MLB Player News

Taylor will serve as the opener Saturday against the Angels, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox are going with a bullpen game and Taylor will be the first to get the ball, likely going an inning or two before exiting. The southpaw owns a 3.15 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 51:13 K:BB across 40 innings this season.

Heller (forearm) pitched two scoreless innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, allowing two hits while striking out a pair.

Heller also picked two runners off first base in the outing. He was consistently clocked at 93-94 mph on his fastball and peaked at 96 mph, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com. Heller has now pitched in 10 minor-league games, posting a 0.71 ERA and 14:4 K:BB over 12.2 innings, as he rehabs from last year's Tommy John surgery and a recent right forearm strain. He is a likely candidate to be called up to the big club in September.

McHugh (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh's right elbow has apparently been bothering him for awhile, though he's effectively been pitching through the pain, posting a 0.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB across 14.2 innings in August. He's hoping to return before the end of the season, though that will depend on how he responds to treatment in the coming weeks. Jose Urquidy was summoned from the minors to take his place on the roster.

Palumbo (thumb) is playing catch, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Palumbo is on the Triple-A injured list while dealing with a blister on his left thumb. He has not yet been cleared to ramp up his throwing.

Betances (lat) is scheduled to throw to hitters Saturday in Tampa and Monday in New York, Randy Miller of NJ.com reports.

Betances has thrown two sessions to live hitters in the last week and will throw two more before a determination is made regarding the next step in his rehab process. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Yankees by the second week of September.

Manaea (shoulder) will be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Sunday against the Yankees, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manaea is set to rejoin the big-league rotation after a lengthy recovery from surgery on his left shoulder, which included an eight-game rehab assignment. The southpaw looked sharp in his final rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas, striking out 12 across seven scoreless innings. It's not yet known if the Athletics will stick with a six-man rotation for the stretch run or if Manaea will replace one of their five starters (likely Brett Anderson or Homer Bailey).

Graterol will be called up to the majors after rosters expand Sept. 1, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

He'll join the Twins after the completion of Triple-A Rochester's regular season Tuesday. Graterol dominated at the Double-A level this season with a 1.78 ERA and a 49:21 K:BB in 50.2 innings. He then was moved to the bullpen and promoted to Triple-A (5.06 ERA and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings). With a fastball that hits triple digits on the radar gun, he could be an impact reliever in September.

Loaisiga was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Loaisiga will take the roster spot of CC Sabathia (knee), who was sent to the injured list in a corresponding move Saturday. The right-hander pitched two innings in his most recent appearance for the RailRiders, so he'll likely fill a long-relief role for the Yankees down the stretch. Across six appearances with the big club this season, Loaisiga owns a 5.12 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

Clase gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his first career save in a 6-3 win over the Mariners.

Jose Leclerc had pitched in both of the prior two games and struggled Thursday. Clase's save opportunity may not signal a full changing of the guard at closer for the Rangers, but the rookie with the 99 mph fastball could well be the future in the ninth inning for the club. Don't be surprised if he gets a few more chances to finish out games for Texas in September.

Beeks will serve as the bulk reliever Saturday against the Indians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Beeks will follow Diego Castillo, who's set to toss the first inning or so as the team's opener. Beeks owns a 4.55 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with an 81:37 K:BB over 95 innings this year for Tampa Bay.