MLB Player News

McCutchen is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels.

McCutchen will get a rare day off -- in fact, it is just his second since the beginning of May. Although the center fielder is starting to bounce back from some early-season struggles, he is just 2-for-14 over four games since the beginning of June. While he takes a seat, Starling Marte will cover for him in center, while Matt Joyce gets the nod in right with Gregory Polanco in left.

Stanton is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mets.

Since returning to action Wednesday, Stanton has made four straight starts in right field, but has gone a miserable 1-for-14 over that span, striking out seven times. He'll get the day off Sunday to catch a breather and hopefully right the ship, while Ichiro Suzuki will get the starting nod in right.

Cespedes (hip) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins but may be available to pinch-hit.

Cespedes was a scratch Saturday due to what was later revealed as a sore right hip, so it's not too much of a surprise to see him rested Sunday. With all of the injuries afflicting the Mets of late, it's understandable to see them taking a conservative approach with their best remaining offensive threat. As for Cespedes, consider him day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener against the Pirates.

Jimenez was named the Cubs' Minor League Player of the Month for May, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez hit .364 with seven home runs and 23 RBI for Low-A South Bend in May. He's one of the better prospects in the Cubs' system, but he's still just 19, so he has a ways to go before he's playing in Wrigley Field.

Carpenter could start to see playing time at second base once Jhonny Peralta (thumb) returns to the lineup next week, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

It would be a boon for Carpenter's owners if he could regain second base eligibility this season, and it sounds like that's a possibility. Carpenter told Rosenthal that he prefers playing on the right side of the infield, as he can see what pitches the catcher is calling and he likes being involved in the action in the middle of the infield. Kolten Wong's struggles and Aledmys Diaz's solid play at shortstop (at least with the bat) make it likely that Peralta could play some third base, with Carpenter getting starts at the keystone.

Cespedes was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a sore right hip, Wayne Randazzo of 710 WOR in New York reports.

The Mets were likely just exercising caution in removing Cespedes from the lineup, and he's officially listed as day-to-day. Michael Conforto got the starting nod in his place Saturday, and Juan Lagares could see increased playing time as a fill-in should Cespedes miss any games going forward.

Cespedes has been scratched from Saturday's lineup, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

The Mets haven't yet revealed a reason for the move, but Cespedes will be removed from the lineup, with Michael Conforto getting the start in his place. An update is expected in short order, but Cespedes should be considered day-to-day until further notice.

McCutchen (thumb) went 1-for-4 with a hard-hit single to left field Friday.

The center fielder is wearing a thumb guard to help protect aggravation, and it looks as though he'll continue playing through the injury. McCutchen whiffed two more times Friday, giving him an uncharacteristically poor 4:21 BB:K in his last 19 games.

Stanton continues to look lost at the plate, going 0-for-4 with three more strikeouts in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Mets.

The 26-year-old's nightmarish season continues, with the trio of whiffs he suffered Friday bringing his season total to an astounding 67 in just 164 at-bats. Stanton's strikeout rate is now the highest it's ever been in his nine-plus professional seasons, save for a 35-plate appearance stint in Single-A ball in 2007. While he has managed to keep his power at respectable levels, that aspect of his game has suffered a downturn in recent weeks as well. After recording eight homers in April, Stanton has just four roundtrippers since that point, and just two in his last 42 at-bats.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBI in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Mets.

He'll be retelling the story behind this one for a long time, as Ozuna connected on a 100mph-fastball from Noah Syndergaard on his roundtripper, his 11th on the season. The 24-year-old had also gone hitless over his last four games, so the homer was certainly notable in more ways than one. Despite the recent struggles, he's slashing .327/.377/.579 over 202 at-bats, while already surpassing his 2015 homer total.