MLB Player News

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk Saturday against the Cubs.

Carpenter crushed his 20th bomb of the season to put the Cardinals on the board in the eighth inning of a road loss. He's not quite the fantasy star he was a few years ago, but his power makes him an interesting option in leagues that allow for daily lineup changes.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a solo homer Saturday against the Reds.

McCutchen blasted his 26th homer of the season in the ninth inning to pull the Pirates within a single run in a losing effort. He's left the yard in three of his last five games, and could be starting a hot streak that could be extremely helpful to fantasy owners during the most important part of the season.

Winker went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Saturday against the Pirates.

Winker broke open a scoreless tie in the seventh inning when he launched his sixth home run of the campaign off Ivan Nova to help lead the Reds to a home victory. Although he's hit two home runs over his last five games, he's collected just three hits during that span and his low batting average is difficult to trade off for his power potential.

Martinez (neck) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Giants.

A bout of neck stiffness resulted in Martinez's scratch from Friday's lineup, but apparently the discomfort has already subsided. He's batting fifth against lefty Madison Bumgarner and Martinez has absolutely destroyed left-handed pitching this season (.402/.485/.939). Martinez is tied for third overall in home runs this year with 39 despite missing nearly six weeks at the start of the season with a foot injury.

Turner went 1-for-5 with a solo homer Friday against the Nationals.

Turner blasted his 20th homer of the season to give the Dodgers a first-inning lead they'd never relinquish. He's hit safely in all but two games this month, and he's been an elite fantasy option over the course of the season, as evidenced by his .325/.416/.539 slash line.

Martinez was scratched from Friday's game against the Giants with left neck stiffness.

At this point, it doesn't sound like the injury is serious. Consider Martinez day-to-day until the club provides a further update to his status. Martinez was replaced in the outfield by Gregor Blanco.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Blackmon tallied just one hit in 18 at-bats over his last five games, so manager Bud Black decided it was time to give him his first day off since June 17 -- a span of 76 games. Ian Desmond will man center field Friday in Blackmon's place.

Miller is out of Friday's lineup against the Red Sox.

The Rays face lefty Chris Sale so they will go with a righty-heavy lineup. Danny Espinosa, a switch hitter, will start at second base and hit ninth.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with his first career walk-off home run, a solo shot in the bottom of the 10th inning, in Thursday's win over Toronto.

Buxton has 10 home runs in his last 31 games and is hitting .322 over that span. He's finishing the year strong and having a remarkable turnaround after hitting just .216 with five home runs and a .594 OPS in the first half of the season.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a home run in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.

The 34-year-old's sudden and dramatic decline has made for one of the most surprising stories of the baseball season. He's still batting just .249/.331/.405 with 16 homers and 60 RBI after Thursday's output, but he's Miguel Cabrera and most owners don't have a better alternative. Hopefully he'll come on strong over the final couple weeks.