MLB Player News

McCutchen is starting in center field and batting third Tuesday against the Rays.

McCutchen was dropped to sixth in the order just about a month ago after a horrendous start to the season, but he appears to have reclaimed his spot in the heart of the Pirates' order after putting together an impressive month at the plate. The 30-year-old compiled a .380/.471/.690 triple slash with eight homers and a 19:17 K:BB in 28 games (119 plate appearances) while hitting sixth. The struggling Gregory Polanco was dropped to sixth in the order Tuesday.

Harper went 3-for-5 in Monday's loss to the Cubs.

He nearly had a fourth hit but was absolutely robbed on a screaming line drive that might have been a double into the left-center gap if not for Javier Baez's leaping grab. Harper seems locked in at the plate right now, hitting .357/.426/.476 over his last 10 games, and it could be just a matter of time before he produces a home run binge to go along with all those singles.

Pederson went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

The young slugger has been on a tear since returning from the disabled list, batting .341 with four home runs and seven RBI in 13 games. Pederson has made quick work of turning around a slow and injury-plagued start to the season, raising his batting average 40 points and his on-base percentage 55 points (to .240 and .364, respectively) over his current hot stretch.

Carpenter is not in the lineup Monday against the Reds.

Carpenter has just two hits over his last five games, so he'll head to the bench for a breather. Luke Voit will make his first MLB start at first base in his place.

Harper went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk in Sunday's loss to the Reds.

A stagnant offense around him left Harper without any RBI or runs despite his strong performance. After seeing his 13-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday, he's come right back with three hits in his last three games, keeping his OPS in four digits at 1.011.

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Sunday's win over the Cubs.

Fantasy owners will want to keep those fingers crossed because Stanton has now started 70 of 74 games. When healthy, he's established himself as an elite fantasy asset, and this year's 20 homers, 49 RBI, 47 runs and .274/.357/.551 slash line affirm it.

Cespedes is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Cespedes has been scorching-hot at the plate since returning from the disabled list roughly two weeks ago, but he'll get the day off as the Mets square off against Matt Moore and the Giants. Michael Conforto will take over in left field with Curtis Granderson drawing the start in center.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run during Saturday's loss to Pittsburgh.

Carpenter snapped a three-game hit drought with the bomb and now has five home runs, 13 RBI, 15 runs and a .953 OPS through 22 June games. The veteran is struggling to improve on his underwhelming .236 batting average, but his 14 homers, 40 RBI and 29 runs are solid fantasy marks.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Mets.

Belt has put together a modest seven-game hit streak -- with three homers -- after struggling through his first 14 June contests (8-for-51). Despite maintaining consistent patience at the plate, the 29-year-old has proven to be a streaky hitter over his seven-year career, and he appears to be trending upward at the moment.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Saturday against the Rockies.

In a contest without a ton of offense, Pederson's 421-foot blast to center field in the third inning served as the evening's fireworks. While he is hitting just .225 on the season, he's hitting .297 over 37 June at-bats.