MLB Player News

Diaz walked one and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals.

It's just the fourth time all season Diaz has been asked to go more than one inning, but he was fresh Sunday, as his last appearance was Tuesday. Diaz got the job done with 13 pitches in the eighth inning and a tidy nine-pitch ninth to secure his 19th save in 20 chances. He's added a stellar 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB through 38 innings this season.

Palencia retired the only two batters he faced with one strikeout to earn the save during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

Up 5-0 going into the ninth inning, the Cubs turned to their closer after Brad Keller allowed two runs and another baserunner. Palencia shut the door from there, picking up a strikeout and getting a grounder to end the game. Since blowing a save opportunity May 19 in Miami, the 25-year-old has converted 11 straight save chances. With one game left before the All-Star break, the right-hander has a 1.62 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.

The Padres recalled Jacob from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.

Since his last MLB appearance May 24, Jacob has given up nine earned runs across 10.1 innings in Triple-A. Despite his shaky performance, he'll get the call to provide San Diego with some extra bullpen depth heading into the All-Star break. He's unlikely to pitch outside of low-leverage situations, however.

Nunez (elbow) is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Nunez landed on the injured list July 3 with a sprained right elbow, and after consulting with doctors, he's decided to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. The 29-year-old will conclude the 2025 campaign with a 4.66 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 9.2 innings across 10 appearances with the Mets. Given the timing of his procedure, Nunez will most likely remain out through the end of the 2026 season.

The Cardinals optioned Svanson to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Svanson has been fairly reliable out of the bullpen for the Cardinals this season, turning in a 3.12 ERA and 0.81 WHIP through 26 innings. However, the Cardinals will prioritize filling their bullpen with a fresh arm heading into the All-Star break, so the 26-year-old will head back to Triple-A in favor of Gordon Graceffo.

The Cardinals recalled Graceffo from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

Graceffo owns a 6.62 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 17.2 innings with the Cardinals this season, but he's given up just one run in 7.1 frames since being sent to Triple-A on June 23. His recent turnaround will afford him another chance with the big club, and he'll replace Matt Svanson in St. Louis' bullpen.

Bummer will serve as Atlanta's opening pitcher in a bullpen game Saturday against the Cardinals.

For the second Saturday in a row, Bummer will fill an opener role in a bullpen game while Atlanta has yet to settle on a permanent replacement in the rotation for Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), who is likely to be sidelined until around September. In his previous turn as an opener last weekend against the Orioles, Bummer covered 2.1 innings, and Atlanta could be looking for him to handle a similar workload Saturday. Atlanta doesn't have an obvious candidate to serve as a bulk reliever behind Bummer, though Jesse Chavez and the newly claimed Joey Wentz are available on three days' rest and should be capable of covering multiple frames, if needed.

Gibaut (shoulder) has started playing catch, MLB.com reports.

Gibaut says he's feeling good again, but a targeted return date is unknown at this time. The right-handed reliever should take the usual steps -- bullpens, live batting practice and brief rehab assignment -- before rejoining the Reds.

The Cubs optioned Wicks to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

After getting blown up for six runs on 10 hits and a walk over three innings during Friday's game, Wicks will head back to the minors in order to get back on track. Brooks Kriske will come up from Iowa to replace Wicks in Chicago's bullpen.

Backhus (0-1) was the losing pitcher in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Angels. He allowed one run on two hits and hit a batter over one-third of an inning.

Backhus entered a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning and got the first batter out, before the Angles walked off with the win. The rookie has emerged as a name to monitor in the Diamondbacks' bullpen, which has suffered a string of injuries to closers. The left-hander entered Friday with a 1.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with five holds over his first 10 outings (9.2 innings).