MLB Player News

Belt is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's matchup with Atlanta.

Belt will get a breather Thursday after he went 2-for-9 with a run scored and six strikeouts in the first two games of the series. Darin Ruf will get the start at first base and bat third in the series finale.

Blackmon is not starting Thursday versus the Marlins, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Blackmon will get a breather Thursday after he started eight straight contests, going 12-for-34 with two home runs, seven RBI and seven runs in those games. C.J. Cron will take over at designated hitter while Elehuris Montero will start at first base and bat eighth.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers.

After sitting out the last three games with a hand injury, Harper returned and demonstrated that his legs are still 100 percent. The 29-year-old is on his way to another MVP-caliber campaign, slashing .326/.392/.618 through 61 games with 15 homers, nine steals, 48 runs and 48 RBI.

Madris went 1-for-5 with a double and three RBI on Wednesday against the Cubs.

Madris delivered a bases-clearing double in the ninth inning of a blowout loss. He has started all three games since being called up to Pittsburgh on Monday and has gone 5-for-13 with three extra-base hits, six RBI and two runs scored. It's unclear whether he will continue to get regular playing time, but Madris is playing over Cal Mitchell in the outfield for now.

Ruf went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run in a loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Ruf gave the Giants an early 2-0 lead with his fourth-inning solo shot, and he scored another run after reaching on a hit by pitch in the ninth. The veteran has mostly struggled this season, posting a .225/.345/.358 slash line through 223 plate appearances. He's hitting .262 against lefty pitchers but only .205 against right-handers.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.

McCutchen had gone 0-for-6 with two walks in his last two games, but he was able to add some hits Wednesday. He went yard in the fourth inning and knocked in another run with a ground rule double in the fifth. He's now posted six multi-hit efforts in 18 games in June. Overall, the veteran is slashing .242/.309/.352 with five homers, 27 RBI, 26 runs scored, five stolen bases and nine doubles through 56 contests.

Soler went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run Wednesday against the Rockies.

Soler went yard back-to-back with Jazz Chisholm in the seventh inning to record his 13th home run of the season. It was Soler's first long ball since June 7 -- a span of 11 starts during which he hit just .214 with one RBI and four runs scored. For the season, Soler has maintained a .221/.315/.443 slash line with 31 RBI and 31 runs scored across 268 plate appearances.

Morel is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Pirates.

Morel will get his first day off since making his MLB debut May 17. He started his career red hot, but he has gone 3-for-21 with 10 strikeouts over his last five games. The rookie will be replaced in center field by Rafael Ortega, who will bat leadoff.

Harper (hand) is starting Wednesday against the Rangers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper didn't appear in any of the last three games due to an infected blister on his left hand, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup during Wednesday's series finale against Texas. Over his last six games, he's gone 8-for-18 with two doubles, four runs, three RBI and a stolen base.

Vogelbach went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, two RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Cubs.

Vogelbach singled and doubled in consecutive plate appearances to account for the majority of his damage Tuesday. He has been a big part of Pittsburgh's hot offense to start its series against the Cubs, collecting four hits with two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored across two games. Overall, Vogelbach is hitting .226/.314/.423 across 191 plate appearances on the season.