MLB Player News

The Pirates optioned Dotel to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After giving up two runs (one earned) in three innings Friday, Dotel will be cast out of the Pirates' bullpen in favor of a fresh arm in the form of Hunter Barco. Dotel will finish the MLB season with a 4.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP alongside a 41:16 K:BB over 42.1 innings.

The Pirates recalled Barco from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Barco has given up 15 earned runs in just 17.2 major-league innings this season, but he'll return to the Pirates' bullpen nonetheless to help the team get through its final two regular-season contests. Wilber Dotel was optioned to Indianapolis in a corresponding move.

The Nationals optioned Perales to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Perales will be kicked out of the Nationals' bullpen to make room on the active roster for Connelly Early (elbow), who was activated from the IL to start Saturday's contest. Perales didn't find much success during his first stint in the majors, allowing 14 earned runs in just 11 innings while recording a 13:13 K:BB.

The Mets recalled McDermott from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

McDermott has given up just two runs in 9.2 innings since being sent down to Syracuse in late August, and he'll now rejoin the big club to help the Mets' bullpen cross the finish line during the final weekend of the regular season. Jefry Yan was sent down in a corresponding move.

The Mets optioned Yan to the Florida Complex League on Saturday.

Yan will lose his place in the bullpen after pitching in each of New York's last two games, during which he allowed three earned runs over 2.1 innings. Chayce McDermott will come up from Triple-A to fill the void in the Mets' bullpen.

Paez (1-1) picked up the win in relief during the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs, allowing three hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The 22-year-old righty completed a combined shutout with Brayan Bello in the nightcap, with Paez tossing 54 of 77 pitches for strikes to earn his first career big-league win. It's an impressive rebound after he coughed up eight runs in 3.2 frames during his first appearance for Boston back on Sept. 1. Despite this performance, Paez isn't likely to have a spot on the team's postseason roster.

Bello didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs, allowing four hits and a walk over four scoreless innings. He struck out two.

The right-hander was lifted after just 58 pitches (39 strikes), denying him a shot at his seventh win of the season. The restricted workload suggests that Boston wants Bello to be available for the start of the postseason next week, and he's earned a prominent role by producing a 2.11 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB over 55.1 innings since rejoining the big-league staff just before the All-Star break.

Jansen struck out two batters in a clean ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 8-7 win over the Pirates.

Jansen was sharp in this one, sitting the Pirates down on 13 pitches to secure his 22nd save of the year while striking out multiple batters for the first time since Sept. 12. The veteran righty is closing out his season on a positive note, as he's rattled off 12 straight appearances without allowing an earned run. Jansen is on a one-year deal with Detroit with a team option for 2027, so it remains to be seen if he'll be back with the Tigers, though he certainly still seems capable of pitching at a fairly high level even at the age of 38.

Harris earned the save after walking one and striking out one over a hitless ninth inning in Friday's 6-5 victory over the Astros.

Harris was tasked with protecting a one-run lead after Houston had trimmed a 6-1 deficit to 6-5 over the seventh and eighth innings. The left-hander issued a one-out walk to Nelson Velasquez, but he kept the Astros hitless to preserve the win and secure his 17th save of the season. Harris lowered his ERA to 3.33 while helping Oakland prevent Houston from gaining ground in the tightly contested AL West race. Harris is ending the season on a strong note, going 4-for-5 in save chances with a 2.25 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 12 appearances since the beginning of September.

Assad (6-2) gave up one run without allowing a hit across 2.1 innings of relief to take loss in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Red Sox. He walked one and struck out three.

After five innings from starter David Peterson, Assad came on in the sixth with the score tied 0-0. The righty struck out the side in his first frame and then breezed through the seventh as well. Assad proceeded to walk the leadoff man in the eighth before getting the hook, but that inherited runner came around to score, which saddled him with the loss as the Cubs failed to score in the 2-0 defeat. Even with the tough-luck loss, Assad has been pitching well as a long-relief option and occasional spot starter, and he's got a 2.53 ERA across 42.2 innings since the start of July. The 29-year-old should give Chicago's bullpen some important depth in the postseason.