MLB Player News

Miller is starting at second base and batting sixth Monday against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Tim Beckham headed to the Orioles, it appears Miller is set to enjoy an everyday role at second base for the remainder of the season. The 27-year-old has struggled at the plate, though, slashing just .199/.335/.327 in 239 plate appearances, so even with the bump in playing time, he won't carry much fantasy value unless he shows significant improvement. That's not impossible, of course -- this is, after all, a guy who hit 30 homers last year.

Reed was recalled from Triple-A Fresno on Monday.

Reed's long-term outlook dimmed quite a bit after he hit just .164 while striking out in 34 percent of his plate appearances with the Astros last season, but he still profiles as an above-average power source at the big-league level. The 24-year-old has maintained that reputation by slugging 22 home runs and 40 extra-base hits in total in 427 plate appearances with Fresno in 2017, which should at least make him a decent weapon off the bench for the Astros while he sticks around in the majors. With Yulieski Gurriel locked in as the everyday first baseman, however, Reed will be hard-pressed to pick up more than a start or two per week.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's loss to the Reds.

The dinger ended a 19-game power drought for Ozuna, but the 26-year-old was still plenty productive between homers, putting together a .301/.370/.452 slash line and 14 RBI. He's now set a new career high with 24 home runs and is four RBI shy of his previous best (85, set in 2014) as his breakout season continues.

Buxton (hamstring) went 5-for-12 in three rehab games for Triple-A Rochester and is set to be activated from the 10-day disabled list before Tuesday's game, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Buxton will likely return to the everyday lineup in center field. It will be interesting to see if the Twins continue to find a spot in the lineup for Zack Granite, who is hitting .368 (14-for-38) over his last 10 games.

McCutchen went 3-for-3 with three solo homers, two walks and four runs scored Sunday in San Diego.

All three of McCutchen's home runs came against left-handed pitching, as he hit one in the first inning off Clayton Richard and took Jose Torres deep twice in the final two frames. This was the veteran outfielder's third multi-homer effort of the season and first three-homer game since April 26 of last year in Colorado. Five of McCutchen's six hits in the past six games have left the yard.

Harper is not in the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Rockies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports.

Harper went 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts in the matinee game, so he'll head to the bench to get the rest of the night off. Brian Goodwin will move over to right field to replace him, allowing Andrew Stevenson to pick up a start in center field.

Belt (wrist) is in the starting lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Belt missed the past two games due to a bout of wrist soreness, but it appears that the time off was just what the doctor ordered to get him back to full health. He'll resume his normal place at first base and bat seventh in the series finale against Los Angeles starter Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Pederson is not in the lineup Sunday against the Giants, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

With Madison Bumgarner toeing the rubber for San Francisco, Pederson will retreat to the bench to avoid the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Enrique Hernandez will take over in center field for the evening.

Brantley is out of the lineup Sunday against the White Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Indians manager Terry Francona decided it was an opportune time to provide Brantley with his first day off since late June with the White Sox bringing southpaw Carlos Rodon to the hill for the series finale. To counter Rodon, lefty masher Brandon Guyer will check into the lineup in right field and bat sixth.

Miller is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays recently acquired Lucas Duda to serve as their primary designated hitter, so it appears Miller will have to settle for a platoon role at second base with Tim Beckham going forward. With the Yankees bringing a southpaw (Jordan Montgomery) to the hill for a second consecutive day, Miller will hit the bench again, but his status as a lefty hitter likely means that he'll see a heavier workload than Beckham in most weeks.