Hidden Relief Pitchers Poised to Explode in 2026 Fantasy Baseball—Are You Ready to Discover Them?

Kirby Yates – Los Angeles Angels (NFBC ADP: 297)

Yes, Yates is 38 years old and coming off a 5.23 ERA while battling soft tissue injuries across 41 1/3 innings with the Dodgers. Still, he’s just one season removed from a 1.17 ERA and 33 saves with the Rangers in 2024. And despite the disaster performance, there were still some things to like under the hood. Yates maintained a strong 29.2% strikeout rate and a 16.5% swinging-strike rate that was better than his 15.2% mark in 2024. He also dropped his walk rate from 11.8% to 9.6%. There was also a clear marker of when his performance dropped off last season. Over the first month and a half, Yates looked very much like his 2024 self, striking out 31 batters to just five walks over his first 18 1/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA. He surrendered three runs on May 17 and landed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Yates was never able to get right from there, hitting the IL two more times with back and hamstring issues. Despite the age concerns, he comes into the season perhaps the healthiest of the viable closing options to open the year for the Angels, as late-inning hopeful Robert Stephenson reportedly dealt with a nerve issue over the offseason, putting his readiness for Opening Day in doubt. Given the strikeout ability we saw behind the disappointing surface stats, Yates is worth a dart throw for saves late in drafts with some upside if he can reclaim some of that 2024 magic.