The Astros designated Taylor for assignment Monday.

Houston opted to swap Taylor off its 40-man roster in favor of another reliever in right-hander Jake Cousins (shoulder), whom the team claimed off waivers from the Brewers on Monday before activating him from the 15-day injured list and optioning him to Triple-A Sugar Land. Should he go unclaimed after hitting waivers himself, Taylor will likely stick around in the organization and join Cousins in the Sugar Land bullpen. Taylor made 92 appearances out of the Houston bullpen across the past three seasons but has pitched exclusively at the Triple-A level in 2023, submitting a 5.15 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 25:22 K:BB in 36.2 innings.