MLB Player News

Belt (knee) struck out in his only at-bat Saturday against the Brewers.

Belt was a late scratch Saturday due to a lingering knee injury, but his usage off the bench is a sign that the injury isn't serious. The 30-year-old could return to the starting lineup Sunday with the right-handed Zach Davies on the bump for Milwaukee.

Harper went 1-for-1 with three walks, a two-run home run and a second run scored in a 6-5 win over the Cubs during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

As is Cubs manager Joe Maddon's tendency, Harper got worked around for most of the night, but the one time he got a hittable pitch, he made no mistake, crushing his 32nd homer of the year to straightaway center field off lefty Justin Wilson in the seventh inning and providing what proved to be the winning runs. Harper has a .329/.448/.594 slash line through 46 games since the All-Star break, pushing his OPS on the year up to .899.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run Saturday against the Mariners.

McCutchen took Felix Hernandez deep to lead off the game with his 17th home run of the season. Though he started slowly with the Yankees, McCutchen has now homered in consecutive games. He's led off and batted third most recently, which should allow him to rack up counting stats to close the season, especially if he continues his power resurgence.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a two walks and a two-run homer in Saturday's win over the Blue Jays.

Brantley delivered in his return to the lineup after missing a pair of games with a foot injury. The outfielder put the Indians up 4-3 with his home run off Sean Reid-Foley in what ended up being a seven-run fifth inning. The 31-year-old is now hitting a solid .304/.359/.468 with 15 homers and 10 stolen bases over 127 games.

Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Blackmon took Walker Buehler deep in the fifth inning to record his 24th home run of the season. The long ball marked his first since Aug. 24 and only his second since July 31. While that production is disappointing, Blackmon has managed to provide value by swiping seven bases and scoring 28 runs since the All-Star break.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers.

His two-run shot off Shane Greene in the top of the ninth inning tied the game at 3-3, only for Bud Norris to hand the game right back to Detroit with a walkoff wild pitch in the bottom half of the frame. Ozuna now has 21 homers on the year, five of which have come in the last four games.

Ohtani was diagnosed with a right thigh contusion and is day-to-day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani suffered the injury during a collision at home plate in Saturday's 12-3 win over the White Sox, though he said he was fine afterwards and added he'll be able to play Sunday should manager Mike Scioscia include him in the lineup. Prior to suffering the injury, Ohtani was 2-for-4 with a walk, a three-run triple, two runs scored and a stolen base.

Belt was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers due to a sore right knee.

Kelby Tomlinson will take Belt's spot in the order, batting second and playing second base, with Chase d'Arnaud sliding over to first base. Belt missed Monday's game with the same issue, though he was able to start in the following three contests.

Pederson will sit against the southpaw Kyle Freeland and the Rockies on Saturday.

As usual, Pederson will continue in his platoon role. Chris Taylor will get the start in left field.

Brantley (foot) will start in left field and bat second against the Blue Jays on Saturday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Brantley was withheld from the starting lineup the past two games due to a bruised left foot, though he was able to enter Friday's contest as a pinch hitter. Expect to see him remain a regular fixture in the Indians' lineup moving forward.