Keith Law of ESPN.com hears that the Pirates don't consider Andrew McCutchen "untouchable." The Pirates have attempted to discuss a multi-year contract with McCutchen, but the two sides haven't made much progress until this point. It would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of a trade altogether, though they would likely have to be blown away in order to actually deal him. The 25-year-old remains under team control through 2015.

Andrew McCutchen returned to action on Tuesday September 27.

Andrew McCutchen (abdomen) is back in Tuesday's lineup against the Brewers. McCutchen was scratched Monday after taking being hit in the lower abdomen with a batted ball during batting practice. The 24-year-old center fielder is batting .191 (13-for-68) this month.

Andrew McCutchen was scratched from Monday's lineup after being hit in the lower abdomen during batting practice. The severity of the injury isn't yet known, but we should learn more about his status soon. McCutchen, 24, is batting .262/.368/.463 with 23 home runs, 89 RBI, 23 stolen bases and an .831 OPS this season.

Andrew McCutchen is not in Friday's lineup against the Dodgers. He is simply getting the day off. Alex Presley will make the start in center field Friday while Ryan Ludwick plays left field and Garrett Jones starts in right.

Andrew McCutchen went hitless Wednesday and is just 5-for-34 in September. McCutchen hit .291/.390/.505 with 14 homers and 15 steals in the first half. In 203 at-bats since, he's at .222/.330/.399 with eight homers and five steals. He's still had an excellent season, but he really hasn't helped his case for beating Justin Upton's deal in contract talks with the Pirates.

The Pirates and Andrew McCutchen are far apart in contract talks, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden. No need to fret, Pirates fans -- McCutchen can't hit the free agent market until after the 2015 season. Bowden writes that a six-year contract worth between $47-49 million, plus a club option, would be a fair deal for both sides. Such a deal would potentially buy out McCutchen's first three years of free agency. We assume that McCutchen and his representation would want more money under such as arrangement.

The Pirates have announced a three-year contract extension for GM Neal Huntington that includes a club option for 2015. Huntington has helped to restock the Pirates' farm system in recent drafts and also add some pieces that allowed the team to be NL Central contenders for three months. He recently locked up Jose Tabata with a long-term deal and is expected to pursue an extension for Neil Walker, as well.

Andrew McCutchen homered twice and drove in four runs on Wednesday, powering the Pirates to a 5-4 win over the Astros. McCutchen was just 2-for-17 this month coming into this evening. He took J.A. Happ deep for a solo shot in the first before tagging him for a three-run bomb in the fifth. The multi-homer night was his second of the season and fourth of his career.

Andrew McCutchen (hand) is in Saturday's lineup. McCutchen exited Friday's game in the first inning after being hit on the left hand by a pitch, but he was diagnosed only with a bruise and didn't end up having to miss a start. He'll wear some extra padding on the hand just to be safe.