Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Michael Taylor will take a seat on the bench on Friday for the start of a series at Wrigley Field against the division-rival Chicago Cubs. Taylor will retreat to the bench after starting the last four games while going 2-for-13 with a double, two runs scored and five strikeouts to drop his season slash line to a weak .222/.271/.287. The 33-year-old veteran outfielder has added only one home run, eight RBI, three stolen bases and 12 runs scored for the Bucs through a month and a half of the season. Jack Suwinski is getting the start in center field and is batting sixth, while Connor Joe will be in right field while hitting cleanup against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Both Joe and Suwinski are worth a look as DFS sleepers in the outfield on Friday against a pitcher who currently holds an 0-3 record and 10.04 ERA.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free-agent outfielder Michael A. Taylor on Friday. The contract is reportedly a one-year deal worth $4 million for the upcoming 2024 season. The 32-year-old is coming off a one-and-done season with the Minnesota Twins. Taylor slashed .220/.278/.442 with a career-high 21 home runs and 51 RBI in 129 games with the Twins. Taylor should be able to find his way into regular at-bats whether it's in the outfield or at designated hitter. The expectation is that his power is going to regress after last season, which makes him barely a deep league option in fantasy formats.
The Minnesota Twins are considered a possible landing spot for veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Taylor was mentioned as a potential target after the Twins created payroll by trading Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners. The veteran outfielder spent 2023 with the Twins, slashing .220/.278/.442 while slugging a career-high 21 home runs. He was also terrific defensively, posting a 95th-percentile OAA and 90th-percentile arm strength. Taylor appeared in 129 games last year and figures to maintain a very large role in 2024 regardless of where he signs. If the Twins don't bring back Taylor, another outfield option is veteran slugger Adam Duvall.
Michael A. Taylor Receiving Interest From Reds, Red Sox, Blue Jays
The free agent market for outfielder Michael A. Taylor is starting to take shape as the Reds, Red Sox, and Blue Jays are three teams showing interest in the veteran. Taylor put forth a solid combination of power and speed at the plate in 2023 as he slugged 21 home runs and stole 13 bases in just 388 trips to the plate. However, he also hit just .220 alongside a 33.5% K%, limiting him to a 96 wRC+ that sits 4% below the league average. Taylor's foremost contributions are with his glove as he has long been regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders in the sport. His low walk rates, high strikeout rates, and limited playing time put a hard cap on his fantasy value.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Taylor will start Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the visiting Houston Astros on the bench on Tuesday. With Taylor out, Willi Castro will get the start in center field and will bat eighth against Astros right-hander Cristian Javier. Starting in three of the team's four playoff games up to this point, Taylor had gone 2-for-11 with two singles for the Twins. Castro, meanwhile, will make his second straight start for the Twins. The 26-year-old Puerto Rican switch-hitter has two hits in nine at-bats with a walk and four strikeouts in his first four postseason games this year. Castro has faced Javier three times in his career and has one walk and two strikeouts.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael A. Taylor (hamstring) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. The 32-year-old outfielder sustained the strain during Saturday's game against the Rangers and the Twins opted to place him on the IL so they can get him back sooner for the stretch run. Taylor's rate stats, as a whole, are nothing special (.229/.281/.456) but he's swatted 20 home runs to go along with 47 RBI and 13 steals on the season (354 plate appearances). The 20 long balls are a career-high for Taylor.
Michael A. Taylor Exits Early With Hamstring Injury
Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael A. Taylor (hamstring) was removed from Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers with a right hamstring injury. He went 1-for-2 with a two-run double before exiting. Andrew Stevenson replaced Taylor in the fifth inning. The 32-year-old missed two games earlier in the week due to a hamstring issue and appeared to re-aggravate the injury while scoring from second base on a Donovan Solano single. Taylor is considered day-to-day for now, but the injury could warrant a trip to the injured list. Stevenson would see an uptick in at-bats if Taylor were to miss any games.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael A. Taylor (hamstring) is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. This marks the second game in a row that Taylor has missed due to a lingering hamstring issue. The Twins haven't announced anything about Taylor needing a trip to the injured list. That being said, the assumption is that Taylor is going to return within the next few days. In the meantime, Joey Gallo will cover center field and bat eighth versus right-hander Max Scherzer during Saturday's game.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Taylor will get a day of rest on Friday against the visiting Texas Rangers. Joey Gallo will patrol center field instead and will hit eighth in the batting order against Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning. It's an odd time for a day off for Taylor, as he hit two home runs in the win over the Rangers on Thursday. He's actually gone deep three times in his last two games and is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak in which he's gone 9-for-22 (.409) with four home runs, seven RBI, a stolen base and five runs scored. The 32-year-old veteran is hitting just .228 (71-for-312) on the season, but his power/speed profile has been useful in deep-mixed leagues with 19 home runs and 12 stolen bases in his 312 at-bats.
Minnesota Twins second baseman Donovan Solano and outfielder Michael Taylor are both out of the starting lineup on Monday against the visiting Seattle Mariners. Instead, Willi Castro will start at third base and bat sixth, while Trevor Larnach makes the start in right field and hits seventh against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Solano went hitless in eight at-bats with six strikeouts in two games over the weekend against the Chicago White Sox, so it's a good time for him to catch a breather. The 35-year-old Colombian is hitting .266 (65-for-244) this year with only four homers and 22 RBI in 88 games. Taylor is useful in deeper fantasy leagues for his power/speed combination. He's hitting just .219 on the year with 11 homers and 11 stolen bases.
