MLB Player News

McCutchen was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion after X-rays came back negative, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCutchen was lifted from Wednesday's contest after getting hit in the elbow by a pitch, but it appears that nothing serious occurred as a result of the incident. Consider him day-to-day for now as he eyes a return to the lineup Friday following the team's off day Thursday.

McCutchen was removed from Wednesday's game against the Padres with an apparent injury.

He was hit on the elbow with a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning. While he was originally able to stay in the game for the next inning, the veteran outfielder was replaced by Gregor Blanco prior to the fourth inning. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Harper will lead off and play right field for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Harper will remain in the top spot after going 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk during Tuesday's contest as the leadoff hitter. It remains to be seen whether Harper will continue spending time in this position for the foreseeable future, but either way, the outfielder is a near lock to produce.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

Carpenter's home run -- his third of the year -- came in the ninth inning off White Sox closer Joakim Soria with the Cardinals trailing by one. It was Carpenter's first home run since April 10, and it was only his fourth multi-hit game this season. The 32-year-old is sporting an ugly .170 average, but is keeping his on-base percentage above .300 thanks to 19 walks on the year. Carpenter is a career .274 hitter, so the hits figure to come with a little patience.

Cespedes went 3-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Braves.

Cespedes was responsible for the only run the Mets were able to muster off Mike Soroka, who was making his major-league debut. It appears that he is suffering no ill-effects from a thumb injury that was expected to cause him to miss time. However, he didn't miss a game and continued to swing a hot bat, hitting his seventh home run of the season and extending his hitting streak to seven games.

Blackmon went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run Tuesday against the Cubs.

Blackmon hit his 10th home run of the season to remain among the league leaders in the category. After hitting 24 of his 37 home runs at home last season, this was already his ninth on the road through just 64 at-bats. His production may not slow as the Rockies have played just 12 of their 31 games at home to this point.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, two runs and a walk Tuesday against the Pirates.

Harper, who assumed leadoff duties Tuesday, had been in a bit of a power drought recently, with his last extra-base hit coming over two weeks ago on April 16. He's also seen his batting average plummet 65 points during that cold stretch to a pedestrian .250 mark. Despite his relative lack of hits, the star slugger still owns a truly elite .459 on-base percentage as one of the most feared hitters in the majors.

Turner (wrist) won't begin a rehab assignment over the coming weekend, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Turner's condition has steadily improved, as he recently reached the point that he was hitting off a tee. The Dodgers will be cautious with Turner and hold off on sending him on a rehab assignment until they're certain that he's ready. While it's not out of the question for Turner to return around the middle of May, he'll need to play in a few minor-league games before joining the big club.

Winker is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers.

Winker's absence from the lineup is baffling, as the Reds are facing a right-hander in Chase Anderson and Winker is batting .305 with a team-best .414 on-base percentage this season (yes, even better than Joey Votto's mark). Unfortunately, it seems interim manager Jim Riggleman will continue with this outfield rotation for the time being instead of seeing what Winker can do with everyday playing time.

Cespedes is in the lineup Tuesday against the Braves, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cespedes won't end up missing a single start with the thumb injury he suffered Sunday against the Padres. He'll bat third and play left field. The veteran slugger has seen his strikeout rate double this year, jumping from 19 percent last season to 38.1 percent. The strikeouts have killed his batting average, which sits at just .233 after being .280 or above in each of the last three seasons.