MLB Player News

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Wednesday against the Reds.

He's rounding into form after dealing with an early slump, with hits in six consecutive games lifting his average from .221 to .248 and his OPS back over the .800 mark. By the time the dust settles on this season, McCutchen should be sporting the numbers we've come to expect from him -- 20-plus homers and an average over .300 with plenty of counting stats. However, his steal totals have declined in each of the last two seasons, and as he approaches his 30th birthday (it's in October), McCutchen seems not to be a reliable source of speed anymore.

Martinez hit a solo homer and struck out three times against the Nationals' Max Scherzer in Wednesday's loss.

After 2014's breakout was followed by 2015's power explosion, Martinez flew off draft boards this spring, and early indications confirmed that valuation -- on April 19, he was hitting .370/.444/.565, but then he hit the skids in a big way. Over the 19 games between then and Wednesday, Martinez went just 11-for-76 (.145) with two homers. His BABIP is still way too low at .264 and his HR/FB is depressed as well, so Martinez should bounce back promptly. It's also hard to blame him for all those whiffs Wednesday, considering that the Tigers went down on strikes 20 times against Max Scherzer.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a base on balls and was caught stealing in Wednesday's win over Detroit.

The slugger's now been walked in seven consecutive games, with a Barry Bonds-esque 18 free passes in that span. It's no coincidence that Harper has only one RBI in that time; teams are pitching around the 23-year-old -- who's hitting .385/.645/.923 (yes, that's the slugging percentage) with runners in scoring position -- every time he comes up with men on base. That strategy will certainly artificially deflate his RBI opportunities, but Harper's going to rack up the stats regardless, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him try more steals to make teams pay for walking him. At least the Nats have moved the white-hot Daniel Murphy to the cleanup spot behind him, which should help -- it's hard to walk a guy when the next guy up is a .400 hitter. Harper's fantasy owners should, however, remain vigilant for his upcoming one-game suspension (assuming he loses his appeal).

Reed (hamstring) was placed on the 7-day DL on Wednesday with a right hamstring strain, the Houston Chronicle's Angel Verdejo reports.

General manager Jeff Luhnow said the team does not know the severity of the injury or what kind of timetable Reed is facing. He has a .973 OPS and six home runs through 28 games for Triple-A Frisco, despite dealing with some bad luck on balls in play. Reed will almost certainly be up this season, and his ability to return quickly and put this injury behind him will dictate exactly when he gets the call this summer.

Turner is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.

Turner has yet to provide much power or the high batting average that he has been known for in recent seasons, although his defense has still been quite good at the hot corner. Howie Kendrick gets the start at third base and will bat third Wednesday against righty Noah Syndergaard.

Harper has been suspended for one game for his actions after being ejected from Monday's game, and he will appeal, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

He is still eligible to play until the appeal is heard, so there is no need to take him out of daily lineups Wednesday. He re-entered the field of play after being ejected from Monday's game against the Tigers to yell at the umpire, which is why he received the suspension. Appeals of this nature are typically processed fairly quickly, so stay tuned to find out when he will serve the one-game suspension, assuming he does not win the appeal. He is so dominant when he is in the lineup that this should not affect his deployment in weekly leagues.

Colon will bat eighth and start at second base Wednesday against the Yankees, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

With Mike Moustakas on the disabled list, Colon's gotten significantly more playing time of late between second and third base. He's 4-for-12 over the past four games and has raised his batting average up to .250. He replaces Omar Infante in the starting lineup Wednesday against the right-handed Michael Pineda.

Cabrera (knee) is back in the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals, batting third and starting at third base.

Cabrera knocked in a run as a pinch hitter on Tuesday and is getting his first start of the season at third base on Wednesday. He's hitting .298 with four home runs and 14 RBI on the season. He replaces Nick Castellanos in the lineup Wednesday.

Choi was designated for assignment Wednesday by the Angels.

Choi is 1-for-18 with six walks this season, but with the Angels acquiring Jhoulys Chacin, Choi has been moved off the 40-man roster to clear room. The 24-year-old has been a good hitter in the minors throughout his career, which means he may not clear waivers.

Belt is not in the lineup Wednesday against Toronto due to illness.

Belt will get the day off, as the Giants go with Conor Gillaspie at first base Wednesday. Gillaspie will bat seventh in the order against Toronto's Marcus Stroman. Consider Belt day-to-day until the team says otherwise.