MLB Player News

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.

The Mets placed infielder Justin Turner on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of an intercostal strain. Manager Terry Collins said Turner will receive an injection and the team will reevaluate its infield options in the coming days.

Turner, who has made 16 starts at various positions, is batting .266 with six RBI and six doubles in 44 games.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton provided all the offense for his team in Monday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks, hitting a two-run home run off starter Patrick Corbin in the sixth inning and adding a solo home run off reliever Heath Bell in the ninth inning to break a 2-2 tie.

While Stanton went 2 for 4 with two home runs and three RBI, the rest of the Marlins lineup combined to go 1 for 27. Stanton has four home runs in seven games since returning from the disabled list and seven home runs through 103 at-bats.

Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler has injured his shin and could be headed to the disabled list, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Soler, who is with Class A Daytona, hasn't played since Thursday. He has hit .281/.343/.467 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and five stolen bases in 210 at-bats in the Florida State League.