MLB Player News

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 2-1 extra-innings loss to the Reds.

He headed into Friday's tilt stuck in a 4-for-33 (.121) slump over his prior 10 games, so Cutch's performance was a relief for wary fantasy GMs. The 31-year-old now sports a .257/.355/.417 slash line on the year, and the steal was his 10th -- the ninth time in 10 big-league seasons he's reached double digits in that category.

Reyes is out of Friday's lineup versus Arizona.

Reyes will take a seat after starting 10 of the past 11 games. He's in a bit of a skid lately, as he's failed to get on base over the last seven outings, during which he's 0-for-21 with six strikeouts. Jose Pirela will draw a start in the outfield in his stead.

Meneses is pushing to become the International League's first Triple Crown winner in 44 years, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Meneses leads the league in homers (22) and RBI (76), while his .315 average trails only Rusney Castillo's .329. It's hard to get too excited about a 26-year-old first baseman who's still stuck in Triple-A, but Meneses is doing all he can to raise his profile. He has made real changes to his approach, pulling 36 percent of his hits after pulling just 27 percent over the last three years, so there's at least a chance that he's a genuine late bloomer. He's firmly stuck behind Carlos Santana and now Justin Bour on the Phillies' first base depth chart and does not have a 40-man roster spot, so a September call-up doesn't appear likely, but he may have done enough to earn a shot in 2019 with a team that lacks an established first baseman.

Harper went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

Harper continues his strong second half, lacing an RBI double before knocking in two more with a single in Thursday's victory. He entered the All-Star break with a brutal .214 average, but has brought it back up to .243 along with a solid .895 OPS.

Blackmon is out of the lineup against Atlanta on Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon will take a seat for just the second time since July 1 as David Dahl gets a start in center field in his stead. Across 13 games this month, Blackmon is hitting .151/.224/.208 with just one extra-base hit (a home run) and two RBI while striking out 15 times. Manager Bud Black will give him a chance to clear his head as the Rockies begin a big four-game set against the Braves.

Carpenter (hand) will start at first base and bat atop the order against Washington on Thursday.

Carpenter was forced to leave Wednesday's game in the seventh inning after being struck by a pitch on his right hand. Post-game X-rays indicated that he avoided serious injury and interim manager Mike Shildt had no problems inserting him back into the lineup for Thursday's series finale.

Belt started and batted second Wednesday, going 1-for-5 with a double in an extra-innings loss to the Dodgers.

Belt returned to the starting lineup after being used off the bench following his activation from the disabled list Tuesday. The 30-year-old was sidelined for a few weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee. Belt owns a .281/.373/.472 slash line with 14 homers in 88 games this season, and he will resume his role as the Giants' everyday first baseman going forward.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and a strikeout in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Dodgers.

McCutchen came through with the clutch hit, tying the score up at three in the eighth inning, though the Giants went on to lose in the 12th. The 31-year-old has been struggling of late, following up a subpar July with a .213/.351/.426 slash line through 47 at-bats in August.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

Ozuna got the scoring started with his solo blast in the second inning, good for his 14th round tripper of the year. The 27-year-old is rebounding nicely from a disappointing July, hitting .322 so far in August to bring his line on the year to .273/.315/.400.

X-rays on Carpenter's right hand came back negative, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter exited Wednesday's game in the seventh inning after being hit by a pitch on his hand. His removal was deemed precautionary and initial X-rays revealed the veteran isn't dealing with a fracture, though he'll likely still head for additional tests in the coming days to confirm he isn't dealing with anything more serious. Consider him day-to-day for now.