MLB Player News

McCutchen was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .471 with two homers and nine RBI.

His final slash line (.279/.363/.486) doesn't do justice to the roller coaster ride in 2017. The soon-to-be 31-year-old slashed .361/.464/.652 over a 64-game stretch starting May 26, but he slumped for month-long stretches on multiple occasions. The Pirates hold a team option for $14.5 million in 2018, but the organization could decide to trade him or simply let him walk. Most likely, Pittsburgh will exercise the option and keep him for one last run in 2018. General manager Neal Huntington refused to tip his hand as to what direction the team might take with McCutchen, saying during his radio show Sunday that he'll announce plans surrounding McCutchen's option shortly after the end to the World Series. If McCutchen remains with the Pirates, it's expected that he'll return to center field on a full-time basis.

Carpenter (shoulder) had an MRI that revealed only inflammation, and he will be able to avoid offseason surgery as a result, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

With an offseason to rest, Carpenter should be able to report to spring training in February at full strength. In addition to the shoulder ailment, back, finger, quad and hip injuries impacted Carpenter at various points in 2017, but he managed to appear in 145 games and reach the 20-homer mark for the third straight season.

McCutchen (foot) is starting in center field and batting third in Sunday's game against the Nationals, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

McCutchen was a late scratch from Saturday's contest due to some left foot discomfort, but after a day of rest, he's ready to rejoin the Pirates' starting lineup. He'll look to end his strong 2017 campaign on a positive note in the season's final game.

McCutchen was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup with left foot discomfort, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He fouled a ball off his foot in Friday's game and is day-to-day on the final weekend of the season. Starling Marte moves over to center field while Jordan Luplow enters the lineup in left field, hitting cleanup.

Ozuna is out of Saturday's lineup against the Braves, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Despite being scorching hot at the plate (.458/.527/.708 with three home runs over his last 48 at-bats), Ozuna will take a seat in the penultimate game of the year. Derek Dietrich will start in left field and hit sixth.

Harper is in the lineup but will likely only play six or seven innings during Friday's game against the Pirates, The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo reports.

In addition, manager Dusty Baker stated that Harper is unlikely to play all nine innings of any game this weekend while he continues to work his way back from a knee injury. Harper was activated from the disabled list Tuesday, and played two straight games before taking the day off for Thursday's series opener.

Stanton went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored during Thursday's win over Atlanta.

Baseball fans and fantasy owners have wondered for some time what Stanton was capable of in a healthy season. The answer is a historic campaign. Stanton is now up to 59 homers, 129 RBI and 121 runs with a .280/.376/.636 slash line, and he has three more games on the schedule to beef up his numbers.

Carpenter (shoulder) has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals were officially eliminated from postseason contention Thursday, and with that, Carpenter will shut it down and look ahead to 2018. He has been playing through chronic shoulder pain for a while and the team will check in on the condition of his shoulder with another MRI on Friday. Carpenter said he's confident that he will be able to avoid surgery.

Harper is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Harper, who returned from a long-term knee injury earlier in the week, is apparently feeling a little sore after playing in back-to-back games, so he'll get the day off as the Nationals play it safe with him ahead of the playoffs. According to manager Dusty Baker, Harper's soreness is nothing to worry about and he expects the outfielder to play in the final three games of the regular season over the weekend, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports. Meanwhile, Victor Robles will start in right field and bat second in his place Thursday.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Giants.

The home run was Martinez's 45th of the season and 16th of September, tying the National League record established in 1949 by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. During the month-long heater, Martinez is slashing .418/.455/1.022 with 36 RBI and 26 runs, likely swinging the tide in many fantasy matchups down the stretch.