McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a double during Thursday's contest against the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

After a knee injury kept him out of a game Saturday and in the DH spot Sunday, McCutchen's return to the field showed no lingering effects as recorded his 11th three-hit game of the season and his first since late July. The center fielder is now slashing .291/.384./.515, not the most impressive stats of his career but still great overall stats.

McCutchen will bat third and start in center field Tuesday for the time since injuring his knee Friday.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen went 1-for-3 as the Pirates' designated hitter Sunday in Toronto and said he could've played in the outfield. He's slashing .307/.368/.591 for his career at Miller Park and has hit more homers in Milwaukee (19) than any park aside from PNC Park. He's 4-for-10 with a home run and five RBI against Tuesday starter Zach Davies.

McCutchen (knee) is hitting third as the Pirates designated hitter during Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen exited Friday's game with a minor knee injury, but is set to rejoin the starting lineup after getting the day off Saturday. The Pirates have a scheduled off-day Monday, so it's possible that the veteran could return to the outfield when the team kicks off its two-game set against the Brewers on Monday.

McCutchen (knee) said he could have played Saturday if asked, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

EDGE Analysis

This is encouraging news, as it appears McCutchen was held out of Saturday's game simply as precaution. The Pirates will likely wait to see how McCutchen feels during Sunday's pregame before making a decision regarding his status, but the 30-year-old seems to be on the cusp of a return.

McCutchen (knee) is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

McCutchen exited Friday's game with discomfort in his knee, and while the injury isn't thought to be anything overly serious, the Pirates won't take any chances as they'll give him an extra day to heal up. While he ultimately isn't in the lineup, the stud outfielder was able to take batting practice during pregame warmups, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, so it seems likely that the team will wait to see how he feels during Saturday's pregame routine before making a decision on his status for the series finale.

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.