MLB Player News

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

McCutchen will be resting for the second time this weekend while the Pirates and Brewers wrap up their four-game set with a day game after a night game. Connor Joe will get the starting nod at designated hitter in place of McCutchen, who is hitting .220 with no home runs and one stolen base in 15 games since the All-Star break.

Vientos will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Vientos will stick in the starting nine for the fifth time in six games and is slashing .257/.289/.429 in 11 games overall since he was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on July 20. With the 50-60 Mets effectively removing themselves from the National League wild-card race, the 23-year-old Vientos will likely to continue to poach work from the 30-year-old Daniel Vogelbach as the organization prioritizes the development of some of its younger players.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Vogelbach has now hit the bench five times in the last six games, with four of those absences from the lineup coming against right-handed pitching. The 30-year-old appears to have moved into a reserve role while the non-contending Mets look to open up more playing time for rookie Mark Vientos.

Martinez is not expected to be in the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Martinez started Saturday's game and is set to do the same Sunday, but he missed time recently with a hamstring injury, and the Dodgers appear content to ease him back into action -- particularly with Monday's contest being played in the afternoon. Once Monday rolls around, the team will formally announce whether or not Martinez will be included in the starting nine.

Martinez (hamstring) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Martinez made an appearance as a pinch hitter Friday and is now ready to return to DH duties after battling renewed left hamstring tightness throughout the week. It's a positive that he was able to avoid the injured list, but Martinez could always get additional maintenance down the stretch as the Dodgers prepare for the postseason. The 35-year-old is in the midst of a resurgent campaign with a .260/.311/.562 line and 25 homers in 86 games.

Martinez (hamstring) drove in a run on a bases-loaded walk in Friday's 10-5 win against the Padres.

Before Friday, Martinez hadn't appeared in a game since exiting early in Sunday's contest against the Reds due to left hamstring tightness. The veteran slugger was able to avoid a trip to the injured list and collected a walk with the bases full in the eighth inning Friday to notch an RBI, though he was immediately pulled for a pinch runner. Per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports, Martinez is expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday against San Diego.

Meneses went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Reds.

Meneses touched up starter Graham Ashcraft for a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, his ninth homer of the season. He endured a power outage over the final two weeks of July as Meneses continues to be rather streaky. The late bloomer has five hits -- including two homers -- over his last four games, and fantasy managers will have to hope this is the start of a hot stretch.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Cubs.

He went back-to-back with Sean Murphy in the fourth inning, crushing a Kyle Hendricks sinker out of Wrigley Field entirely. Ozuna has an OPS north of .850 since the start of May, though he gets lost in the shuffle a bit with all the great bats in the Atlanta lineup. His 23 home runs rank fifth on the club.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After going hitless in his final three July games, McCutchen has collected five hits in his first three games of August. The 36-year-old will get what looks like a routine breather as Bryan Reynolds takes a turn as the designated hitter. Josh Palacios will start in left field and bat leadoff against right-hander Colin Rea.

Morel is out of the lineup Friday against Atlanta.

Morel will get a breather after starting six straight games between DH and left field. The high-energy 24-year-old is slashing .350/.409/.600 with two homers, four doubles, 10 RBI, two stolen bases and nine runs scored over his last 10 games.