MLB Player News

Bummer allowed three runs on four hits and no walks while striking out one batter over two innings in a no-decision as an opener against St. Louis on Saturday.

Bummer was tabbed to open the bullpen game for Atlanta and gave the team two innings. While he was able to keep the ball in the strike zone, throwing 21 of 33 pitches for strikes and issuing zero free passes, he was tagged for three runs in the second frame, with two of the runs coming on a Nolan Gorman homer. It's not yet clear how Atlanta plans to fill the rotation spot that opened when Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) landed on the injured list in early July, so Bummer could be called upon to fill the same role after the All-Star break, though the team figures to eventually settle upon a traditional starter.

Strahm threw a clean eighth inning in Saturday's 5-4 loss to San Diego. He struck out two.

Even though Strahm hasn't seen a save chance since June 29, he's been excellent to start July. The veteran left-hander has fanned multiple batters in three of his first four appearances of the month, allowing a lone hit over four scoreless innings so far. It's worth noting Orion Kerkering has stumbled to a 6.23 ERA over his last 4.1 frames, which should give Strahm a leg up in Philadelphia's competition for save opportunities going forward.

Estrada struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.

Estrada was one of four San Diego relievers to have pitched three of the previous four days, but he was apparently deemed good to go for a save chance Saturday. Usual closer Robert Suarez had also seen a similar workload and was held back from pitching in this contest. Estrada is now second on the team with three saves, though he's no threat to Suarez's closer role, as he's instead functioned as a setup man throughout the year. Overall, Estrada has a 2.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 60:16 K:BB while adding 21 holds and three blown saves across 43 innings.

Scott earned a save against San Francisco on Saturday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.

Scott entered Saturday in the midst of a small rough patch, as he blew his previous save opportunity Wednesday versus Milwaukee and gave up three runs over two innings across his past two outings. He got back on track against the Giants to help the Dodgers snap a seven-game losing streak, fanning two of the three batters he faced in a 12-pitch ninth inning. Scott has had some struggles this season -- he's tied for the MLB lead with six blown saves -- but the lefty remains Los Angeles' primary closer and has collected 19 saves while posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 49:7 K:BB over 43 innings.

Finnegan (1-3) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over one-third of an inning, taking the loss and a blown save in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers.

Finnegan had strung together 8.1 scoreless innings over his last eight appearances, allowing just two walks in that span. It came crashing down quickly Saturday, as he allowed three straight batters to reach base, including a two-run double by Andrew Vaughn that tied the game. Caleb Durbin delivered the final blow with a walk-off single. Finnegan has blown his last three save chances dating back to June 10 -- his recent strong pitching has come in non-save opportunities for the 38-56 Nationals. That poor record as a team suggests there won't be many saves to come by for any member of this bullpen, though Finnegan is on a one-year deal in 2025 and could be moved at the trade deadline. He remains Washington's best bet to see saves for now.

Diaz walked one and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals.

It's just the fourth time all season Diaz has been asked to go more than one inning, but he was fresh Sunday, as his last appearance was Tuesday. Diaz got the job done with 13 pitches in the eighth inning and a tidy nine-pitch ninth to secure his 19th save in 20 chances. He's added a stellar 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB through 38 innings this season.

Palencia retired the only two batters he faced with one strikeout to earn the save during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

Up 5-0 going into the ninth inning, the Cubs turned to their closer after Brad Keller allowed two runs and another baserunner. Palencia shut the door from there, picking up a strikeout and getting a grounder to end the game. Since blowing a save opportunity May 19 in Miami, the 25-year-old has converted 11 straight save chances. With one game left before the All-Star break, the right-hander has a 1.62 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.

The Padres recalled Jacob from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Since his last MLB appearance May 24, Jacob has given up nine earned runs across 10.1 innings in Triple-A. Despite his shaky performance, he'll get the call to provide San Diego with some extra bullpen depth heading into the All-Star break. He's unlikely to pitch outside of low-leverage situations, however.

Nunez (elbow) is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Nunez landed on the injured list July 3 with a sprained right elbow, and after consulting with doctors, he's decided to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. The 29-year-old will conclude the 2025 campaign with a 4.66 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 9.2 innings across 10 appearances with the Mets. Given the timing of his procedure, Nunez will most likely remain out through the end of the 2026 season.

The Cardinals optioned Svanson to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Svanson has been fairly reliable out of the bullpen for the Cardinals this season, turning in a 3.12 ERA and 0.81 WHIP through 26 innings. However, the Cardinals will prioritize filling their bullpen with a fresh arm heading into the All-Star break, so the 26-year-old will head back to Triple-A in favor of Gordon Graceffo.