MLB Player News
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Sits versus lefty Sunday
Pederson is not in the lineup Sunday against the Giants, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.
With Madison Bumgarner toeing the rubber for San Francisco, Pederson will retreat to the bench to avoid the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Enrique Hernandez will take over in center field for the evening.
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Giancarlo Stanton DH | NYY
Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton: Sits out Sunday
Stanton is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.
The Marlins will look to complete their four-game sweep of the Reds without their star right fielder, as Stanton will receive his first day of rest since July 6. Ichiro Suzuki will take over in right field, batting seventh.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Diamondbacks' J.D. Martinez: Powers up again Saturday
Martinez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Cardinals.
Martinez is only batting .207 since joining the Diamondbacks, but with five of his six hits going for home runs, he's provided the power boost the team was expecting when it acquired him from the Tigers on July 18. He should continue to receive plenty of run-producing opportunities with on-base machines David Peralta, A.J. Pollock, Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt regularly batting in front of him.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Remains out Saturday
Belt (wrist) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Belt will miss a second consecutive game while he recovers from a sore wrist and will be replaced by Jae-Gyun Hwang for Saturday's matinee. He should be considered day-to-day for the time being.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Goes deep for second time in four games
McCutchen went 2-for-3 with his 19th homer Friday against the Padres.
He's cooled off since the All-Star break, slashing .250/.373/.396 with two homers and three stolen bases, but he's still had a strong year. The nine steals have been a pleasant surprise after McCutchen stole only six bags in 13 attempts last year, and his .890 OPS in 2017 is his highest since 2014. The odds of Pittsburgh moving McCutchen prior to the deadline have increased somewhat, given the team's recent slide, but it's still unlikely a trade happens prior to the offseason.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Scratched with wrist soreness
Belt was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Dodgers with wrist soreness, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports.
Belt missed two games earlier this month with the problem and it appears to have cropped up again prior to Friday's contest. The lefty is having his best month of the season at the plate, hitting .264 with an .828 OPS, so hopefully it's nothing that will require an extensive loss of playing time. Buster Posey takes his spot at first base Friday, allowing Nick Hundley to fill in behind the plate.
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J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Diamondbacks' J.D. Martinez: Slams D-backs to win over Cards
Martinez went 1-for-4 with a grand slam during Thursday's win over St. Louis.
Arizona and fantasy owners have to be thrilled with Martinez's recent outburst with the Diamondbacks. He's now hit four homers and drove in 11 runs through his past four games, and there's no reason to doubt him continuing his year-long offensive binge. Chase Field is a great hitting environment, and batting behind Paul Goldschmidt -- and his .439 on-base percentage -- is a cushy fantasy setup.
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Nationals' Bryce Harper: Homers twice in Thursday's blowout
Harper clubbed two homers in a 3-for-5 showing Thursday against the Brewers.
The superstar was lifted after six innings of utter dominance by the Nationals, but Harper managed to leave his mark with a two-run home run in the first inning and a solo shot in the third. He also added an RBI double, helping him drive in four runs total. Harper now has a .338 batting average, 27 homers, 79 RBI and 86 runs scored on the season, keeping him in the upper echelon of hitters in the league.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Goes yard Wednesday
Pederson went 1-for-3 with his 11th home run of the season in Wednesday's win over the Twins.
The 25-year-old slugger has been on a power binge since returning from the disabled list June 13, slashing .282/.393/.631 with nine homers over the 36-game span. Pederson's slow and injury-plagued start to the season is in the rear-view mirror, and he is now performing like the power threat many envisioned when he was drafted at the beginning of the year. Don't let his pedestrian .240/.351/.471 triple slash fool you -- he has been valuable enough over the last month-plus to be startable in almost any fantasy format.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Reaches base three times Wednesday
Carpenter went 2-for-5 with a walk, a double, a run scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Rockies.
The All-Star break seems to have done wonders for the 31-year-old, as Carpenter is slashing .333/.388/.444 in his last 12 games. His homerless streak now stands at 26 games, but if he continues his recent surge it's only a matter of time until he puts another ball over the fence.