MLB Player News

Taylor (ankle) has been throwing off flat ground, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Taylor had to be carted off the field in mid-April due to what was called a severely sprained right ankle. He's still not close to returning from the injured list but at least appears to be trending in the right direction.

Brasier (calf) recently threw a bullpen session, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Brasier suffered a calf strain late in spring training and was transferred to the 60-day injured list May 3. He resumed throwing in late April and has now progressed to mound work. If Brasier remains on track in his recovery, he could make his season debut in early June.

Lowther was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday.

Reports from Sunday indicated that Lowther was bound for the bullpen, but it turns out he'll actually be heading to the minors. His start Saturday against the Red Sox didn't exactly make a strong case for him sticking around, as he allowed seven runs on seven hits while recording just seven outs. Keegan Akin was recalled in a corresponding move.

Akin was recalled by the Orioles on Monday.

Akin showed promise despite a mediocre 4.56 ERA in his 25.2-inning debut last season, as he combined a strong 30.2 percent strikeout rate with a roughly average 8.6 percent walk rate. He failed to make the team's Opening Day roster following a poor spring but is back with the team after making just a single Triple-A appearance. Six of Akin's eight appearances as a rookie came as a starter, but he'll fill a long-relief role for now, per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.

Fairbanks has two scoreless, one-inning appearances during which he's posted a 4:1 K:BB since returning from a stint on the 10-day injured list due to a shoulder issue.

The most recent of the two outings came Sunday, when Fairbanks earned his fourth hold in a win over the Athletics. The right-hander should continue seeing steady work in the later innings now that he's apparently back to full health, and given his high-90s fastball, some save opportunities could certainly be in play as well.

The Rays list Patino as their probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Yankees.

In his most recent two outings, Patino has piggybacked rookie Shane McClanahan, but the Rays elected to turn the latter loose as a traditional starter Sunday against the Athletics. Patino went unused out of the bullpen for that contest, as the Rays apparently intended to save him for Tuesday's series opener, when he'll be picking up his second start of the season. Ryan Yarbrough was initially lined up for Tuesday, so it's unclear whether he'll work as a primary pitcher behind Patino, or if the Rays will use a melange of bullpen arms to follow the young right-hander. Patino maxed out at three innings and 56 pitches in his last outing May 4, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to work more than four or five frames Tuesday.

Paredes (side) struck out five over two scoreless innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

This was Paredes' second rehab appearance. He threw an inning the first time out before Saturday's multi-inning effort. The right-hander has one more box to check. Houston manager Dusty Baker said Paredes needs to pitch in back-to-back contests before being activated. That activation could come before the end of the current homestand next Sunday.

Bummer struck out three over 1.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Royals.

Bummer retired all five batters faced and has sorted out the mechanical issues that bedeviled him early in the season. He's thrown six straight scoreless outings, spanning six innings, and hasn't walked a batter during that stretch. The setup man had opened the season with six walks over 5.1 innings (seven appearances).

Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one walk and one hit while striking out one to secure the save against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Iglesias has been very inconsistent this season. Sunday's save wasn't easy, with the tying run at second with only one out. However, Iglesias was able to work his way out of it to hold on to the 2-1 win. The 31-year-old has a 6.00 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in 12 innings. The Angels would like more consistency out of their closer, but his 15 strikeouts and three walks are a good sign.

Puk (biceps) faced live hitters Saturday in Las Vegas and could begin a rehab assignment sometime during the coming week, the Associated Press reports.

Puk's recovery has been on an upward trajectory of late, with the big left-hander throwing a bullpen session and facing live hitters on multiple occasions over the past several days. The rehab assignment would be the natural next step for Puk, who's been sidelined since April 8 after making just one regular-season appearance.