MLB Player News
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Yoenis Cespedes DH | NYM
Mets' Yoenis Cespedes: Leaves due to right hip tightness
Cepedes left Sunday's game against the Rockies in the first inning due to right hip tightness, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.
It was unclear at first what was ailing Cespedes, but now Mets fans have additional context to the potential injury. Consider Cespedes day-to-day heading into the upcoming three-game series in Cincinnati.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Smacks two-run double Saturday
Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a two-run double and a walk in an extra-inning win over the Cubs on Saturday.
Carpenter laced a fourth-inning two-bagger to deep left that plated Kolten Wong and Harrison Bader, knotting the game at 4-4 at the time. The 32-year-old continues to struggle at the plate overall, however, as his season line remains a dreadful .165/.320/.320 through 122 plate appearances. An elevated 26.2 percent strikeout rate that currently serves as a career high and a .203 BABIP are undeniably playing a significant role in his season-long struggles.
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Yoenis Cespedes DH | NYM
Mets' Yoenis Cespedes: Early exit Sunday
Cespedes was lifted early from Sunday's matchup against the Rockies, David Lennon of Newsday reports.
Cespedes collected a single in his first at-bat of the day, and ultimately advanced to third base and scored on a sacrifice fly. The exact reason Cespedes left is unclear at this time, but for now he'll be replaced by Brandon Nimmo in left field.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Takes meaningful step in rehab
Turner (wrist) will take on-field batting practice Sunday for the first time since suffering the injury, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Turner hit in the batting cages without issue Saturday, so this was the logical next step in his recovery from a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist. Should everything go on as planned, Turner would presumably begin a rehab assignment either this week or next, while still aiming for a mid-May activation.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: On base four times Friday
Ozuna went 3-for-3 with a walk in a win over the Cubs on Friday.
Although all three hits were singles, it was nevertheless an encouraging outing for the prized offseason acquisition whose OBP still sits at an anemic .285. Despite a surprising lack of power to date (two home runs over 123 plate appearances), Ozuna has still been productive while compiling 17 RBI, and he's now posted multi-hit efforts in three of his last seven games.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Nationals' Bryce Harper: Blasts two more homers Friday
Harper went 2-for-5 with two home run and three RBI in Friday's 7-3 win over the Phillies.
He took Nick Pivetta yard in the first and second innings, the latter of which traveled an estimated 473 feet. Harper now has 12 home runs on the season, including four in his last four games, and the impending return of Anthony Rendon (toe) to the lineup could give manager Dave Martinez the excuse he needs to move Harper back to the heart of the order from his current leadoff spot.
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Still on track for mid-May return
Manager Dave Roberts expects Turner (wrist) to return from the disabled list in the next couple weeks, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.
This is an optimistic timeline, as Turner has yet to embark on a rehab assignment and he's missed nearly a month and a half to this point. Regardless, this likely means that the third baseman hasn't encountered any setbacks, though a firmer timetable should emerge once he actually gets back into game action.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Out of Friday's lineup
Pederson is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.
Pederson will remain on the bench for a second straight game with another left-hander taking the mound, this time in Joey Lucchesi. Tim Locastro will draw another start in center field in his stead.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Giants' Andrew McCutchen: Starting in right field Friday
McCutchen (elbow) will play right field and bat second against the Braves on Friday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
McCutchen will not be forced to miss any time after exiting Wednesday's contest following a pitch to his elbow in the bottom of the fourth inning. The outfielder received clean results from his MRI and should be fully operational moving forward.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Heads to bench Thursday
Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.
Pederson has been swinging a hot bat as of late, hitting .351 with 10 RBI over the past 14 games. He'll head to the bench for a night off to avoid a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Patrick Corbin, allowing the recently promoted Tim Locastro to pick up his first start of the season in his stead.