The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Michael A. Taylor and optioned right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Taylor, 25, returns to the Nationals after 30 games with Triple-A Syracuse. The speedy outfielder has hit .205 in the Minor Leagues this season (31 games) with five doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI. He has stolen seven bases and walked 12 times.
At the Major League level, Taylor has appeared in 66 games for Washington this season, hitting .222 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 14 RBI and 12 stolen bases. He has hit safely in 22 of his last 25 Major League starts, posting a .275 batting average with eight doubles, four home runs, nine RBI, seven walks, eight stolen bases and 17 runs scored.
Giolito, 22, is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in four Major League starts. He is 6-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 21 Minor League starts this season, spread across three levels of the Nationals' system. With Triple-A, specifically, he is 1-2 with a 2.76 ERA in six starts. Over the course of his Minor League career, Giolito has struck out 9.8 batters per nine innings and significantly limited the longball, allowing just 0.4 HR/9.0 innings (18 home runs total over parts of five seasons).