MLB Player News

McCutchen (elbow) said he expects to be activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

McCutchen landed on the injured list July 7 with right elbow discomfort and seems to be trending toward a minimum stay. The 36-year-old veteran holds an .808 OPS through 316 plate appearances this season and could prove to be a valuable asset for Pittsburgh as the trade deadline approaches.

Winker isn't in the Brewers' lineup Friday against the Reds.

After slashing .200/.324/.253 across 179 plate appearances during the first half of the season, Winker's poor performance will cost him a start against right-hander Graham Ashcraft on Friday. William Contreras will instead serve as Milwaukee's designated hitter, allowing Victor Caratini to start behind the dish and bat fifth.

Harper could play first base as soon as this weekend, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper is at designated hitter Friday against the Padres, but it sounds like he could be at first base during Saturday's doubleheader or Sunday. It would be the first start he's made at the position as a pro, as the Phillies have opted to ease him back into defensive duties at a less strenuous spot rather than right field following last year's Tommy John surgery. Harper missed the final game before the All-Star break after being hit on his surgically repaired elbow by a pitch, but tests came back clean.

Harper (elbow) is starting as Philadelphia's designated hitter Friday against San Diego.

Harper missed the final game before the All-Star break due to right elbow soreness, but he'll return to the Phillies' lineup after an extended rest period. Harper slashed .290/.386/.400 while racking up 23 RBI over 243 plate appearances during the first half of the season.

Choi went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Sunday's win over Arizona.

Choi launched a two-run shot in the second inning for his third homer of the season. He was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday and went 3-for-12 during the weekend series against the Diamondbacks. Choi is slashing .159/.159/.409 this season, but he's seen just 44 plate appearances after missing nearly three months of action.

Meneses went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Rangers.

Meneses finished the first half of the 2023 campaign on a high note, clobbering four home runs during Washington's three-game series against Texas. Though his outburst was certainly encouraging for his post-All-Star break prospects, Meneses had only hit two long balls prior to the series. However, he went deep 33 times in 654 plate appearances between the majors and minors last season and has a 65th-percentile hard-hit rate during the current campaign, so a more homer-laden second half may be in the forecast. Through 83 games, Meneses is slashing .284/.328/.404 and is striking out only 20.2 percent of the time.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

After getting Saturday's game off while lefty Blake Snell toed the rubber for San Diego, the lefty-hitting Vogelbach will bow out of the starting nine Sunday with a right-hander (Joe Musgrove) on the hill for the opposition. Though Vogelbach should still have some level of security as the Mets' top designated hitter by virtue of banging out five hits across his last two starts, he'll still get select days off against righties. With Vogelbach sitting Sunday, DJ Stewart will pick up his first start with the Mets.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants will face another left-handed starter (Kyle Freeland) on Sunday, so Pederson will hit the bench for the third time in the past four games. Michael Conforto will serve as the designated hitter while Austin Slater starts in left field.

Harper (elbow), who is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, could be available to hit off the bench, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Harper is sitting out the Phillies' final game before the All-Star break after he was hit on his surgically repaired right elbow during Saturday's loss to Miami, but he's apparently dealing with nothing more than soreness after X-rays returned negative. The Phillies will most likely stay away from Harper if they can help it Sunday, affording him a full five days off to rest before the team opens up its post-break schedule Friday versus the Padres. According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the injury scare hasn't deterred the Phillies from getting Harper some exposure to first base at some point during the second half of the season. He's made all 56 of his starts to date as a designated hitter.

Harper (elbow) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

The 30-year-old was hit by a pitch in the right elbow Saturday and won't play in Philadelphia's final game before the All-Star break, but he appears to have avoided a serious injury as X-rays came back negative. Harper had an underwhelming first half in his return from Tommy John surgery, finishing with a .786 OPS and just three homers in 56 games. He'll have a nearly a full week to rest his elbow before the Phillies return to action Friday versus the Padres.