MLB Player News

Martinez (illness) is starting in right field and batting fifth for Saturday's game against the Twins.

Martinez is ready to resume his duties in right field after missing Friday's game due to an illness. The 29-year-old, who is slashing .239/.337/.580 with eight homers in 25 games with the Diamondbacks, will face Jose Berrios in his return to the lineup.

Pederson was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Saturday's game against the Tigers, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson has struggled mightily since the All-Star break -- slashing .156/.253/.312 with two homers in 28 games -- and he isn't necessarily needed at the big-league level with the recent acquisition of Curtis Granderson, so the Dodgers decided to send him back to the minors to straighten himself out. "For Joc to take a breath in OKC will be good for him," manager Dave Roberts said. He should be back with the Dodgers once rosters expand in September, while the Dodgers will trot out an outfield combination of Granderson, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig moving forward.

Pederson, who is out of Saturday's lineup, is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers just acquired Curtis Granderson from the Mets, and from an offensive perspective, Granderson is basically a better version of Pederson -- he can handle righties and can't hit lefties. Defensively, Chris Taylor is getting the start in center field against righty Michael Fulmer on Saturday, with Granderson getting the start in left. Pederson is slashing .215/.329/.418 this season and has been worth 0.4 fWAR in 295 plate appearances.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Braves.

Scott Schebler's return from the DL will cut into Winker's playing time, but the rookie has done what he can to convince Reds manager Bryan Price that he deserves a regular spot in the starting lineup, posting a .298/.412/.474 slash line with three homers in 20 games since the All-Star break.

Friday's acquisition of Curtis Granderson could cut into Pederson's playing time in center, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers made a waiver deal to acquire Granderson from the Mets, and Pederson would likely see the largest cut in playing time to get the veteran's bat into the lineup. Both players bring similar skill sets to the table as high-strikeout, high-power center fielders. Manager Dave Roberts hasn't laid out his plans for Granderson going forward, but Pederson will surely have to snap out of his current 2-for-41 (.049) slump in order remain a regular in the lineup.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk Friday against the Pirates.

Carpenter hit his 16th homer to extend the Cardinals' lead to four runs in the second inning of a divisional win. He's been struggling for much of August, and while he owns a somewhat-passable .448 slugging percentage, his .249 batting average is a negative for fantasy managers.

Martinez has been scratched from Friday's lineup against Minnesota with an illness, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

This will be the first game Martinez has missed in a solid August, in which he owns a .250/.364/.518 line with eight RBI and as many extra-base hits. Look for him to return to the lineup shortly; in the meantime, Brandon Drury will replace him in the lineup.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a double during Thursday's contest against the Cardinals.

He recorded his 11th three-hit game of the season and his first since late July. The center fielder is now slashing .291/.384./.515 and has convincingly bounced back to his pre-2016 levels. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that he is 10-for-13 on stolen-base attempts, proving the preseason talk of his demise as a base-stealer to be premature.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored during Thursday's loss to Atlanta.

With 28 homers, 76 RBI and 111 runs, Blackmon is closing in on posting career-best marks in all three categories. Additionally maintaining his .335/.396/.620 slash line would also result in career highs in all three columns. Considering he has three home games ahead, it wouldn't be surprising to see a few personal bests achieved over the weekend.

Belt (concussion) is set to begin light conditioning work Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

This is a significant step for Belt as he works his way back from a concussion that has kept him out since early August. Friday marks Belt's first workout since the concussion, according to Pavlovic. Considering that cardio work is a large indicator of a player's recovery progress, Friday's workout should shed some light on Belt's status moving forward.