MLB Player News

Taillon (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Taillon has missed a little more than three weeks as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain, and he's progressed enough to test himself in a game setting. The right-hander has a chance to rejoin the Cubs rotation for one start before the All-Star break, assuming he comes out of Sunday's outing with no issues and gets his pitch count up to a sufficient level.

Houser allowed two earned runs on five hits, including a home run, and one walk while striking out one in 5.1 relief innings during Tuesday's 8-2 loss to Arizona.

Landen Roupp surrendered six earned runs in just 2.2 innings, opening the door for Houser to cover the rest of the game. The 33-year-old right-hander was moved to the bullpen after drawing his last start June 16. He's made two relief appearances since then, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two in 7.2 innings. Overall, he owns a 5.38 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 50:26 K:BB in 73.2 innings this season.

Alvarez will be used in a bulk-relief role Wednesday in Boston, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

All five of Alvarez's appearances in June were traditional starts, but he's operated as a bulk reliever multiple times this season. Brad Lord will open the gme Wednesday for the Nationals and is capable of logging multiple frames, so Alvarez could end up being deployed as part of a piggyback arrangement.

Lord will be the Nationals' opening pitcher in Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

He'll take the ball first before eventually turning the game over to left-hander Andrew Alvarez. Lord has been a starting pitcher in the past and has been used primarily in long relief this season, so he's capable of logging multiple innings Wednesday, if needed.

Mejia has touched 99 mph with his fastball this season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports, and over four scoreless innings since a promotion to Triple-A Rochester he's given up just one hit and two walks while striking out four batters.

The minor-league infielder converted to the mound last season, and Mejia's raw stuff has taken a significant step forward in 2026. Finding the plate consistently remains an issue, as he's issued 14 walks in 27 innings between Double-A Harrisburg and Rochester this season, but the 31-year-old right-hander has also fanned 34 batters. Given the Nationals' issues finding viable high-leverage relievers this season, Mejia is positioning himself to get a big-league audition some time in the second half.

Ruiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals will give Ruiz a rest for the matinee contest after he started behind the plate in each of the last three games. Drew Millas will receive the nod at catcher and form a battery with starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez.

Weaver worked a perfect eighth inning in Tuesday's win over the Blue Jays to record his 10th hold of the season. He didn't strike out a batter.

Two groundouts and a pop-up got the job done for Weaver as he extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings, with the last run against him coming April 30. Over that impressive stretch, the veteran right-hander has a 0.63 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB while collecting eight holds, but zero wins or saves.

Abrams is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals are closing out their series in Boston with a day game after a night game and left-hander Payton Tolle is starting for the Red Sox, making it an ideal time for the left-handed-hitting Abrams to receive a breather. Nasim Nunez will slide over from his usual spot at second base to replace Abrams at shortstop.

Caissie went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's rout of the Rockies.

The Marlins plated runs in seven of their nine innings en route to a 14-3 win at Coors Field, and Caissie got in on the offensive barrage in the eighth by crushing a John Brebbia fastball 453 feet into the second deck in right field. Caissie caught fire in the back half of June, and over his last 12 games he's produced a .394/.447/.818 slash line with two doubles, four homers, nine runs and 11 RBI while reducing his strikeout rate to a somewhat palatable 26.3 percent.

Turner went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-0 win over the Pirates.

Only three of the Phillies' 12 hits on the night went for extra bases, but Turner had two of them including a two-run homer off Brandan Bidois in the eighth inning. The star shortstop has gone yard in back-to-back games and has hit safely in eight straight, batting .342 (13-for-38) during that heater with three doubles, two home runs, one steal, six RBI and nine runs.