MLB Player News

Harper went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

Harper tied the game 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning with a clutch three-run homer off Camilo Doval. Harper's now homered in three straight contests despite being limited to DH duties while recovering from back stiffness. He's gone 12-for-26 (.462) with five long balls in his last seven games, boosting his slash line to .299/.392/.468 with 12 homers, 59 runs scored, 47 RBI and seven steals across 406 plate appearances this season.

Cooper will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Cooper has largely served as a short-side platoon player between first base and designated hitter with the Padres, but he's carved out a larger share of the playing time versus right-handed pitching since Ji-Man Choi (rib) was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 14. Since Choi played his last game Aug. 11, Cooper has started nine of the Padres' subsequent 12 games, and two of those absences came over the weekend while Cooper dealt with a wrist injury.

Harper remains limited to designated hitter duty for the time being due to a nagging back issue, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It explains why Harper hasn't been able to play first base since Sunday, as he's still dealing with a bit of back stiffness which first surfaced a couple weeks ago. The Phillies have not ruled out Harper returning to first base Friday following Thursday's off day.

Canha will start in right field and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Canha will pick up a third consecutive start after reaching base five times in the Brewers' previous two contests. Over his last 12 games, Canha is slashing .282/.370/.487 overall and looks as though he'll continue to serve as a near-everyday player for the Brewers so long as he wields a hot bat.

Morel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Morel will head to the bench for the second time in the series, perhaps suggesting that his status as an everyday player for the Cubs is on shaky ground. Though he hasn't been a complete zero for fantasy purposes with three home runs and 11 RBI in 18 games on the month, Morel has scored just five runs and hasn't stolen a base in August while batting a lowly .123. Rather than leaning on Morel as the Cubs' primary designated hitter, manager David Ross could consider rotating a number of position players at that lineup spot.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's victory over the Giants.

The 30-year-old fantasy stalwart deposited a first-inning offering from Kyle Harrison into the right-field seats for a two-run shot. Harper has been red-hot over his last six contests, boasting a slash line of .455/.586/1.045 with four home runs, six RBI, eight runs scored, five walks and just two strikeouts across 29 plate appearances during that stretch.

Ozuna went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Mets.

His fifth-inning shot off Tylor Megill gave Atlanta a 3-0 lead and proved to be the difference in the game. Ozuna has gotten hot again, going yard three times in the last two games and slashing .342/.419/.632 in August with five homers and 14 RBI in 21 contests. Despite his ice-cold first month of the season, the 32-year-old slugger has an .836 OPS in 2023 -- his best performance over a full season since he erupted for a career-best .924 OPS in his final year with Miami in 2017.

Soler went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Padres.

Soler went yard to open the scoring in the third inning. He's homered seven times over his last 13 games, but he's gone just 11-for-46 in that span as he continues to produce more power than consistency from the leadoff spot. The outfielder is at a .240/.330/.508 slash line with 33 homers, 68 RBI, 68 runs scored and one stolen base through 120 contests overall.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Martinez (groin) will be out for at least 2-to-3 weeks, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Martinez landed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday afternoon due to lingering left groin tightness and is going to be completely shut down from baseball activities for the next week. A build-up period will follow, and it could very well extend into mid-September. Michael Busch is serving as the Dodgers' designated hitter and batting eighth Tuesday night at Cleveland.

Winker (back) shifted his rehab assignment Tuesday to Triple-A Nashville, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Winker is now just one step away from returning to the Brewers' active major-league roster after going 5-for-13 in four games with High-A Wisconsin. He's been sidelined since late July due to back spasms.