while allowing one earned run in four innings. He still isn't the lights-out version of himself that everyone is used to seeing, but he still has the upside to be the best closer in baseball if he can continue to get back on track.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase got the call to hold a three-run lead in the ninth inning during Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins. It didn't go perfect for Clase who allowed two singles and threw a wild pitch to shrink it to a two-run game. Luckily, Clase already had two outs under his belt, so he struck out Kody Clemens to escape the danger and earn his fifth save of the season. It hasn't been pretty for Clase this season, but fantasy managers should stick with him. Cade Smith figures to take away some save chances, but Clase should remain heavily in the mix as well.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase was asked to come on a little early during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox. The right-hander tossed a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts as he needed only 14 pitches in this one. Manager Stephen Vogt said that Clase would be available as the closer for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Clase has been off to a rough start to the season, so the Guardians wanted to give him a lower leverage situation to build up some confidence. It sounds like he'll be back in the closer role for now, but Cade Smith should also be in the mix for saves.

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said that closer Emmanuel Clase (shoulder) was bothered by "shoulder discomfort" after his outing on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clase is playing catch on Wednesday, but his availability for the contest against the New York Yankees is unclear. It's been a rough start to the 2025 season for the 27-year-old Dominican, as Clase enters Wednesday's action with a 7.84 ERA, 2.23 WHIP, four saves and nine strikeouts in his 10 1/3 innings pitched. He had his second blown save of the season but ended up picking up his third win on Sunday against Pittsburgh when he allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk in his inning of work. Hopefully, this is just the result of Clase working three straight days of the weekend and nothing more serious. Cade Smith picked up saves the last two days and would likely be first in line for closing duties if Clase ends up going on the injured list.

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Emmanuel Clase picked up the win in his team's 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Clase pitched a scoreless ninth inning while striking out two and improved his record to 2-0 after Nolan Jones' walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth. The veteran closer is off to a shaky start to the season, with a 5.40 ERA, no saves, and one blown save through five innings of work. That being said, it is too early to get concerned about a player who has been one of baseball's best closers over the past few seasons.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase's rough 2024 postseason continued on Friday night against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. Clase was brought into a 6-6 tie game in the ninth inning and proceeded to allow two earned runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one in his inning of work to take the loss, his second in six appearances this October. An error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio didn't help matters, but Clase now has a 10.29 ERA (7.17 FIP), two losses and a blown save in his six playoff outings this year after he was the best closer in baseball during the regular season. It looks like the 26-year-old Dominican flamethrower has tired down the stretch, but the Guardians will need him to turn it around if they hope to win three straight and get back to the World Series.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase came through in Game 4 of the ALDS, collecting the final five outs and earning the save in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers. Clase did allow one run in the ninth, but that was his only baserunner allowed. It was a nice bounce-back performance after Clase uncharacteristically gave up three runs and took the loss in Game 2 of this series. All systems should be a go for the Guardians come Game 5 on Saturday, so expect Clase to be called upon if the game is even remotely close in the late stages.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase had an uncharacteristically poor outing in Monday's American League Division Series Game 2 3-0 loss to the Tigers. Clase came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning with the game tied 0-0, two outs, and runners on first and second. He got the third out on an incredible diving catch from Steven Kwan and stayed in to pitch the ninth inning. He got the first two outs on a strikeout and a pop-out but then allowed back-to-back singles, a go-ahead three-run home run, and another single before exiting the game, ultimately being saddled with the loss. Clase's performance was a complete contrast to his regular season results, as he went 4-2 with 47 saves, a 0.61 ERA, a 0.66 WHIP, and a 24.4% strikeout rate in 74 1/3 innings of work. The Guardians will need him to bounce back in order to get back into the series, as he is one of the best high-leverage relievers in baseball.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase picked up his AL-leading 40th save of the season in Friday's 10-8 victory over the Pirates, although he allowed one run in the process when he gave up a solo shot to Andrew McCutchen to lead off the ninth. The 26-year-old settled in and recorded three straight outs after that, including one strikeout. Clase is just one save behind Ryan Helsley (41) of the Cardinals for the MLB lead, but with the save became the Guardians' all-time save leader, surpassing Cody Allen for the top spot with 150. Also, despite allowing a run, the Dominican righty still owns a sterling 0.71 ERA on the season, along with a 0.68 WHIP and an 8:55 BB:K, ranking as the top closer in fantasy.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase continued doing what he does, picking up his 37th save of the season versus the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Clase allowed a hit and stolen base in an otherwise perfect frame, one in which he didn't record a strikeout. Clase continues to be one of the top closers in the game and has now picked up four saves in the past four days. It is very likely that manager Stephen Vogt will give Clase a day or two off to recover with Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith as the likely candidates to pitch in the ninth in any potential save opportunity. For the season, Clase has a miniscule 0.64 ERA in 56 1/3 innings for the division leading Guardians.