MLB Player News

Morel went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Cardinals.

Morel entered the first game of the weekend series in London hitless in his last 13 at-bats, but he snapped out of the mini slump in a big way. The 24-year-old has been solid all year for the Cubs, as he now has a .971 OPS with 13 home runs and 30 RBI in 35 games. His strong play has made him a lineup fixture after he started the year with Triple-A Iowa.

Vogelbach isn't starting Saturday against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

With lefty Cristopher Sanchez starting for Philly, Vogelbach will sit out the beginning of Saturday's game. Tommy Pham will serve as the designated hitter, allowing Mark Canha to start in left field and bat seventh.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases Friday against the Marlins.

McCutchen has been out of the lineup three times in the last six games as he's nursed an elbow injury. He was productive on Friday, however, managing his first stolen base since June 2 and ninth of the campaign. After a very hot start to the season, McCutchen has only a .692 OPS across 47 at-bats in June.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Phillies.

The game was scoreless through nine innings, but Ozuna capped a five-run eruption for Atlanta in the 10th by crushing a backup slider from Yunior Marte deep to left field. The veteran slugger is up to 14 homers on the season, including three in June to help fuel his .321/.413/.547 slash line on the month.

McCutchen (elbow) is batting second Thursday against Miami as the Pirates' designated hitter.

After missing Pittsburgh's last two games, McCutchen's elbow soreness has subsided, and he will re-enter the lineup Thursday. The veteran outfielder is 4-for-16 with a home run and five walks across his last five games.

Choi (Achilles) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Thursday.

Thursday will be Choi's first taste of game action since landing on the injured list April 15 with a left Achilles strain. The Pirates haven't indicated how long they plan on keeping Choi in the minors, but a return before the end of June could be possible.

Pederson is not in Thursday's lineup against the Padres, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pederson will head to the bench with a lefty (Blake Snell) on the mound for the opposition. The veteran slugger has not started against a lefty all season. Michael Conforto gets the nod at designated hitter, batting fifth.

Meneses is not in Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Meneses is hitting .259 with zero home runs, six runs and six RBI in 16 games this month. Keibert Ruiz will start at designated hitter while Riley Adams starts behind the dish.

Vogelbach went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-8 loss to the Astros.

The veteran slugger did what he could to keep the Mets in the game with an RBI double in the third inning and a two-run single in the fourth. Vogelbach appears to be regaining his swagger at the plate, starting four of the last six games at DH and going 7-for-17 (.412) with two homers and seven RBI.

Carpenter is out of the lineup again Wednesday versus the Giants.

Carpenter seems to have slumped his way into a bench-bat role, as this is his third straight absence from the Padres' starting lineup. Nelson Cruz will handle DH duties and hit seventh Wednesday night in San Francisco.