MLB Player News

Diaz joined the Mets as the 27th man for Tuesday night's game against the Marlins, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The righty will be available for low-leverage relief in Tuesday's contest. It's unclear whether Diaz will remain with the Mets or return to Triple-A Syracuse following Tuesday's game.

Finnegan landed on the paternity list Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Finnegan has emerged as the Nationals' primary closer, saving six games in his last 13 appearances while allowing just a single earned run in 12 innings over that stretch. No other National has recorded a save since Brad Hand was dealt to the Blue Jays at the deadline, so the next man up in Finnegan's absence isn't obvious. Among the relievers currently on the roster, Mason Thompson, Austin Voth and Wander Suero (who was recalled to take Finnegan's roster spot) have appeared in the highest-leverage situations this season. Finnegan should return no later than Friday.

Lamet (hip/forearm) threw live batting practice Monday and is lined up to return to the Padres on Wednesday, per MLB.com.

The right-hander recently wrapped up a rehab stint with Low-A Lake Elsinore and now looks ready to return to the majors for the first time since late June. Lamet has been limited to just 11 outings this season due to injury, racking up a 3.67 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB across 34.1 frames. Nine of his appearances have come as a starter, but he'll be working out of the bullpen for what's likely to be the remainder of the season upon rejoining the big club.

Bickford allowed one run on one hit while striking out one batter in one inning Monday to pick up a hold against Atlanta.

The right-hander allowed a solo home run to Adam Duvall but otherwise kept Atlanta at bay in the seventh inning. He threw 11 of 13 pitches for strikes and has registered a hold in four of his past seven appearances. Bickford's usage in high-leverage situations has grown over the course of the campaign thanks to his steady 2.74 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB through 42.2 innings.

Garcia tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in relief in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Brewers. He struck out four and gave up one hit in the 40-pitch appearance.

After Alex Wood (illness) and Johnny Cueto (illness) were placed on the COVID-19 injured list prior to Monday's series opener, the Giants opted for an impromptu bullpen game. Although manager Gabe Kapler didn't name a primary pitcher for the contest, Garcia ended up covering the bulk of the innings and excelled in what was his longest outing of the season. While Wood is confirmed to have tested positive for the virus and will be sidelined for at least 10 days, Cueto hasn't tested positive and appears to have been placed on the list as a precaution while he recovers from cold- and flu-like symptoms. Kapler noted that Cueto could be ready to start as soon as Tuesday, so Garcia doesn't look on track to receive any more extended outings out of the bullpen in the foreseeable future.

Pop (finger) was activated off the injured list Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Pop will wind up missing just shy of three weeks with a sore middle finger. He's ready to go following a pair of rehab appearances and will be looking to continue the strong form he was showing prior to the injury, as he didn't allow a single earned run over his last nine relief appearances. He'll take the roster spot that had belonged to Paul Campbell, who hit the injured list for undisclosed reasons.

Gilbert (1-2) allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out four across five innings, taking the loss to the Padres on Monday.

It took Gilbert 91 pitches to get through five innings as five runs scored in the first three innings, started by a Fernando Tatis two-run homer. Since Gilbert fired a no-hitter in his first MLB start, he has allowed nine runs over 15 innings in three outings. His next start is tentatively lined up for Sunday against Seattle.

The Marlins are expected to deploy Hernandez as their "starting pitcher" Tuesday in the resumption of their suspended game against the Mets from April 11, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

John Curtiss will be credited as the starter for the game, which was suspended with the Marlins at bat with one out and a runner on first base in the top of the first inning. Since Curtiss has since been traded, Hernandez will stay on turn in the rotation and should be in line for a relatively normal outing, despite technically entering the game as a reliever. Meanwhile, Edward Cabrera will be called on to make a spot start later Tuesday, when the Marlins and Mets play their normally scheduled game, which will be seven innings. Either Hernandez or Cabrera would then line up for a second start later in the week, when the Marlins finish out their series with the Phillies on Sunday.

Melancon fired a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit while striking out one to earn the save in the win over the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Melancon entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead. He allowed a one-out double to Nick Ahmed, but he retired the other three batters in the inning to finish the game. The veteran reliever has a 1.99 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 54.1 innings. His 35 saves lead all of baseball this season.

Alvarado gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Monday to record his fifth save of the season in a 7-4 win over the Nationals. He struck out two.

Ian Kennedy had the night off after picking up his fifth save as a Phillie on Sunday, so Alvarado got the call to close out this one. The southpaw hasn't been scored upon in six straight appearances dating back to Aug. 3, and his recent stint on the IL due to shoulder inflammation didn't derail his momentum. That being said, his lack of control (career-worst 19.7 percent walk rate on the season) makes him volatile at the best of times.