MLB Player News

Taillon (ankle) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

After playing catch Monday without any discomfort in his right ankle, Taillon was cleared to take the next step forward in his recovery from the injury by getting back on a mound. The Yankees will presumably re-evaluate Taillon on Thursday before determining whether he's ready to rejoin the rotation this weekend versus Cleveland, or if he'll need to first ramp back up with a simulated game or minor-league rehab assignment. Once Taillon is ready to go, he'll likely bump Luis Gil from New York's rotation.

German (shoulder) is scheduled to make another rehab appearances Friday or Saturday before returning from the injured list, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

German delivered two scoreless frames for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, and he'll make one more appearance in the minors before rejoining the Yankees. Assuming all goes well, the right-hander should be activated from the injured list early next week.

Dunn (shoulder) reported feeling good Tuesday after throwing a simulated game Monday and will soon embark on a rehab assignment, the team's official site reports.

Word earlier in the week was Dunn would head to either High-A Everett or Triple-A Tacoma for at least one rehab start if he felt good following his second sim game Monday, and that apparently will come to fruition. However, the exact timeline of that outing has yet to be determined, although further clarity should be gleaned on that front in the coming days.

German (shoulder) pitched two scoreless innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out four.

The right-hander took the mound in a game for the first time since July 31 and showed little rust, striking out the first four batters he faced. German followed by giving up a pair of singles, but he closed the appearance by inducing an inning-ending double play. Overall, he threw 16 of 25 pitches for strikes. Given manager Aaron Boone's comments prior to German's rehab outing, there is a strong possibility that the 29-year-old could return to the big club soon. "See how he responds; at that point, make a decision. But we expect him to be back with us sooner rather than later," Boone stated, per MLB.com. German is expected to work as a reliever upon rejoining the Yankees.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Wednesday that he's hopeful that Berrios (abdomen) will be able to make his next start, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Berrios was removed from Tuesday's start against the Rays due to left abdominal tightness, but he's feeling much better Wednesday. The right-hander hasn't required additional imaging and is slated to play catch ahead of Wednesday's series finale against Tampa Bay. If he continues to progress well, Berrios tentatively lines up to make his next start on the road against the Rays on Monday.

Bieber (shoulder) covered 2.2 innings Tuesday in his rehab start for Triple-A Columbus, giving up an earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out three.

The rehab outing marked Bieber's first start in affiliated ball since June 13, when he pitched through a right shoulder strain that has kept him on the shelf for the past three months. Even though Cleveland is essentially eliminated from playoff contention at this point, Bieber appears to be gearing up for a late-season return to the big club. Cleveland hasn't provided an indication on the next step for Bieber, but he'll likely need at least one more rehab start before slotting back into the big-league rotation. Bieber could have his workload capped once he returns, potentially limiting the appeal of stashing him until he's activated from the 60-day injured list.

Junk is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Junk will pick up a second start after he made his big-league debut Sept. 5 against the Rangers, covering 3.2 innings while giving up five runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk to take a loss. The Halos could get Alex Cobb (finger) back from the injured list for Thursday's series finale in Chicago, so unless the team expands its rotation back to six men, Junk may not draw any additional starts beyond Wednesday's outing.

Montas didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Royals after allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks across 3.1 innings, fanning four.

Montas had won each of his previous three outings and was in a run of four straight quality starts, but he didn't have his best stuff Tuesday. Fortunately for him, the opposing starter, Jackson Kowar, struggled even more -- and that allowed Montas to settle with a no-decision. It's worth noting this was the first time Montas gave up more than three earned runs since June 26.

McKenzie (5-6) picked up the win in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Twins, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over six innings in a 3-1 victory. He struck out seven.

That's now seven straight quality starts for McKenzie since the beginning of August. The young right-hander has a 1.76 ERA, 0.54 WHIP and 48:5 K:BB through 46 innings over that stretch, a remarkable turnaround considering he sported a 6.11 ERA and 1.44 WHIP at the end of July, and he is positioning himself for a key role in Cleveland's 2022 rotation.

Allard (illness) will piggyback starter Glenn Otto in Thursday's game against the Astros, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. He missed his previous start due to a non-COVID illness.

It's unclear how the innings will break down between the two pitchers, or if Allard will get another start -- traditional or piggyback -- this season. As a starter, Allard has a 5.40 ERA and 2.3 HR/9 over 91.2 innings.