MLB Player News

Ruf is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Ruf went 3-for-16 over his past seven contests and will head to the bench for Wednesday's series finale in Arizona. Yermin Mercedes will bat third as the designated hitter.

Madris is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

The 26-year-old finds himself on the bench for the second straight contest after Ben Gamel (hamstring) was activated from the injured list Tuesday. Madris is 3-for-20 with a double, a stolen base and nine strikeouts in his past five contests.

Hummel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Hummel went 4-for-15 with a triple, a walk, four runs, an RBI and two stolen bases while starting in each of the past four games, but three of those starts came against left-handed pitching. With righty Alex Cobb on the hill for San Francisco on Wednesday, the switch-hitting Hummel will head to the bench for the series finale. He looks as though he'll be stuck in a short-side platoon role while all of David Peralta, Alek Thomas, Daulton Varsho and Ketel Marte are healthy and available.

Canha isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Reds.

Canha started in the last two games and went 3-for-7 with a double, two runs, a walk and a strikeout. Jeff McNeil is shifting to left field while Dominic Smith serves as the designated hitter Wednesday.

McCutchen isn't starting Wednesday against the Cubs.

McCutchen is getting a day off after he went 0-for-12 with a walk and three strikeouts over the last three games. Christian Yelich will serve as the designated hitter while Keston Hiura draws the start in left field.

Harper (thumb) said Tuesday that he intends to play again this season, but he was unwilling to commit to a timeline for his return from the 10-day injured list, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "I don't want to hope or think about anything," Harper said. "I just want to go day by day and be back when I can, whenever I feel healthy, whenever that is, to help this team win. If we're in [playoff contention], if we're out of it, I'm going to come back and play no matter what, just so I know that I can go out there and play the game."

A late-season return already was expected to be in play for Harper after he underwent surgery last week and had three pins inserted into his fractured left thumb, but the 29-year-old's reluctance to commit to a target date for his return to game action could make it tougher for fantasy managers to continue stashing him during his prolonged absence. Shortly before he had surgery, multiple reports suggested Harper could be ready to play as soon as mid-August, but the reigning MVP merely said that he'll "be back when I need to" when pressed about a potential timeline for a return. Since Harper landed on the IL, Darick Hall has been summoned from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace him as Philadelphia's primary designated hitter.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-2 win over the Yankees on Tuesday.

Vogelbach joined teammate Jack Suwinski in going deep off Jameson Taillon for his 11th long ball of the season. The 29-year-old designated hitter is coming off a poor couple of months at the plate. He hit .192 in June and .164 in May, with the only silver lining being the seven home runs he hit over that stretch. He is now riding a six-game hitting streak, but expectations may not be very high for the career .214 hitter.

Belt is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Tyler Gilbert is the second consecutive left-hander starter sent out by Arizona, and Belt will take a seat for the second straight day as a result. The veteran first baseman is 2-for-25 with an RBI, two walks and 11 strikeouts across his past nine games.

Madris is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees.

He'll cede his spot in the corner outfield to Ben Gamel (hamstring), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Though Gamel will start Tuesday and had been a fixture in the lineup against right-handed pitching prior to landing on the shelf May 29, he's a 30-year-old on an expiring deal who might not have a future with a rebuilding Pittsburgh squad. As a result, Gamel's return won't necessarily spell an end to Madris' time as a regular, especially while the rookie has delivered a credible .734 OPS through his first 51 big-league plate appearances.

Soler (pelvis) is taking part in mobility and core-strengthening work at the Marlins' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla. this week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

While it's encouraging that Soler is not being shut down from activity entirely after he landed on the 10-day injured list Friday with bilateral pelvis inflammation, he may have to ramp up the intensity of his workouts in the next day or two to have a realistic chance at being activated during the upcoming weekend. Bryan De La Cruz should continue to handle a full-time role in the Miami outfield for however long Soler is on the shelf.