MLB Player News

McCutchen (foot) is starting in center field and batting third in Sunday's game against the Nationals, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

McCutchen was a late scratch from Saturday's contest due to some left foot discomfort, but after a day of rest, he's ready to rejoin the Pirates' starting lineup. He'll look to end his strong 2017 campaign on a positive note in the season's final game.

McCutchen was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup with left foot discomfort, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He fouled a ball off his foot in Friday's game and is day-to-day on the final weekend of the season. Starling Marte moves over to center field while Jordan Luplow enters the lineup in left field, hitting cleanup.

Ozuna is out of Saturday's lineup against the Braves, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Despite being scorching hot at the plate (.458/.527/.708 with three home runs over his last 48 at-bats), Ozuna will take a seat in the penultimate game of the year. Derek Dietrich will start in left field and hit sixth.

Harper is in the lineup but will likely only play six or seven innings during Friday's game against the Pirates, The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo reports.

In addition, manager Dusty Baker stated that Harper is unlikely to play all nine innings of any game this weekend while he continues to work his way back from a knee injury. Harper was activated from the disabled list Tuesday, and played two straight games before taking the day off for Thursday's series opener.

Stanton went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored during Thursday's win over Atlanta.

Baseball fans and fantasy owners have wondered for some time what Stanton was capable of in a healthy season. The answer is a historic campaign. Stanton is now up to 59 homers, 129 RBI and 121 runs with a .280/.376/.636 slash line, and he has three more games on the schedule to beef up his numbers.

Carpenter (shoulder) has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals were officially eliminated from postseason contention Thursday, and with that, Carpenter will shut it down and look ahead to 2018. He has been playing through chronic shoulder pain for a while and the team will check in on the condition of his shoulder with another MRI on Friday. Carpenter said he's confident that he will be able to avoid surgery.

Harper is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Harper, who returned from a long-term knee injury earlier in the week, is apparently feeling a little sore after playing in back-to-back games, so he'll get the day off as the Nationals play it safe with him ahead of the playoffs. According to manager Dusty Baker, Harper's soreness is nothing to worry about and he expects the outfielder to play in the final three games of the regular season over the weekend, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports. Meanwhile, Victor Robles will start in right field and bat second in his place Thursday.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Giants.

The home run was Martinez's 45th of the season and 16th of September, tying the National League record established in 1949 by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. During the month-long heater, Martinez is slashing .418/.455/1.022 with 36 RBI and 26 runs, likely swinging the tide in many fantasy matchups down the stretch.

McCutchen went 4-for-4 with two home runs, eight RBI and four runs in Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.

The RBI total was a career high for McCutchen, who plated half his runs on his first career grand slam, which came in the second inning. He homered again in the sixth inning and added a double and single for good measure, which translated to the most memorable performance of what's been a nice bounce-back season for the former MVP. A popular name in trade discussions last offseason, McCutchen will likely appear in the rumor mill again this winter if the Pirates decide to pursue a rebuild. Given the stellar .278/.362/.487 batting line he's submitted this season, the 30-year-old would surely fetch a more significant haul in any trade than he would have at this point a year ago.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and six RBI in Tuesday's 11-4 win over the Giants.

He did all his damage in the first two innings off lefty Matt Moore, ripping a two-run double in the first before launching a grand slam in the second for his 44th homer of the season, and 28th in 58 games since coming over from the Tigers. Should the D-backs make any noise in the postseason, particularly against the Dodgers' southpaw-heavy rotation, their trade deadline acquisition of Martinez will end up being the smartest transaction of the year.