MLB Player News

Washington outfielder Bryce Harper (knee) is not expected to begin a rehab assignment until Wednesday at the earliest, The Washington Times reports Saturday. 

The Nationals' young outfielder was on track to begin the rehab Tuesday, but said that was probably over-optimistic. He wants to ensure he's 100 percent ready to go. Harper is expected to play in 6-7 rehab games before returning to the Nationals. 

The Marlins are not inclined to trade outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, MLB.com reports.

"Two well-connected sources" told MLB.com the Marlins see Stanton as "a building block, not a trade chip." Although Stanton has been reported to be unhappy with the franchise, Stanton cannot become a free agent until 2017. The Marlins seem to think they can appease the hulking slugger between now and then. Stanton is hitting .263/.354/.500 with seven home runs in 30 games.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, still dealing with left knee bursitis, is slated to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at High Class A Potomac, CSN Washington reports. Harper has been accelerating his workouts since doctors gave him the go-ahead Monday. If the rehab assignment goes well, he could return to the lineup by next weekend.

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna was given a day off Thursday to clear his head and try to fix his swing, and extra work in the batting cages appeared to do just that.

Ozuna entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and delivered a two-run single to put the Marlins up for good, in a 2-1 win. It was Ozuna's first RBI in nine games.

"I said, 'Let me do the thing I did in the BP, get that contact,'" Ozuna told the Palm Beach Post. "I broke my slump. I got to come back now to .300."

He was hitting .324 before a 1-for-24 slide. He's hitting .287 with a .728 OPS and 19 RBI in 174 at-bats. 

Nationals manager Davey Johnson had an encouraging update Thursday on the status of outfielder Bryce Harper (knee). Johnson said Harper looked great Thursday as he ran in the outfield.

"He's close," said Johnson, who added Harper will also take batting practice Thursday and could soon be ready for a rehab assignment.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper will resume baseball activities within the next day or two, The Washington Post reports. Harper has been suffering from left knee bursitis since May 20.

There is still no timetable for his return to game action. He will still need a rehab assignment, so he's likely at least two weeks away from a return, if not longer.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt continued his hot play Tuesday against the Padres, as he posted his third multi-hit game in a row in a 5-4 win.

Belt went 3 for 4 in the game with a double, while driving in a run for the second game in a row. He did strike out in one of his at-bats, but he also scored twice.

Belt has raised his batting average from .246 to .264 over the last three games, and he now has a .758 OPS with seven home runs and 31 RBI on the season. 

After basically beating the Diamondbacks by himself, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton started getting some extra looks in CBSsports.com Fantasy leagues.

Stanton was the No. 11 most traded player heading into Tuesday, prompting the Fantasy Baseball Today crew to ponder his worth. They ran through several trade scenarios involving Stanton that included players such as Shelby Miller, Matt Kemp and Stephen Strasburg.

Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler is day to day for Class A Daytona because of a shin injury. Soler was held out of the lineup Monday and Tuesday, but he is able to walk around and is being evaluated by Daytona trainers, according to MLB.com.

Soler, who is considered a top 100 prospect by Baseball America (No. 34) and MLB.com (No. 42), is batting .281 with a .467 slugging percentage, .810 OPS, eight home runs, 13 doubles and 35 RBI in 55 games for Daytona.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt managed his second straight multi-hit game Monday against the Padres. Belt singled twice Monday, while adding one run, one RBI and one stolen base.

Belt is batting .316 (12 for 38) with one double, one home run, two RBI, two walks and three runs in his last 10 games (nine starts). It comes on the heels of Belt being mired in a 7-for-40 slump over a 14-game stretch from May 21-June 5.