MLB Player News

Belt was removed from Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks with an apparent side injury, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 33-year-old missed time with side tightness last week and returned to action over the weekend against the Dodgers, but he's apparently not past the injury as he was seen grimacing during swings before being removed Tuesday. Belt previously missed six consecutive games due to the issue, so a trip to the injured list could be on the table to give him some time to get healthy.

Pederson went 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs and three RBI in Tuesday's win over the Pirates.

Pederson led off for the Cubs and almost singlehandedly carried them to a 4-3 win. The home runs were just his third and fourth of the season, but the outfielder has been locked in lately, as he's batting .316 across his last 10 games with three long balls and six RBI. He's also batted leadoff in six straight contests, so clearly manager David Ross likes what he's getting from Pederson atop the order. He's a strong fantasy asset while he remains hot.

Ozuna dislocated the ring and middle fingers on his left hand Tuesday and will return to Atlanta to visit a specialist, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old suffered the injury during a slide into third base when he had his fingers bent back awkwardly. The team has yet to decide whether a trip to the injured list is necessary, though Ozuna can be ruled out for Wednesday's series finale given he's returning to Atlanta to be evaluated.

Ozuna exited Tuesday's game at Boston with an apparent finger injury on his left hand, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old delivered an RBI double during the third inning Tuesday, but he had a finger on his left hand bent back while sliding into third base on a subsequent grounder. Ozuna should be considered day-to-day until the team updates his status.

McCutchen is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

McCuthchen is not reported to be injured, so this figures to simply be a day off for the veteran outfielder. Brad Miller will start in left field and bat third.

Harper was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left forearm contusion, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

There had been no prior indication of an injury to the star right fielder, but a miserable stretch at the plate followed by days off Sunday and Monday fueled speculation, despite the team's denial, that Harper was not 100 percent physically. It's unclear whether Harper will require longer than the minimum 10 days on the IL, but perhaps some extra time off will be the key to overcoming his recent offensive and defensive woes.

Manager Joe Girardi indicated that Harper's absence from the lineup Monday against Miami wasn't related to any injury, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

It's highly unusual for a healthy superstar to sit two games in a row, but that's supposedly the case for Harper, as the Phillies insist his absences aren't related to the sore shoulder he battled in mid-May. If there's ever a time to give a player of Harper's talent level multiple days off in a row, this would be the time to do it, as he's hitting .080/.115/.080 with a 50 percent strikeout rate over his last seven games.

Harper remains on the bench for Monday's game in Miami, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

A second straight absence for Harper suggests his off day Sunday wasn't merely a routine one, though the Phillies have yet to specify exactly why he's on the bench. Something is clearly not right with him lately, however, as he's gone hitless in six of his last seven games, striking out in half of his plate appearances over that stretch. Brad Miller starts in right field in his absence.

Winker went 2-for-5 with a home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.

Winker has gone deep in three straight games and in four of his last six contests, racking up five homers -- out of nine hits -- during that stretch. The slugging outfielder now has 13 homers on the season and is just three shy of tying his career-best mark of 16, established during the 2019 season.

Miller went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, two runs and two strikeouts in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Red Sox.

Miller broke Sunday's game open with his three-run blast in the bottom of the first inning that proved to be the difference in the contest. The 31-year-old has now started three of the last four games and is hitting .317 with four homers, 15 runs and 12 RBI this season.