Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Jose Hernandez collected a surprising Opening Day save in Thursday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Miami Marlins, throwing a clean 12th inning to slam the door in extras. Just recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day, Hernandez tallied his first career save in this one. With David Bednar (lat) unavailable out of Pittsburgh's bullpen, the Pirates used Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, Luis L. Ortiz in the 10th and 11th frames, and Hernandez in the 12th. With that said, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Hernandez to get much high-leverage work once Bednar is ready to pitch again, so the 26-year-old Dominican left-hander looks like a bit of a fool's gold pickup on waiver wires. Chapman would be the favorite for saves if Bednar misses time beyond Opening Day. Hernandez managed a pedestrian 4.97 ERA (4.48 FIP), 1.36 WHIP, and 62:22 K:BB through 50 2/3 frames last year.

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Griffin Jax secured an Opening Day save in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the division-rival Kansas City Royals, firing a hitless ninth inning to close out the win. Filling in for the injured Jhoan Duran (oblique), Jax did make things somewhat interesting by walking Bobby Witt Jr. before facing the heart of KC's order, but he retired the next three hitters. Duran will be on the shelf for at least the first two weeks of the campaign, so Jax should stay atop the depth chart until at least mid-April. The 29-year-old right-hander was excellent as a setup man for the Twins in 2023, registering a 3.86 ERA (2.86 xERA), 1.17 WHIP, and 68:19 K:BB across 65 1/3 frames a season ago. Currently rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues, Jax should not be floating around any fantasy waiver wires as the clear-cut favorite for saves out of Minnesota's bullpen in the interim.

New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes hung on for an Opening Day save in Thursday's 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Houston Astros, allowing three hits in the ninth inning. It certainly wasn't easy, as Holmes gave up a leadoff knock to Mauricio Dubon before Yordan Alvarez reached on an infield single. Kyle Tucker then lined one to right field, but Dubon was just gunned down by Juan Soto while trying to score the tying run on a close play that required a review. Holmes got Alex Bregman to ground out to end the game, and fantasy managers were able to breathe a sigh of relief. The 31-year-old right-hander was an All-Star in 2023 during his first year as a full-time closer in the Bronx, and he's set to rack up plenty of save opportunities on the contending Pinstripes once again. Without much competition for ninth-inning work at the moment, Holmes is a good bet to post north of 20 saves in 2024.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet fared well in his first major-league start on Thursday, launching six innings of one-run ball on six hits with eight strikeouts, but he took a tough-luck loss in the 1-0 Opening Day defeat to the Detroit Tigers. Crochet didn't allow a single walk, but Andy Ibanez delivered the deciding run of the game on a sacrifice fly to score Javier Baez during the third frame. Once a top prospect in the ChiSox farm system, the hard-throwing 24-year-old lefty was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft and entered the 2024 season with a career 2.71 ERA (3.16 FIP), 1.32 WHIP, and 85:40 K:BB over 73 big-league innings. Crochet's fastball and slider combination clearly poses plenty of swing-and-miss stuff, and he will have streaming appeal in the proper matchup. He's lined up to take the ball next on Wednesday against the visiting Atlanta Braves, however, where Crochet won't be a recommended fantasy option in such a scary matchup.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (hamstring) exited during the fifth inning of Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers with an apparent left-hamstring injury. Steele went down after fielding a bunted ball and flipping it to first base, favoring what appeared to be his left hamstring. The 28-year-old southpaw was throwing well against an explosive Rangers lineup, giving up a lone run on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts before departing, and the severity of the injury remains unknown. It would be a big blow to Chicago's rotation if their ace and 2023 All-Star needs to miss time beyond Opening Day, and fantasy managers will have to hold their breath until the Cubs update Steele's status. The flame-throwing Julian Merryweather took over after Steele's exit.