MLB Player News

Manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday it's "the dream scenario" for Belt (thumb) to be ready in time for the National League Championship Series, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Belt landed on the injured list last week after suffering a fractured left thumb, and he'll be sidelined for at least the NLDS. It was reported the injury is expected to require about four weeks to heal, though the team is still holding out hope the 33-year-old will return ahead of that timeline. Darin Ruf and LaMonte Wade should see action at first base in the meantime for the Giants.

Harper went 1-for-1 with a double and a walk Sunday in the Phillies' 5-4 loss to the Marlins.

Harper and the Phillies' rough series in Atlanta earlier this week eliminated the team from the playoff race, but the 28-year-old outfielder at least had a productive weekend to wrap up the season, going 5-for-10 with a home run and two doubles over the three games in Miami. The 2015 National League MVP should find himself as one of the frontrunners for the award once again this year, after he concluded the campaign with an MLB-best 1.044 OPS to go with 35 home runs, 101 runs, 84 RBI and 13 stolen bases.

Soler went 1-for-3 with a home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Soler, who sat the first two games of the series, went yard off Noah Syndergaard on Sunday and is ending the regular season on a strong note, hitting safely in each of his last six games. The slugging outfielder, who ends the regular season hitting a mere .223 with 27 homers across 149 games, looked better toward the end of the season and posted a .274 average across 106 at-bats since the beginning of September onward.

McCutchen went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Marlins.

McCutchen knotted the score at 3-3 with his 27th long ball of the season in the third inning and second in the last three games. The 34-year-old concludes a respectable 2021 campaign with a .222/.334/.444 slash line, 27 home runs, 78 runs and 80 RBI in 145 games.

Ruf is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Ruf came off the injured list Thursday and started in each of the Giants' last three games, going 4-for-12 with a home run, a double and two RBI. Though he'll take a seat in the regular-season finale, Ruf could be in store for steady work at first base during the postseason with Brandon Belt sidelined with a fractured thumb.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

The 35-year-old will close out the season on the bench for the Rockies, while Yonathan Daza enters the outfield mix Sunday. Blackmon has a .269/.349/.409 slash line with 13 homers, 78 RBI and 76 runs in 581 plate appearances this season.

Dickerson (foot) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres, Amy Gutierrez of the Giants' official site reports.

Dickerson has been out of the lineup since being hit by a pitch on the left foot Tuesday, though his appearance as a pinch hitter Saturday indicates he's close to being fully healthy. Kris Bryant will move to left field while LaMonte Wade starts in right Sunday.

Turner went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run in an 8-3 win over Milwaukee on Saturday.

Turner took Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes deep in the first inning to give Los Angeles an early 3-1 lead and later singled and scored in the fourth. The veteran third baseman is 6-for-12 over his last four games with a double and two home runs and is slashing .279/.363/.474 on the season.

Soler will sit Saturday against the Mets.

Atlanta will rotate its lineup heavily in order to rest several regulars ahead of the playoffs. Soler sits for the second straight day, with Joc Pederson again starting in right field.

Miller isn't starting Saturday's game against the Marlins.

Miller will head to the bench with left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the mound for Miami. J.T. Realmuto will shift to first base while Andrew Knapp starts at catcher.