MLB Player News

Harper (elbow) played catch Tuesday for the first time in a week and will exclusively play at designated hitter until at least May 3, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Harper hasn't played the outfield since April 16 due to the elbow injury, but he'll still be in the lineup every game as the designated hitter. There's been no dip in production due to the injury, as the 29-year-old has an .870 OPS with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and six runs in eight games since being limited to to DH duties. Nick Castellanos will continue to man right field until Harper is cleared to play defense.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 8-2 win over Colorado.

Making his eighth consecutive appearance as the Phillies' designated hitter, Harper launched a solo shot off Kyle Freeland in the fifth inning. He also scored a run in the third and knocked an RBI sacrifice fly in the seventh. The slugging lefty improved his slash line to .231/.297/.462 with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBI through 17 games.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Monday's 4-2 win over Milwaukee.

Pederson delivered his sixth home run of the season at an opportune time for the Giants, sending a two-run blast over the fence in right field to give his club a 2-1 advantage in the top of the eighth. The veteran outfielder has now swatted three homers in his last two contests and is 4-for-6 with five RBI, four runs scored and a walk over that brief stretch.

Harper is scheduled to test out his lingering right elbow injury during a pregame throwing session Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper has yet to miss a game this season on account of the injury, but he's served as the Phillies' designated hitter in each of the past seven games as a result of the elbow issue. Even if Harper checks out well during his throwing session Tuesday, manager Joe Girardi has already said that it's doubtful the 29-year-old will reclaim his usual duties in right field this week. Instead, Harper is expected to gradually increase his throwing distance over a period of several days before the Phillies feel comfortable using him on defense. Aside from uncharacteristically drawing zero walks over his last seven starts at DH, Harper has continued to perform well from a fantasy perspective with a .300 average, four extra-base hits (one home run and three doubles), four RBI and four runs over that stretch. Despite Harper's injury, fantasy managers shouldn't have much hesitation about keeping him active while he likely picks up six or seven starts at DH during the Phillies' seven-game week.

Belt went 2-for-5 with an RBI triple, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.

Belt showed off a little unexpected speed with his second-inning three-bagger to knock in the Giants' fourth run. He hasn't had more than three triples in any of the last five seasons. The first baseman snapped an 0-for-11 funk from his previous three games with this multi-hit performance, his first since April 16. Belt is slashing .236/.373/.509 with four home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored in 67 plate appearances.

Pederson went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, three runs and three RBI in Sunday's 12-3 win over the Nationals.

Pederson now has multi-hit performances in three of his last four appearances, and Sunday's outing marked the first time this year that he recorded multiple extra-base hits in a game. The 30-year-old has been a strong contributor despite hitting in a platoon, as he has a 1.133 OPS with five home runs, two doubles, 10 runs, eight RBI and a stolen base in 13 games.

Blackmon went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two runs and a stolen base during Sunday's 6-2 win over the Tigers.

Blackmon launched his second homer of the season Saturday and followed up with a four-hit effort in the series finale. It was the first stolen base of the season for the 35-year-old, who has only seven stolen bases over the previous three campaigns. He has a modest five-game hit streak during which he's gone 8-for-18 with two home runs, a double, five RBI and eight runs.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

Vogelbach started the past seven games, including two starts against left-handed pitchers, but will receive Sunday off with southpaw Justin Steele on the mound for Chicago. The 29-year-old slugger is in the midst of a six-game hit streak, during which he's gone 7-for-21 with two home runs, a double, three walks, three RBI and three runs. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter for the series finale, with Jake Marisnick set to roam center field.

Dickerson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Marlins.

His fourth-inning blast off Elieser Hernandez gave Atlanta a short-lived 4-2 lead in the wild contest. Dickerson hasn't seen much playing time or success to begin the season, as Saturday's homer was his first of the year and only his second hit in 25 at-bats.

Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Saturday in a win over the Tigers in Game 2 of a doubleheader.

Blackmon's lone hit of the game was a big one, as his long ball accounted for the Rockies' final two runs and proved to be the difference in the eventual victory. The veteran outfielder is off to a slow start this season with a .227/.306/.409 slash line, but he does have four extra-base hits (two homers, two doubles) and six RBI over 51 plate appearances.