MLB Player News

Cespedes (heel) has been hitting in the batting cage, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes continues to slowly work his way back from heel surgeries he underwent in August and October, respectively. The veteran outfielder is also working through a throwing program, though he has yet to resume running, leaving him without a timetable for his return.

Vientos is slashing .225/.313/.310 through 21 games for Low-A Columbia with one home run and seven RBI.

The 19-year-old has looked a little overmatched in his first taste of full-season ball, posting a 7:22 BB:K after he managed a much more impressive 37:43 mark through 60 games in the Appy League last year. Vientos should eventually figure things out, and given his age just holding his own at this level would be a solid achievement, but the Mets' No. 4 fantasy prospect is capable of much more than treading water once things begin to click.

Blackmon went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored Sunday against the Braves.

Blackmon got the Rockies on the board in the third inning with a single to left field, but Atlanta would come away with an 8-7 victory in the series finale. The 32-year-old remains hot at the dish, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He's slugged three home runs and has driven in 10 runs during that stretch.

Turner heads to the bench Sunday against the Pirates.

Turner sits after starting nine straight games. He hit just .219 over that stretch. Max Muncy slides over to third base in his absence.

Carpenter is not in the lineup Saturday against Cincinnati.

Carpenter sits for just the second time this season. Jedd Gyorko gets the start at third base in his absence.

Reyes is not in the lineup Sunday against the Nationals.

Reyes sits for just the second time in the Padres' last 15 games. He's still hitting just .192 on the season but does have six homers. Hunter Renfroe starts in right field.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in a 6-3 win over the Reds on Saturday.

Ozuna hit a third-inning shot off Tyler Mahle to lift the Cardinals to a 3-2 lead and added a two-run double in the fifth. The 28-year-old raised his batting average to .270 with 10 home runs and is third in the National League with 26 RBI.

Carpenter went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run in a loss to the Reds on Friday.

Considering the 12-1 final score in favor of Cincinnati, Carpenter was essentially the only bright spot offensively for the Cardinals on the night. The veteran infielder has struggled to hit for average thus far, but he's traditionally been a slow starter. Additionally, it's worth noting Carpenter's on-base percentage, currently at .342, has been on an upward trend during the latter half of April. Moreover, he continues to square up on the ball consistently, as he's generated an impressive 29.4 percent line-drive rate and 40.0 percent hard-contact rate over 111 plate appearances thus far this season.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and walk in a 4-0 victory against the Marlins on Friday.

The 26-year-old hasn't struck out in seven straight plate appearances, which is a big deal because he's struck out in more than 29 percent of his plate appearances. While Harper leads baseball with 20 walks, he also has a league-high 34 strikeouts. Harper's on-base (.397) and slugging percentages (.521) are where they should be, but because of all the strikeouts, he is batting just .255. He also has six homers, 17 RBI and 16 runs with a stolen base in 94 at-bats.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The Cubs have deployed three left-handed starting pitchers in the series, resulting in the lefty-hitting Pederson moving to the bench for all three contests. Alex Verdugo will get the nod in left field in Pederson's stead.