MLB Player News

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen received a day off Thursday against the Brewers to deal with a left knee injury, which manager Clint Hurdle said has been bothering the All-Star outfielder for 5-6 days.

"We’ve been talking about a day off for the past four or five days," Hurdle said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Last night, we decided today would be a good day off."

Hurdle added, however, he is only expecting McCutchen to miss one game. He said McCutchen will be in the lineup Friday unless he "misses the flight."

McCutchen is batting .382 (21 for 55) with two home runs, five doubles, eight RBI, eight runs, eight walks, 10 strikeouts and one stolen base in his last 15 games.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was able to start Thursday against the Braves after being removed from Wednesday's game due to left glute tightness.

Harper is batting .370 (17 for 46) with one home run, six doubles, five RBI, nine runs, 12 walks, 11 strikeouts and one stolen base in his last 14 games.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner played through a hand injury Wednesday against the Giants after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning.

“It got the tip of my pinkie and didn’t have feeling in it for a couple of innings, but I took some X-rays right away and everything’s good,” Turner said, per the Los Angeles Times.

Turner remained confident after the game he would be able to play Thursday against the Padres.

“It was numb but I knew right away there wasn’t anything broken,” he said.

What is being described as left glute tightness has prompted the removal of Nationals slugger Bryce Harper from the Wednesday game in St. Louis, according to MLB.com.

Harper was replaced in the field at the bottom of the fourth inning. The team has yet to reveal the seriousness of the issue or a timetable for his return to action.

Nationals slugger Bryce Harper was pulled from the game Wednesday night in St. Louis for reasons not yet revealed.

Harper did not run out a popout leading off the fourth and was replaced in the bottom of the inning, but it remains to be seen if that was the motivation for Matt Williams to take him out.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is expected to test out his surgically repaired wrist by swinging a bat on Wednesday. 

If Stanton reports no issues, he could play in a rehab game for Class A Jupiter on Wednesday night, according to MLB.com. 

Stanton, of course, has been sidelined for over two months with a broken wrist. The team had been hopeful for his return on Friday, but there has been no word as to whether that will happen or not.

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf drove in a season-high six runs to help send the Phillies to a 14-8 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

Ruf went 3 for 5 at the plate with six RBI and two runs scored. His biggest hit came in the third when he connected for a three-run shot off Jonathon Niese.

Hope that Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton can return by his Friday target date has faded, per MLB.com.

Stanton said Tuesday he felt "not 100 percent."

A broken hand has prevented Stanton from playing since June 26. He has not played in any rehab games.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes stayed red-hot at the plate on Thursday, as he connected on a two-run home run in the 9-5 win over the Phillies. Cespedes' home run came in the fifth inning, as the Mets stormed back to erase a five-run deficit.

The home run was Cespdes' only hit of the night, but it was his eighth longball since coming to the Mets at the July 31 trade deadline. Perhaps even more impressively, over his last eight games, Cespedes is batting .350 with six home runs and 15 RBI. He has certainly been a catalyst for the Mets' recent upswing.

Andrew McCutchen had a big night at the plate for the Pirates, driving in four runs to help his team cruise to a victory over the Marlins. 

McCutchen got the Pirates on the board with a first-inning double and followed that with a three-run homer in the second as Pittsburgh opened a 7-1 lead. McCutchen now has five home runs and 19 RBIs in August. 

With his 20th home run, McCutchen has now reached that benchmark in five straight seasons.