In a league where late-inning dominance can make or break a team, these are the relief pitchers who stood out last week with electric performances that left hitters baffled and fans buzzing. Whether it’s a closer slamming the door shut or a setup man bridging the gap and holding the line, these arms delivered when it mattered. We’re spotlighting the hottest relief pitchers in Major League Baseball over the past seven days — the guys who turned pressure into performance and owned the mound.
Jeff Hoffman, Toronto Blue Jays
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 3 K, 6.75 K9, 4 S/H
Hoffman is on a fantastic run, not having surrendered an earned run in nearly a month. Huge series against the Yankees, and they needed it.
Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 4 K, 12.00 K9, 3 S/H
Three innings, and not a single baserunner allowed. Not a hit, not a walk, nada. And three saves. Elite groundball rates plus elite chase and whiff rates equals one of the absolute best relievers in the game.
Bennett Sousa, Houston Astros
Week’s Line: 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 K, 9.00 K9, 3 S/H
What? Featuring a Houston reliever not named Josh Hader? MADNESS. Bennet had a busy week, and a productive one. And a quick look back reveals he’s been pretty damn good for a minute. No surprise he’s getting looks in high-leverage situations.
Mason Miller, Athletics
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 4 K, 12.00 K9, 2 S/H
Swoooooon IYKYK. He’s not piling saves, but he’s also only blown one in the past month. Plus – and I checked – your team has to win games for you to get saves.
Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 7 K, 18.92 K9, 2 S/H
Diaz was phenomenal last week, especially considering it was against the surging Brewers (both saves) and the Yankees on Saturday. Diaz has been on a tear lately, having surrendered only one run and one walk since June 2nd.
Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 3 K, 13.50 K9, 2 S/H
Chapman may be the hardest thrower in the universe. Chapman threw 12 pitches against the Reds last week, with only one below 97 MPH on the gun (89 MPH slider). Seven were right at or over 100 MPH. Just incredible. He’s having a renaissance season, for real.
Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 7 K, 23.60 K9, 2 S/H
What? Featuring ANOTHER Houston reliver not named Josh Hader? UTTER MADNESS. Abreu struck out nearly everyone he faced last week (save for a little chaos Saturday against the Dodgers), and picked up two more holds, bringing his season total to 22.
Trevor Megill, Milwaukee Brewers
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3 K, 13.50 K9, 2 S/H
Phil Maton has been around for a while, but it’s finally clicked for him in 2025. The strikeouts have always been a thing, but so has the inflated ERA and WHIP. Not this season, and not this week.
Gabe Speier, Seattle Mariners
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 9 K, 24.32 K9, 1 S/H
Speaking of striking out nearly everyone in sight…. Mannnnnnn what a week for Gabe. Pasquantino and Caglianone twice (all four swinging, btw), and the heart of the lineup (Hayes, McCutch, and Reynolds) against Pittsburgh on Sunday. This man did his job. Periodt.
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Angels
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 7 K, 21.00 K9, 0 S/H
I had considered Jansen cooked, but he’s spent the last month proving me wrong. He has been on a nice little run, though he hasn’t saved a game in a little over two weeks. He still got the eighth and ninth last week, though, and handled business against two of the hotter offenses in baseball.
