MLB Player News

Hader recorded one out and earned a save over Washington on Sunday.

Hader entered a 7-3 game with two outs and two runners on base and managed to escape the jam, forcing Juan Soto to ground into a fielder's choice. The 27-year-old southpaw has converted six straight save opportunities, making him 26-for-27 on the year. He's sporting a 1.61 ERA and a77:16 K:BB through 44.2 innings.

Antone (forearm) remains in line to return from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener in Milwaukee, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Antone made what's expected to be his seventh and final rehab appearance at Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning. The right-hander should immediately reclaim a high-leverage role in the Cincinnati bullpen, though Mychal Givens appears to be manager David Bell's preferred option in save situations at the moment.

Peters didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals after limiting St. Louis to one run over five innings. He scattered three hits and one walk and struck out three.

Making his second start with the Pirates, Peters wasn't overpowering -- he generated only four swings and misses among his 54 strikes -- but he managed the zone well and was mostly able to mitigate the damage of balls in play. With Pirates manager Derek Shelton recently moving Chad Kuhl to the bullpen, Peters looks like he'll have a decent amount of leash as a member of the Pittsburgh rotation. He lines up to make his next start next weekend in a rematch with the Cardinals in Pittsburgh.

Smith allowed a hit and no walks while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

Smith had allowed a run in each of his last two outings, but he held the Orioles scoreless to preserve the two-run lead Sunday. The southpaw has converted saves in five of his last six appearances, and he's posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 5.1 innings during that time.

The Mets optioned Hartlieb to Triple-A Syracuse ahead of Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Hartlieb's demotion cleared a spot on the 26-man active roster for infielder Javier Baez (back), who was reinstated from the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander was up with the Mets for just two days and didn't make an appearance out of the bullpen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he expects Kelly (COVID-19 injured list) to be activated ahead of Tuesday's series opener in San Diego, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Roberts said he felt Kelly looked "rusty" during his first rehab outing at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday, when he recorded one out and issued two walks. As a result, the Dodgers will have him make one more tune-up appearance Sunday for the affiliate before rejoining the big club ahead of the big three-game series with the Padres. Once reinstated, Kelly should be a key part of the late-inning bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.

The Giants recalled Jackson from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.

Jackson was eligible to return to the Giants less than a week after being demoted since Evan Longoria (hand) was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list in a corresponding move. Over his 15 appearances out of the big-league bullpen this season, Jackson has posted a 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB in 14.2 innings.

The Giants recalled Long from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.

Long will be available out of the bullpen for Sunday's series finale in Oakland, but if he goes unused, he could step into the rotation Tuesday against the Mets as a replacement for Anthony DeSclafani (ankle), who was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Over eight appearances (four starts) with the big club this season, Long has gone 1-1 with a 5.27 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB in 28.1 innings.

Melancon (3-2) picked up the win against the Phillies on Saturday with two scoreless and hitless innings during which he walked two and struck out one.

Melancon hadn't pitched in three days, to the Padres handed him the ball with the team trailing by two runs in the top of the ninth. The right-hander faced the minimum three batters thanks to a double play, then watched as San Diego tied the score in the bottom of the frame. He came back out for the 10th and kept Philadelphia off the scoreboard, nabbing the win when the Padres scored in their half of the inning. It was only the fourth time Melancon has hurled more than one inning this season, and he has now held opponents scoreless over his past five appearances covering 6.1 frames.

Bednar notched his first career save in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals, striking out one and working around a base hit in a scoreless ninth inning.

Save opportunities haven't been plentiful this season for the 44-79 Pirates, and the team's closer situation became murky when Richard Rodriguez was dealt to Atlanta ahead of the July 30 deadline. After converting his first save in relatively stress-free fashion Saturday, Bednar now looks like the clear top pitcher to roster out of the Pittsburgh bullpen. Even before Rodriguez was dealt, Bednar had been one of the team's top setup arms, logging a 2.49 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 62:16 K:BB in 50.2 innings while collecting 10 holds. Bednar still likely can't be counted on to receive more than a handful of save chances the rest of the season, but that might be enough to make the 26-year-old worthy of rostering for fantasy managers desperate to make up ground in the category.