MLB Player News

Pederson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox.

As has been the trend all season, Pederson will head to the bench with a left-handed pitcher (Carlos Rodon) taking the hill for Chicago. Trayce Thompson will man center field in his stead, but look for Pederson to slot back into the lineup when the Dodgers play Atlanta on Thursday.

Harper will sit Wednesday against the Angels, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

It's a disappointing off day for baseball fans, as many were excited to see a second night of the Trout vs. Harper battle. Instead, Harper will get the night off a day after going 4-for-4 and falling a double short of the cycle.

Choi was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Wednesday.

This move doesn't seem to be a result of Choi's performance this season. As the left-handed half of a platoon at first base, the 26-year-old went 4-for-18 with two home runs and five RBI. However, with Todd Frazier joining the Bronx Bombers, Chase Headley will move over to fill Choi's role at first base, leaving the latter without a role in the big leagues. He'll head back to the minors to provide organizational depth, although this strong showing (albeit in a small sample size) could create some intrigue while he's exposed to waivers.

Belt (wrist) went hitless with three strikeouts and a walk in Tuesday's game against Cleveland.

Belt had missed the previous two games with a sprained wrist after being scratched from Sunday's game against San Diego. He will resume his duties at first base looking to improve on his .242 average at the plate now that he's back.

Harper went 4-for-4 with a triple, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's win over the Angels.

Round one of this week's marquee showdown with Mike Trout went to the Nationals' slugger. Harper now has four homers in his last five games and has already matched last season's total with 24 blasts through 86 contests.

Carpenter went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run against the Mets on Tuesday.

Uncharacteristically a .231 hitter through his first 80 games of 2017, Carpenter has heated up in a big way lately, racking up 14 hits in his last 31 at-bats (.452), including five doubles -- pulling his average up to a more respectable .253. At the same time, he hasn't hit a home run since June 24; in that interim, he's posted an 18.8 percent walk rate and an 8.8 percent strikeout rate, suggesting that Carpenter may be making a conscious decision to put the ball in play more and pull up his average rather than trying to jack it out of the yard.

Martinez was traded to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in exchange for Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara and Jose King.

Shortly after word of the trade broke, the two team confirmed the deal, with the Tigers releasing an updated lineup with Alex Presley in right. Martinez is a free agent after this season, so he's just a rental, but he boosts the already-scary Diamondbacks offense to a new level. The move from a pitcher-friendly home park to one of the more hitter-friendly parks in the league could result in even more power than we've seen from the 29-year-old.

Belt (wrist) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Indians, batting third and playing first base, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt was available as a defensive replacement Monday night, so it isn't too surprising to see him back in the lineup Tuesday. He'll resume his normal spot in the order as he looks to build on his .244/.352/.470 slash line.

Martinez will be traded to the Diamondbacks, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

The two sides have not confirmed, and in fact Martinez is still listed as in Detroit's starting lineup for Tuesday, but terms of the deal have reportedly been finalized. Martinez has been incredible since returning from a foot injury in mid-May, slashing .305/.388/.630 with 16 homers in 57 games, and he should benefit from a big upgrade in home park and a better lineup around him.

Martinez (back) is starting in right field and hitting fifth Tuesday against the Royals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

He was lifted from Monday's game as a precaution with lower back tightness, but all appears to be well a day later. Martinez has been talked about as a high-end target at this year's trade deadline, and is hitting .317 with eight home runs over his last 39 games.