MLB Player News

McCutchen (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

McCutchen has been sidelined the past two weeks after testing positive for the virus, but he'll rejoin Milwaukee's active roster ahead of Friday's matchup with Washington. The 35-year-old has a .240/.291/.350 slash line with two home runs, 14 RBI, 11 runs and three stolen bases in 110 plate appearances this year.

Harper (elbow) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old was initially expected to miss only one game after receiving a PRP injection last weekend to address the UCL sprain in his right elbow, but he'll now be sidelined for the fifth straight contest. Harper has been limited to serving as the designated hitter for most of the season due to the injury, though it hasn't affected his ability to hit given his .305/.361/.634 slash line with nine home runs, 27 RBI, 29 runs and six stolen bases. It's unclear when he may be able to rejoin the lineup, and for now he should be considered day-to-day.

Soler (back) will bat third as the designated hitter Friday against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Soler sat out the past two games while battling lower-back stiffness, but he'll return to the lineup for Friday's series opener. The 30-year-old is in the midst of a seven-game hit streak during which he has three home runs and a .940 OPS.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Vogelbach started the past nine games and will receive a day off while mired in a 2-for-13 slump, during which he's struck out six times. Yoshi Tsutsugo will serve as the designated hitter while Michael Chavis starts at first base.

Canha went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

It's the second multi-hit performance for Canha in his last five starts as he builds momentum at the plate. The veteran outfielder is hitting .333 (6-for-18) during that stretch with three walks, two homers, five RBI and seven runs, pushing his slash line on the season up to .299/.384/.402.

Harper (elbow) remains on the bench Thursday against the Padres, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper has been limited to serving as the designated hitter for almost the entirety of the season after spraining his right UCL early in the year, though you wouldn't know he'd been playing hurt just by looking at his numbers; he's hitting .305/.361/.634 with nine homers and six steals on the year. He received a platelet-plasma injection over the weekend, however, which has kept him on the bench for now the fourth straight game. Reports from earlier in the week indicated he was targeting a Thursday return, so it's unclear if he's suffered a setback or if he'll need just one more day to recover.

Blackmon went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run Wednesday against the Giants.

Blackmon led off the bottom of the first inning with his sixth home run of the season. In five starts during the team's current homestand, Blackmon has gone 5-for-21 with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored. However, on the campaign, he has managed just a .312 wOBA and 88 wRC+ across 141 plate appearances.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

The veteran slugger went back-to-back with Austin Riley off Corbin Burnes in the third inning, staking Atlanta to an early 4-0 lead that the bullpen couldn't protect. Ozuna has gone yard three times in the last five games as part of a six-game hitting streak, and he's up to seven homers and 17 RBI through 38 games on the season.

Harper (elbow) isn't expected to be available to play right field until after the All-Star break after he was advised not to throw for six weeks upon receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right elbow Sunday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The six-week rest period would come to an end in early July, but since Harper would still need additional time after that to build up his throwing distance, the Phillies are preparing for him to be a full-time designated hitter for the remainder of the first half of the season. Perhaps no player has benefited more from the implementation of the universal designated hitter in 2022 than Harper, who likely would have gone on the injured list weeks ago if not for being available in a non-defensive role. Playing through the UCL sprain in his elbow hasn't hindered him at the plate, as Harper has maintained a .995 OPS through 147 plate appearances on the season. As a result of the recent PRP injection, Harper is still experiencing enough pain that he'll be out of the lineup Wednesday against the Padres for the third consecutive game, but the Phillies anticipate that he'll be ready to handle DH duties by the weekend, if not Thursday's series finale with San Diego.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Soler isn't starting in Wednesday's game against the Nationals while he contends with lower-back stiffness, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Mattingly is hopeful that consecutive days out of the lineup coupled with Thursday's team off day will provide sufficient recovery time for Soler, who is expected to rejoin the starting nine for Friday's series opener in Atlanta. With Soler on the bench Wednesday, Brian Anderson will draw the start in left field.