MLB Player News

Reyes is not starting Wednesday in Washington.

Reyes will sit after starting six straight games. Travis Jankowski gets the start in right. After a very impressive power output at the Triple-A level, Reyes has so far struggled to translate his success to the big leagues. He has just five hits in 24 at-bats, striking out 36 percent of the time.

Ozuna is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Ozuna was originally listed as a part of the starting lineup, but he turned out to be a late scratch. It's unclear if he's dealing with an injury, but more news about Ozuna's status should be released in the near future. Tyler O'Neill will draw the start in left field and hit fourth in his stead.

Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in a loss to the Royals on Tuesday.

A day off Sunday appears to have agreed with Ozuna, who's now 5-for-7 with an RBI, a walk, Tuesday's steal and two runs in the subsequent pair of games. The mini-surge has quickly bumped his season average up 19 points to .253, which nevertheless still lags considerably behind his solid career .275 figure. However, modest as a two-game sample is, it could serve as the impetus for the type of hot stretch at the plate that Ozuna has certainly proven capable of previously in his career.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Padres.

Harper took left-hander Eric Lauer deep in the fifth inning for his 15th home run of the season. He has now recorded a home run in consecutive games, marking the fifth time he has accomplished that this season. It's notable that his home run Tuesday came against a left-hander, as he had just a .321 slugging percentage across 53 at-bats when he did not have the platoon advantage entering the game.

McCutchen (knee) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Astros.

McCutchen bruised his knee Saturday against the Rockies and was forced to leave the game. He missed Sunday's contest but is back in action Tuesday after the team's day off Monday. He'll bat second and play right field.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway suggested that it's unlikely Cespedes (hip) will return from the 10-day disabled list when first eligible Thursday, Anthony Rieber and David Lennon of Newsday reports. "I'm not sure at this point," Callaway said, regarding a timetable for Cespedes' return. "He's just getting treatment right now."

It doesn't sound like Cespedes has resumed baseball activity yet or is particularly close to doing so while he recovers from the hip flexor strain, so it's conceivable that the outfielder's absence could stretch into June. With Cespedes on the shelf and Juan Lagares (toe) expected to miss the rest of the season, the Mets are short on right-handed-hitting outfielders and have reportedly kicked the tires on Jose Bautista, who was cut loose by Atlanta over the weekend.

Reyes went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Monday's game against the Nationals.

According to Statcast, Reyes' first MLB homer traveled 398 feet and had a 108.1 mph exit velocity. It was a beneficial matchup for the hulking right-handed slugger, who got the start in right field and hit fifth against lefty Gio Gonzalez, against whom he hit the homer. Franchy Cordero is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and Wil Myers is still on the disabled list with an oblique injury, so Reyes should have a bit more leash to carve out a role in the Padres' outfield. However, he will need to get to his power more consistently while striking out a bit less (7:1 K:BB in 21 plate appearances) in order to stick once everyone is healthy.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and two RBI in Monday's win over the Padres.

Teenage phenom Juan Soto homered on the first pitch of his first big-league start and mimicked Harper's hair flip when he got back to the dugout, so the man himself had little choice but to respond with a blast of his own. Harper's .231 batting average and .196 BABIP on the season remain far below his usual standards, but there's still plenty of time for them to improve, and his 14 home runs put him in the National League lead.

Meneses was named the International League Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks Monday.

Meneses earned the award by hitting .478 with four homers and a 1.712 OPS over seven games. He still has all the indicators of a Quad-A player, as he's a right-handed first baseman who's having success in the minors as a 26-year-old. The only way to escape that fate is to hit and keep hitting, and Meneses has done his best so far this year, hitting .355/.400/.636 with seven homers in 35 games. He's firmly blocked at first base at the major-league level by Carlos Santana, but he has played one game in right field this year so he has an outside shot to factor in the mix there for the Phillies with both Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr struggling.

Ozuna went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a walk and two runs in a win over the Royals on Monday.

Ozuna received a day off Sunday and saw the surging Tyler O'Neill start in his stead in left field, but the slugger was back in his usual spot Monday while O'Neill shifted to right and sent Dexter Fowler to the bench. Ozuna responded by breaking out of the 0-for-20 slump that had encompassed his previous five games with his fifth multi-hit effort of May. The 27-year-old continues to struggle with his power numbers despite the fact his hard contact rate remains at a career-high 47.8 percent following Monday's contest.