MLB Player News

Yates gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 29th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

The current major-league saves champ extended his lead over Aroldis Chapman to five with the outing. Yates will take a dazzling 1.18 ERA and 59:9 K:BB through 38 innings into his first All-Star Game.

Diaz gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 19th save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Phillies.

One night after he got handed his sixth loss by the Mets' division rivals, Diaz came back and dispatched the heart of the Phillies' order on 15 pitches (12 strikes). One clean appearance is nice, but consistency has been the issue for the 25-year-old lately -- he hasn't strung together three straight scoreless outings since the beginning of June, so if any player could need the All-Star break to try and regain his focus, it's Diaz.

Kimbrel struck out three and walked one in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save Saturday versus the White Sox. He also hit a batter.

Kimbrel started the inning strong with a three-pitch strikeout, but he made things interesting as a hit by pitch and a walk brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. The 31-year-old was then able to retire Jose Abreu on three pitches to finish the game. Kimbrel has converted two of three save opportunities and given up five runs over four outings in what has been an up-and-down start with the Cubs, but Saturday's outing was certainly a quality rebound performance.

Peralta (hip) will throw a rehab inning for Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Peralta has been out with a strained hip flexor since mid-June. He could be available soon after the All-Star break if all goes well.

Diaz remains the Mets' closer for now, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Diaz's last two seasons are a textbook example of the variability of reliever stats. After recording an incredible 1.96 ERA last season, the 25-year-old has struggled to a 5.67 mark so far this season. His underlying numbers don't support such a drastic shift, however. His strikeout rate has fallen nearly seven points, but there's nothing wrong with striking out 37.4 percent of opposing hitters. His 7.5 percent walk rate is better than average, as well. If Diaz's .425 BABIP and 21.9 percent HR/FB rate both regress to the mean, he could be in line for a much better second half, as his 2.87 xFIP indicates.

Hader will not participate in the All-Star Game due to back stiffness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers haven't placed Hader on the injured list but have listed him as day-to-day. He'll skip the midseason exhibition to rest, with his teammate Brandon Woodruff earning an All-Star nod in his place.

Barraclough threw a scoreless inning rehabbing for the Nationals' GCL affiliate Thursday, striking out one and giving up two hits.

Barraclough will be back in Washington over the All-Star break, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports. He's expected to make a few more rehab outings at a different affiliate and could be back in action once the break ends.

Voth is expected to be back in the big leagues to start in Baltimore on July 16 or 17, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports.

Voth was sent down Saturday as he won't be needed over the All-Star break. The Nationals won't need a fifth starter until July 20 due to an off day, but it sounds as though Voth will be back sooner than that, giving the rest of the rotation an extra day to rest.

Voth was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg on Saturday, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.

Voth is the roster casualty to make room for Max Scherzer's return from the paternity list as he won't be needed to pitch again before the All-Star break. He could remain in the minors for some time as the Nationals won't need a fifth starter until July 20 against the Braves.

The Mets may consider removing Diaz from the closer role, Wallace Matthews of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Diaz blew his fourth save in his last 10 chances Friday night and now has a 5.67 ERA as the All-Star break nears. That caused manager Mickey Callaway to ponder the possibility of a shift to the back end of his bullpen after the game, saying, "We talk about all kinds of things internally all the time. I think the one thing we will always try to do is try to use our best personnel the best we can, and if somebody steps up and is getting the job done better in that role, then we would consider it probably." Diaz may still have a chance to retain the role based on the rest of the Mets bullpen, which includes the struggling Jeurys Familia and Robert Gsellman. If the team does decide to make a move, Seth Lugo could be a strong candidate.