MLB Player News

Soler (toe) took some at-bats against Ian Kennedy in a simulated game Friday, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

Soler has been shut down since June 17 with a left toe fracture. It's positive news that he's hitting against live pitching, as this likely means he's almost ready for a rehab stint. More news on his progress should surface as Soler nears a return from the disabled list.

Canha is not in the lineup against the Twins on Thursday.

Canha will head back to the bench for the fourth time in the past six contests as Ramon Laureano gets another start in the outfield. At this point, Canha appears to have lost his grasp as a regular starter with manager Bob Melvin preferring an outfield composed of Nick Martini, Stephen Piscotty and Laureano.

Brantley is not in the lineup against Boston on Thursday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley will head to the bench with southpaw David Price on the bump for the Red Sox. In his place, Melky Cabrera will man left field while Brandon Guyer draws another start in right.

McCutchen will man right field and bat atop the order against the Mets on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McCutchen was held out of the lineup Wednesday amid rumors that he could be on his way out of town after being placed on revocable waivers earlier this week. According to Robert Murray of The Athletic Wisconsin, McCutchen wasn't claimed, which will allow the Giants to engage any of the other 29 clubs in a trade rather than having to negotiate with one team exclusively. The Giants' decision to reinsert McCutchen in the lineup for the series finale suggests a trade probably isn't imminent just yet, but the outfielder could be sent elsewhere within the next few days. Over 123 games this season, the 31-year-old has hit .255/.353/.412 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

Harper went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Phillies.

The slugger showcased some of his other talents in this one, beating the shift with a bunt in the first inning and then swiping his 11th bag of the season in the fourth. Harper's posted five multi-hit performances in his last seven games, and he's now rung up a spectacular .385/.442/.679 slash line through 20 games in August with five homers, 14 runs, 17 RBI and three steals.

Carpenter struck out in all four of his at-bats Wednesday in the Cardinals' 3-1 win over the Dodgers.

After going 3-for-5 and connecting on his 34th home run of the season in the series opener, Carpenter received a breather Tuesday. The time off evidently didn't prove helpful, as the four strikeouts were a season high for the infielder. Though Carpenter has been one of the majors' top hitters since mid-May, he's fallen into a bit of a slump in the second half of August. Not including his big performance Monday, Carpenter has recorded only one hit over his most recent seven starts, resulting in a 10-point drop in his batting average over that stretch.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Pederson provided the Dodgers' only hit against Jack Flaherty and their lone run on the night with his long ball in the sixth. While Pederson has struggled somewhat since the All-Star break -- he came into Wednesday's game batting .232/.281/.476 since the intermission -- he still has respectable numbers overall and should continue to lead off against right-handed pitching.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a stolen base, a run scored and a strikeout in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

Blackmon led off the home half of the first with a single before singling again later for a second straight multi-hit day. The stolen base was just the seventh of the year in 11 attempts for the 32-year-old who swiped 43 bags as recently as 2015. Though the speed aspect of his game has diminished, he's the National League leader with 91 runs scored. Blackmon is hitting just .208 over 77 at-bats in August, but he maintains a .276/.343/.474 slash line on the year.

Ohtani is not in the lineup Wednesday against Arizona.

Ohtani has been strictly a designated hitter on the offensive side of the ball with the Angels, and with the series being played in a National League park, there's no room for him in the lineup. Wednesday's contest is the second game of a two-game series, so he'll have a chance to return to the lineup Friday against the Astros.

Ozuna was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to right shoulder inflammation prior to Wednesday's game.

Ozuna has been battling shoulder soreness for a majority of this season, though it hasn't impacted him much at the plate lately, as he's hitting .321 with an .862 OPS since the start of the month. He will receive a little time off to recover and will be eligible to return Sept. 1 against the Reds.