MLB Player News

Dickerson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Giants.

Dickerson has acted as the primary left fielder for the Padres since being called up to the big leagues, but he'll take a day off with a host of players coming up from Triple-A following the conclusion of the Pacific Coast League playoffs. Travis Jankowski will slide over to left field to fill in for him while Manny Margot enters the lineup in center field.

Stanton is in the lineup Thursday against the Braves, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Stanton sat out Wednesday, but will return to the lineup Thursday evening. Prior to sitting out Wednesday, Stanton had hit home runs in two consecutive games.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with his 24th homer Wednesday against the Brewers.

He's now hit safely in nine straight, going 15-for-39 (.385) with four homers and 13 RBI in that span -- vintage McCutchen production that we haven't often seen this season. It's probably too little, too late for fantasy owners who have been burned by the 29-year-old outfielder this year, but if he can carry this hot streak to the regular season's conclusion, he'll certainly raise his stock for next year. After all, McCutchen's still too young for the sort of precipitous decline he's had this season to be considered the new normal.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

With a lefty on the hill for San Francisco, the Dodgers will use a primarily right-handed lineup and leave Pederson on the bench. Enrique Hernandez wil take over in center field and bat seventh in place of Pederson.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

Belt struggled through the months of July and August but appears to have regained formed in September with a .405 on-base percentage and 10 RBI in 17 games. He is never going to be an exciting fantasy commodity to own due to his patient approach at the plate, but like fellow first baseman Eric Hosmer, Belt is usually a lock for 15-20 homers with a plus on-base percentage over the course of a full season.

Stanton is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Stanton homered in each of the Marlins' last two games, but he also started back-to-back days for the first time in over a month, so manager Don Mattingly decided to hold him out Wednesday. Stanton is presumably able to pinch hit, but he will open on the bench while Ichiro Suzuki gets the nod in right field.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a two-run double Tuesday against the Brewers.

Since returning from a three-game benching at the beginning of August, McCutchen is hitting .283/.386/.476 with eight homers and 31 RBI in 197 plate appearances. His 29:29 BB:K is in stark contrast to the 35:107 he posted prior to August. The outfielder will look for a more complete rebound in 2017 at age 30.

Blackmon homered and scored twice in a 1-for-3 game with a walk Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Blackmon extended his hitting streak to nine games, now including four home runs to go with three doubles and two triples. He was already having a career year before this streak. Tuesday's performance pushed Blackmon's line up to .320/.380/.555 as he is establishing himself as a potential All-Star heading into 2017.

Stanton went 1-for-2 with a walk and a home run in a 1-0 win over the Nationals on Tuesday.

Stanton provided all the offense for the Marlins as they managed just three hits all night off Tanner Roark and the Nationals. It's Stanton's second straight day with a home run, bringing his total to 27 on the season to match his total from last year, although that was accomplished in just 74 games.

Harper has been dealing with an ailing shoulder/neck for the past two months, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci reports.

Since the start of July (approximately when the injury occurred, according to Verducci's report), Harper has hit .227/.344/.391 with eight home runs in 270 plate appearances, so his lack of production over that span certainly seems to back up the report that he is playing hurt. Manager Dusty Baker took issue with Verducci's report Tuesday, but that should not come as a surprise, as Baker has been tight-lipped about Harper's status all season and he was likely upset that Verducci found a source close to Harper who was willing to talk. Assuming this report is accurate, it goes a long way toward explaining Harper's struggles this year, which is good news for his owners in keeper leagues but bad news for anyone expecting him to turn things around over the final two weeks of the season.