MLB Player News

Belt went 3-for-4 with his 16th home run, three RBI and a pair of runs scored in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Pirates.

The 29-year-old's big day at the plate turned out to be the difference in a two-run win. With 16 homers in just 80 games, Belt is on pace to crush his career-best mark of 18 long balls. The first baseman's .228 batting average has been a drag on fantasy owners, but his current .259 BABIP is over 70 points below his career average (.332 BABIP), which should lead to an improvement in the batting average department going forward. Luck aside, Belt's patience (14.2 BB percentage) and power production have kept his fantasy value afloat.

Harper went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Sunday's 7-2 win over St. Louis.

The superstar took Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez deep in each of his first two at-bats, which is all Nationals ace Max Scherzer would need en route to a 12-strikeout victory -- his 10th of the year. The pair of bombs snapped an 11-game drought for Harper, who has now reached the 20-homer plateau for the fifth time in six seasons.

Miller (groin) went 1-for-4 with a double for High-A Charlotte on Sunday, but he won't be activated from the disabled list until Thursday at the earliest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The rehabbing second baseman played in three games over the weekend for the Stone Crabs, doubling in each contest while also walking and scoring once. It's certainly an encouraging sign that Miller has emerged setback-free from his first game action since early June, but the Rays apparently want him to knock more rust off before having him return to the big-league club. Tim Beckham, who's been dealing with an ankle issue in his own right, and Taylor Featherston have both been making starts at the keystone in recent games.

Ozuna finished 3-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI on Sunday in Milwaukee.

Ozuna launched a three-run shot off starter Junior Guerra in the third inning then led off the eighth with a 455-foot solo blast against reliever Paolo Espino. He's already just one shy of his two-time career high of 23 homers and is tied for ninth in the majors with 59 RBI.

McCutchen is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

McCutchen has punished opposing pitchers over the past several weeks, posting an absurd .505 on-base percentage in June, but he'll get the day off against Jeff Samardzija and the Giants. Gregory Polanco will take over in center field with Jose Osuna drawing the start in right.

Soler went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Saturday's loss to Minnesota.

Soler has gone 4-for-16 with a homer and a double since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha. It's been a disappointing season for the outfielder, and he's really struggled to live up to expectations. His power upside remains unquestioned, and he appears set for semi-consistent at-bats, so he's a potential flier for homer-starved fantasy teams.

Buxton is not in the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton performed well in the first game of Saturday's twin bill, going 2-for-4 with a walk, but will get the evening off. Max Kepler will take over in center field and bat fourth against probable Kansas City starter Jason Hammel.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Pederson will take a seat for the second consecutive day as the team faces left-hander Dillon Overton on Saturday. Although the outfielder was on the bench Friday, he came in and went 1-for-1 with a single. In his place, Trayce Thompson gets another start in center, batting eighth.

Cabrera went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Indians.

He and J.D. Martinez delivered back-to-back home runs off Josh Tomlin in the third inning to give the Tigers a lead they would not surrender. Cabrera has now mashed three home runs in his last four games to raise his season total to 11 through 246 at-bats. He went through a 22-game stretch without a home run earlier in the season, but is now starting to heat up in a big way heading into the All-Star break.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Indians.

He was originally expected to rest for the first installment of Saturday's twin bill, but Justin Upton was a late scratch, leading to manager Brad Ausmus plugging Martinez into the lineup. Martinez is now hitting .299 with a 1.038 OPS in 45 games this season and he's also belted out 14 home runs. He's collected hits in four of his last five games and has multiple hits in three of those outings.