MLB Player News

Reyes is not in the lineup Thursday against the Rockies.

Reyes will head to the bench for a breather after starting nine straight games, slashing an impressive .364/.500/.682 with two homers over that stretch. Travis Jankowski is starting in right field and leading off in this one.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Pederson will take his usual seat on the bench with a left-hander in Robbie Ray starting for the opposition. Chris Taylor will man center field and hit sixth in his stead.

Carpenter (illness) is back in Thursday's lineup at third base for the series finale against Pittsburgh.

Carpenter won't miss any additional time after leaving Wednesday's contest due to nausea in the fourth inning. Dating back to the start of the second half, Carpenter has hit .299/.417/.681 with 15 home runs and 28 RBI. With Jedd Gyorko (groin) on the DL, look for Carpenter to receive a few starts at the hot corner in order to get Matt Adams in the lineup.

Even though Buxton is hitting 18-for-48 (.375) with nine extra-base hits since being activated from the DL at Triple-A Rochester, he may not be called up to the majors when rosters expand in September. "Our focus should exclusively be on what we think is the best for Byron long-term, and that's where it's going to be," Derek Falvey, the Twins' chief baseball officer, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Buxton has had an injury-plagued season that included missing time due to migraines, a broken toe and a wrist injury. He's finally starting to play better at Triple-A and the Twins may want him to finish the season on a run of success. Keeping Buxton in the minors would keep his service time below the threshold where he'd be a free agent after the 2022 season rather than 2021. Falvey said service time was not a consideration for calling him up, however. Buxton could be an impact fantasy player in September due to his speed on the bases, but it's not a given he'll be with the Twins.

Carpenter exited Wednesday's game against the Pirates due to nausea.

Carpenter walked in both of his plate appearances before exiting in the fourth inning. Matt Adams took over at first base. Carpenter should be considered day-to-day.

Pederson is out of the lineup versus Texas on Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Pederson will hit the bench with lefty Mike Minor on the mound for the opposition. Matt Kemp, Enrique Hernandez and Yasiel Puig will serve as the Dodgers' starting outfielders.

Harper, who is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Phillies and was pulled in the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday's game, has been battling a cold recently, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

This doesn't sound like a serious illness, and he may have just been replaced in Tuesday's game with the Nationals protecting a 5-3 lead and Michael Taylor offering a defensive upgrade with the assumption the team wouldn't bat again. Unless there is another issue that has not been reported, it would be surprising if Harper wasn't back in the lineup at home against the Brewers on Friday. The Nationals have an off day Thursday.

Harper is not in the lineup against Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Harper will take a seat after going 0-for-3 with a walk, three strikeouts and one run scored during Tuesday's victory. This appears to be a standard day off for the outfielder, though he did deal with a minor illness this past weekend. In his absence, Michael Taylor will start in center field. Expect Harper back in the lineup for Friday's series opener versus the Brewers.

Carpenter went 2-for-5 with a run in a win over the Pirates on Tuesday.

Carpenter had allowed NL pitchers a brief respite during a recent slump, but no more Mr. Nice Guy -- he's 7-for-13 with four doubles, two RBI and three runs over his last three games. The veteran infielder is having a "down month" in batting average (.260) compared to his incandescent July (.333), but he's offset the downturn with a .383 on-base percentage, .583 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 14 RBI.

Choi is out of the lineup for the second straight day Wednesday in Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi can play first base, but has appeared exclusively as a designated hitter since joining the Rays. Wednesday is the second game in a two-game series, so Choi could return to the lineup Friday in Cleveland.