MLB Player News

Vogelbach will sit Saturday against the Giants.

Vogelbach hits the bench against lefty Alex Wood, though he'd started against three of the previous four left-handers the Pirates faced, so it's not clear that he's slipping back into a platoon role. Michael Chavis will serve as the designated hitter Saturday, with Yu Chang taking Chavis' usual spot at first base.

McCutchen isn't starting Saturday's game against the Reds.

McCutchen will get a rare day off after he went 4-for-9 with three runs, an RBI, three walks and a strikeout over the last three games. Christian Yelich will serve as the designated hitter while Jonathan Davis enters the lineup in center field.

Harper will sit Saturday against the Nationals due to an infected blister on his left hand, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row, as he sat for the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader. That may have been a scheduled game off, but Saturday's absence doesn't seem to have been planned. The issue apparently flared up overnight, so Harper will sit for at least one game while taking antibiotics to treat the issue. The Phillies have an off day Monday, so it's possible he sits Sunday as well in order to get three straight days to heal. Nick Castellanos will take his designated hitter spot while Matt Vierling starts in right field.

Winker will sit for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels,.

The Mariners will likely give many of their regulars a rest in one of the day's two games. The Angels are sending out southpaws (Patrick Sandoval and Jose Suarez) in both contests, so it likely didn't matter much which game Winker would sit for. Dylan Moore will take over in left field.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Pederson started in the last four games and went 3-for-10 with a homer, two runs, two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts. However, Luis Gonzalez will shift to left field while Darin Ruf starts in right against southpaw Jose Quintana.

Belt isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt went 3-for-6 with a solo home run, a double, two walks and a strikeout over the last three games but will retreat to the bench with left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound for the Pirates on Saturday. Wilmer Flores is starting at first base and batting second.

Stanton isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Stanton started in the last seven games and hit .182 with two homers, a double, six runs, six RBI, seven walks and two strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Aaron Judge serves as the designated hitter with Marwin Gonzalez entering the lineup in right field.

Blackmon went 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Friday's victory over the Padres.

Blackmon's two RBI came on a triple in the first inning, where he sent Yonathan Daza to the plate and a sixth-inning single that scored Connor Joe. The veteran outfielder picked up two runs of his own, both of which came thanks to C.J. Cron homers. Blackmon has been swinging a hot bat lately, picking up a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, including six multi-hit games. Although his season batting average sits at .267, Blackmon is slashing .329/.365/.543 in June.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the White Sox.

Alvarez's sixth-inning homer sent Alex Bregman home and was the fourth of five home runs for the Astros on Friday. It was the outfielder's 18th home run of the season, tied for fourth-best in baseball. Alvarez has been impressive this month, with a hit in 11 of 14 games, including eight with multiple hits, good for a .471 June batting average and a 1.372 OPS.

Brantley went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Friday's victory over the White Sox.

Alex Bregman knocked in Brantley on a home run in the first inning, then Brantley launched one of his own in the sixth. His grand slam sent Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz and Chas McCormick home and extended Houston's lead to 10-3. The veteran outfielder is on a 12-game hit streak, including seven multi-hit games, all of which have come in June. Brantley has a 1.108 OPS in June and is slashing .302/.384/.439 on the season.