MLB Player News

Gomez earned a save against the Athletics on Saturday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Four Minnesota pitchers combined to hold the A's scoreless over eight frames, and Gomez was given the ball to begin the ninth. The right-hander didn't take long to close things out and needed just eight pitches (six strikes) to retire the side in order. Gomez entered the campaign with just one career regular-season save on his ledger, but he's emerged as the Twins' primary closer this season. He's a perfect 13-for-13 on save opportunities, and since recording his first save April 18, Gomez has posted a standout 2.04 ERA along with a 34:16 K:BB over 35.1 innings spanning 37 appearances.

Rojas pitched four scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Athletics on Saturday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out five batters.

Rojas made his fourth start of the season as an emergency replacement for Mike Paredes, who was a late scratch due to an oblique injury. Though there was no expectation that Rojas would go very deep after having thrown fewer than 50 pitches in each of his three outings since being recalled from Triple-A on July 9, the left-hander ended up hurling 56 pitches Saturday and lasted four frames, tying his longest big-league start of the campaign. Rojas didn't go long enough to qualify for the victory, but he certainly played a big part in Minnesota's win, limiting the A's to just two baserunners (on a single and a walk) and zero runs. Rojas has plenty of experience as a starter in the minors, and he's a candidate to move into the rotation if Paredes and/or Joe Ryan (arm) needs to miss time.

Megill recorded a save against the Rockies on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.

It didn't look like Megill would be needed, as Milwaukee entered the ninth inning with an 8-2 advantage. However, Lance McCullers got into trouble, allowing two walks and a single while also being hurt by an error to allow two runs to cross the plate. Megill was summoned with two outs and yielded a single to allow another run to score, but he was able to close the floodgates by striking out Cole Carrigg. That gave Megill his sixth save in his eighth outing of July. The right-hander is locked in as the Brewers' closer with 17 saves in 19 chances on the season.

Stewart struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Mets.

The Dodgers turned to Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Tanner Scott in the seventh and eighth innings. That left the save chance to Stewart, who converted it cleanly for the third save of his big-league career. The reliever has played his part well in a middle-relief role, pitching to a 2.03 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 13.1 innings this season. He's also added four holds. Stewart reached the 200-inning mark in his career with this outing. While he's been effective when called upon, his path to high-leverage work will get narrower when Edwin Diaz (elbow) comes off the injured list Wednesday.

Hader earned a save against the White Sox on Saturday by striking out both batters he faced in the ninth inning.

Houston entered the bottom of the ninth with a 4-0 lead and Bennett Sousa on the mound. However, Sousa gave up a run on a pair of one-out singles and an error, at which point Hader was summoned from the bullpen. The veteran closer made sure that Chicago didn't come any closer by striking out both batters he faced on a combined 10 pitches. Hader continues to roll as one of the league's top closers -- after missing the first two months of the season due to a bicep injury, he's 12-for-12 in save chances while posting a 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 33:8 K:BB over 20 innings spanning 22 appearances.

Beeter worked a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his ninth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks. He didn't strike out a batter.

The right-hander needed just nine pitches (six strikes) to take care of the middle of Arizona's order. Beeter had been tagged for at least one run in three straight appearances prior to Saturday, and while he's the best closing option the Nationals have at the moment, his 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 33:19 K:BB over 30.2 innings on the season are far from elite ratios.

Bednar secured the save Saturday against Philadelphia, throwing a clean ninth inning.

Bednar pushed his scoreless streak up to 23.2 innings Saturday. The 31-year-old right-hander last blew a save during his May 17 outing against the Mets, successfully converting each of his last 10 save opportunities. Through 44.2 innings on the year, Bednar sports a 2.42 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 49:14 K:BB with 20 saves in 22 attempts.

Keller took a no-decision Saturday against the Yankees, allowing one run on two hits and no walks in three innings. He struck out three.

Making his major-league debut, Keller fared well on the bump while acting as a long reliever Saturday. Austin Wells tagged the 32-year-old right-hander for a solo home run in the third inning, but Keller was impressive otherwise against a formidable Yankees lineup. Philadelphia has had a hard time finding stability out of their fifth rotation spot since sending Andrew Painter down to the minors for seasoning, but Keller is tentatively lined up to take the ball next in Baltimore for now.

Baker secured the save Saturday against Cleveland, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning.

Baker extended his scoreless streak to eight innings Saturday. Additionally, the right-hander last failed to convert a save chance during his May 13 outing in Toronto, which is a stretch of 22 outings without a blown save. Through 39.1 innings in 2026, Baker boasts a 1.60 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 42:12 K:BB with 27 saves in 30 opportunities.

The Dodgers plan to activate Diaz (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Diaz landed on the IL on April 20 and underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow just a couple of days later. After a lengthy layoff, the veteran right-hander looks just about ready to rejoin the Dodgers while he's turned in a productive rehab assignment thus far. He'll make a final appearance Sunday with Triple-A Oklahoma City after pitching to a 1.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 9:1 K:BB in five innings over his first six minor-league outings. Diaz should eventually reclaim the Dodgers' closer role from Tanner Scott, though the former could be eased back into the mix with a couple lower-leverage appearances upon his activation.