MLB Player News

McCutchen went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's win over Arizona.

Zack Godley made a mistake in location with his sinker in the fourth inning, and McCutchen made him pay by depositing the ball into the left field bleachers at AT&T Park. The 31-year-old has now homered in consecutive games after going 36 games between his previous two long balls. McCutchen's power was expected to take a hit based on the cavernous dimensions of his new home park, and it certainly has when you consider he has hit just five home runs through 247 plate appearances. What wasn't expected was his drop in batting average (.246), and his .309 BABIP indicates that he isn't necessarily getting unlucky. Fortunately for McCutchen's fantasy owners, the outfielder's batted ball metrics show that he is actually stroking the ball with more authority than he has for most of his illustrious career (47.8 percent hard-hit rate in 2018 compared to 37.3 percent for his career), which could lead to increased power numbers as we enter the warmer summer months.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run Sunday against the Phillies.

McCutchen drove a curveball up in the zone from Jake Arrieta to the opposite field in the sixth inning for his fourth home run of the season. The shot was McCutchen's first since April 20, though he has started to show signs of hitting for power with four extra-base hits in his past 10 games. He got off to a similarly slow start last season before going on a hot stretch in June. This gives hope that his performance will turn around at some point this season, but to this point, McCutchen's performance has been a significant disappointment.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a grand slam Sunday against the Pirates.

Ozuna came to the plate with the bases full in the first inning and deposited a hanging offspeed pitch into the left field seats. It was his fifth home run of the season and second in as many games. He has now recorded a hit in seven of his past eight games and has gone 11-for-28 in that span.

Cespedes (hip) isn't expected to require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the disabled list, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes remains without a firm timeline for his return, but manager Mickey Callaway did go on record Sunday stating that the organization does not believe that Cespedes will need any minor-league at-bats prior his his activation. He's scheduled to take live at-bats against a Mets pitcher Tuesday, at which point the team should provide an update on his recovery timeline.

Harper is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Harper will sit for the first time since May 18 in what appears to be a routine day of rest following 15 consecutive starts, a stretch in which he slashed just .233/.309/.517 with five homers and 25 strikeouts. Brian Goodwin draws the right field assignment in Harper's absence.

Pederson went 4-for-5 with a double, two solo home runs and four total runs scored in Saturday's 12-4 win over the Rockies.

The 26-year-old didn't waste his Coors Field opportunity, snapping his 37-game homerless drought with authority as he took German Marquez deep in the fourth and sixth innings. Pederson added 82 points to his OPS with the performance, and he's now slashing a respectable .265/.346/.449 on the season, albeit with only three home runs in 54 games.

Ozuna was 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's win over the Pirates.

The home run is Ozuna's fourth of the year, and he is now 15-for-32 over his last 10 games. The 27-year-old is slashing .271/.320/.360 and is providing a huge boost to the Cardinals after a sluggish first seven weeks of the season.

Belt (appendicitis) is expected to miss three weeks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt was placed on the 10-day disabled list earlier Saturday after undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed. While it was originally thought that the first baseman wouldn't be forced to spend much longer than the 10-day minimum on the shelf, the Giants are now giving him a three-week baseline for his return. In the meantime, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey are expected to fill in for Belt at first base.

Belt (appendicitis) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This move was simply procedural, as Belt was expected to be out for a little while after undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed Friday night. The slugging first baseman is eligible to return from the DL on June 12, and it sounds like he won't be forced to miss too much more time than that, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Pablo Sandoval stands to gain the most playing time at first base while Belt is sidelined. The club activated Alen Hanson (hamstring) in a corresponding move.

The Giants announced Belt had his appendix removed Saturday morning, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt exited Friday's game against the Phillies with a stomach illness that was eventually diagnosed as appendicitis after a trip to the hospital. The veteran first baseman will return home Saturday afternoon and is likely slated for a short trip on the disabled list. The 29-year-old would be eligible to return for the June 12 game against the Marlins once he lands on the DL in the next few days.