McCutchen (shin) is starting in center field and hitting third Saturday against the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

He fouled a ball off his left shin in Friday's game, but the bruise was not serious enough to keep him out the following day. McCutchen hit .411/.505/.689 with six home runs and more walks (17) than strikeouts (12) in 90 June at-bats.

McCutchen expects to play Saturday after fouling a ball off his left shin, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

EDGE Analysis

"It hurts," McCutchen said with a smile after the game. "It's good, though - but it hurts." McCutchen was also plunked in the back by an off-speed pitch Friday. The outfielder, who has reached base in eight straight plate appearances, finishes June with a .411 average, .509 on-base percentage, .689 slugging percentage and 1.198 OPS.

McCutchen suffered an ankle injury in Friday's game against San Francisco but doesn't expect to miss any time, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen still went 2-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch and managed a single even after suffering the injury. He says he'll play if he can walk, and he was walking just fine after Friday's game. Still, to be on the safe side, McCutchen should be considered day-to-day.

McCutchen is starting in center field and batting third Tuesday against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen was dropped to sixth in the order just about a month ago after a horrendous start to the season, but he appears to have reclaimed his spot in the heart of the Pirates' order after a putting together an impressive month at the plate. The 30-year-old compiled a .380/.471/.690 triple slash with eight homers and a 19:17 K:BB in 28 games (119 plate appearances) while hitting sixth. The struggling Gregory Polanco was dropped to sixth in the order Tuesday. McCutchen should continue to slot into the top third of the order if he keeps mashing at the plate.

McCutchen went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three RBI and two runs against the Brewers on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Through this season's first 45 games, McCutchen was hitting a brutal .200/.271/.359 with six homers and 20 RBI, but the light came on in late May: Over the 24 games since, he's hit a spectacular .402 with eight homers and 23 RBI. That's both intriguing and confusing output from a guy who's coming off his worst MLB season and was widely considered to be in decline -- an idea his early slump did nothing to dispel. However, it's certainly tantalizing whenever we see this kind of outburst from a guy who's done it before.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and three RBI during Monday's win over Milwaukee.

EDGE Analysis

Through 22 games since moving down the lineup into the six-hole, McCutchen has exploded for seven homers, 20 RBI, 19 runs and a .378/.453/.720 slash line. His batting average has climbed 55 points during that stretch, and he's now on track to post another solid cross-category fantasy campaign.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBI against Colorado on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Since moving to the sixth slot in the lineup May 26, McCutchen is batting .397/.480/.730 with five homers and 15 RBI in 75 plate appearances. Historically, the outfielder has put up some of his best monthly numbers in June (.313/.386/.516), though he hit just .202 last June. He's in a good spot right now and gives fantasy owners the option to either ride out his streak or perhaps sell high on his value.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run during Monday's win over Colorado.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen has gone 24-for-61 with three home runs, 12 RBI, 15 runs and a 1.119 OPS during a 17 games since being bumped down the lineup. He's now hit sixth in each of the past 16 outings, and the demotion has clicked for the veteran. He's proven capable of posting huge numbers over prolonged hot stretches in the past, and he's already increased his batting average 51 points through this 17-game stretch.

McCutchen is batting .392/.484/.647 in 62 plate appearances since moving from the third spot to sixth in the lineup May 26.

EDGE Analysis

He went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI doubles against Miami on Saturday. McCutchen compiled a 17:35 BB:K in his first 44 games, but has improved to 11:14 since moving down in the order. He's raised his batting average 47 points (.200 to .247) with his recent hot stretch.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and three runs scored during Sunday's win over the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

The ninth-inning homer just padded Pittsburgh's lead, but it was a welcomed blast for fantasy owners. McCutchen is riding an 11-for-27 stretch at the plate with three homers, eight RBI and nine runs through his past eight games, and the stretch has him up to a .232/.313/.419 slash line for the season. It's worth noting that he's batted sixth in each of those eight contests, so perhaps the shift down the lineup is helping to kick-start his bat.