MLB Player News

Marlins rookie outfielder Marcell Ozuna was held out of the starting lineup Sunday against the Cardinals for the first time since his promotion April 30. Ozuna received a day off as he's mired in a 1-for-20 slump in his last five games.

"Ozuna is in a little bit of rough patch, probably the first rough patch he has had in the big leagues," manager Mike Redmond said, per MLB.com. "But he's going to be fine. He's still confident. He believes in himself. We believe in him. He's just got to go out there and continue to stick with his approach."

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton homered for the second time since his activation off the disabled list Saturday against the Cardinals. He's also hit safely in all five games since coming off the disabled list June 10.

"He looks confident," manager Mike Redmond said, per MLB.com. "He definitely looks different than he did in April, and I think that's confidence. He feels good. He's taken some good swings. He's seen some results. Like any player, that breeds a lot of confidence, and in turn, guys play better."

Stanton is batting .400 (8 for 20) with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI since returning to the Marlins' lineup. He has also struck out once in 20 at-bats and hasn't recorded a strikeout in his last four games. Stanton struck out 26 times in his first 20 games before going on the disabled list in late April with a hamstring injury.

"Everything before was off the end of the bat because I wasn't trusting my body and my hands to relax and get through it," Stanton said. "That's why everything was off the end of the bat before."

Nationals manager Davey Johnson told MLB.com Saturday that outfielder Bryce Harper suffered a minor setback recently.

Harper, who is recovering from left knee bursitis, developed puffiness in his left knee while exercising his lower body. The Nationals remain hopeful that the 20-year-old could resume baseball activities sometime next week. Harper has been sidelined since May 26 with the injury.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt did not start Saturday against the Braves with Buster Posey at first base. Belt went 0 for 4 Friday against Atlanta. 

Belt, batting .246 on the year, has gone just 10 for 43 (.233) in June over 12 games with a homer, three RBI and seven strikeouts. 

Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen doubled for the fifth consecutive game Friday in a 3-0 win against the Dodgers. McCutchen's double to right field in the third inning drove in two runs.

The Pirates slugger, batting .299 for the year, has hit in six straight games. He's gone 11 for 22 (.500) over that span with seven runs scored, five doubles and five RBI. He also has a stolen base over the stretch and is up to 15 swiped bags on the year.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton doubled twice among three hits Friday during a 5-4 win over the Cardinals. 

Stanton's RBI double to deep center gave Miami a 5-2 lead it would not give back in the victory. 

The slugger finished 3 for 4 with two RBI in the game and is batting .253. He's hit in all four games in which he's played since his return from the disabled list. Over that span, he's gone 6 for 16 (.375) with a homer and five RBI. 

Nationals manager Davey Johnson told The Washington Post Friday that outfielder Bryce Harper is still resting his knee and will likely be re-evaluated at the start of the week in Philadelphia.

Barring any setbacks, Harper is expected to start his minor-league rehab assignment and return in just over a week. Harper has been sidelined since May 26 with a knee injury. He hit .287/.386/.587 with 12 homers and 23 RBI in 44 games.

Though his week-to-week point production doesn't exactly stand out during that stretch, the Giants' Brandon Belt has been more or less what everyone hoped he would be over his last 46 games, batting .280 (40 for 143) with seven homers, 11 doubles and 17 walks. Translated over a full season, those numbers work out to about 25 homers, 35 doubles and 60 walks, with an OPS approaching .900.

So why does he rank only 21st among first basemen in standard Head-to-Head leagues during that stretch? Well, for one thing, it's a tough position to crack, but the bigger issue is he has 30-40 fewer plate appearances than most of the players ahead of him.

Over that span, Belt has averaged 0.76 points per plate appearance, the same as Joey Votto. Meanwhile, Prince Fielder has averaged 0.69 points per plate appearances and Albert Pujols 0.65.

For much of that stretch, Belt was sitting every fifth day in favor of Brett Pill. But Pill is in the minors now, and Belt has now started eight straight games. I'm thinking he'll rank a bit higher over his next 46 and deserves some love on the waiver wire.

Hours after his manager called him the best second baseman in baseball, Matt Carpenter got two more hits for the Cardinals in a 2-1 win over the Mets Thursday.

Carpenter had a triple and a single with an RBI. He's raised his average to .327.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny called Matt Carpenter the best second baseman in baseball Thursday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Matheny called Carpenter a "difference-maker" before saying, "he's established himself as the best second baseman in the league." He also gave extra credit to Carpenter for switching positions. Carpenter is hitting .324/.410/.470.