MLB Player News

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Blackmon will head to the bench for only the third time since the start of July. He's slashing .288/.337/.511 with nine home runs in that stretch. Matt Holliday will start in left field for the series finale, shifting David Dahl to center field.

Harper is being held out of Sunday's lineup due to illness, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Harper said he's been sick most of the week but the issue has worsened over the last few days. It appears to be a minor issue as the 25-year-old expects to return to the lineup in Philadelphia on Monday, but it's still a situation worth monitoring.

Harper is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Harper may have a .331/.410/.595 slash line with seven home runs since the All-Star break, but will get a breather Sunday as he is 0-for-11 over the last three games. Michael Taylor will start in center field while the former NL MVP should return to the lineup at Philadelphia on Monday.

Pederson is not in the lineup Saturday against the Padres as he's battling a knee bruise, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Pederson suffered the injury when fouling a ball off his knee in Friday's contest. That explains why he's sitting against a righty, though he's potentially available off the bench. The Dodgers face a lefty Sunday and get an off day Monday, so he could have a few extra days to rest before potentially returning Tuesday against the Rangers.

Pederson is on the bench for the second game in a row Saturday against the Padres, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson's absence Friday made sense, as the Dodgers faced left-hander Clayton Richard, but he'll sit again Saturday despite the Dodgers squaring off against righty Brett Kennedy. The Padres will throw another lefty, Robbie Erlin, on Sunday, so Pederson could sit for all three games of the series. Cody Bellinger will start in center field Saturday.

Blackmon went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer in Friday's loss to the Cardinals.

He connected for a two-run shot -- his 23rd of the year -- off starter Miles Mikolas in the fifth inning. Blackmon has had multi-hit performances in three of his last four games but is hitting just .224 with two homers and six RBI in August. The 32-year-old has just 55 RBI on the year but ranks fourth in the majors with 93 runs.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases in the Giants' 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Rangers on Friday.

The veteran outfielder stuffed the stat sheet, cranking his 15th homer and swiping his 12th and 13th bags of the season from atop the order. He hasn't produced at the level of his All-Star years this season, but McCutchen has managed to put together a solid campaign after a slow start, as he's now slashing .255/.354/.415 through 467 at-bats.

Turner went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and three RBI to help the Dodgers to an 11-1 win over the Padres on Friday.

Turner was right in the middle of the proceedings on a huge day for the Dodgers lineup, doing his part to help the cause with a fourth-inning two-run blast off Clayton Richard for his 10th long ball of the season. The 33-year-old has been red hot lately and he's now hitting an even .300 to go along with a robust .888 OPS over 240 at-bats.

Pederson is not in the lineup versus San Diego on Friday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Pederson will head to the bench with left-hander Clayton Richard pitching for the Padres. Chris Taylor is set to roam center field and bat fifth in his place.

McCutchen will man right field and bat atop the order against the Mets on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McCutchen was held out of the lineup Wednesday amid rumors that he could be on his way out of town after being placed on revocable waivers earlier this week. According to Robert Murray of The Athletic Wisconsin, McCutchen wasn't claimed, which will allow the Giants to engage any of the other 29 clubs in a trade rather than having to negotiate with one team exclusively. The Giants' decision to reinsert McCutchen in the lineup for the series finale suggests a trade probably isn't imminent just yet, but the outfielder could be sent elsewhere within the next few days. Over 123 games this season, the 31-year-old has hit .255/.353/.412 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and 11 stolen bases.