MLB Player News

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Friday in a 7-1 victory versus the White Sox.

Brantley's homer in the fifth inning gave Houston a 3-1 lead, and he helped pad that margin by singling and scoring in the seventh. The pair of hits pushed his season batting average up to a robust .329, fourth-best in MLB. Brantley also has six homers, 32 RBI and 44 runs scored on the season.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-0 win over the Yankees.

Martinez provided Boston's last run of the game with an eighth-inning blast. The designated hitter is up to 19 homers, 63 RBI, 61 runs scored and a .299/.369/.561 slash line through 371 plate appearances this year. The 33-year-old will likely continue to hit third in Boston's order, giving him plenty of chances to get involved in run production for a top-five offense.

Harper sat out the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins due to dehydration issues, but he is expected to play Saturday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Temperatures were in the mid-90s for the matinee of the doubleheader, in which Harper went 1-for-3 with a double and a run. It sounds like he will be a full-go for the rest of the weekend series.

Lewis (knee) has resumed throwing but hasn't yet resumed swinging, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Lewis had his stitches removed in late June, and he's now been able to resume some baseball activities. Manager Scott Servais has been optimistic that the outfielder will be cleared to return at some point in 2021, but a timetable for his recovery hasn't yet been established.

Canha (hip) will participate in a workout Friday and could return from the injured list this weekend, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Although Canha is unavailable for Friday's series opener against Cleveland, manager Bob Melvin is hoping the right fielder could return to action Saturday or Sunday if his workout goes well. He's been on the injured list with a left hip strain since June 25 but should take over as the primary right fielder once he's cleared to return.

Harper isn't starting the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a double and a run in Friday's matinee. Matt Vierling will take over in right field and bat eighth.

Pederson isn't in the lineup Friday against the Rays, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Pederson was acquired by Atlanta on Thursday but will need to wait at least a day before making his first start for his new team. Abraham Almonte will work in right field, while Pederson should join the starting nine later this weekend.

McCutchen will sit for the afternoon portion of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

The Phillies won't ask the 34-year-old to play two games in one day. He remained a useful player in the first half despite his age, hitting 15 homers and stealing six bases while slashing .228/.346/.434, good for a 113 wRC+. That low batting average hurts fantasy teams, but a .252 xBA indicates that things could improve in that category going forward. Brad Miller will be the left fielder in his absence.

Pederson was traded to Atlanta from the Cubs on Thursday in exchange for Bryce Ball.

Pederson may be the first domino to fall in what is expected to be a busy trade deadline for the Cubs. He provides Atlanta with a starting outfielder, a position of need as the team is currently without Ronald Acuna (knee) and Marcell Ozuna (finger). Pederson hit .230/.300/.418 across 287 plate appearances with the Cubs on the campaign.

Vientos is hitting .277/.348/.588 with 14 homers, 40 RBI and 28 runs across 48 games for Double-A Binghamton.

The 21-year-old third baseman has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game -- that 29.4 percent strikeout rate is a little scary -- but he's also improved his walk rate to 9.0 percent.. Just as importantly, he's shown off a major increase in power, nearly doubling his ISO from .156 in 2019 to .311 this year. Since the Mets have another promising third-base prospect in Brett Baty, Vientos has been getting some reps in left field since defense isn't his strength. Whatever position he lands at, Vientos will probably hit enough home runs to be a viable fantasy asset, though he'll probably never be a .300 hitter.