Taylor is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.
Taylor will retreat to the bench after he had started in left field in each of the Padres' last seven games while going 10-for-26 (.385 average) with a home run, three walks, two stolen bases, eight RBI and five runs during that stretch. Gavin Sheets will get the nod in left field Monday, but Taylor should have a fairly clear path to an everyday role so long as he remains productive at the plate.
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Padres' Samad Taylor: Pops first career homer
Rotowire
Taylor went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 9-3 win over the Orioles.
Getting his sixth straight start in left field and batting sixth, Taylor took Trey Gibson deep in the first inning for a two-run shot before adding an RBI single in the fifth. While the long ball was his first in the majors in his 45th game, Taylor has hit safely in all six of those starts, batting .409 (9-for-22) during that hot streak with a double, two steals, four runs and eight RBI. With Miguel Andujar (hamstring) having joined Ramon Laureano (hip) on the IL, the door is open for the 27-year-old Taylor to lock down a starting spot in a big-league outfield for the first time since he made his debut with the Royals in 2023. He has little left to prove in the minors -- over 188 Triple-A games the last two seasons between El Paso and Tacoma in the Mariners' system, Taylor is batting .302 with 24 home runs and 53 stolen bases in 64 attempts.
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Padres' Samad Taylor: Reaches base three times
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Taylor went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 5-3 extra-innings loss to the Reds.
Taylor has picked up a steal in each of the last two games. The outfielder was originally brought up to provide depth after the Padres designated Nick Castellanos for assignment last Wednesday. Taylor has now started three straight games in left field, including two against right-handed pitchers. If Taylor can continue to hit, it will likely lead to him competing for playing time with Gavin Sheets and Miguel Andujar (hamstring), though Taylor will probably settle into a platoon role at best in the long run.
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Padres' Samad Taylor: Fails to win roster spot
Rotowire
The Padres reassigned Taylor to minor-league camp Tuesday.
The 27-year-old is expected to open the season at Triple-A El Paso after failing to win a utility spot with the Padres coming out of spring training. Taylor owns a .205/.272/.260 slash line over 83 career plate appearances in the big leagues across the past three seasons.
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Padres' Samad Taylor: Finds work with Padres
Rotowire
Taylor signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Taylor elected free agency Friday after being outrighted by the Mariners, and he'll now attempt to carve out a role for himself with the Padres. The 27-year-old carries just a .532 OPS through 83 career plate appearances in the majors, but he slashed .296/.378/.461 with 86 RBI, 124 runs scored and 44 steals over 137 games at Triple-A Tacoma in 2025.
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Samad Taylor: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
Taylor elected to become a free agent Friday.
Taylor cleared waivers after being removed from the Mariners' 40-man roster, but he's decided to test out free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to remain in the organization. The 27-year-old went 1-for-8 in four games for Seattle in 2025 and slashed .296/.378/.461 with 17 homers and 44 steals at Triple-A Tacoma. Taylor can handle every position other than catcher, first base and pitcher, so he shouldn't have trouble landing a contract elsewhere.
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Mariners' Samad Taylor: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Taylor was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.
Taylor lost his spot on the 40-man roster las week and has since cleared waivers. He'll likely enter spring training with the team and could have the chance to regain his role with a strong showing, but he also has the option of electing free agency.
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Mariners' Samad Taylor: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Mariners designated Taylor for assignment Wednesday.
The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Blake Hunt. Taylor, 26, spent nearly all of the 2024 season at Triple-A Tacoma, putting up a .732 OPS with 11 homers and 50 steals.
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Mariners' Samad Taylor: Returns to Triple-A
Rotowire
Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.
The 25-year-old was promoted Friday with Ty France headed to the paternity list, and Taylor will return to Tacoma with France now back with the team. Taylor appeared in all three games in Milwaukee and went 2-for-5 with two runs and a strikeout.
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Mariners' Samad Taylor: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Friday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
The 25-year-old could be up just for the weekend while Ty France is on paternity leave. Taylor has experience at every position other than first base, catcher and pitcher.
