MLB Player News

Pederson, who is out of Saturday's lineup, is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers just acquired Curtis Granderson from the Mets, and from an offensive perspective, Granderson is basically a better version of Pederson -- he can handle righties and can't hit lefties. Defensively, Chris Taylor is getting the start in center field against righty Michael Fulmer on Saturday, with Granderson getting the start in left. Pederson is slashing .215/.329/.418 this season and has been worth 0.4 fWAR in 295 plate appearances.

Goins is not in the lineup against the Cubs on Saturday.

Goins will get the day off after starting the past two games following a forearm injury during Wednesday's contest. There hasn't appeared to be any indication that his forearm was bothering the infielder in any capacity -- tests revealed no structural damage -- but manager John Gibbons will give him a day off for Saturday's matinee. Darwin Barney will slide over to short while Rob Refsnyder gets a start at second.

Buxton went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and a solo home run Friday, scoring all three times he reached base in a 10-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

The homer, Buxton's eighth of the season, was an inside-the-park job that featured the fastest time of any player circling the bases (13.85 seconds) since Statcast began tracking in 2015. The center fielder is once again putting together a big finish to a campaign, slashing .345/.393/.582 with three home runs, five steals, 10 RBI and 12 runs through 17 games in August.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Braves.

Scott Schebler's return from the DL will cut into Winker's playing time, but the rookie has done what he can to convince Reds manager Bryan Price that he deserves a regular spot in the starting lineup, posting a .298/.412/.474 slash line with three homers in 20 games since the All-Star break.

Friday's acquisition of Curtis Granderson could cut into Pederson's playing time in center, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers made a waiver deal to acquire Granderson from the Mets, and Pederson would likely see the largest cut in playing time to get the veteran's bat into the lineup. Both players bring similar skill sets to the table as high-strikeout, high-power center fielders. Manager Dave Roberts hasn't laid out his plans for Granderson going forward, but Pederson will surely have to snap out of his current 2-for-41 (.049) slump in order remain a regular in the lineup.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk Friday against the Pirates.

Carpenter hit his 16th homer to extend the Cardinals' lead to four runs in the second inning of a divisional win. He's been struggling for much of August, and while he owns a somewhat-passable .448 slugging percentage, his .249 batting average is a negative for fantasy managers.

Martinez has been scratched from Friday's lineup against Minnesota with an illness, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

This will be the first game Martinez has missed in a solid August, in which he owns a .250/.364/.518 line with eight RBI and as many extra-base hits. Look for him to return to the lineup shortly; in the meantime, Brandon Drury will replace him in the lineup.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a double during Thursday's contest against the Cardinals.

He recorded his 11th three-hit game of the season and his first since late July. The center fielder is now slashing .291/.384./.515 and has convincingly bounced back to his pre-2016 levels. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that he is 10-for-13 on stolen-base attempts, proving the preseason talk of his demise as a base-stealer to be premature.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored during Thursday's loss to Atlanta.

With 28 homers, 76 RBI and 111 runs, Blackmon is closing in on posting career-best marks in all three categories. Additionally maintaining his .335/.396/.620 slash line would also result in career highs in all three columns. Considering he has three home games ahead, it wouldn't be surprising to see a few personal bests achieved over the weekend.

Buxton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Thursday's loss to Cleveland in the afternoon game of their doubleheader.

The center fielder also scored a run in the second game of day, and now sports a .234/.305/.334 slash line for the season. Until Buxton can cut down his strikeout percentage (29.5), it'll be difficult for him to live up to his potential. This could prove to be a buy-low opportunity, as he's still just 23 years old and owns the power-speed upside coveted in all fantasy settings.