MLB Player News

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers Tuesday against Philadelphia.

After being named the National League Player of the Month for June, McCutchen is off to a great start in July, going 5-for-12 with four extra-base hits. He's slashing .395/.497/.689 with eight homers and 23 RBI since May 26. While the outfielder has swiped only one of his six bags in the last 41 games, owners have no doubt enjoyed his monster turnaround. It's still a toss-up as to whether McCutchen will get dealt at the deadline, but he's definitely upped his trade value.

Pederson is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson will head to the bench as the opposition sends out a southpaw starter (Patrick Corbin). Enrique Hernandez will draw the start in his place in center field.

Cespedes (hamstring) is expected to return to the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Nationals, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Cespedes' injury was never deemed serious, and while he didn't appear in Tuesday's loss to the Nationals, he was apparently available as a pinch hitter if needed. He'll likely test his hamstring out prior to Wednesday's contest before making a decision on whether to play, but the Mets seem confident their star slugger will be back for the series finale.

Harper went 3-for-4 with a walk, a pair of RBI and three runs against the Mets on Tuesday.

The Nats, playing at home in the nation's capital, provided an Independence Day beatdown to the Mets in this one, and Harper was right in the middle of it, as usual. After a down year in 2016, he's gotten right back to looking like his megastar self from the 2015 campaign.

Carpenter will bat leadoff and start at second base Tuesday against the Marlins.

Just as Mike Matheny did Monday, he will use Carpenter at the keystone to make room for Luke Voit at first base. It's only start No. 2 for Carpenter at second base on the year, but if Matheny wants to continue getting Voit regular playing time, Carpenter could see just enough reps there to retain eligibility heading into 2018. The eventual return of Kolten Wong (triceps) could complicate things, but Carpenter has plenty of time left to hit the five-game minimum required by many leagues, and could realistically hit 10 if Voit stays hot.

Cespedes (hamstring) won't be included in the Mets' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals, but will be available off the bench for a pinch-hit appearance, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cespedes suffered a hamstring cramp during the final play of the Nationals' walk-off win Monday, and while the issue isn't considered serious, the quick turnaround for the Fourth of July contest, which starts at 11:05 a.m. EST, likely influenced manager Terry Collins' decision to hold the star outfielder out of the lineup. The fact that the Mets expect Cespedes to be available in a pinch-hitting capacity suggests that he could be back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday, though with an off day looming Thursday, the weekend series in St. Louis may be a more likely target for him to return to the outfield. Curtis Granderson (hip), who hit a pinch-hit home run Monday, could replace Cespedes in the starting nine Tuesday if Granderson checks out fine ahead of the contest.

Ozuna went 1-for-5 with a double and three RBI during Monday's loss to St. Louis.

Ozuna is turning in a monster fantasy campaign with an elite .314/.373/.571 slash line, 22 home runs, 62 RBI and 49 runs. After playing in the shadows of Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich the past few years, it's Ozuna that's been the best and most consistent asset in the Miami outfield in 2017.

Cespedes dealt with a hamstring cramp near the end of Monday's game against the Nationals, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Cespedes tried to make a play on Ryan Raburn's walkoff single to left field and was slow getting up. It doesn't sound like the injury is severe, but Carig additionally reports that Cespedes "almost certainly" won't play in Tuesday's game. The Mets have an off day Thursday before beginning their final series of the first half Friday against the Cardinals, so Cespedes may only miss a game or two.

Carpenter will start at second base and lead off Monday against the Marlins.

In an effort to make room in the lineup for first baseman Luke Voit, manager Mike Matheny will give Carpenter a start at the keystone for the first time all season. It's also only the second start that Carpenter has received at a position other than first base; he previously manned third base in a April 27 game. Since Carpenter retained second-base eligibility in most leagues heading into this season, his start at the position Monday won't mean much unless he ends up seeing enough playing time there in future contests to guarantee eligibility for 2018.

Belt went 3-for-4 with his 16th home run, three RBI and a pair of runs scored in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Pirates.

The 29-year-old's big day at the plate turned out to be the difference in a two-run win. With 16 homers in just 80 games, Belt is on pace to crush his career-best mark of 18 long balls. The first baseman's .228 batting average has been a drag on fantasy owners, but his current .259 BABIP is over 70 points below his career average (.332 BABIP), which should lead to an improvement in the batting average department going forward. Luck aside, Belt's patience (14.2 BB percentage) and power production have kept his fantasy value afloat.