McCutchen (knee) said he felt "significantly better" after Friday's game and could play Saturday, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The team will decide Saturday whether he's fit to return to the lineup as a designated hitter or center fielder. "I'd like to play defense, too," he said. "I feel better now. Docs ran some tests. It was good. We'll see how it feels tomorrow." He described his pain as a cramp and said he didn't need an MRI, even as a precautionary measure. It appears fantasy owners dodged a major bullet Friday.

McCutchen officially exited Friday night's game with left patella femoral discomfort, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

In English, that means McCutchen's knee is sore. The immediate diagnosis, then, is fairly positive considering McCutchen had to limp off the field from second base in the third inning. It's still unclear if he will require a disabled list stint, though, and he will likely be reevaluated before Saturday afternoon's contest against Toronto.

McCutchen limped off the field and was removed from Friday's game after hitting a double in the third inning, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen appeared to be fine after hitting the double, but possibly tweaked his left knee or hamstring trying to double back to second after a pitch during the next at-bat. He was replaced on second and in center field by Starling Marte. Consider him day-to-day for now, but this kind of non-contact leg injury is scary and could keep McCutchen out for a significant period of time.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an intentional walk Sunday against San Diego.

EDGE Analysis

He's 6-for-21 with no extra-base hits in six August games. Against Monday's starter, Jordan Zimmermann, McCutchen is a career 2-for-8 with a pair of homers. Plate discipline has served the outfielder well in his resurgence. Prior to May 25, he held a 17:35 BB:K mark. Since then, he's put up a much improved ratio of 41:42 BB:K. He'll look for his first extra-base hit since July on Monday.

McCutchen went 3-for-3 with three solo homers, two walks and four runs scored Sunday in San Diego.

EDGE Analysis

All three of McCutchen's home runs came against left-handed pitching, as he hit one in the first inning off Clayton Richard and took Jose Torres deep twice in the final two frames. This was the veteran outfielder's third multi-homer effort of the season and first three-homer game since April 26 of last year in Colorado. Five of McCutchen's six hits in the past six games have left the yard.

McCutchen went 2-for-3 with his 19th homer Friday against the Padres.

EDGE Analysis

He's cooled off since the All-Star break, slashing .250/.373/.396 with two homers and three stolen bases. The nine steals have been a pleasant surprise after McCutchen stole only six bags in 13 attempts last year. His .890 OPS in 2017 is the highest since 2014. The odds of Pittsburgh moving McCutchen prior to the deadline have increased somewhat, given the team's recent slide, but it's still unlikely a trade happens prior to the off season.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with two walks, three runs scored and three RBI in Friday's 13-5 win over the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

It's his first multi-hit performance since the All-Star break, extending McCutchen's current on-base streak to 12 games. He's arguably been the most valuable hitter in baseball since the calendar flipped to June, slashing .384/.481/.642 in his last 42 games with nine homers, four steals, 32 RBI and 37 runs, and Cutch's resurgence is a big reason why the Pirates suddenly find themselves back in the thick of the NL Central playoff race.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk and two runs Thursday in Philadelphia.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen, Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco supplied almost all of the offense in this 6-3 win, finishing with a combined nine hits and six runs scored. This was his fifth multi-hit performance in nine games since being moved from sixth to third in the batting order, and the 2013 NL MVP also has eight extra-base hits over that span. The recent uptick in performance has raised McCutchen's season line to .289/.375/.520.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers Tuesday against Philadelphia.

EDGE Analysis

After being named the NL player of the month for June, McCutchen is off to a great start in July, going 5-for-12 with four extra-base hits. He's slashing .395/.497/.689 with eight homers and 23 RBI since May 26. While the outfielder has swiped only one of his six bags in the last 41 games, owners have no doubt enjoyed his monster turnaround. It's still a toss-up as to whether McCutchen will get dealt at the deadline, but he's definitely upped his trade value.

McCutchen is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen has punished opposing pitchers over the past several weeks, posting an absurd .505 on-base percentage in June, but he'll get the day off against Jeff Samardzija and the Giants. Adam Frazier will take over in center field with John Jaso drawing the start in left.