MLB Player News

Taylor recorded his eighth save of the season Tuesday against the Rangers, retiring the only batter he faced.

Taylor was summoned with two outs in the ninth inning after Hagen Smith walked the bases loaded, bringing the tying run to the plate. He needed just two pitches to extinguish the threat, inducing a ground-ball fielder's choice to secure his eighth save of the season. The right-hander has been dominant recently, allowing just one run over his last 23.2 innings while striking out 25 batters during that span. Taylor's ERA is down to 2.11 on the season alongside a 1.05 WHIP and 89:24 K:BB across 68.1 innings.

Miles will serve as the Blue Jays' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Royals, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Miles has previously made four starts and has covered at least three innings out of the bullpen on seven other occasions, but he'll likely be in store for a lighter workload Wednesday. He hasn't recorded more than three outs in any of his last eight appearances and may not be stretched out enough to give the Blue Jays more than 2-to-3 innings. The Blue Jays will likely lean on a number of relievers to fill innings once Miles exits the game.

Hader earned the save in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Yankees, striking out one batter across 1.1 scoreless innings without allowing a hit or walk.

The Astros brought out Hader with two outs and a runner on in the eighth, and the veteran southpaw answered the call by striking out Trent Grisham before securing the save on just seven pitches in the ninth. Hader has yet to blow a save chance in 19 opportunities and boasts an 0.81 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 44:11 K:BB over 33.1 innings this season.

The Nationals are expected to recall Perales from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

The 23-year-old righty will get his first big-league opportunity after posting a 3.64 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 96.1 innings at Triple-A. Perales has worked primarily as a starter this season but will likely begin his MLB career in the bullpen after pitching two innings or fewer in each of his last four minor-league outings.

The Nationals optioned Bird to Triple-A Rochester following Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Rockies.

Bird pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday, bringing his ERA down to 5.35 through 38.2 innings on the season, but the Nationals will send him down to Rochester to make room in the bullpen for right-hander Luis Perales, who will be recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday. Bird could still return to Washington later in the season to provide the parent club with a fresh arm, but he would likely be limited to middle-relief duty.

Iglesias recorded a save Tuesday against the Dodgers, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Iglesias was called upon in the ninth to protect a one-run lead but immediately found himself in trouble after allowing a leadoff triple to Shohei Ohtani. After retiring the next two batters, Atlanta elected to intentionally walk Max Muncy before Iglesias put away the final batter to escape the threat. The veteran closer has now recorded a save in each of his last four appearances and owns 28 total on the year. Despite the recent production, Iglesias has struggled to a 4.32 ERA in the second half after posting a 2.23 mark before the All-Star break.

Waldron will serve as the opening pitcher in Wednesday's game against Colorado, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Waldron was claimed off waivers from Toronto on Saturday, and he's now set to make his Nationals debut in the first inning of Wednesday's contest. The 29-year-old righty owns an unsightly 7.54 ERA and 1.62 WHIP through 37 innings in the majors this season and will likely pitch just an inning or two before coming out of the game.

Jansen pitched a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to record the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

After allowing two earned runs and blowing the save his last time out Wednesday, Jansen bounced back with a much better performance to secure his 17th save of the season in 22 chances. The active MLB saves leader hasn't been as sharp this year as he has been in the past, and his current 4.08 ERA would be a new career worst, but Jansen is still locked in as Detroit's closer due to his impressive track record across 17 seasons in the majors.

Sommers (1-3) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Rays. He struck out one.

Sommers came on for Jackson Jobe, who covered the first 4.1 innings of the contest, and the lefty reliever continued his strong recent play to pick up his first win at the MLB level. Over his last 11 appearances, Sommers has a sparkling 0.64 ERA across 14 innings of work, and he's struck out 24 batters. The 26-year-old is starting to emerge as a weapon out of Detroit's bullpen, which could earn him more high-leverage work in the final weeks of the regular season.

Natera (back) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Natera was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower-back spasms Aug. 20, and the move was made retroactive to Aug. 17. The southpaw felt good after Tuesday's session, and he outlined that he expects his stint on the IL to be short. Natera is eligible to be activated on Sept. 1, and he may be tracking towards returning on or close to that date.