MLB Player News

The Pirates placed Taylor on outright waivers Sunday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Taylor will now be available to be claimed by the 29 other teams in the league, though the outfielder may not have many suitors after compiling a .196/.257/.284 slash line over 280 plate appearances in 100 games with the Pirates this season. If he goes unclaimed, Taylor could remain on the Pirates' roster since he can refuse an outright assignment to the minors due to having accrued more than five years of MLB service time.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Graterol is expected to begin a rehab assignment next weekend, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander threw a bullpen session Saturday and is likely to throw another before reporting to a minor-league affiliate. Graterol landed on the shelf in early August due to a hamstring strain, which he suffered while making his season debut.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Yamamoto (triceps) will start a rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

It's the final stage of the rehab progress for the Japanese right-hander, who has been sidelined since mid-June due to triceps tightness. Yamamoto has recently thrown a few simulated games and should be ready to cover at least a couple frames in his first rehab start. The Dodgers are targeting mid-September to bring him back from the injured list.

Ray (undisclosed) exited Sunday's contest against the Mariners due to left hamstring tightness, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Ray had pitched three frames, allowing one run before he was forced to depart from the contest. The southpaw will look to take advantage of a few days off and return to the mound for his next projected start Saturday versus the Marlins.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Megill is the favorite to fill the rotation spot vacated by Paul Blackburn (hand), Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Blackburn landed on the injured list Sunday due to a bruised hand, creating an opening for Megill to potentially rejoin the big-league rotation. Megill has spent the past few weeks at Triple-A Syracuse, where he has a 3.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 54:17 K:BB across 40 innings this season. The right-hander's 5.17 ERA in 10 MLB outings this season is less encouraging, however. If called up, Megill would tentatively line up to make a start Thursday in Arizona.

Ortiz didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Cincinnati, allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts across six scoreless innings.

Ortiz struggled greatly in his first four appearances of August, tallying a 6.45 ERA and an 0-2 record across 22.1 innings while allowing eight home runs. He righted the ship Sunday against the Reds, though he didn't get the win to show for it. Ortiz has a 3.36 ERA and an 83:32 K:BB through 32 appearances (10 starts) spanning 107 innings. His next start is tentatively scheduled to come against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Diaz blew a save Sunday against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on one hit and a hit-by-pitch over one-third of an inning.

The Reds took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Diaz couldn't get the job done. After getting Rowdy Tellez to ground out to start the frame, Diaz hit Bryan De La Cruz with a pitch then surrendered a walk-off two-run home run to Yasmani Grandal. The 27-year-old closer is now 24-for-27 in save opportunities this season, and the outing pushed his ERA from 4.00 to 4.37.

Grandal went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Sunday's 4-3 win over the Reds.

Grandal came up to the plate with one out and a runner on first during the bottom of the ninth after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout to start the day. He delivered a two-run home run off Alexis Diaz to walk it off for the Pirates. The long ball was Grandal's third in his last five games, a stretch during which he's 6-for-19 with three runs and four RBI.

The Marlins claimed Baumann off waivers from the Angels on Sunday.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Angels on Friday and will now join his fifth MLB club of the season. Bauman posted a 3.76 ERA in 60 appearances for the Orioles last season, but he has a 5.24 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 40:21 K:BB across 44.2 frames in 2024. The right-hander has no minor-league options remaining, so he'll need to be added to the Marlins' 26-man active roster.

Ray (undisclosed) was forced to exit Sunday's contest in the fourth inning with an apparent injury, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Ray pitched three innings, giving up one run on one hit and three walks while striking out four batters prior to leaving the game. The left-hander appeared to have been dealing with some discomfort in his left leg, but more information on his injury will likely be provided in the near future.