MLB Player News

McLean could be an option for the Mets' bullpen if the team doesn't trade for any high-leverage relievers at the deadline, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

General manager David Stearns has gone this route in the past during his time in Milwaukee, breaking in future aces Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta in relief roles. The Mets are actively working to acquire established bullpen arms however, and using a prospect like McLean in high-leverage spots during a playoff push would appear to be Plan B. McLean is having a breakout campaign in the high minors, posting a combined 2.78 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 101:41 K:BB over 90.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

Yates retired both batters he faced to earn the save in Monday's 5-2 win over the Twins.

Yates had to come in during an at-bat, as Tanner Scott (forearm) couldn't continue against Ryan Jeffers in the ninth inning. Yates also allowed an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly, but he was able to prevent further damage to earn his third save of the campaign. He's been a little shaky in July, allowing three runs (two earned) over five innings while taking one loss. Yates has a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 43:9 K:BB with 13 holds over 30.1 innings across 37 appearances. Should Scott land on the injured list, Yates and Alex Vesia are the current healthy candidates for ninth-inning duties, though Blake Treinen (forearm) could also be in the mix once he completes his rehab assignment. It's also possible the Dodgers focus on picking up a high-end reliever before the trade deadline to replenish their bullpen depth, especially if Scott's injury ends up being significant.

Hader walked two in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Monday's 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Hader got two outs on his first six pitches, then walked two batters before getting Josh Naylor on a flyout to end the threat. Hader took a blown save in his last appearance before the All-Star break and has walked four batters over three innings in two outings since the season resumed, which has made for a tumultuous July for the Houston closer. He's still been sharp enough when it matters, converting 26 of 27 save chances this season with a 2.36 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 66:13 K:BB across 45.2 innings.

Suarez earned the save after working a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit while striking out one, during Monday's 2-1 win over the Marlins.

Suarez has anchored the bullpen with the best ERA in MLB all season long, and he needed just 10 pitches, nine of them strikes, to earn his league-leading 29th save of the season. The 34-year-old has rebounded from a tough month of June, in which he had a 7.84 ERA, with a July that has seen him allow one run over seven appearances. His season-long ERA is down to 3.46 and his strikeouts are up to 44 in 41.2 innings.

Scott left Monday's game against the Twins due to an undisclosed injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The nature of Scott's injury is unclear at this time, though he was in obvious discomfort after firing his 22nd pitch of the night. He stated after the game that he felt a "sting" in his forearm, and the team will send him for an MRI on Tuesday, per Ardaya. Kirby Yates would likely be in line for save chances if Scott is looking at an IL stint, and Blake Treinen (forearm), who is nearing the end of a rehab assignment, could also get saves once he's activated.

Hoffman threw a perfect ninth inning to secure the save in Monday's 2-1 win over the Yankees. He struck out three.

Hoffman struck out the side en route to locking down his 24th save of the season. The hard-throwing right-hander has endured quite a few hiccups as Toronto's closer this year -- his ERA stands at 4.68 in 2025 -- but he's fared much better since the beginning of June. Across his last 19 outings (17 innings), Hoffman has delivered a 2.65 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 24:4 K:BB while converting 11 of his 12 save opportunities.

Ginn will start Tuesday's game against the Rangers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Ginn has been pitching out of the bullpen of late, but he'll return to a starting role for Tuesday's matchup. He should be able to cover at least a few innings for the A's considering he fired 3.2 innings June 30 out of the bullpen and has navigated multiple frames in relief since.

Birdsong (4-4) suffered the loss Monday at Atlanta, allowing five runs on one hit, four walks and a hit-by-pitch while not retiring any of the six batters he faced.

This was a disastrous outing for the 23-year-old, as he completely lost his sense of the strike zone, firing just six strikes out of 25 total pitches. Entering this contest, Birdsong has issued four or more free passes in each of his previous three appearances, over which he produced a 7.62 ERA across 13 innings. This poor performance ballooned Birdsong's ERA from 4.11 to 4.80 over 65.2 total innings. The Giants had already skipped a rotation turn for the young right-hander prior to the All-Star break, as his last start came July 6, signaling the team was already considering a relief role for him. Birdsong is currently scheduled to make his next start against the Mets at home this weekend, but it would not be surprising to see the Giants either move him to the bullpen or demote him following this calamitous performance.

Diaz earned the save in Monday's 7-5 victory over the Angels, striking out three in a clean inning.

The right-handed flamethrower hit 98.7 mph on the radar gun, as he succinctly struck out the side on just 14 pitches to lock down the win. Diaz has completed 14 straight scoreless appearances, with his last earned run given up coming June 2 against the Dodgers. Over that span, the New York closer has pitched to a stellar 20:3 K:BB and 0.71 WHIP across 14 innings. Through 39.1 total frames, Diaz sports a 1.60 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 59:14 K:BB while converting 20 of 22 save opportunities.

Bednar earned the save in Monday's 3-0 win over the Tigers, allowing one walk with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.

Bednar was called upon to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and needed just nine pitches to do so. The 30-year-old remains perfect in save opportunities this season and has now gone 20 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run. He owns a 2.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 46:9 K:BB to go along with 14 saves across 34 innings.