Angels' Jordan Romano: Picks up second save Tuesday
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Romano earned the save in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Cubs, logging a strikeout and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
Romano could start running away with the Angels' closer gig if he keeps this up while Kirby Yates (knee) and Robert Stephenson (elbow) are on the shelf. Romano had a nightmare 2025 campaign with the Phillies, registering an 8.23 ERA across 49 regular-season appearances before he inked a one-year deal with the Angels over the winter. He's now thrown 2.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts across three appearances this season, going 2-for-2 in save chances. Romano should be added where available in fantasy.
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Angels' Jordan Romano: Notches save in opener
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Romano earned the save in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Astros, logging a strikeout and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning.
With Kirby Yates (knee) and Robert Stephenson (elbow) sidelined to open the year, Romano was tasked with closing out Anaheim's 3-0 victory Thursday. It's an encouraging start to the year for the veteran right-hander, who signed with the Angels after struggling to an 8.23 ERA across 42.2 regular-season innings with the Phillies last season. Romano is expected to share ninth-inning duties with lefty Drew Pomeranz until the Halos' bullpen returns to full health.
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Angels' Jordan Romano: Possible closer with Yates out
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Romano could be a top candidate to open the season as the Angels' closer after the team placed Kirby Yates (knee) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
The Angels haven't disclosed a plan for the late innings, but with Yates joining Ben Joyce (shoulder) and Robert Stephenson (elbow) on the shelf, Romano and southpaw Drew Pomeranz are left as the most likely options for the ninth. Romano has endured a rough past two seasons, but he has past closing experience, twice earning 36 saves with Toronto, and has shined this spring with a 6:0 K:BB and only one earned run allowed in six innings. Pomeranz, meanwhile, has never recorded more than four saves in a season and struggled during exhibition play with a 4:4 K:BB and five earned runs allowed in 4.2 frames.
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Angels' Jordan Romano: Still in mix for save chances
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Romano is one of several Angels relievers who could factor into the closer mix during the early part of the regular season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Robert Stephenson (shoulder) had at one point been considered a favorite for save opportunities, but he recently had a setback and is likely to open the campaign on the injured list. Ben Joyce (shoulder) probably has the most closer-like stuff of anyone in the team's bullpen, but he's also expected to begin on the IL. That leaves a trio of veteran relievers -- Romano, Kirby Yates and Drew Pomeranz -- in the running for early save opportunities. Yates may be the slight favorite for the closer role, but manager Kurt Suzuki said Monday that the team hasn't yet made a decision in that regard and also indicated that the Angels may "just use the three high-leverage guys and mix and match." Romano has 133 career regular-season saves and has looked good this spring with four scoreless innings and a 3:0 K:BB over four outings, but he is coming off a disastrous 2025 campaign during which he posted an 8.23 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 42.2 innings spanning 49 regular-season appearances with Philadelphia. The right-hander's velocity has also been down about 1.5 mph this spring, and he's stated that he'd like to work his way back up to his usual velocity before the start of the campaign.
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Angels' Jordan Romano: Lands with Halos
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Romano (finger) signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Angels on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Once viewed as a dominant closer, Romano has struggled mightily over the past two seasons, posting a 7.83 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 56.1 regular-season innings between the Blue Jays and Phillies. The Angels will now take a chance on the 32-year-old righty with hopes that he can return to his previous form, but he'll likely be limited to middle-relief work until he can display some consistency on the mound.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: May be dealing with nerve issue
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Romano (finger) recently experienced stiffness in his neck as well as numbness in his middle finger, and Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Saturday that the reliever may be dealing with a "nerve thing," Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.
Romano landed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 26 for what was initially described as right middle-finger inflammation. Thomson's comments suggest the right-hander's issue may be tied to a nerve problem, though that's not an official diagnosis. It's unclear at this point if Romano will be able to return to the Phillies' bullpen by the end of the regular season.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Implodes in ninth inning
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Romano (1-4) allowed three runs on three hits in one inning, taking a blown save and the loss in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Giants.
Daniel Robert retired just one of three batters he faced in the eighth inning. Romano was able to clean up that mess, but he made one of his own in the ninth and couldn't escape it. Patrick Bailey knocked an inside-the-park home run after Romano allowed a double to Casey Schmitt and a single to Wilmer Flores. Romano has allowed seven runs over his last four outings, and this was his first save chance since he converted one May 29 versus Atlanta. He's struggled all year with a 7.44 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 36:14 K:BB over 32.2 innings, picking up eight saves, six holds and three blown saves. The Phillies' bullpen is a mess, but Romano's ongoing struggles likely mean Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm will continue to get more save chances.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Works in low-leverage situation Sunday
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Romano allowed one walk and no hits in one inning of relief during Sunday's 11-4 victory over Toronto. He struck out one.
Romano's usage is worth noting -- he worked the eighth inning of an 11-4 game after being bypassed in favor of Matt Strahm for a save opportunity in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Philadelphia's bullpen pecking order has been in a state of flux for most of the season, and it appears Romano's stock in fantasy is beginning to drop. Although it may be hasty to declare a definitive shift in the Phillies' closer role, the right-hander has struggled with a 7.71 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB over his last seven innings.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Gives up walk-off single
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Romano (1-2) was charged with the loss in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Toronto, allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
Romano was tasked with keeping the game tied at 1-1 in the ninth inning, but he gave up a two-out, walk-off single to Alejandro Kirk. The hard-throwing right-hander has been shaky since retaking the closer's job, recording a 7.11 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB over his last 6.1 innings. Romano has gone 4-for-4 on save chances during this span, so he figures to remain Philadelphia's preferred ninth-inning weapon while leaving the door open for the likes of Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm if his struggles continue.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Hangs on for eighth save
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Romano earned the save in the opening game of Thursday's doubleheader with Atlanta, allowing a hit and three walks in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two.
