MLB Player News

Belt is out of the lineup Friday against the Nationals.

He is hitting just .190/.342/.286 in the second half, so while his numbers on the season are still pretty impressive, he's scuffling quite a bit at the plate, specifically in the power department. Buster Posey will get the start at first base and hit cleanup Friday.

Choi went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Thursday's loss to the A's.

Believe it or not, Choi almost had a third home run, but Coco Crisp robbed him with a leaping catch at the wall in the bottom of the fifth inning. Choi had two home runs in 32 games entering play Thursday, and even after this performance, he's still slashing just .182/.273/.390 on the season.

Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.

The 33-year-old continues to tear the cover off the ball -- Thursday's homer was his fourth in as many games and seventh since the All-Star break. He's been excellent since the first couple weeks of the season and remains a set-it-and-forget-it fantasy stud.

Miller went 1-for-2 with two walks and a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Royals 3-2 on Thursday afternoon.

Miller's 19th homer was his second in as many days, and the 26-year-old's fourth in the last six games. He's now hit safely in eight of nine contests to push his average to a season-high .254 through 355 at-bats. Miller was recently told that he would be moving away from shortstop to play first base. He's yet to log a game at the corner spot, but if he indeed begins to play there, then Miller could earn eligibility at first base in time for the fantasy playoffs.

Cespedes (quad) had an MRI on Thursday which revealed no further damage to his injured quadriceps, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Cespedes had been dealing with the injury for several weeks but an aggravation during Wednesday's game forced him to the DL. On the bright side, his medical evaluations revealed no structural damage and he should be able to return from the DL once eligible on Aug. 18, assuming his rehab goes smoothly.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Thursday's tilt with Atlanta.

As expected, McCutchen is out of the lineup for the final game of the series with Atlanta Thursday. The Pirates wanted to give him several games off to unplug with hopes that it jumpstarts McCutchen heading into the playoff push. Matt Joyce gets the start in his place with Starling Marte sliding over to center field.

Carpenter (oblique) will be activated prior to Friday's game against the Braves, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reports.

He made his fourth and final rehab start Wednesday for Double-A Springfield and will use Thursday as a rest/travel day before joining the Cardinals for the weekend series at home against the Braves. Carpenter will return to the leadoff spot immediately, but he will move around in the field, primarily seeing time at third base and second base. Owners should be prepared to deploy him immediately upon is activation Friday.

Buxton (knee) is back in the lineup, hitting ninth and manning center field Thursday against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

The speedy center fielder will return after a three-game absence with the knee injury. It's been a very disappointing season for Buxton, who entered the season as a consensus top-two prospect in baseball. The speed and gold glove caliber center field defense has been on display, but his .199/.254/.325 slash line and 36.3 percent K-rate are cause for pessimism. Nonetheless, he should be a good source of steals down the stretch, and has enough talent to salvage things at the plate in 2017.

Martinez is starting in right field and hitting fifth Thursday against the White Sox.

This is his first start since coming off the DL on Wednesday, although he has already made his presence felt by hitting a pinch-hit home run in Wednesday's game. He should be in the lineup almost every day going forward, and can be deployed in all formats.

Martinez (elbow) hit a pinch-hit home run in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Martinez returned to the Detroit Tigers in style. After not playing since fracturing his elbow June 16, he pinch-hit in the eighth inning and hit Chris Sale's first pitch into the shrubs above the center field fence to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. The scene was electric at U.S. Cellular Field as Martinez was the hero in the comeback victory. Expect to see the outfielder to return to everyday duty beginning Thursday.