The Diamondbacks declined McGough's $4 million mutual option on Saturday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
He receives a $750K buyout in the transaction. McGough logged a 5.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 111 strikeouts over 103 innings in two seasons with Arizona. He was much more effective in 2023 than in 2024, as his K-BB% dropped from 18.6 percent to 2.7 percent and he moved back and forth between Triple-A and the majors this past season after spending all of 2023 in the big leagues.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Recalled from Reno
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The Diamondbacks recalled McGough from Triple-A Reno on Monday.
McGough last appeared for the big club Aug. 10 against the Phillies, during which he pitched two scoreless innings while allowing one walk. The 34-year-old reliever has a 6.83 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 29 major-league innings this season, but those numbers are down to a 3.22 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 36.1 frames in Triple-A. McGough will bolster the Diamondbacks' bullpen for the upcoming road series against the Rockies.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Sent to Triple-A
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The Diamondbacks optioned McGough to Triple-A Reno on Sunday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
The right-hander was called up by Arizona on Friday and will return to Reno after he delivered two scoreless frames during Saturday's contest. McGough has a 6.83 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 20:19 K:BB across 29 major-league innings this year.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Back in Arizona
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks recalled McGough from Triple-A Reno on Friday.
McGough owns a 7.33 ERA and 1.70 WHIP through 27 innings in the majors this season, though he's put up a 3.09 ERA across 11.2 frames since being optioned to Triple-A in late June. He'll now return to the big leagues to give the Diamondbacks a fresh bullpen arm, replacing Slade Cecconi.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Sent to Reno
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks optioned McGough to Triple-A Reno on Friday.
Since being called up to Arizona on June 8, McGough has posted an 8.18 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across 11 innings while striking out 10 batters and walking eight. He'll now head back to Triple-A following his poor performance, and Humberto Castellanos will rejoin the D-backs' bullpen as McGough's replacement.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Opening Saturday
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McGough will serve as Arizona's opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the White Sox, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Saturday will mark McGough's second time serving as Arizona's opener, and he's once again expected to work in front of Tommy Henry, who is likely to operate as a bulk reliever. McGough owns a 5.85 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 20 innings this season.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Allows run as opener
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McGough recorded two outs as Sunday's opener against the Padres, allowing one run on one hit and no walks while striking out a batter.
McGough allowed a solo home run to Fernando Tatis and was unable to complete the first frame after he was replaced by Tommy Henry to face Jake Cronenworth for the final out of the inning. McGough has struggled to a 6.62 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 12:10 K:BB over 17.2 innings thus far. It's unclear if the team has plans to keep him around for the time being or send him back to Triple-A Reno.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Set to open Sunday's game
Rotowire
McGough will serve as the Diamondbacks' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Padres, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.
McGough was called up from Triple-A Reno on Saturday and threw a scoreless inning (11 pitches) in the Diamondback's 13-1 loss. Saturday's usage should not alter plans to have him open Sunday. Though McGough will make his second career start, he can be considered an opener after exclusively working out of the bullpen in both the majors and minors in 2024 and having yet to throw more than two innings in any of his 26 appearances. Manager Torey Lovullo didn't reveal if the Diamondbacks would lean on a primary pitcher out of the bullpen behind McGough, though the skipper suggested that Arizona would call up another arm from Triple-A to help cover some innings. Among the available pitchers currently in the Arizona bullpen, Bryce Jarvis (three days' rest) and Justin Martinez (four days' rest) are the freshest arms who could be part of the pitching plan Sunday. Over his 16 outings with the big club this season, McGough has logged a 6.35 ERA and 1.65 WHIP across 17 innings.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Back in majors
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks recalled McGough from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.
The Diamondbacks sent McGough to Reno in early May, and he has since recorded a 2.92 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 12.1 innings for the Aces. He'll now return to Arizona to give the Snakes another fresh bullpen arm, replacing Humberto Castellanos.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Enters for injured starter
Rotowire
McGough allowed three runs on two hits and two walks over one inning in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Mariners.
McGough entered the game on short notice in the sixth inning, inheriting one runner after starter Zac Gallen was removed with a hamstring injury. The reliever allowed a single, walk then a grand slam to Mitch Haniger, the second consecutive appearance in which McGough has ceded a home run. It was the fourth time in the last six outings he's allowed earned runs, and his ERA spiked to 7.30 following Friday's effort.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Projected for bullpen
Rotowire
McGough is projected for one of eight bullpen spots on Arizona's Opening Day roster, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
McGough was an important piece of the bullpen to start the 2023 season and was a regular at the end of games, but it all fell apart in the second half, when he posted an 8.63 ERA over 23 appearances. Once Paul Sewald was acquired at the trade deadline, McGough didn't sniff a ninth-inning save opportunity. After a scoreless inning Saturday, McGough has given up two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two over two Cactus League appearances.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Starting nightcap
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McGough will start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against San Diego, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Saturday will mark the first start of McGough's major-league career. He's put up a 4.76 ERA and 1.25 WHIP alongside a 69:24 K:BB through 56.2 innings on the season and will likely remain in the game for an inning or two before handing it off to the bullpen.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Converts ninth save
Rotowire
McGough struck out two without putting a runner on base to earn the save in Monday's 4-3 win over the Giants in 11 innings.
