MLB Player News

Choi is not in the starting lineup Friday against the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Choi will remain on the bench for a second game in a row as the Pirates start their series with Chicago. Andrew McCutchen will handle the designated hitter role while Jack Suwinski enters the lineup in center field and bats sixth versus the White Sox.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in a loss to Atlanta on Thursday.

Carpenter's lone hit of the game was a big one, as his three-run homer off Spencer Strider in the third inning gave San Diego its first lead. The long ball was the veteran's first as a Padre, and it gave him six RBI through six games this season. Carpenter has posted a .250/.400/.500 slash line over 20 plate appearances as the team's primary DH.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

The hot-hitting Travis d'Arnaud will bat cleanup as the designated hitter, with Kevin Pillar covering left field and hitting eighth. Ozuna is just 1-for-17 (.059) with six strikeouts out of the gate this season.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

The veteran outfielder has had a bit of a slow start at the plate to begin his second tour of duty with the Pirates, going 4-for-15 (.267) through six games with his only extra-base hit being a double, but he's drawn seven walks and stole his first base of the year Wednesday. McCutchen hasn't swiped double-digit bags since 2018, but the 36-year-old still boasted a sprint speed in the 90th percentile last year according to Statcast. If he keeps getting on base at a good clip, he could be one of the players who benefits most from MLB's rule changes to boost the running game.

Soler went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Twins.

After taking Pablo Lopez deep for a solo shot in the first inning to open the scoring, Soler emphatically ended it with a three-run blast off Caleb Thielbar in the eighth with a line drive down the left-field line. The 31-year-old slugger had only 13 homers in 72 games last season, but Soler already has three in the first seven contests of 2023 along with three doubles, accounting for six of his seven hits.

Choi will sit Wednesday versus the Red Sox.

Choi will get a breather after he started the first two games of the series in Boston, going 1-for-7 with a run scored and two strikeouts in those contests. Andrew McCutchen will take over as the designated hitter while Jack Suwinski starts in right field and bats sixth in the series finale.

Harper (elbow) took batting practice on the field before Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's a positive step for Harper as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery he underwent in November. Matt Gelb of The Athletic cautions that Harper still has several hurdles to clear before being deemed ready for game action, as he has yet to be cleared to slide into bases since doctors believe there's still some risk of him rupturing the surgically-repaired elbow. Harper could be back from the 10-day injured list as soon as the latter part of May, as the Phillies' decision not to put him on the 60-day IL to begin the season had already implied.

Blackmon isn't in the Rockies' lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

After going 7-for-20 from the plate with a home run and three RBI over his first five games, Blackmon will get a day off to rest. Elehuris Montero will fill in as the Rockies' DH, allowing Alan Trejo to get reps in the hot corner and bat eighth.

Ozuna is absent from Atlanta's starting lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Kevin Pillar is in left field and batting ninth versus the Cardinals and left-hander Steven Matz, with Travis d'Arnaud handling DH duties and hitting cleanup. Ozuna slugged a solo homer Saturday against the Nationals, but it's his only hit through 16 plate appearances this season.

Carpenter is starting at first base and batting sixth for the Padres in Tuesday's game versus the Diamondbacks.

Manager Bob Melvin has stuck to a true platoon with Carpenter and Nelson Cruz to this point, giving Carpenter four starts against righties and Cruz two starts versus lefties. This is Carpenter's first start at first base, as Jake Cronenworth will slide to second, Ha-Seong Kim will play third and Manny Machado will be the designated hitter.