Houston Astros rookie right-hander Jake Bloss has been scratched from his scheduled start on Monday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates due to undisclosed reasons, according to a source. Instead, right-hander Tayler Scott will get the nod against the Bucs. Bloss, the club's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, came off the injured list on July 11 with right-shoulder inflammation, so it's possible he's had a setback with his arm. The 23-year-old also gave up five runs on six hits (four homers) in his last start against the Oakland Athletics on July 23, so he wasn't going to be a very popular streaming candidate for fantasy managers against Pittsburgh. Scott, 32, will be making his first start of the year and just the fifth of his career after debuting way back in 2019. He's been great in 49 2/3 relief innings for Houston this year with a 1.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 50 K's and 23 walks, but he's only going to go an inning or two in what will be a bullpen game for Houston.

The Houston Astros have signed free-agent pitcher Tayler Scott to a minor-league deal. The right-hander split his time in the big leagues between the Dodgers, Red Sox, and A's in the 2023 season, working to a 5.60 ERA across 18 appearances (two starts) spanning just 17 2/3 innings of work. He has also spent time in the big leagues with the Mariners, Orioles, and Padres, posting a rough 9.00 ERA across 39 outings (four starts) over 46 innings pitched. The 31-year-old will most likely serve as minor-league depth as a long-relief option for Houston at Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tayler Scott will function as the opener for Sunday's game versus the Oakland Athletics. Fellow reliever Chris Murphy will piggyback off him and operate as the long man. Boston seeks for the hurlers to eat some innings with their injury-depleted rotation and one game remaining before the All-Star break. With Scott (7.71 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) unlikely to work more than an inning or two, Murphy (1.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) represents the preferred option for desperate fantasy managers turning to this situation on Sunday. Even so, neither arm signifies an exciting stream despite a very tempting matchup vs. the hapless A's.