MLB Player News

McCutchen (heel) will return to the lineup Monday according to manager Clint Hurdle, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

McCutchen's ailment must have proven to be minor, as he'll return to action after just one day off. He'll presumably return to center field for the afternoon matchup against the Cardinals.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo shot, his 17th home run of the season, in Sunday's blowout win over the Reds.

Despite the blast, he actually lost the team HR lead to, of all people, Danny Espinosa after the shortstop hit two more homers of his own Sunday. Harper's coming out of his slump, though, hitting .391 (9-for-23) over his last six games with two HR and five RBI, and it's just a matter of time before he surges ahead of Espinosa once again.

Updating a previous report, Belt will get the starting nod in left field Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Belt was originally scheduled to get the day off with left-hander Robbie Ray on the mound for Arizona, but the late scratch of Gregor Blanco (knee) resulted in a lineup reshuffle. Jarrett Parker will move from left field to center, while Belt is inserted in left to cover for him (Buster Posey is currently listed as the starting first baseman).

Belt is out of the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks, freelance writer Andrew Baggarly reports.

Belt has made three consecutive starts against left-handed pitching, but will sit on Sunday afternoon with southpaw Robbie Ray on the hill for Arizona. In his stead, Buster Posey will move from behind the plate to instead cover first base.

Updating a previous report, McCutchen is out of the lineup due to a heel injury, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

Although the injury isn't expected to be serious, it's logical to consider the fact that some discomfort may have played a role in McCutchen's recent struggles. He'll get the day off Sunday to rest the ailment, and should be considered day-to-day heading into Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals. In his stead Sunday, manager Clint Hurdle will start an outfield composed of Adam Frazier (left), Starling Marte (center) and Matt Joyce (right), while Gregory Polanco serves as the DH.

McCutchen is out of the lineup Sunday against the Athletics.

Even with the DH option possible while playing in an AL ballpark, McCutchen will get the day off while Starling Marte gets the nod in center field. The veteran received just two days off in the month of June, and with back-to-back day games on tap, the timing was right for a maintenance day Sunday. McCutchen batted just .202 in the month of June, but has so far hit safely in two July games.

Stanton is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Braves.

Ichiro Suzuki will take over in right field Saturday while Stanton gets the day off against a right-hander. Stanton went 1-for-6 with a strikeout in Friday's contest, dropping his average down to .219 on the season.

Carpenter is out of the lineup Saturday against the Brewers.

He is just getting a rest day Saturday after starting the last 16 games for the Redbirds. Carpenter may not look the part physically, but he has emerged as a bonafide superstar and is slashing .299/.422/.579 with 14 homers on the season. Greg Garcia will start at the hot corner and Kolten Wong will get the start at second base Saturday.

Cespedes went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, walk and two runs in Friday's 10-2 victory over the Cubs.

He's now gone deep in back-to-back games five times this season, and has hit safely in five straight, as well as nine of his last 10. Cespedes produced a stellar .315/.374/.494 line in June but only notched four round-trippers during the month, so seeing him start July off with a bomb has to put a smile on the face of his fantasy owners.

Ozuna went 4-for-6 with a homer, a run and four RBI Friday at the Braves.

Ozuna launched his 17th bomb of the year to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and he later broke open a 4-4 tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning. He now has five homers in his last 10 games to raise his slugging percentage to .567 on the year.