MLB Player News

Taylor will start in center field and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Though he'll enter the lineup for the series finale, Taylor didn't start in any of the previous three contests and looks like he'll operate mainly as a fourth or fifth outfielder moving forward. With Andrew McCutchen returning from the injured list Friday and taking back primary duties at designated hitter, Oneil Cruz is now likely to see the bulk of his starts in center field moving forward, closing off Taylor's main path to playing time.

Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Grandal will hit the bench for a second straight day as the Pirates give youngster Henry Davis another turn behind the dish. The two will likely be deployed in a fairly even timeshare behind the plate during the final month of the season.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

McCutchen will get some routine maintenance for Sunday's matinee game after he served as the Pirates' designated hitter in both of the team's first two games in Cleveland upon being activated from the injured list. The 37-year-old showed no sign of being troubled by the knee issue that forced him to the IL on Aug. 17, as he went 3-for-8 with a home run, a double, a walk, four RBI and two runs in his first two games back in the lineup.

The Pirates reinstated Borucki (wrist) from the 60-day injured list Sunday.

Borucki is active for the big club for the first time since early April. He was initially placed on the IL with triceps inflammation before he was later diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in his wrist. He began a rehab assignment in late June, only to be pulled off of it shortly before the 30-day window ended when he experienced a setback. Borucki resumed the minor-league assignment Aug. 17 and looked sharp during his latest stint at Triple-A Indianapolis, covering five innings and allowing one earned run on one hit and two walks while striking out eight. Given his long layoff, Borucki is likely to be eased back into the Pittsburgh bullpen in lower-leverage situations initially.

The Pirates reinstated Holderman (wrist) from the 15-day injured list Sunday.

With the active roster expanding from 26 to 28 men Sunday, the Pirates will bring aboard two relievers in Holderman and Ryan Borucki (wrist), both of whom were activated from the IL. Holderman had been on the shelf since Aug. 8 with a sprained wrist but looks to be good to go after tossing an inning for Triple-A Indianapolis in each of his five rehab appearances.

Gallo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Since coming off the injured list Aug. 20, the lefty-hitting Gallo has started in each of the Nationals' six games against right-handed pitching, but he's found himself on the bench for every matchup with lefties. Gallo has produced a .613 OPS since his return from the IL and is slashing just .170/.292/.315 for the season, so despite his regular usage against right-handers of late, he could wind up losing out on some of those starts down the stretch if the Nationals choose to open up more at-bats for Juan Yepez or Andres Chaparro at first base and designated hitter.

The Nationals transferred Williams (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.

Williams had been on the 15-day IL since June 4 while recovering from a right flexor strain, so his move to the 60-day IL won't influence his timeline for a return. The right-hander is still on track to be activated before season's end, as he threw 43 pitches in live batting practice Saturday while averaging around 88-to-89 miles per hour with his fastball, per MLB.com. The Nationals plan to have Williams get stretched out to around 50 or 60 pitches through live sessions or minor-league rehab games before bringing him back from the IL, but he may have to settle for a bullpen role after starting in each of his 11 appearances with Washington before being deactivated.

The Nationals recalled Brzykcy from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

Added to the 40-man roster over the winter, Brzykcy will now hit the big leagues for the first time as one of the Nationals' two September call-ups. Despite not making his 2024 debut late May, the hard-throwing right-handed reliever staged a successful recovery from Tommy John surgery, which cut short his 2023 season. Between stops with Rochester and Double-A Harrisburg this season, Brzykcy logged a 2.38 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB in 22.2 innings. While unlikely to unseat All-Star Kyle Finnegan as the Nationals' closer this season, Brzykcy could quickly move into a key setup role for Washington in the final month of the 2024 campaign.

The Nationals selected Baker's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

The son of longtime manager and former MLB outfielder Dusty Baker, Darren will get his first taste of the big leagues at age 25. The left-handed Baker lacks power (no home runs in 483 plate appearances at Triple-A), but he makes good contact (18.8 percent strikeout rate, .285 average) and brings speed to the table (38 steals in 43 attempts). He'll serve in a utility role for the Nationals in September and saw action at second base, left field and center field for the Triple-A club this season.

Higashioka (illness) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Higashioka was scratched from the lineup Saturday due to flu-like symptoms, and he'll sit Sunday for a second straight game. Luis Campusano will receive another start behind the plate in the series finale.