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Mariners' Samad Taylor: Solid spring continues Sunday
Rotowire
Taylor went 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base and two runs in a Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Taylor pushed his spring average to .286, a solid figure that's accompanied by Sunday's double, two home runs, four RBI, three steals and seven runs. The 25-year-old, a late-January trade acquisition, brings an eclectic skill set that includes some outstanding speed, and he seemingly doesn't have anything left to prove at the Triple-A level after slashing .282/.384/.448 with a 13.5 percent walk rate and modest 21.2 percent strikeout rate across 694 plate appearances there the last two seasons. However, Taylor doesn't make the projected Opening Day roster of Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, implying he could well begin the season at Triple-A Tacoma.
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Mariners' Samad Taylor: Acquired by Mariners
Rotowire
The Mariners acquired Taylor from the Royals on Monday in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
It's already the third time the 25-year-old has been traded, as he went from the Guardians to the Blue Jays in the Joe Smith trade back in 2017 and from the Jays to the Royals in the Whit Merrifield deal in 2022. Taylor has elite speed and slashed .301/.418/.466 with eight homers and 43 steals at Triple-A Omaha in 2023. He swiped eight more bags in 31 games with Kansas City but hit only .200/.279/.267. Taylor can play all over the diamond and has options remaining.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Logs steal in loss
Rotowire
Taylor went 1-for-2 with a stolen base in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Athletics.
Taylor had gone 0-for-9 at the plate across six games dating back to Aug. 6, though he's more often served as a late-game replacement recently. The 25-year-old is up to eight steals this season while slashing .185/.274/.241 with four RBI and 10 runs scored over 63 plate appearances. He'll continue to be an option at second base and in the outfield, but he's unlikely to command a starting role down the stretch.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Picks up sixth steal
Rotowire
Taylor went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 9-2 win over the Mets.
Five of Taylor's six steals in the majors this year have come over his last five games. The Royals are still trying to balance playing time among a number of young players and prospects, with Taylor getting looks at second base and in left field. Michael Massey, MJ Melendez and Kyle Isbel appear to be most at risk of losing time if Taylor gets in the lineup more regularly.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Logs two steals in win
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Taylor went 2-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Michael Massey is expected to benefit the most from Nicky Lopez getting traded to Atlanta, but it was Taylor getting a start at second base Tuesday. The 25-year-old made the most of the opportunity with his first career multi-hit game. Taylor is up to five steals over 16 contests, and he's added three RBI, five runs scored and a 6:11 BB:K through 44 plate appearances.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Back in majors
Rotowire
The Royals recalled Taylor from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
With Nick Pratto (groin) landing on the injured list Friday, Taylor will come up from the minors to give Kansas City additional depth in the infield. Taylor's MLB numbers haven't been great since he debuted in June, but he's been scorching hot at Omaha in July, slashing .378/.545/.541 with eight steals in 12 games.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Picks up second steal
Rotowire
Taylor went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Tigers.
This was Taylor's first game action since he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on July 9. The versatile 25-year-old started in left field Monday, but he's often served as a reserve option while in the majors this season. He's batting just .152 with two stolen bases, three RBI and three runs scored through 41 plate appearances.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Makes return to majors
Rotowire
The Royals recalled Taylor from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
Taylor will be back for his second stint of the season with the Royals after he previously went 4-for-30 over a stretch of 12 games from June 17 to July 2 before he was sent back to Omaha. The rookie will likely see most of his playing time against left-handed pitching while he rejoins the 26-man active roster as a replacement for outfielder Edward Olivares (oblique), who was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Sent down to Triple-A
Rotowire
Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
The writing had been on the wall, as Taylor's opportunities had become more and more scarce lately. Taylor batted just .133/.270/.133 during his first go-round in the big leagues and now will head back to Omaha, where he'll receive more seasoning and regular at-bats.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: On bench again Monday
Rotowire
Taylor is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.
After getting his first big-league call-up July 16, Taylor proceeded to start in seven of his first 10 games with the Royals, but his opportunities have since become more limited. In the subsequent seven contests, Taylor has started in just three times, and he'll head into Monday's series opener with a .133/.270/.133 slash line through his first 38 plate appearances in the majors. Given his struggles in addition to the fact that his playing time has been trending down, Taylor could soon be headed back to Triple-A Omaha.
