MLB Player News

Recurring headaches have Giants first baseman Brandon Belt sidelined from the Thursday game in Milwaukee. He had come out of the Wednesday game with the problem, though Bruce Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News on Thursday that "he's doing fine today" and that his absence from the lineup falls under the category of caution.

Bochy added that he didn't believe the headaches were related to a concussion. Belt struck out four times Wednesday before being removed.

Nationals manager Matt Williams said during Wednesday's pregame meeting with the media that outfielder Bryce Harper would not be sent to the minors in the midst of his struggles at the plate, masnsports.com reports.

"Bryce Harper is one of the guys on our team," Williams said. "He's a very important part of our team, just like everybody else is. Do we understand each other? It's not fair to the kid, it's not fair to the rest of the guys in that clubhouse to even think about sending Bryce Harper to the minor leagues to cause a stir. It's unacceptable. It won't happen. Is that good enough for you? Next? Thanks."

Harper has hit just .214 with two home runs and five RBI in 30 games since returning from the disabled list in late June.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (side) and second baseman Neil Walker (back) were held out of the starting lineup Wednesday vs. Miami. McCutchen missed a second straight game, while Walker missed his first.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper's struggles at the plate continued Tuesday against the Mets, as he went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Since returning from the disabled list June 30, Harper is batting .214 with two home runs and five RBI in 30 games.

Nationals manager Matt Williams was asked during his weekly radio spot Wednesday on 106.7 The Fan if it was a "terrible idea" to demote Harper to Triple-A to work on his swing.

"I don’t know," Williams said, per The Washington Post. "I don’t think it’s stupid. Generally, if you have young players, that’s what you do. But this guy is a special young player. We all know that. It’s different. I think he works hard every day. He’s the first one in the ballpark, generally, to get his day going. He’s grinding. We’re doing everything we can to get a good feel going in there and help him with his confidence and all that. It’s not easy, but any stretch. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea at this point to do that, because it’s completely different pitching. We all know the big difference between Triple A pitching and big league pitching. It’s probably more of an option to have him feel good here, get it back."

The Pirates announced Tuesday outfielder Andrew McCutchen suffered an avulsion fracture of cartilage near his left rib, but are not yet planning to place him on the disabled list.

 "We continue to evaluate Andrew’s progress and he will remain on the active roster," general manager Neal Huntington said. " We want to take the appropriate time to make the best possible decision for Andrew and for the Pirates."

McCutchen suffered the injury while swinging Sunday, one day after he was hit in the back by a pitch against the Diamondbacks. 

The Pirates are expected to place outfielder Andrew McCutchen on the 15-day disabled list, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He could miss 3-4 weeks due to an oblique injury, a source told the Post-Gazette.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen said that his X-rays didn't reveal anything, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

McCutchen was removed from Sunday's game with left side discomfort, and the team will know more about the extent of his injury Monday. He has hit .311/.411/.536 line with 17 home runs, 67 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 412 at-bats.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was removed from Sunday's game with left side discomfort, the team announced.

McCutchen delivered a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game, but he was seen clutching his side on his way back to the dugout. The team replaced him in the field in the bottom half of the inning. McCutchen went 1 for 2 with a walk and an RBI before exiting, and he now owns a .311/.411/.536 line with 17 home runs, 67 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 412 at-bats.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 9-0 win over the Mets Sunday.

Belt made his return from the disabled list Saturday with a two-hit performance and followed up one day later with his first home run since July 5. Off to a fast start in August after a sluggish July, Belt owns a .250/.312/.471 line with 11 home runs and 24 RBI in 172 at-bats.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has been activated off the 7-day concussion disabled list and is in the lineup Saturday night against the host Mets.

Belt, who has spent about half the season sidelined by injury, hopes to gather some momentum upin his return. He had four hits in his last 25 at-bats before going down.