MLB Player News

Martinez will make his inaugural appearance for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night against the Reds. He'll bat fifth and play right field.

Martinez will slot right into the heart of the Diamondbacks' order that seems to closely resemble their regular lineup moving forward. He's sandwiched between Paul Goldschmidt and Chris Owings, which should help the slugging outfielder to rack up the counting stats in the hitter's haven known as Chase Field.

Pederson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox.

As has been the trend all season, Pederson will head to the bench with a left-handed pitcher (Carlos Rodon) taking the hill for Chicago. Trayce Thompson will man center field in his stead, but look for Pederson to slot back into the lineup when the Dodgers play Atlanta on Thursday.

Harper will sit Wednesday against the Angels, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

It's a disappointing off day for baseball fans, as many were excited to see a second night of the Trout vs. Harper battle. Instead, Harper will get the night off a day after going 4-for-4 and falling a double short of the cycle.

Belt (wrist) went hitless with three strikeouts and a walk in Tuesday's game against Cleveland.

Belt had missed the previous two games with a sprained wrist after being scratched from Sunday's game against San Diego. He will resume his duties at first base looking to improve on his .242 average at the plate now that he's back.

Harper went 4-for-4 with a triple, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

Round one of this week's marquee showdown with Mike Trout went to the Nationals' slugger. Harper now has four homers in his last five games and has already matched last season's total with 24 blasts through 86 contests.

Carpenter went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run against the Mets on Tuesday.

Uncharacteristically a .231 hitter through his first 80 games of 2017, Carpenter has heated up in a big way lately, racking up 14 hits in his last 31 at-bats (.452), including five doubles -- pulling his average up to a more respectable .253. At the same time, he hasn't hit a home run since June 24; in that interim, he's posted an 18.8 percent walk rate and an 8.8 percent strikeout rate, suggesting that Carpenter may be making a conscious decision to put the ball in play more and pull up his average rather than trying to jack it out of the yard.

Martinez was traded to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in exchange for Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara and Jose King.

Shortly after word of the trade broke, the two team confirmed the deal, with the Tigers releasing an updated lineup with Alex Presley in right. Martinez is a free agent after this season, so he's just a rental, but he boosts the already-scary Diamondbacks offense to a new level. The move from a pitcher-friendly home park to one of the more hitter-friendly parks in the league could result in even more power than we've seen from the 29-year-old.

Belt (wrist) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Indians, batting third and playing first base, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt was available as a defensive replacement Monday night, so it isn't too surprising to see him back in the lineup Tuesday. He'll resume his normal spot in the order as he looks to build on his .244/.352/.470 slash line.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in Monday's win over the Reds.

The homer was his third in four games since the All-Star break and 23rd of the year. Harper's also reached base in 20 consecutive games, slashing .390/.500/.662 over that stretch with five home runs, 17 RBI and 20 runs. The only disappointing thing about the 24-year-old superstar's campaign has been his two steals in four attempts, but when you're posting a 1.048 OPS, there's little reason to risk injury on the basepaths.

Winker was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Only one of the Reds' starters (Luis Castillo) during the team's recently completed four-game series with the Nationals was able to cover more than 4.1 innings, so Lisalverto Bonilla was recalled from Triple-A to give an overworked bullpen an extra arm. Winker, who had started just one of seven games since being recalled from Louisville, was a luxury the Reds could no longer afford to keep on the active roster, so he'll clear a spot for Bonilla and return to the minors to pick up everyday at-bats. Winker should rank as one of the top candidates for a promotion when the Reds next require an additional bench bat or a spare outfielder.