MLB Player News

Soler went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a double in an 8-0 win over the Padres on Saturday.

Soler was retired in each of his first three at-bats before roping a double in the eighth inning and connecting on a grand slam in the ninth to double Miami's lead. The 30-year-old was in the midst of a 3-for-23 slump prior to the pair of extra-base hits and is now slashing .178/.284/.347 with four long balls, eight runs and 12 RBI in 27 games.

Belt exited Saturday's game against the Cardinals due to neck stiffness, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt exited the game in the eighth inning after a swing. It's unclear how serious the injury is at this time, so he should be considered day-to-day. Belt was activated from the COVID-19 injured list prior to Saturday's game, and he went 0-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored prior to his exit.

McCutchen was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

While it's not yet clear whether McCutchen has tested positive for COVID-19, he'll need to isolate from the team until he clears the league's protocols. Mike Brosseau was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to provide additional depth, while Tyrone Taylor should see an uptick in playing time with McCutchen sidelined.

McCutchen isn't starting Saturday against Atlanta.

McCutchen will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went 1-for-5 with a run and two strikeouts Friday. Christian Yelich will serve as the designated hitter while Tyrone Taylor starts in left field.

Pederson isn't starting Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Pederson has gone 0-for-13 with three strikeouts over the last three games, and he'll retreat to the bench against left-hander Steven Matz on Saturday. Darin Ruf will serve as the designated hitter and bat fourth.

Belt (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

Belt tested positive for COVID-19 last week, but he'll be eligible to return to action Saturday against the Cardinals after spending just over a week away from the team. The 34-year-old is slashing .242/.367/.470 with four homers, 10 runs and nine RBI this season.

Beer isn't starting Saturday's game against the Rockies.

Beer started in the last two games and went 0-for-7 with an RBI and two strikeouts, but he'll get a breather against southpaw Kyle Freeland on Saturday. Cooper Hummel will serve as the designated hitter and lead off.

Soler is not in Friday's lineup against the Padres, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He is hitting .132/.233/.316 with two home runs, 14 strikeouts and five walks in his last 10 games. Jon Berti draws the start in left field, hitting sixth.

Harper went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Mets.

Harper recorded an RBI double in the first inning to open the scoring. He then went yard in the fourth inning to record his fifth homer of the season. Entering Thursday's game, Harper had recorded only one hit across his last 19 at-bats, though he's still managed a .343 wOBA and 122 wRC+ across his first 111 plate appearances of the season, including Thursday.

Vientos is hitting just .167/.282/.303 with one homer across 21 games so far this season for Triple-A Syracuse.

After he hit 25 homers in just 83 games across Double-A and Triple-A last year, expectations were high for Vientos entering this season, but he simply hasn't delivered so far. If there's a bright side to be scraped from his stats, it's that he's drawn six walks in his last six games -- a big improvement from the four he managed in the first 15 -- but the 22-year-old's prospect luster has always stemmed from his massive raw power, and that's simply been missing in action. He's striking out at a career-high clip (32.1 percent), and his 66.7 percent groundball rate as well as his 23.1 percent flyball rate are well out of line with his career norms. It sure is hard to hit the ball over the fence often when you're hitting it on the ground two-thirds of the time. The good news is that Vientos has a lengthy minor-league track record of elevating the ball, so look for him to tweak his swing and get back to what he does best.