MLB Player News

Vientos is serving as the designated hitter and batting seventh Friday versus the Blue Jays.

Vientos gets the nod here over Daniel Vogelbach, even with right-hander Chris Bassitt on the mound for Toronto. Maybe it's a sign that the 23-year-old will be in for more of an everyday role moving forward. He's primarily been limited to starts against lefties since being recalled May 17 from Triple-A Syracuse.

Vogelbach is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Blue Jays.

Vogelbach will take a seat after he went 0-for-4 with two walks, a run scored and a strikeout over a three-game series with the Phillies. Mark Vientos will take over at designated hitter and bat seventh versus Toronto.

Canha went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in Thursday's win over Philadelphia.

Canha's now homered on back-to-back days after going 19 games without a long ball. Thursday's two-run shot off Taijuan Walker would prove to be the difference in the Mets' 4-2 victory. The 34-year-old Canha is slashing .245/.330/.406 with five home runs, 18 RBI, 23 runs scored and two steals through 179 plate appearances this season.

Blackmon was activated from the bereavement list Thursday.

Blackmon is back with the Rockies in time for Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Diamondbacks, in which he'll serve as the DH and leadoff man for Colorado. He went on bereavement leave Monday amidst a nine-game hitting streak and has slashed .333/.377/.587 over his last 17 games (69 plate appearances) dating back to May 8.

Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .352 with 14 home runs and a 25.2 percent strikeout rate in 33 games for Triple-A Louisville.

While he rarely sees a pitch he doesn't like, Encarnacion-Strand has the ability to get the barrel on the ball, even when he swings at a pitcher's pitch. His .380 ISO leads all qualified Triple-A hitters, and his future home park in Cincinnati will only enhance his home run prowess. Defensively, Encarnacion-Strand fits best at first base or designated hitter, although he has also started seven games at third base this year. While Encarnacion-Strand appears ready for a call to the majors, his teammate Elly De La Cruz also appears ready, and the Reds may not have room for both of them to play regularly in the short term.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI double, two runs scored and one steal in Wednesday's 9-4 victory over San Francisco.

McCutchen recorded his fourth three-hit game of the season and continues to shine during his return to Pittsburgh. The veteran is slashing .273/.369/.453 over his first 49 games of his age-36 season, which would all be his highest marks since his last campaign with the Pirates in 2017. McCutchen will periodically take a day off to stay fresh, but he's locked into the top of the order when available and remains a versatile threat at the plate.

Canha went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Canha knocked in all four runs for New York, smashing a two-run homer in the third inning and stroking a two-run single in the fourth. The multi-hit performance was the first for the veteran since May 14, a span of 11 games. Canha had been struggling over that stretch, batting just .222 without an extra-base hit or RBI across 27 at-bats.

Ruf is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Ruf has seen a good amount of playing time since joining the Brewers in mid-May, even taking some turns at leadoff, but he'll head to the bench Wednesday versus the Jays and right-hander Alek Manoah. William Contreras is filling the DH role with Victor Caratini playing catcher.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter broke out of a five-game hitless skid in Tuesday's 9-4 win with a pair of doubles and three RBI, but he'll hit the bench Wednesday with left-hander Braxton Garrett on the mound for Miami. Nelson Cruz will handle designated-hitter duties and hit seventh in place of Carpenter.

Vientos is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Phillies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

With right-hander Aaron Nola toeing the slab for the Phillies, Mets manager Buck Showalter will roll with the lefty-hitting Daniel Vogelbach in the designated-hitter spot. Vientos has started seven of the Mets' 13 games since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, but only three of those starts have come versus right-handed pitching.