MLB Player News

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

The 31-year-old's move to the bench allows both of Atlanta's two backstops -- Travis d'Arnaud and William Contreras -- to stick in the lineup, as Contreras will handle designated-hitter duties in Ozuna's stead. Ozuna went 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts in the first two games of the series in Chicago.

Canha is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Jeff McNeil will pick up a start in left field in place of Canha, who sits for the second time during the Mets' six-game week. Canha still appears to be fairly secure in a near-everyday role, though the Mets' eagerness to open up more playing time in the infield for Luis Guillorme means that McNeil will spell Canha in the outfield more often than was anticipated heading into the season.

Soler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He'll sit for the first time since June 9, affording Luke Williams a start in left field Sunday. While starting in each of the Marlins' past eight games, Soler went 5-for-31 (.161 average) with two doubles, two walks, three runs and an RBI.

Blackmon went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored Saturday against the Padres.

Blackmon took Nick Martinez yard in the fifth inning to record his 11th home run of the season. He's enjoyed a strong homestand, hitting .455 with a pair of long balls, six RBI and five runs scored across his last five games. Blackmon has also maintained a .802 OPS across 264 plate appearances on the campaign.

Harper (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

He'll be sidelined for the third consecutive game overall and a second straight on account of a blister on his left hand. Harper received antibiotics to treat the blister, so he could be ready to rejoin the lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Rangers if his treatment has taken full effect by then.

Vogelbach went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a 7-5 loss to the Giants on Saturday.

Vogelbach pinch hit for Michael Chavis in the eighth inning and brought the Pirates to within a run. It was his eighth home run of the year and 18th RBI. The left-handed slugger was on the bench to start the game with lefty pitcher Alex Wood on the mound for San Francisco.

Mercedes was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mercedes made a brief splash at the start of last season as a 28-year-old rookie, but his overall .271/.328/.404 slash line in 68 games was merely good for a 101 wRC+, a number which isn't good enough for a player who shouldn't feature anywhere other than designated hitter. He's spent all of this season with Triple-A Charlotte, where he's hit .230/.376/.425 in 25 games. The Giants are quite good at building a roster that gets the most out of a set of imperfect players, but whether or not they'll eventually carve out a meaningful role for Mercedes remains to be seen.

Vogelbach will sit Saturday against the Giants.

Vogelbach hits the bench against lefty Alex Wood, though he'd started against three of the previous four left-handers the Pirates faced, so it's not clear that he's slipping back into a platoon role. Michael Chavis will serve as the designated hitter Saturday, with Yu Chang taking Chavis' usual spot at first base.

McCutchen isn't starting Saturday's game against the Reds.

McCutchen will get a rare day off after he went 4-for-9 with three runs, an RBI, three walks and a strikeout over the last three games. Christian Yelich will serve as the designated hitter while Jonathan Davis enters the lineup in center field.

Harper will sit Saturday against the Nationals due to an infected blister on his left hand, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row, as he sat for the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader. That may have been a scheduled game off, but Saturday's absence doesn't seem to have been planned. The issue apparently flared up overnight, so Harper will sit for at least one game while taking antibiotics to treat the issue. The Phillies have an off day Monday, so it's possible he sits Sunday as well in order to get three straight days to heal. Nick Castellanos will take his designated hitter spot while Matt Vierling starts in right field.