MLB Player News

McCutchen reached base three times Thursday, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

Typically this doesn't represent much news for a career .293 hitter, but Cutch has put up 0-for-5 and 0-for-8 efforts in two of his last three games. The free pass was just McCutchen's second in 10 games and his 8.7 percent walk rate is well below his career average of 11.8 percent. He compiled a 14.3 percent rate just one season ago.

Turner (2-for-3) connected for two home runs off Nationals' ace Stephen Strasburg en route to a five RBI performance Thursday afternoon.

Just an hour into the afternoon, the Dodgers' hottest hitter already had his fourth career multi-homer game and his first game with five RBI since May 15, 2011. Over the previous two seasons, Turner was one of the Dodgers' best hitters and an anchor in the middle of their lineup. But the third baseman stumbled to start the 2016 season, and on June 8, he was hitting only .220. Since then, he has lifted his average 47 points by hitting .333 with 13 home runs.

Reed has been optioned to Triple-A Fresno, Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart reports.

In his short 17-game stint with the Astros, Reed is hitting .156/.250/.289 with two home runs in 45 at-bats. Reed will head back to Fresno where he was hitting .266/.245/.509 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI in 222 at-bats. There is no word on the subsequent move by Houston, but it looks to have nothing to do with Alex Bregman.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said that Martinez might begin a rehab assignment as just a designated hitter, due to his inability to throw without pain, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Martinez got some swings in the batting cage on Thursday, as the pain doesn't bother him when he hits. He will get rehab at-bats as a designated hitter until he is able to throw pain-free. This will hopefully get him back in Detroit sooner as the Tigers head begin their stretch run. The Tigers will continue to do everything they can to get Martinez back on the field as soon as possible without jeopardizing his health.

Colon has driven in five runs over his last four games.

Although he is hitting just .167 in July, Colon has already driven in more runs than any month prior combined. Even with his recent hot streak, however, Colon will have difficulty finding consistent playing time behind Whit Merrifield and Alcides Escobar.

Buxton is out of the lineup for Thursday's series opener against Boston, LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune reports.

Buxton will get a regular day off after starting the past three games against the Tigers and recently coming back from a knee injury. In his place, Eddie Rosario will man center while batting in the nine spot. Buxton will likely be back in the lineup for Friday's contest.

Stanton is not in the lineup Thursday against Philadelphia, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Stanton will get his first game off since the All-Star break as Ichiro Suzuki takes his place in right and bats leadoff. Stanton is 0-for-9 in his last two games but has collected two multi-hit games and three doubles since the start of the second half.

Harper had a three-true-outcomes game Wednesday against the Dodgers, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk, two runs and two strikeouts.

He left nothing up to the fielders -- it was just between Harper and the opposing pitchers. Harper hasn't had a multi-hit game in two weeks (although the All-Star break did take up some of that time), and that's actually been a season-long lack that's led to his not-good .249 average. His BABIP's lingering at .245 accordingly, and that just doesn't fit with Harper's career tendencies; it wouldn't be surprising to see him go on a heater and lift the ol' average to respectability by the time this season comes to a close.

Vogelbach was traded to the Mariners from the Cubs in exchange for Mike Montgomery and Jordan Pries on Wednesday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

Vogelbach is the top DH prospect in the minors, so it it was only a matter of time before he was traded to an American League club. The Mariners are said to also be shopping Adam Lind, and considering Vogelbach is essentially big league ready, he could join the Mariners in short order. Vogelbach's approach and hit tool are not questioned, and while he has never hit 20-plus homers in a minor league season (although he has 16 this year), many scouts put a 60 on the power, so he could end up being a prototypical middle-of-the-order run producer in time. He will likely settle in as a UTIL-only option in fantasy, but he should produce enough to be useful in most formats as soon as next season, and possibly in a couple weeks if the Mariners can find at-bats for him.

The Cubs and Mariners are nearing a deal that would send Vogelbach to Seattle in exchange for Mike Montgomery, Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan reports.

Vogelbach is the top DH prospect in the minors, so a trade to an AL club has been a long time coming. He has 16 homers and a .318/.425/.548 slash line in 365 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa as a 23-year-old this season, and is essentially big league ready. The trade is not final, but owners who have a need at UTIL or first base should consider scooping up Vogelbach now, as he figures to spend the bulk of the rest of the season in the majors if this trade goes through.