Pirates to bench McCutchen for entire Braves series

Andrew McCutchen wasn't in the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup on Tuesday and he won't be playing in any games in Atlanta, as the team will bench the star center fielder for the rest of its series against the Braves, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune.

The former NL MVP has struggled this season, particularly since June 1, owning a .223/.279/.356 line with just six homers over the past two-plus months. Manager Clint Hurdle rested him for Tuesday's game, which seemed to catch McCutchen off-guard at the time.

On Wednesday, McCutchen was singing a more accepting tune about his situation, even if he wasn't totally happy about it.

"If I had my choice, I'd be in there," McCutchen told reporters. "But I'm all for my team, all for my teammates, so that's the reason I'm not going to mope about it."

Hurdle confirmed Wednesday that he benched the 29-year-old and said he'd prefer not to even use him as a pinch-hitter until the weekend.

"What I've seen happen with other good players (who are struggling) is you just unplug them," Hurdle said. "I told him, 'The manager's got to do it. I'm just asking you to sign off on it.'"

The Pirates enter Wednesday's play with a 53-51 record, just 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot.