MLB Player News

Pederson was moved down to seventh in the batting order Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in a win over the Giants.

Manager Dave Roberts had been using his young outfielder as the team's leadoff hitter against righties, but he went with Chase Utley in place of the struggling Pederson on Wednesday. The 25-year-old has gone just 1-for-15 in his last four games, but it has been a struggle all season following his big Opening Day stat line. Pederson has never been much of a batting average help in fantasy, but with just one homer in 30 games, he isn't cutting it for fantasy owners in standard formats. He has, however, hit 51 combined long balls over his last two seasons, so we know there is more power contained in that bat and it may just be a matter of time before it shows.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with two RBI, two steals and two runs against the Nationals on Wednesday.

This marks McCutchen's first multi-hit game since April 28, as it's been a tough season for the veteran. Still, there are positive signs to be found here. His power hasn't entirely abandoned him (.179 ISO)and his .225 BABIP is primed for improvement, considering that McCutchen has actually cut his strikeout rate while still generally hitting the ball well. There's an intriguing buy-low opportunity here.

Cabrera is expected to miss 2-to-3 day with a Grade 1 oblique strain, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

This explains why Cabrera was a late scratch from Wednesday's contest against the Orioles. While he's not expected to miss much time with the issue, the Tigers may play it safe with the veteran slugger and hold him out a little longer given he's already been on the disabled list once this season. Alex Avila will likely fill in at first base while Cabrera is on the mend.

Turner went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Although we're still waiting for Turner's power stroke to show up -- he has just one homer this year after socking a career-best 27 last season -- he's swinging a hot bat nonetheless, as evidenced by his .372 batting average, which ranks fourth in baseball. The counting stats haven't exactly come along as you'd like (17 RBI and 17 runs), but if Turner keeps hitting with something resembling this level of consistency, that discrepancy will be corrected in due time.

Cabrera was scratched from Wednesday's game against the Orioles with a sore left side, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Given the vagueness of the diagnosis, not much more is known at this point. Cabrera is headed for further testing, so his status should be updated once the results are released.

Cabrera is no longer in the lineup Wednesday against the Orioles.

Cabrera was initially on the starting card, so it appears something must have cropped up during pregame warmups. It's unclear what forced him out of the lineup at this point, though more should be known after the game.

Belt is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Lefty Clayton Kershaw is taking the mound for Los Angeles, so manager Bruce Bochy opted to stack his lineup with right-handed hitters. Belt will cede Wednesday's start at first base to Mike Morse.

Miller (abdomen) is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

With the Rays heading into a scheduled off day Thursday, Miller's absence from the lineup in the series finale isn't too surprising while he continues to nurse a lower-abdominal injury. The Rays haven't expressed any immediate concern that Miller will require a trip to the disabled list, but that could become a more realistic possibility if he's still hurting by the weekend. Daniel Robertson replaces Miller in the lineup Wednesday and would likely be the main beneficiary if Miller misses further action.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday's win over the Pirates.

PNC Park was the last remaining National League park Harper had never homered in coming into this series, but the 24-year-old scratched it off his list with a no-doubt blast off Wade LeBlanc in the ninth inning, his 13th long ball of the season and fourth in the last seven games.

Martinez went 2-for-3 with two home runs, five RBI and four walks in Tuesday's 13-inning loss to the Orioles.

This was Martinez's second two-homer game in the four games that he's been active this season. He's showing no issues from the foot injury that kept him out, and Martinez should be a very strong fantasy asset the rest of the way.