MLB Player News

Reyes isn't in Saturday's starting lineup against Arizona.

Reyes is set for his second straight day on the bench, although he was called on to pinch hit Friday. Travis Jankowski draws the start in right field and will lead off.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in a win over the Brewers on Friday.

The slugging outfielder got the scoring started with a first-inning hit that plated Yadier Molina and Jose Martinez. Ozuna has bounced back from a lackluster July (.210/.250/.314 over 112 plate appearances) to reach safely in 13 of 16 August contests and generate six multi-hit efforts this month.

Harper went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 8-2 win over Miami.

Harper plated a run in the third inning on a single to right field, and he tacked on an insurance run in the seven on another RBI single. Following Friday's contest, he's recorded three straight multi-hit games, and he's hit safely in eight of his last 10. Harper's batting average has risen 14 points over that stretch (.234 to .248).

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 2-1 extra-innings loss to the Reds.

He headed into Friday's tilt stuck in a 4-for-33 (.121) slump over his prior 10 games, so Cutch's performance was a relief for wary fantasy GMs. The 31-year-old now sports a .257/.355/.417 slash line on the year, and the steal was his 10th -- the ninth time in 10 big-league seasons he's reached double digits in that category.

Reyes is out of Friday's lineup versus Arizona.

Reyes will take a seat after starting 10 of the past 11 games. He's in a bit of a skid lately, as he's failed to get on base over the last seven outings, during which he's 0-for-21 with six strikeouts. Jose Pirela will draw a start in the outfield in his stead.

Meneses is pushing to become the International League's first Triple Crown winner in 44 years, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

Meneses leads the league in homers (22) and RBI (76), while his .315 average trails only Rusney Castillo's .329. It's hard to get too excited about a 26-year-old first baseman who's still stuck in Triple-A, but Meneses is doing all he can to raise his profile. He has made real changes to his approach, pulling 36 percent of his hits after pulling just 27 percent over the last three years, so there's at least a chance that he's a genuine late bloomer. He's firmly stuck behind Carlos Santana and now Justin Bour on the Phillies' first base depth chart and does not have a 40-man roster spot, so a September call-up doesn't appear likely, but he may have done enough to earn a shot in 2019 with a team that lacks an established first baseman.

Harper went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

Harper continues his strong second half, lacing an RBI double before knocking in two more with a single in Thursday's victory. He entered the All-Star break with a brutal .214 average, but has brought it back up to .243 along with a solid .895 OPS.

Blackmon is out of the lineup against Atlanta on Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon will take a seat for just the second time since July 1 as David Dahl gets a start in center field in his stead. Across 13 games this month, Blackmon is hitting .151/.224/.208 with just one extra-base hit (a home run) and two RBI while striking out 15 times. Manager Bud Black will give him a chance to clear his head as the Rockies begin a big four-game set against the Braves.

Carpenter (hand) will start at first base and bat atop the order against Washington on Thursday.

Carpenter was forced to leave Wednesday's game in the seventh inning after being struck by a pitch on his right hand. Post-game X-rays indicated that he avoided serious injury and interim manager Mike Shildt had no problems inserting him back into the lineup for Thursday's series finale.

Belt started and batted second Wednesday, going 1-for-5 with a double in an extra-innings loss to the Dodgers.

Belt returned to the starting lineup after being used off the bench following his activation from the disabled list Tuesday. The 30-year-old was sidelined for a few weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee. Belt owns a .281/.373/.472 slash line with 14 homers in 88 games this season, and he will resume his role as the Giants' everyday first baseman going forward.