McGough uncorked a wild pitch that moved the initial runner to third base, but that was his only mistake. The save was his ninth of the year and his second in a row, but McGough's chances to close are likely to dry up following Arizona's trade for Paul Sewald. McGough has a 4.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 65:20 K:BB with 13 holds and four blown saves over 52.1 innings -- he should be able to maintain a setup role, and his strikeout upside could keep him on the fantasy radar in NL-only formats.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Rough stretch continues
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McGough allowed four runs on four hits while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday's 11-7 loss to St. Louis.
McGough hung a couple of splitters that turned into a pair of two-run home runs in the eighth inning. The Diamondbacks' offense showed life, coming back from a pair of small deficits during the game, but did not have enough to overcome what McGough left them. The outing was the fifth in the reliever's last six that he's allowed runs. The right-hander owns a 16.50 ERA during that span. McGough is one of several important bullpen arms that have contributed to Arizona's slide this month -- five wins, 14 losses since July 2.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Walks two in save
Rotowire
McGough walked two batters and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Angels.
This was McGough's first appearance since his three-run meltdown in a blown save versus the Rays. He's allowed multiple baserunners in three straight outings, though he was able to navigate trouble Saturday. The 33-year-old is up to seven saves, 12 holds and four blown saves with a 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB through 43 innings this season.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Melts down Wednesday
Rotowire
McGough (0-6) took the loss and a blown save Wednesday versus the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits with one strikeout in one inning.
McGough gave up three straight singles and a two-out double, allowing the Rays to rally for a 3-2 lead. Over his previous 15 appearances, McGough had allowed just one unearned run over 19 innings with a 27:6 K:BB, so this looks to simply be a bump in the road. The right-hander's up to four blown saves this year, but he also has six saves and 12 holds with a 3.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 50:14 K:BB over 42 innings. He's mostly been an effective late-inning option, providing stability in Arizona's bullpen, which ranks 21st in the majors with a 4.14 ERA from relievers.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Notches two-out save
Rotowire
McGough earned his fifth save in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Nationals by retiring both batters he faced. He struck out one.
The right-hander picked up a two-out save Wednesday in Milwaukee and was called upon again Thursday after fellow reliever Joe Mantiply was unable to maintain Arizona's four-run advantage. McGough now has saves in each of his past three appearances, and he hasn't given up an earned run in his past 21 frames. Miguel Castro and Andrew Chafin lead the Diamondbacks with seven and eight saves, respectively, but McGough appears to have become the preferred option in the closing committee.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Dazzles in two-inning save
Rotowire
McGough picked up the save Wednesday against Milwaukee. He struck out four over two perfect innings.
McGough tallied two perfect innings Wednesday to collect his fourth save of the season while striking out four of the six batters he faced. The save was his third in the last 10 days as McGough extended his streak without an earned run to 20.1 innings (15 appearances). Though Miguel Castro and Andrew Chafin (ankle) still remain in the mix for closing duties, McGough has proven to be one of the Diamondbacks' top arms out of the bullpen and could be emerging as the preferred ninth-inning option.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Settling in as setup arm
Rotowire
McGough struck out one over a scoreless and hitless inning to earn a hold in Sunday's 8-5 loss to Atlanta.
McGough did his job in the eighth inning, but closer Miguel Castro let it slip away in the ninth. McGough faltered early in the season, but he's righted himself and back pitching in high-leverage spots. On May 6, the right-hander was 0-3 with three blown saves and a 5.87 ERA over 15.1 innings. In the same number of innings since then, McGough sports a 0.59 ERA with 20 strikeouts with just five hits allowed.
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Diamondbacks' Scott McGough: Saddled with loss
Rotowire
McGough (0-2) allowed two runs on three hits over a third of an inning, picking up the loss to Miami on Saturday.
McGough came out of an impressive spring training as a late-inning relief option, but the right-hander's uneven regular-season performance may take him out of consideration for save chances. His appearance in the seventh inning Saturday after the Diamondbacks had taken the lead ended up being his second blown save in three opportunities. McGough's allowed five runs on six hits, including three home runs, and three walks over 4.2 innings.
