MLB Player News

Harper (hand) is starting Wednesday against the Rangers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper didn't appear in any of the last three games due to an infected blister on his left hand, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup during Wednesday's series finale against Texas. Over his last six games, he's gone 8-for-18 with two doubles, four runs, three RBI and a stolen base.

Vogelbach went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, two RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Cubs.

Vogelbach singled and doubled in consecutive plate appearances to account for the majority of his damage Tuesday. He has been a big part of Pittsburgh's hot offense to start its series against the Cubs, collecting four hits with two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored across two games. Overall, Vogelbach is hitting .226/.314/.423 across 191 plate appearances on the season.

Ozuna went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 12-10 loss to the Giants on Tuesday.

There has always been plenty of pop in Ozuna's bat, and his home run off Anthony DeSclafani now gives him 13 home runs on the year. Despite being a career .270 hitter, the 31-year-old slugger is slashing only .227/.275/.414 in 2022. Baseball Savant ranks him in the 90th percentile of xSLG, so it is possible that his slash line normalizes upward toward his career standard.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in a 12-10 win over the Braves on Tuesday.

Pederson homered off reliever Collin McHugh to lead off the seventh inning and extend his team's lead. It marks the 15th long ball for Pederson on the season, which puts him on pace for his best power output since 2019. His power resurgence is all the more impressive given that home runs are down considerably in 2022 compared to 2019, partially due to the physical properties of the baseball. Pederson is now slugging .565 with a .912 OPS in 2022.

Madris went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Cubs.

In his second MLB game, the 26-year-old rookie clubbed a Mark Leiter offering over the wall in right-center field in the seventh inning to cap the scoring on the night. Madris has hit the ground running since his promotion, going 4-for-8 with a double, a homer, a stolen base, two runs and three RBI and building on the breakout .304/.385/.519 line he posted for Triple-A Indianapolis over 46 games.

Harper (hand) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

A UCL sprain in his throwing elbow has prevented Harper from playing in the outfield since April 16, but it's an infected blister on his left hand that will keep him from serving as the Phillies' designated hitter for the fourth game in a row. Alec Bohm will instead handle DH duties Tuesday while Harper receives additional maintenance coming out of Monday's team off day. Harper is feeling better after recently receiving an antibiotic treatment for the infection and was able to hit in the cage, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The slugger is also expected to be available off the bench to pinch hit Tuesday.

Vogelbach went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, two RBI and three runs scored Monday against the Cubs.

Vogelbach delivered a two-RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend Pittsburgh's lead to 9-1. He also scored each time he reached base, marking the third time in his last five starts that he has scored multiple runs. Despite a multitude of recent prospect promotions, Vogelbach has remained the Pirates' primary designated hitter. However, he is hitting just .217/.299/.410 across 187 plate appearances on the season.

Madris went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, one run scored and a steal in Monday's 12-1 win over the Cubs.

The 26-year-old's promotion was a bit overshadowed by Oneil Cruz's but both rookies looked terrific in their season debuts. Madris ripped a two-run single and swiped second base in the second inning. He then doubled in the sixth and finished his big day by singling and scoring in the seventh. Madris' role at the MLB level is still unclear but a hot bat could earn him more playing time.

Belt will sit Monday against Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Since his return from a knee injury last week, Belt has started against three righties while sitting against three lefties. He hits the bench here as the Giants load up on right-handers against southpaw Max Fried. Darin Ruf will take over at first base.

Pederson isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pederson went 4-for-14 with a homer, three runs, three RBI, two walks and six strikeouts over the last five matchups but will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games since left-hander Max Fried is on the mound. Luis Gonzalez, Austin Slater and Mike Yastrzemski will start in the outfield from left to right.