MLB Player News

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk and two runs Thursday in Philadelphia.

McCutchen, Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco supplied almost all of the offense in this 6-3 win, finishing with a combined nine hits and six runs scored. This was his fifth multi-hit performance in nine games since being moved from sixth to third in the batting order, and the 2013 NL MVP also has eight extra-base hits over that span. The recent uptick in performance has raised McCutchen's season line to .289/.375/.520.

Ford is dealing with hamstring tightness and will be further evaluated Friday, Conor Foley of The Times-Tribune reports.

The club is hoping that Ford will not require a stint on the disabled list, but manager Al Pedrique added that the 25-year-old first baseman is dealing with significant hamstring tightness. Ford has adjusted well to Triple-A pitching since being promoted, slashing .282/.417/.692 with eight extra base hits in 39 at-bats.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

As is typically the case, Pederson will head to the bench for a night off to avoid a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Arizona starter Robbie Ray. Trayce Thompson will replace him in center field for the evening.

Blackmon will hit out of the three-hole for Thursday's game against Cincinnati, The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders reports.

With Nolan Arenado getting the day off, Blackmon will move from the leadoff spot to third while Raimel Tapia heads to the top of the order. Blackmon has been hitting the ball extremely well all season, hitting .311/.365/.571 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI, so this move comes as a surprise. All that said, Blackmon will likely return to the leadoff spot for Friday's game against the White Sox.

Jimenez, 20, is hitting .279/.358/.510 with eight home runs and a 32:17 K:BB in 147 at-bats for High-A Myrtle Beach.

Jimenez's plus-plus raw power and potentially plus hit tool are well known in prospect circles, but what's most impressive about his current campaign is the improved approach. After walking 5.4 percent of the time at Low-A, he is now walking 10.4 percent of the time at High-A, while cutting his strikeout rate from 20.3 percent to 19 percent. Jimenez is an elite hitting prospect, and could see a promotion to Double-A shortly after his appearance in this year's Futures Game.

Stanton is not in the Marlins' lineup Thursday against the Cardinals, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Fresh off launching a pair of home runs Wednesday, Stanton will take a seat for the matinee clash following a night game, and he should be back in the lineup Friday. Ichiro Suzuki gets the nod in right field and bats seventh.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Cardinals.

The 26-year-old is heating up again, hitting .321 (9-for-28) over his last six games with three homers and 10 RBI. Ozuna now has 23 home runs on the year, keeping pace with Giancarlo Stanton for the Marlins' team lead.

Stanton went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and four RBI in Wedensday's 9-6 win over the Cardinals.

The blasts came on consecutive at-bats in the first and second innings, giving Stanton 23 homers on the year and his 22nd career multi-homer game. The 27-year-old looks more than ready to defend his Home Run Derby crown prior to next week's All-Star Game.

Brantley was named to the American League All-Star team after being voted in by the players, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Next week's affair in Miami will be Brantley's second All-Star Game, but this one comes with a different narrative. He made his first appearance in 2014, a year in which he won the Silver Slugger Award. This season, the veteran outfielder's numbers are borderline All-Star worthy, but his remarkable comeback from last year's injury-shortened campaign is deserving of the spotlight. Entering Wednesday, Brantley was hitting .297 with five home runs, 31 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Turner went 2-for-4 with his eighth home run and a pair of RBI in Tuesday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Turner has now homered seven times in 21 games since returning from the disabled list on June 9 after hitting just one through his first 39 contests. Even with this recent power binge, the career-high mark of 27 round trippers he set last season seems out of reach. At least he's no longer an empty batting average, though.