MLB Player News

Buxton went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and a solo home run Friday, scoring all three times he reached base in a 10-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

The homer, Buxton's eighth of the season, was an inside-the-park job that featured the fastest time of any player circling the bases (13.85 seconds) since Statcast began tracking in 2015. The center fielder is once again putting together a big finish to a campaign, slashing .345/.393/.582 with three home runs, five steals, 10 RBI and 12 runs through 17 games in August.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Braves.

Scott Schebler's return from the DL will cut into Winker's playing time, but the rookie has done what he can to convince Reds manager Bryan Price that he deserves a regular spot in the starting lineup, posting a .298/.412/.474 slash line with three homers in 20 games since the All-Star break.

Friday's acquisition of Curtis Granderson could cut into Pederson's playing time in center, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers made a waiver deal to acquire Granderson from the Mets, and Pederson would likely see the largest cut in playing time to get the veteran's bat into the lineup. Both players bring similar skill sets to the table as high-strikeout, high-power center fielders. Manager Dave Roberts hasn't laid out his plans for Granderson going forward, but Pederson will surely have to snap out of his current 2-for-41 (.049) slump in order remain a regular in the lineup.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk Friday against the Pirates.

Carpenter hit his 16th homer to extend the Cardinals' lead to four runs in the second inning of a divisional win. He's been struggling for much of August, and while he owns a somewhat-passable .448 slugging percentage, his .249 batting average is a negative for fantasy managers.

Martinez has been scratched from Friday's lineup against Minnesota with an illness, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

This will be the first game Martinez has missed in a solid August, in which he owns a .250/.364/.518 line with eight RBI and as many extra-base hits. Look for him to return to the lineup shortly; in the meantime, Brandon Drury will replace him in the lineup.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a double during Thursday's contest against the Cardinals.

He recorded his 11th three-hit game of the season and his first since late July. The center fielder is now slashing .291/.384./.515 and has convincingly bounced back to his pre-2016 levels. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that he is 10-for-13 on stolen-base attempts, proving the preseason talk of his demise as a base-stealer to be premature.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored during Thursday's loss to Atlanta.

With 28 homers, 76 RBI and 111 runs, Blackmon is closing in on posting career-best marks in all three categories. Additionally maintaining his .335/.396/.620 slash line would also result in career highs in all three columns. Considering he has three home games ahead, it wouldn't be surprising to see a few personal bests achieved over the weekend.

Buxton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Thursday's loss to Cleveland in the afternoon game of their doubleheader.

The center fielder also scored a run in the second game of day, and now sports a .234/.305/.334 slash line for the season. Until Buxton can cut down his strikeout percentage (29.5), it'll be difficult for him to live up to his potential. This could prove to be a buy-low opportunity, as he's still just 23 years old and owns the power-speed upside coveted in all fantasy settings.

Belt (concussion) is set to begin light conditioning work Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

This is a significant step for Belt as he works his way back from a concussion that has kept him out since early August. Friday marks Belt's first workout since the concussion, according to Pavlovic. Considering that cardio work is a large indicator of a player's recovery progress, Friday's workout should shed some light on Belt's status moving forward.

Goins (forearm) will not miss any time after exiting Wednesday's contest, remaining in the lineup for the series finale against Tampa Bay on Thursday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Goins will start at shortstop and bat eighth just a day after getting spiked in his left forearm while attempting to steal a base during the sixth inning of Wednesday's game. His X-rays didn't reveal any structural damage, and manager John Gibbons elects to keep Goins in the lineup for the divisional contest.