MLB Player News

The Pirates are expected to keep McCutchen on the bench for both Wednesday and Thursday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Including Monday's off day, that would give the center fielder four full days of rest prior to Friday's home game against Cincinnati. Pittsburgh has to hope the time away gives McCutchen enough of a break to reset both on the field and off -- he was critical of the team's recent deadline deals.

As expected, Cespedes is hitting third as the designated hitter for the Mets on Wednesday.

Manager Terry Collins indicated on Tuesday that Cespedes would be the Mets' DH as they face the Yankees and Tigers on the road the next five games. This will give more time for Cespedes to rest his quad in the coming days.

McCutchen is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Braves, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

McCutchen, who's gone just 4-for-21 (.190) over the last seven days, will sit out his second consecutive game. The Pirates will go with an outfield lineup of Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, and Matt Joyce as they take on Rob Whalen and the Braves.

Harper (illness) is back in the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Harper was scratched from the lineup Tuesday due to illness, but he'll be back at his usual spot in right field Wednesday. The reigning NL MVP hasn't homered since July 20, and his season average has sunk to .235 after he ended last season with a .330 mark.

Belt went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's 13-8 loss to Philadelphia.

Belt's fifth-inning blast tied the game at six, but it wasn't enough as the Phillies surprisingly continued to pour it on offensively. While this was just his second homer since June 19, the first baseman has shown increased signs of life since being moved down from third to sixth in the batting order on July 26. He's still slugging a career-high .489 despite the recent power outage.

Cespedes, who is to serve as the designated hitter the next five days for the Mets, felt some pain in his quad running to first on a pinch-hit single Tuesday but is expected to play Wednesday, Matt Ehalt of the Record reports.

Cespedes said the pain went away when he was in the dugout after the at-bat Tuesday. He added that the "Problem is once I take a couple days off I feel better. Once I go full speed is when the pain starts." Cespedes is still expected to be the DH on Wednesday, but that could change if the pain lingers.

Dickerson (hip) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers.

An outfield collision Friday left Dickerson with a bruised hip and led to a three-game absence, but he will return Tuesday to face right-hander Zach Davies. Dickerson has been excellent since his return to the majors in late June, going 22-for-75 (.293 average) with five homers, 13 RBI and seven strikeouts. He's making contact at an 86.8 percent clip with the big club this year (11.1 percent strikeout rate).

Harper has been scratched from Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks with an illness, Masn.com's Mark Zuckerman reports.

Harper has been in a tailspin, having not homered since July 20, but he did get on-base three times in Monday's romp over Arizona and scored thrice.

McCutchen is not in the Pirates starting lineup on Tuesday against the Braves.

McCutchen is hitting just .211 with 11 strikeouts over his last 38 at-bats. He will take a seat as Matt Joyce gets a start in the outfield on Tuesday. Expect McCutchen back in the lineup on Wednesday for the Pirates at Turner Field.

Cespedes will serve as the designated hitter the next five days for the Mets, Mets beat writer Matt Ehalt reports.

Cespedes, who is being slowed by a quad injury, will get time off in the field while the Mets head for road interleague play against the Yankees and Tigers. This is good news for Cespedes owners as it looks like he will avoid the disabled list for the time being.