MLB Player News

Blackmon (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals.

It's the third straight contest he's missed as he deals with right hamstring tightness. The Rockies have been bullish on Blackmon's chances of avoid the injured list, but he'll have to be ready soon for that to happen. Hunter Goodman is at designated hitter and Sean Bouchard is in right field Friday.

Martini (hand) isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Martini was held out of Wednesday's game due to a hand injury and isn't in the starting nine Friday despite a team day off in between. While the injury doesn't seem to be severe, Martini will yield DH duties to Jeimer Candelario for Friday's series opener.

McCutchen indicated earlier this week that he plans to continue his playing career after this season, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

"In my mind, this isn't my last year," McCutchen said. McCutchen will turn 38 in October and is basically a full-time designated hitter at this point. He's been productive this season, however, particularly since being moved into the Pirates' leadoff spot, where he's slashed .273/.359/.459 with nine homers in 195 plate appearances. Mackey writes that he was told by owner Bob Nutting last season that McCutchen "will remain a Pirate for as long as he wants," so it would seem the team would be amendable to a new deal after this season.

Machado went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Thursday's win over Milwaukee.

Machado jumped on a four-seamer from Bryse Wilson with two outs in the bottom of the first inning and sent it into the stands in right field to put San Diego up 3-1. The third baseman would also add a single, giving him his third multi-hit performance in his last four games. Machado is now up to seven homers on the season, though Thursday's long ball was only his second since May 3.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Thursday's 5-3 win against the Rockies.

Ohtani began the game with a solo shot to center field for the seventh leadoff home run of his career. The superstar slugger has racked up four homers over his past five contests and has notched nine RBI during that span. Ohtani leads the National League and ranks third in MLB with 21 home runs overall this season.

O'Hearn went 2-for-5 with a walk and four RBI in Thursday's 17-5 win over the Yankees.

O'Hearn logged his third multi-hit effort in his last four contests. The lefty slugger is batting .358 (19-for-53) with 12 RBI over 16 games in June. He's up to a .289/.347/.477 slash line with nine home runs, 30 RBI, 26 runs scored, two stolen bases and eight doubles over 59 games. O'Hearn will continue to play in a strong-side platoon role with few opportunities to step into the lineup versus southpaws.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in a 5-3 win against the White Sox on Thursday.

Alvarez missed Houston's previous two games due to a family matter, but he wasted little time getting back into the swing of things upon his return, smashing a 439-foot solo shot in the first frame Thursday. The slugger added an RBI single in a four-run Astros seventh inning that paved the way to victory. Alvarez's homer Thursday was his 15th of the season, putting him at the halfway point of reaching 30 long balls for the fourth straight campaign.

Blackmon (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.

He'll stay on the bench for a second straight game while he manages a tight right hamstring. Blackmon's absence clears the way for Jake Cave and Elehuris Montero to pick up another start in right field and at designated hitter, respectively. The Rockies are expecting Blackmon to avoid a stint on the injured list, though the team could change its tune if he isn't ready to go for Friday's series opener versus the Nationals.

Alvarez (personal) will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and No. 3 batter in Thursday's game against the White Sox, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez was away from the Astros for the last two days to tend to a family matter, but he caught a flight back to Chicago and rejoined the team in time for the series finale with the White Sox. Before his brief absence, Alvarez had been sizzling at the plate in June, producing a monstrous 1.212 OPS over 14 games on the month.

Pederson is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Nationals.

As usual, Pederson is sitting against a left-hander, as the Nationals are starting southpaw MacKenzie Gore on Thursday. Ketel Marte will get a day out of the field and serve as Arizona's designated hitter while Blaze Alexander starts at second base.