MLB Player News

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Cubs, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

As per usual, Pederson will take a seat on the bench with a left-hander (Jon Lester) starting for the opposition. Enrique Hernandez is starting in left field and hitting leadoff in his stead.

Belt (neck) returned to the lineup and went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Padres.

Belt missed the Giants' last two contests due to an illness and a sore neck. The 31-year-old was deemed healthy enough to return to the starting nine even with an off day scheduled Thursday. Belt continues to provide steady fantasy value (.250/.376/.474 with nine homers) in a lineup otherwise devoid of such players.

Belt (neck) is starting at first base and hitting second Wednesday against the Padres, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt has been cleared to rejoin the lineup after being withheld from Tuesday's starting nine due to neck soreness. The first baseman, who's slashing .348/.531/.565 with seven RBI and sports a 9:6 BB:K in eight games this month, will face lefty Joey Lucchesi in his return to the lineup.

Harper will get his first day off of the season Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Harper has carried a heavy load for his new team, though he hasn't quite lived up to expectations, posting a good but not great .251/.357/.466 slash line with a career-worst 29.6 percent strikeout rate. He's been better of late, slashing .333/.367/.561 over his last 14 games. Nick Williams gets a rare start in right field in his absence.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI and an additional run Tuesday in the Rockies' 10-3 win over the Cubs.

Blackmon's three-run blast off former teammate Tyler Chatwood in the sixth inning helped the Rockies turn the game into a runaway. Since returning from the injured list June 8, Blackmon has picked up right where he left off before succumbing to the calf issue. He's gone 6-for-16 with two home runs and two doubles in his first four games back in action.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Tuesday against the Marlins.

Ozuna took Adam Conley deep in the ninth inning, adding insurance to the Cardinals' lead. He now has 18 homers on the season and has shown no signs of slowing at the plate, collecting multiple hits in six of his last 11 starts. He's now hitting .267/.337/.546 across 267 plate appearances for the campaign.

Belt was held out of Tuesday's lineup due to neck soreness, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt was scratched from Sunday's game with an illness and it was assumed his absence from Tuesday's lineup was due to the same issue. The 31-year-old apparently had his neck lock up Sunday while preparing for a pinch-hit appearance. It wouldn't be surprising to see Belt held out of the lineup again Wednesday with a scheduled off day to follow Thursday.

Reyes isn't in Tuesday's starting lineup against the Giants.

Reyes picked up two base knocks and drove in a run Sunday, but he'll take a seat for Tuesday's series opener. Hunter Renfroe will shift to right field, opening the door for Josh Naylor to start in left with Reyes on the bench.

Belt (illness) isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt was scratched from Sunday's starting nine due to a stomach bug, and even after a scheduled off day Monday, he'll remain on the bench for the series opener. Pablo Sandoval draws the start at first base and is batting cleanup in Belt's place.

Carpenter isn't starting Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

Carpenter started three consecutive games after returning to the lineup from a bruised shin, but he went just 2-for-12 over that stretch. Yairo Munoz will man the hot corner and lead off for the Cardinals in Carpenter's absence.