MLB Player News

Blackmon was activated from the bereavement list Thursday.

Blackmon is back with the Rockies in time for Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Diamondbacks, in which he'll serve as the DH and leadoff man for Colorado. He went on bereavement leave Monday amidst a nine-game hitting streak and has slashed .333/.377/.587 over his last 17 games (69 plate appearances) dating back to May 8.

Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .352 with 14 home runs and a 25.2 percent strikeout rate in 33 games for Triple-A Louisville.

While he rarely sees a pitch he doesn't like, Encarnacion-Strand has the ability to get the barrel on the ball, even when he swings at a pitcher's pitch. His .380 ISO leads all qualified Triple-A hitters, and his future home park in Cincinnati will only enhance his home run prowess. Defensively, Encarnacion-Strand fits best at first base or designated hitter, although he has also started seven games at third base this year. While Encarnacion-Strand appears ready for a call to the majors, his teammate Elly De La Cruz also appears ready, and the Reds may not have room for both of them to play regularly in the short term.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI double, two runs scored and one steal in Wednesday's 9-4 victory over San Francisco.

McCutchen recorded his fourth three-hit game of the season and continues to shine during his return to Pittsburgh. The veteran is slashing .273/.369/.453 over his first 49 games of his age-36 season, which would all be his highest marks since his last campaign with the Pirates in 2017. McCutchen will periodically take a day off to stay fresh, but he's locked into the top of the order when available and remains a versatile threat at the plate.

Canha went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Canha knocked in all four runs for New York, smashing a two-run homer in the third inning and stroking a two-run single in the fourth. The multi-hit performance was the first for the veteran since May 14, a span of 11 games. Canha had been struggling over that stretch, batting just .222 without an extra-base hit or RBI across 27 at-bats.

Ruf is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Ruf has seen a good amount of playing time since joining the Brewers in mid-May, even taking some turns at leadoff, but he'll head to the bench Wednesday versus the Jays and right-hander Alek Manoah. William Contreras is filling the DH role with Victor Caratini playing catcher.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter broke out of a five-game hitless skid in Tuesday's 9-4 win with a pair of doubles and three RBI, but he'll hit the bench Wednesday with left-hander Braxton Garrett on the mound for Miami. Nelson Cruz will handle designated-hitter duties and hit seventh in place of Carpenter.

Vientos is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Phillies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

With right-hander Aaron Nola toeing the slab for the Phillies, Mets manager Buck Showalter will roll with the lefty-hitting Daniel Vogelbach in the designated-hitter spot. Vientos has started seven of the Mets' 13 games since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, but only three of those starts have come versus right-handed pitching.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Choi (Achilles) is participating in "about all" baseball activities in his rehab, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Choi was able to start fielding grounders last week as he recovers from his left Achilles strain, and he's since been able to ramp up his activities even more, with Tomczyk also mentioning that the 32-year-old has started a running progression, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The veteran first baseman was transferred to the 60-day injured list in April, so the earliest he'll be able to return to the Pittsburgh lineup is around mid-June.

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

The slumping Morel will head to the bench for the second time in the series, opening up a spot in the lineup for Miles Mastrobuoni at second base while Nico Hoerner gets a day out of the field and serves as the Cubs' designated hitter. After slugging nine home runs and driving in 15 runs in his first 12 games with the Cubs following his promotion from Triple-A Iowa on May 8, Morel has gone 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts and one walk over his last five starts.

Carpenter went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI in Tuesday's 9-4 victory over the Marlins.

Carpenter got San Diego on the board with an RBI double off Sandy Alcantara in the fourth inning, tying the game 1-1. He'd drive in another two runs with his second double in the ninth inning, extending the Padres' lead to 8-4. It's a step in the right direction for Carpenter, who'd been stuck in an 0-for-19 slump coming into Tuesday's contest. He's still slashing just .184/.307/.368 with four home runs and 24 RBI through 137 plate appearances while platooning with Nelson Cruz at DH.