MLB Player News

Bleday is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Dodgers.

It's a rare day off for Bleday, who is slashing only .182/.287/.291 over 43 games since Aug. 1. TJ Friedl will cover left field for the Reds in Bleday's stead.

Lawlar entered Wednesday's game as a pinch runner with two outs in the ninth inning and made the final out attempting to steal second base in a 4-3 loss to the Marlins.

The Diamondbacks were trying to get the tying run to second base with Ketel Marte at the plate, but Miami catcher Joe Mack's throw beat Lawlar. It was the first time in six attempted steals that Lawlar had been caught.

Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Brewers.

Cruz took Logan Henderson yard to lead off the fourth inning to record his 19th home run of the season. It was only his second time going deep in September, though Cruz has still managed to hit .333 with three steals, 12 RBI and five runs through 14 games this month.

Hernandez went 4-for-5 with one RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Hernandez has hit safely in six straight games, but this was his first multi-hit effort in that span. He's also gone nine contests without an extra-base hit. The outfielder is now batting .232 with a .766 OPS, 24 home runs, 64 RBI, 47 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple and 11 stolen bases through 121 contests this season.

Marsee went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk, a stolen base and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Marsee filled the box score with his sixth multi-hit effort over his last 10 games. He has two homers, seven RBI and two steals in that span. For the season, the 25-year-old outfielder is batting .227 with a .702 OPS, 11 homers, 23 steals, 39 RBI, 78 runs scored, 19 doubles and six triples across 147 contests.

McCarthy went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 9-3 loss to the Padres.

The theft was McCarthy's 30th of the year, and this is the first time he's reached that milestone. Wednesday was just the third time in September he's been held hitless -- he's batting .345 (20-for-58) this month. Overall, the outfielder has enjoyed a career year, hitting .295 with an .822 OPS, 15 home runs, 80 RBI, 75 runs scored, 30 doubles and 10 triples across 137 contests.

Merrill went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Rockies.

Over his last nine games, Merrill has tallied at least three hits on five occasions, going 20-for-39 (.513) in that span. The outfielder has added 13 RBI and three home runs during the hot streak. For the season, he's batting .256 with a .746 OPS, 25 home runs, 26 stolen bases, 83 RBI, 79 runs scored, 25 doubles and four triples over 149 contests. Merrill is locked into a starting role as the Padres battle for a playoff spot.

Taylor went 2-for-4 with two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Rockies.

Taylor has gone 10-for-37 (.270) over 12 games since he returned from an oblique injury at the end of August. He has added four steals in that span, providing a boost of speed from the lower half of the lineup. The outfielder has a career-high 10 steals on 12 attempts while batting .312 with a .770 OPS, one home run, 13 RBI, 21 runs scored, two doubles and two triples across 143 plate appearances this year.

Ewing went 2-for-4 with two singles and a steal in Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Orioles.

The 22-year-old singled and stole second base during the second inning for his 24th theft of the season, which ties the Mets rookie record for steals in a season set by Mookie Wilson in 1981. Ewing's bat has been red hot in September, going 18-for-47 (.383) with five extra-base hits and 10 RBI. For the season, that's boosted his slash line to .256/.327/.383 with 10 homers, 38 RBI and 52 runs scored in 110 games while operating as New York's primary center fielder.

Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-4 with a triple, two home runs, three RBI and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 8-4 win over Atlanta.

Crow-Armstrong strengthened his case for National League MVP on Wednesday with another multi-HR game -- his seventh of the season -- while hustling out an RBI triple in the fifth inning. He's already set career highs in homers (44), RBI (105) and stolen bases (37) across 687 plate appearances this year, and he has just over a week left in the regular season to record the seventh 40-40 season in major-league history and first in Cubs franchise history.