MLB Player News

Cespedes left Sunday's game against the Padres in the third inning with an apparent hand injury, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Cespedes seemed to hurt his hand while sliding into third base. Prior to exiting the game, he'd gone 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored. Additional information regarding the severity of his injury should be available in the near future. Upon his departure, Brandon Nimmo entered the game to play left field.

McCutchen is out of the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers.

McCutchen has had some tough times at the plate lately. Over the last seven games, he's gone 3-for-18 (.167) and struck out seven times. However, despite his struggles he's managed to get on base frequently, as he's drawn nine walks in that time. Austin Slater will start in right field and hit seventh with McCutchen out.

Cespedes went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 12-2 loss to the Padres.

His sixth-inning homer off Joey Lucchesi accounted for the Mets' only runs on the night, but it was the definition of garbage-time production as the Padres were already ahead 11-0 by that point. Cespedes' .218/.279/.416 slash line remains far below expectations, but he's still been extremely productive as a power hitter with six homers and 25 RBI in 25 games.

Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Marlins.

The homer was his ninth, and while Blackmon's batting average remains below its usual standard -- he's hitting .259 (7-for-27) over the last week and .281 on the season -- due in large part to the Rockies' road-heavy schedule to date, he's made up for it with an April power binge.

Ozuna went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Pirates.

He's broken out of a 1-for-23 slump in a big way, collecting six hits and five RBI in his last three games. Ozuna's .257/.276/.347 slash line remains below expectations, but it's trending in the right direction.

Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers' current goal for Turner (wrist) is to begin a rehab assignment late next week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

If Turner is able to take batting practice on the field by early next week, the rehab assignment seems likely to follow. The 33-year-old has been progressing slowly but surely in his recovery from a fractured left wrist, and a return in mid-May still appears on the table.

Carpenter is not in the lineup Friday against the Pirates.

Carpenter hasn't been the type of player to sit out against lefties, but he is just 2-for-17 with no extra-base hits against southpaws this year. Jedd Gyorko will enter the lineup at third base to replace him Friday.

Cespedes went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI on Thursday against the Cardinals.

Cespedes has gotten off to a slow start but continues to drive in runs while batting predominantly second or third in the Mets' lineup. Thursday was no different, as he came to the plate with a runner on base in three of his at-bats and he took advantage. He has an unsightly 42 percent strikeout rate that is holding his average back, but that figures to correct itself as the season wears on.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in a win over the Mets on Wednesday.

Ozuna helped set the tone for what would end up being a prolific night for the Cardinals offense, coming through with a clutch two-run, two-out single in the third inning. The marquee offseason acquisition has been mired in a slump recently, as after a scorching hot start to April, he's only 2-for-27 over his last seven games. However, he's been a run-producing machine throughout the month, with Wednesday's pair of RBI pushing his total to 13.

Winker is out of the lineup Thursday against the Braves, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman is stacking his starting nine with mostly right-handed bats to counter Atlanta lefty Sean Newcomb, resulting in lineup mainstays Winker and Scooter Gennett receiving the day off. Winker's move to the bench will open up a spot in the lineup for Billy Hamilton, who had sat out Wednesday as part of the Reds' four-man outfield rotation.