MLB Player News

Varland secured the save Monday against the Nationals, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

Washington got the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base Monday, but Varland ultimately slammed the door for his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. The hard-throwing right-hander has been sublime since usurping Jeff Hoffman as Toronto's closer, successfully converting all 22 of his save opportunities this year. Through 53 innings, Varland boasts a 1.02 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 72:14 K:BB to establish a strong grip on the closing gig.

Keller did not factor into Monday's decision against Arizona, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four across 5.1 innings.

Keller kept pace with Merrill Kelly in Monday's pitching duel before the former gave up the first runs of the game in the sixth on a Max Kepler double, though Keller came away with the no-decision after his Pirates teammates forced extra-innings. He's given up two earned runs or less in back-to-back starts and sports a 4.83 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 87:38 K:BB over 113.2 innings this season. Keller is lined up to face the Reds on the road this weekend.

Scherzer took a no-decision Monday against the Nationals, allowing one run on four hits and three walks in 2.2 innings. He struck out four.

Making his return from a lengthy absence with back spasms and a thumb injury, Scherzer struggled to find his control Monday and also lacked efficiency. He threw 75 pitches (44 strikes) and still couldn't make it through three frames against one of his former teams, and Scherzer has now walked three batters in three consecutive starts while failing to work into the fifth inning in each. The 42-year-old right-hander appears to be on his last legs amidst an injury-plagued 2026 campaign, dragging a 9.49 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 18:14 K:BB over 24.2 frames into his next scheduled appearance at home against the Cardinals.

Kepler went 3-for-5 with a two-run double during Arizona's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Pittsburgh on Monday.

Merrill Kelly and Mitch Keller were locked in a pitcher's duel, but Kepler was responsible for the first runs of the game with a bases-loaded double in the sixth inning that plated two runs for the Diamondbacks. Kepler is slashing .235/.280/.397 with two home runs and 14 RBI across 75 plate appearances this season.

Mead was removed from Monday's game against the Athletics after being hit by a pitch on his left hand, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Mead was struck by a pitch in just his second at-bat as a member of the Red Sox, and he was removed shortly after. Anthony Seigler was called upon to man second base in Mead's absence. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time.

Kelly did not factor into Monday's decision against the Pirates, allowing one unearned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six across 5.2 innings.

The only run Kelly allowed Monday was unearned, though it was his doing on a pickoff error to first, leading to Jake Mangum scoring on a Brandon Lowe single. It was the first time in 19 starts this season that Kelly did not yield an earned run, and his six punchouts tied a season high that he set three times prior to Monday's game. He'll take a 4.86 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 109.1 innings into his next start, which is slated for this weekend on the road against the Guardians.

The Nationals optioned Alvarez to Triple-A Rochester following Monday's 3-2 loss to Toronto. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out three across 4.1 innings in bulk relief.

Alvarez put together a strong performance out of the bullpen, managing to keep his club in the ballgame after opener Eddy Yean allowed a pair of runs. However, the left-hander didn't show enough to keep his place on the big-league roster. Jake Irvin (shoulder) is nearing a return from the 60-day injured list and could slot into the fifth spot in the rotation the next time Alvarez's turn comes up.

Garcia was credited with the save in Monday's 8-5 win over Detroit, when he struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.

Garcia was tagged with a blown save in three of his four outings prior to Monday's game, but he managed to get the job done in Detroit on 17 pitches (10 strikes) with two punchouts. Given the number of opportunities he's had since the All-Star break, Garcia could be the Orioles' preferred option at closer over Andrew Kittredge and Tyler Wells in the absence of both Ryan Helsley (elbow) and Felix Bautista (shoulder).

Taveras went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Orioles' 8-5 win over the Tigers on Monday.

Taveras entered Monday's game having gone 0-for-14 over his four prior outings, but he contributed offensively by belting a solo home run off Keider Montero in the fifth inning to extend Baltimore's lead to 5-3. Despite his recent struggles at the plate, Taveras has been seeing more reliable playing time in the outfield, which has coincided with the absence of Blaze Alexander (hand).

McKinstry went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 8-5 loss to the Orioles.

McKinstry is struggling overall with a .206 batting average and .594 OPS this season, though he's been better since the start of June. While the veteran utility player feels unlikely to match last year's career best totals of 12 home runs and 19 stolen bases, he is at least seeing regular playing time. McKinstry is known for moving around defensively, though he may focus primarily on right field in the short term with Wenceel Perez (orbital) and Kerry Carpenter (foot) both on the injured list.