MLB Player News

Harper went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Mets.

Harper took southpaw Jerry Blevins deep in the seventh inning for his 23rd home run of the season. It marked only his sixth home run against left-handed pitchers this season, though he has managed a higher batting average and on-base percentage when he does not have the platoon advantage. Harper now has three home runs but has also struck out a troubling 17 times in 41 at-bats since the start of July.

Carpenter went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in a loss to the White Sox on Wednesday.

Carpenter was essentially the lone bright spot in the shutout loss, logging the Cardinals' lone extra-base hit of the night. The veteran infielder has continued to be a thorn in the side of opposing pitching to open July, as evidenced by a .432 on-base percentage that's comprised of 10 hits and nine walks over his first 10 games (nine starts) of the month. Six of those hits have been of the extra-base variety, leading to an impressive .571 slugging percentage over that span as well.

Blackmon went 3-for-3 with a home run, a walk, four runs and three RBI in the Rockies' 19-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Blackmon's production waned near the end of June as the Rockies completed a six-game road trip in California, but he has feasted since returning to Coors Field. During the Rockies' five home games so far in July, Blackmon has gone 10-for-20 with two long balls, seven runs and seven RBI. The Rockies have four more home games on tap before the All-Star break, so look for Blackmon to close the first half on a high note and prop up his .284 season average, which represents the outfielder's worst showing in the category since 2012.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 19-4 loss to Cleveland.

The 24-year-old remains locked in at the plate. Over his last 20 games, he's hit a blistering .418 (23-for-55) with four homers, 20 RBI and a superb 15:9 BB:K. Winker remains stuck in a rotation in a crowded Reds outfield, but if he carries his current form into the second half, he should force his way into a true starting job.

Cespedes (hip) is taking grounders at first base at his own suggestion during his rehab, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Playing first base wouldn't allow Cespedes to show off his excellent arm, though he believes it could potentially keep him healthy. If he does end up playing first base on occasion, he could add some more positional flexibility for fantasy owners.

Pederson is out of the lineup again Wednesday against the Padres.

Pederson has sat in favor of Enrique Hernandez in three of the last four games, with all three absences coming against lefties. Pederson continues to be mostly protected against southpaws, against whom he's hit just .176/.262/.303 over the course of his career. The protection hurts his counting stats, but it's given him a career-high slugging percentage and a solid .245/.325/.518 line overall.

Miller is not in the lineup against Miami on Wednesday.

Miller will take a seat after going 0-for-8 with four strikeouts over the first two games of this series. In his place, Hernan Perez will start at second base and bat seventh in the lineup.

Assistant general manager John Ricco said Cespedes (hip) could begin a rehab assignment during the All-Star break, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Cespedes resumed baseball activities last week and could be back in action with the Mets for the start of the second half of the season next weekend if all goes according to plan.

Pederson is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

He will sit with lefty Eric Lauer on the mound for the Padres. Enrique Hernandez will start in left field and hit second.

Reyes will be recalled by the Padres on Tuesday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

Reyes got his first taste of big-league action earlier in the season, hitting six homers in 29 games with a mediocre .228/.260/.457 slash line. The 6-foot-5 outfielder has shown big power at the Triple-A level this season, slugging .621 for El Paso, but will need to get on base more often if he's to receive much playing time in the big leagues. A corresponding move has not yet been announced.