MLB Player News

McCutchen (ankle) is starting at designated hitter and batting third Monday against the Rockies.

McCutchen is back in the lineup after missing three games with an ankle issue. The 36-year-old has cooled off greatly in recent weeks, batting .140 with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and 15 strikeouts over 43 at-bats in 12 games since April 20.

The Cubs recalled Morel from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Morel forced the Cubs' hand by putting up a blistering .330/.425/.730 slash line with 11 home runs and four stolen bases over 29 games with Iowa. The 23-year-old should see fairly regular playing time while bouncing around in a super-utility role. Morel's contact issues have remained this season with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate at Iowa, but his potential to offer some power and speed while being eligible at multiple positions makes him a viable deep-league addition.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Rockies.

The lefty slugger took Daniel Bard deep in the seventh inning, but the Mets were down 11-5 at the time. It's only Vogelbach's second homer of the year, but he boasts what would be career highs with a .265 batting average and .398 OBP through 28 games as the team's regular DH against right-handed pitching.

Meneses went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two total runs scored in Sunday's 9-8 win over the Diamondbacks.

Meneses helped the Nationals stay within striking distance with an RBI single in the seventh inning. He made a bigger impact in his next at-bat, swatting a go-ahead, three-run homer that gave Washington a lead that would stick after Hunter Harvey converted the save. Meneses has gone 13-for-38 (.342) over his last nine contests, but 12 of those hits have been singles. For the season, he's slashing .277/.301/.362 with two homers, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored and six doubles through 33 games. He's hitting reasonably well, but his numbers are a far cry from the .324/.367/.563 slash line he had in a 56-game sample last year.

Manager Dave Roberts said Martinez (back) will face live pitching at the Dodgers' spring facility in Arizona this week, and the slugger should be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Padres, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

It was previously reported the 35-year-old lined up to return during the three-game set in Milwaukee that begins Monday, but it now appears he's set to be activated Friday. Given Martinez has exclusively served as a designated hitter over the past two seasons, it's not a major surprise he's expected to return without requiring a minor-league rehab assignment.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Carpenter will sit for the second time in San Diego's past three games with lefty Julio Urias pitching for Los Angeles. Nelson Cruz will bat fifth as the designated hitter.

McCutchen (ankle) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays.

McCutchen was scratched from Friday's starting nine due to a sprained left ankle, and he'll sit Sunday for the third consecutive game. It's unclear if the veteran slugger will be available off the bench. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter while Miguel Andujar receives a start in the outfield.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

The 36-year-old looks to be receiving some routine maintenance while the Rockies and Mets wrap up their series with a day game. Randal Grichuk will replace Blackmon as the Rockies' designated hitter, while Jurickson Profar steps into Blackmon's usual spot atop the batting order.

Harper went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox.

Harper connected on his first long ball of the campaign in the fifth inning, swatting a 396-foot solo shot to left-center field. It hasn't taken long for the star slugger to get his feet under him after opening the season on the injured list following Tommy John surgery last November. Through four games since his return, Harper is slashing .375/.444/.525 with three runs, two walks and two extra-base hits.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-4 victory against Baltimore on Saturday.

Ozuna opened the scoring in the contest with a solo shot to right field in the third inning. The veteran has been on a heater of late, going 5-for-16 with four long balls and seven RBI over his past four games. Ozuna is still trying to dig out of a rough start that has his season slash line at .152/.256/.392, but he has as many homers this season (six) as both Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley. His recent surge seems to have allowed him to recapture a near-everyday role, as Saturday's game marked his fifth consecutive start.