MLB Player News

McCutchen isn't starting Wednesday against the Cubs.

McCutchen is getting a day off after he went 0-for-12 with a walk and three strikeouts over the last three games. Christian Yelich will serve as the designated hitter while Keston Hiura draws the start in left field.

Jimenez (hamstring) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Jimenez concluded his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, but the White Sox waited an additional day before activating him. He's starting in left field and batting sixth during Wednesday's series finale against the Twins, but it's possible that the team gives him some additional looks as the designated hitter in the near future following his lengthy absence. Regardless of his position, the 25-year-old should see plenty of playing time. Over 11 games prior to sustaining his hamstring injury, he slashed .222/.256/.333 with a homer, seven RBI and two runs.

Harper (thumb) said Tuesday that he intends to play again this season, but he was unwilling to commit to a timeline for his return from the 10-day injured list, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "I don't want to hope or think about anything," Harper said. "I just want to go day by day and be back when I can, whenever I feel healthy, whenever that is, to help this team win. If we're in [playoff contention], if we're out of it, I'm going to come back and play no matter what, just so I know that I can go out there and play the game."

A late-season return already was expected to be in play for Harper after he underwent surgery last week and had three pins inserted into his fractured left thumb, but the 29-year-old's reluctance to commit to a target date for his return to game action could make it tougher for fantasy managers to continue stashing him during his prolonged absence. Shortly before he had surgery, multiple reports suggested Harper could be ready to play as soon as mid-August, but the reigning MVP merely said that he'll "be back when I need to" when pressed about a potential timeline for a return. Since Harper landed on the IL, Darick Hall has been summoned from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace him as Philadelphia's primary designated hitter.

Encarnacion-Strand has been activated from the injured list at High-A Cedar Rapids after missing five games due to a concussion.

Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .294/.361/.580 with 17 home runs at Cedar Rapids. Luckily it sounds like his injury won't derail his breakout season.

Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Marlins.

Angels hitters has very little success against Sandy Alcantara on the night, but Ohtani at least was able to add a little value on the basepaths. The steal was his ninth of the year, and over his last 13 games as a hitter, the two-way superstar is slashing .317/.455/.732 with five homers and 14 RBI.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-2 win over the Yankees on Tuesday.

Vogelbach joined teammate Jack Suwinski in going deep off Jameson Taillon for his 11th long ball of the season. The 29-year-old designated hitter is coming off a poor couple of months at the plate. He hit .192 in June and .164 in May, with the only silver lining being the seven home runs he hit over that stretch. He is now riding a six-game hitting streak, but expectations may not be very high for the career .214 hitter.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Royals.

Alvarez has homered in consecutive games, and he's gone yard eight times in his last 14 contests. His blast Tuesday provided the Astros' last run in the win. He's up to 25 long balls this year with 58 RBI, 53 runs scored, nine doubles and a .313/.413/.663 slash line through 298 plate appearances. Alvarez is tied for second in the majors in homers with the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, four back of the Yankees' Aaron Judge for the major-league lead.

Cabrera went 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Guardians.

As has often been the case this year, Cabrera racked up a lot of singles. The veteran is batting .308 and 67 of his 77 hits have been of the one-base variety. As a result, his OPS is only .720 despite the high batting average, but this has still been a strong season overall for Cabrera. The most important thing has been that he's stayed healthy, as he's now played in 69 of the team's first 80 games, with maintenance days accounting for most of his absences so far.

Belt is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Tyler Gilbert is the second consecutive left-hander starter sent out by Arizona, and Belt will take a seat for the second straight day as a result. The veteran first baseman is 2-for-25 with an RBI, two walks and 11 strikeouts across his past nine games.

Madris is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees.

He'll cede his spot in the corner outfield to Ben Gamel (hamstring), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Though Gamel will start Tuesday and had been a fixture in the lineup against right-handed pitching prior to landing on the shelf May 29, he's a 30-year-old on an expiring deal who might not have a future with a rebuilding Pittsburgh squad. As a result, Gamel's return won't necessarily spell an end to Madris' time as a regular, especially while the rookie has delivered a credible .734 OPS through his first 51 big-league plate appearances.