McCutchen will sit Saturday against the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen has had a fairly regular role for the Pirates this season, but the team has been careful to give his 36-year-old legs sufficient rest. Through 22 games, he's sat five times. The maintenance plan seems to be working so far, as he's hit .277/.388/.523 with four homers and three steals.

McCutchen is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

This appears to be a routine day of rest for the veteran McCutchen, who slugged a solo homer in the Pirates' rout of the Rockies on Monday and is slashing .302/.418/.528 on the year. Canaan Smith-Njigba is starting in right field Tuesday and Carlos Santana is taking a turn as the designated hitter.

McCutchen went 2-for-6 with a solo home run in Monday's 14-3 win over the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen took Kyle Freeland deep in the first inning to tally his third home run of the season. He later added a single to extend his hitting streak to five games, during which he's chipped in four RBI and four runs scored while maintaining a .273 average. McCutchen has had a strong start to the campaign overall, maintaining a 151 wRC+ and .408 wOBA across 67 plate appearances.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a go-ahead two-run home run in the 10th inning of Saturday's victory over St. Louis.

EDGE Analysis

With the score tied at 3-3 in the 10th, McCutchen broke the knot with a two-run shot off Jordan Hicks. The 36-year-old outfielder has gone deep twice in his return season to the Bucs while driving in six runs over 14 games to go along with three stolen bases. It's a small sample, but after struggling to a .237 average and .700 OPS with the Brewers in 2022, it's encouraging to see McCutchen get off to a strong start in 2023.

McCutchen is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

Canaan Smith-Njigba will play right field and bat sixth versus the Astros and right-hander Cristian Javier. Ji-Man Choi is serving as the designated hitter and hitting third. McCutchen sits with a shiny .333/.486/.519 slash line through 37 plate appearances on the year.

McCutchen is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's tilt against the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen's reward for going 3-for-4 with a double, homer, stolen base and two runs scored against the White Sox on Saturday is a day of rest. Canaan Smith-Njigba gets the start in right and will hit sixth against Michael Kopech and the Chicago pitching staff.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The 36-year-old turned back the clock in this one, putting together a performance reminiscent of his glory days in Pittsburgh when he delivered three straight 20/20 campaigns in the early 2010s. McCutchen dealt with some elbow soreness in spring training but appears healthy now, reeling off three straight multi-hit games and batting .375 (9-for-24) to begin the season with one homer, two steals, three runs, three RBI and a massive .515 OBP thanks to a 7:4 BB:K.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran outfielder has had a bit of a slow start at the plate to begin his second tour of duty with the Pirates, going 4-for-15 (.267) through six games with his only extra-base hit being a double, but he's drawn seven walks and stole his first base of the year Wednesday. McCutchen hasn't swiped double-digit bags since 2018, but the 36-year-old still boasted a sprint speed in the 90th percentile last year according to Statcast. If he keeps getting on base at a good clip, he could be one of the players who benefits most from MLB's rule changes to boost the running game.

McCutchen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen will get a breather for the first time in the young 2023 campaign after he started all three games of the Pirates' season-opening series versus the Reds, going a collective 2-for-8 with a double, five walks, a run and an RBI. Ji Man Choi will spell him Monday as the Pirates' designated hitter.

McCutchen (elbow) made throws to bases over the weekend in Pirates camp, CJ Haddad of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen was limited to DH duties over the final stretch of the Grapefruit League schedule because of soreness in his right elbow, but he told reporters Monday that he expects to be able to play some outfield when the regular season gets underway. "It's all good," McCutchen said. "I'm fine. I'll be good. No worries."