MLB Player News

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.

Belt (concussion) is set to begin light conditioning work Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

This is a significant step for Belt as he works his way back from a concussion that has kept him out since early August. Friday marks Belt's first workout since the concussion, according to Pavlovic. Considering that cardio work is a large indicator of a player's recovery progress, Friday's workout should shed some light on Belt's status moving forward.

Goins (forearm) will not miss any time after exiting Wednesday's contest, remaining in the lineup for the series finale against Tampa Bay on Thursday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Goins will start at shortstop and bat eighth just a day after getting spiked in his left forearm while attempting to steal a base during the sixth inning of Wednesday's game. His X-rays didn't reveal any structural damage, and manager John Gibbons elects to keep Goins in the lineup for the divisional contest.

Winker is not in the Reds' lineup Thursday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

With Jon Lester toeing the rubber for the Cubs, Winker will give way to Phillip Ervin in right field. Winker has acquitted himself well when in the lineup, though, knocking a .280/.357/.420 output across 56 plate appearances this month that includes his first two major-league home runs.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer Wednesday in Houston.

Martinez has turned into an-all-or nothing slugger since being traded to Arizona in mid-July, mashing eight home runs in 24 games en route to a .595 slugging percentage but batting just .238. He also struck out once in this one, giving him 20 whiffs in the past 17 games.

Goins is being listed as day-to-day with a bruised left forearm after X-rays didn't reveal any broken bones, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

This is welcomed news for Goins, who was writhing in pain after getting spiked in Wednesday's game, forcing him to exit in the sixth inning. While he didn't rule out playing Thursday, the Blue Jays will wait and see how he's doing before making a decision. If he is forced to miss any action, Rob Refsnyder and Darwin Barney would likely hold down the middle of Toronto's infield.