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  • Mets' Daniel Vogelbach: Sits down against lefty

    Vogelbach isn't in the Mets' lineup Friday against the Angels.

    Left-hander Patrick Sandoval will draw the start Friday for the Angels, so the lefty-hitting Vogelbach will retreat to the bench to begin the game. DJ Stewart will take over as the Mets' designated hitter as Jeff McNeil shifts to right field and Danny Mendick mans second base.

  • Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Fills in for injured Votto

    Encarnacion-Strand started at first base and went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Arizona.

    Encarnacion-Strand slotted in at first base after the Reds placed Joey Votto (shoulder) on the injured list Thursday. The injury clears the way for Encarnacion-Strand to receive a steady dose of plate appearances, but he's struggled to make an impact in the majors so far, slashing .234/.306/.364 in August with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate.

  • Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Gets breather Thursday

    McCutchen is out of the lineup Thursday against the Cubs.

    McCutchen will grab some rest after going 3-for-4 with three doubles and a walk in Wednesday's series finale versus the Cardinals. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the Pirates' designated hitter Thursday as Josh Palacios, Ji Hwan Bae and Connor Joe start across the outfield.

  • Cubs' Christopher Morel: Sitting again Thursday

    Morel is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Pirates.

    It's his second straight absence from the Cubs' starting lineup, though Morel did single as a pinch hitter Wednesday in Detroit. The 24-year-old is slashing just .107/.206/.232 over his last 63 plate appearances dating back to Aug. 3.

  • Marcell Ozuna DH | ATL

    Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Homer, four RBI in win

    Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, four RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Mets.

    Ozuna was a triply shy of the cycle, but he hasn't hit a three-bagger since 2019, so he wasn't all that close to the feat. He was again the driving force of Atlanta's offense, logging his fourth multi-hit effort in his last five games. He has four homers and seven RBI in that span. For the season, the 32-year-old is slashing .262/.334/.519 with 28 homers, 67 RBI, 62 runs scored and 18 doubles through 110 contests.

  • Bryce Harper DH | PHI

    Phillies' Bryce Harper: Cranks game-tying homer

    Harper went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

    Harper tied the game 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning with a clutch three-run homer off Camilo Doval. Harper's now homered in three straight contests despite being limited to DH duties while recovering from back stiffness. He's gone 12-for-26 (.462) with five long balls in his last seven games, boosting his slash line to .299/.392/.468 with 12 homers, 59 runs scored, 47 RBI and seven steals across 406 plate appearances this season.

  • Garrett Cooper 1B | ATL

    Padres' Garrett Cooper: Takes hold of regular role

    Cooper will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

    Cooper has largely served as a short-side platoon player between first base and designated hitter with the Padres, but he's carved out a larger share of the playing time versus right-handed pitching since Ji-Man Choi (rib) was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 14. Since Choi played his last game Aug. 11, Cooper has started nine of the Padres' subsequent 12 games, and two of those absences came over the weekend while Cooper dealt with a wrist injury.

  • Bryce Harper DH | PHI

    Phillies' Bryce Harper: Limited to DH with back issue

    Harper remains limited to designated hitter duty for the time being due to a nagging back issue, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

    It explains why Harper hasn't been able to play first base since Sunday, as he's still dealing with a bit of back stiffness which first surfaced a couple weeks ago. The Phillies have not ruled out Harper returning to first base Friday following Thursday's off day.

  • Mark Canha LF | KC

    Brewers' Mark Canha: Sticks in lineup Wednesday

    Canha will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Twins.

    Canha will pick up a third consecutive start after reaching base five times in the Brewers' previous two contests. Over his last 12 games, Canha is slashing .282/.370/.487 overall and looks as though he'll continue to serve as a near-everyday player for the Brewers so long as he wields a hot bat.

  • Cubs' Christopher Morel: On bench again Wednesday

    Morel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

    Morel will head to the bench for the second time in the series, perhaps suggesting that his status as an everyday player for the Cubs is on shaky ground. Though he hasn't been a complete zero for fantasy purposes with three home runs and 11 RBI in 18 games on the month, Morel has scored just five runs and hasn't stolen a base in August while batting a lowly .123. Rather than leaning on Morel as the Cubs' primary designated hitter, manager David Ross could consider rotating a number of position players at that lineup spot.

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