Romano pulled a rabbit out of his hat Thursday afternoon, as he managed to close out a 5-4 victory despite allowing four men to reach base. Atlanta would load the bases with two outs before Romano struck out Eli White to end the game. The 32-year-old Romano seems to have firmed his grasp on the ninth-inning job in Philly despite some recent struggles -- he's allowed three runs on four hits and four walks in his last three appearances (2.2 innings). Overall, Romano is 8-for-10 in save chances this year with a 7.29 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 27:11 K:BB across 21 innings.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Sharp in sixth save
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Romano earned the save in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Rockies, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Romano has now turned in nine consecutive scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out 13 in that span. After a rough start to the season, Romano has reaffirmed his grip on the Phillies' closer job following the suspension of Jose Alvarado. Overall, the 32-year-old Romano sports a 6.87 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB across 18.1 innings this year while converting six of his eight save chances.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Fans side for save
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Romano struck out three batters in a perfect inning while earning his fifth save of the season in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Pirates.
Romano threw nine of 11 pitches for strikes and quickly put away Pittsburgh's No. 3 through 5 hitters to close out the win. After blowing two of his first three save chances while registering a 13.50 ERA through his first 11 appearances this season, Romano has since righted the ship. He's converted four straight save opportunities while delivering eight consecutive scoreless innings, and Romano should have a decent amount of security in the closer's role for the foreseeable future after Jose Alvarado -- who leads the Phillies with seven saves -- was suspended 80 games Sunday for testing positive for a banned substance.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Secures second save
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Romano struck out one batter in a scoreless inning and earned a save during Sunday's extra-inning win against the Cubs.
Romano threw 10 of 13 pitches for strikes to quickly retire the Cubs' 4-5-6 hitters and secure the 3-1 victory. He converted his first since April 4 and now has two in four chances. Romano has allowed at least one run in five of his 12 outings this season, resulting in a 12.19 ERA through 10.1 frames. Jose Alvarado earned a win after working a scoreless ninth inning and remains the primary closer for Philly.
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Phillies' Jordan Romano: Blows save in eighth inning
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Romano blew the save after allowing two runs on one hit and one walk in one inning during Thursday's game against the Nationals. He struck out one.
Summoned in the eighth inning to protect a 3-1 lead, Romano struggled with his command as he threw just 15 of 29 pitches for strikes and also plunked a batter. Philly could give Romano some leeway when it comes to future save opportunities, although they aren't short on high-leverage arms, and the right-hander's usage in the eighth frame suggests he may not solely see ninth-inning work anyway. Jose Alvarado, who ended up getting the win Thursday, and Matt Strahm pitched clean ninth and 10th innings, respectively, to preserve the win for Philadelphia.
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Jordan Romano: Cut loose by Toronto
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Romano (elbow) was non-tendered by the Blue Jays on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The right-hander was one of the best closers in baseball from 2021 to 2023 with a 2.37 ERA and 95 saves, but Toronto elected not to tender him a contract for 2025. Romano allowed 10 earned runs in 15 appearances in 2024 and sat out most of the season due to elbow issues, which necessitated arthroscopic surgery in July. The 31-year-old was ramping up his throwing program at the end of the regular season and could be ready for the start of spring training.
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Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Transferred to 60-day IL
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The Blue Jays transferred Romano (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Romano landed on the 15-day injured list June 1 due to right elbow inflammation. He was shut down from throwing twice after landing on the IL, and he eventually underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair an impingement in his throwing elbow July 3. Romano still has a ways to go before throwing again, and it's unclear whether he will return to major-league action by the end of the season. With Yimi Garcia traded to Seattle on Friday, Chad Green appears set to continue serving as Toronto's primary closer.
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Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Shut down from throwing again
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Romano was shut down from throwing after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
It's the second time Romano has been shut down from throwing since he landed on the injured list June 1. Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Romano will get an evaluation on his right elbow July 2, which should give clarity on the next steps for the 31-year-old closer, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. Prior to his injury, Romano registered eight saves with a 6.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 13.2 innings this season.
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Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Nearing mound work
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Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Romano (elbow) threw from 90-to-120 feet Monday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
According to Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star, if Romano responds well to Monday's workout, he'll be cleared to throw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list June 1 with right elbow inflammation. Since he's a closer who typically doesn't pitch more than an inning in his appearances, Romano won't require an extensive ramp-up period, but the Blue Jays will still likely want to send him out on a brief minor-league rehab assignment prior to activating him from the IL. Yimi Garcia has served as the Blue Jays' primary closer while Romano has been on the shelf, but Garcia is considered day-to-day with an elbow issue of his own. Chad Green appears to be next in line for saves out of the Toronto bullpen.
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Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Playing catch Friday
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Romano (elbow) threw from 90 feet Friday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
Romano resumed his throwing program Monday and has already been stretched out to 90 feet. The 31-year-old has been brought along slowly since being placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation and it's unclear if he'll require a rehab assignment at this point. Yimi Garcia has earned three saves since Romano went down and should continue to operate as Toronto's closer in Romano's absence.
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Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Placed on 15-day IL
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Romano was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to May 30, with right elbow inflammation, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Romano was unavailable for Friday's 5-3 victory over the Pirates due to right elbow soreness and he'll now be forced to miss a couple weeks of action while nursing the injury. The 31-year-old produced a 9.00 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over eight innings, while suffering a blown save and being tagged with a pair of losses in nine appearances with Toronto in May, so the time off could serve as a reset button for him. In the meantime, left-hander Brendon Little was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday to replace him on the major-league roster. In Romano's absence, Yimi Garcia and Chad Green represent a pair of candidates to absorb the ninth-inning role.
