MLB Player News
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Sits amid prolonged slump
Ozuna is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
Tyler O'Neill will get the start in left field and bat cleanup against right-hander Aaron Nola. Ozuna is now zero for his last 22 after an 0-for-4 showing in Saturday's loss to Philadelphia. He's walking less but his strikeout rate is right in line with his career mark and he's making hard contact at the highest rate of his career, so it seems like only a matter of time before the 27-year-old gets it going.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Rides pine Sunday
Winker is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
After a 1-for-7 showing in Saturday's doubleheader, Winker is now batting just .154/.228/.192 for the month of May. His on-base percentage for the season still sits at a very respectable .346, but he's not hitting for any power at all. Winker will likely continue to find himself on the bench a couple times per week until he picks it up.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Giants' Andrew McCutchen: Sustains bruised knee Saturday
McCutchen sustained a bruised knee on a slide and exited Saturday's win over the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
McCutchen went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run and was replaced in right field by Gregor Blanco for the start of the eighth inning. The 31-year-old is considered day-to-day and could be available for Sunday's series finale, but with an off day Monday, the team could illustrate additional caution with the veteran outfielder.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Takes seat for Game 2
Turner is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader in Washington, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Turner had started four straight games since coming off the disabled list earlier this week, but the Dodgers will play it safe and not give him the start in the nightcap. Max Muncy is starting at third base and batting second in his stead.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Keeps improving at plate Friday
Carpenter went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a run in a win over the Phillies on Friday.
Carpenter was back in the two-hole Friday after having dropped down to seventh in the order the prior two nights. The struggling veteran's pair of singles extended a modest hitting streak to three games, a stretch during which he's gone 6-for-13 with three doubles, two RBI and a run. Carpenter has much work left to do to get a current .173/.301/.315 season line back up to acceptable levels, but his current mini-surge is an optimistic step in that direction.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Enters game as pinch hitter
Belt (knee) entered Friday's loss to the Rockies in the seventh inning and struck out in his only plate appearance.
The red-hot Belt was held out of the starting lineup after experiencing knee soreness following Thursday's contest, but he was healthy enough to enter Friday's game in a key situation. While he was unable to extend his homer streak to five games, the fact that he stayed in the game to play left field indicates that his minor knee ailment shouldn't be an issue going forward.
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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Hits 12th homer
Blackmon went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Colorado's 6-1 victory over the Giants on Friday.
Blackmon had been in a bit of a slump lately that saw his normally sky-high batting average dip all the way down to .267, but he launched a ninth-inning long ball off the Giants' Jose Valdez for his 12th of the season. The 1-for-5 showing meant his average went down to .265 despite the homer but he's still getting on base at a .373 clip and boasting a robust .543 slugging percentage despite the recent slump and Blackmon is one of the best hitters in baseball, so there's little reason to believe he won't see his average climb back up toward its usual heights in short order.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Sitting out Friday
Belt (knee) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Manager Bruce Bochy indicated he was likely to give Belt the day off Friday after it was revealed the veteran first baseman was dealing with knee soreness, but he was still going to feel things out in batting practice. The 30-year-old will get an additional day to rest up before being evaluated again Saturday, with Buster Posey taking over at first base for the Giants on Friday.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Brewers' Ji-Man Choi: Heading back to majors
Choi will be recalled by the Brewers on Friday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Choi somewhat surprisingly made the Brewers' Opening Day roster and scored the go-ahead run in the 12th inning on Opening Day but was sent down having received just one plate appearance. He's fourth on the organizational depth chart at first base, but with Eric Thames (thumb) and Ryan Braun (back) both on the disabled list, he could get a brief run of playing time, especially during this weekend's series in an AL park against the Twins.