MLB Player News

Carpenter (shoulder) has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals were officially eliminated from postseason contention Thursday, and with that, Carpenter will shut it down and look ahead to 2018. He has been playing through chronic shoulder pain for a while and the team will check in on the condition of his shoulder with another MRI on Friday. Carpenter said he's confident that he will be able to avoid surgery.

Harper is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Harper, who returned from a long-term knee injury earlier in the week, is apparently feeling a little sore after playing in back-to-back games, so he'll get the day off as the Nationals play it safe with him ahead of the playoffs. According to manager Dusty Baker, Harper's soreness is nothing to worry about and he expects the outfielder to play in the final three games of the regular season over the weekend, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports. Meanwhile, Victor Robles will start in right field and bat second in his place Thursday.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Giants.

The home run was Martinez's 45th of the season and 16th of September, tying the National League record established in 1949 by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. During the month-long heater, Martinez is slashing .418/.455/1.022 with 36 RBI and 26 runs, likely swinging the tide in many fantasy matchups down the stretch.

McCutchen went 4-for-4 with two home runs, eight RBI and four runs in Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.

The RBI total was a career high for McCutchen, who plated half his runs on his first career grand slam, which came in the second inning. He homered again in the sixth inning and added a double and single for good measure, which translated to the most memorable performance of what's been a nice bounce-back season for the former MVP. A popular name in trade discussions last offseason, McCutchen will likely appear in the rumor mill again this winter if the Pirates decide to pursue a rebuild. Given the stellar .278/.362/.487 batting line he's submitted this season, the 30-year-old would surely fetch a more significant haul in any trade than he would have at this point a year ago.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and six RBI in Tuesday's 11-4 win over the Giants.

He did all his damage in the first two innings off lefty Matt Moore, ripping a two-run double in the first before launching a grand slam in the second for his 44th homer of the season, and 28th in 58 games since coming over from the Tigers. Should the D-backs make any noise in the postseason, particularly against the Dodgers' southpaw-heavy rotation, their trade deadline acquisition of Martinez will end up being the smartest transaction of the year.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Cubs.

Carpenter came in 1-for-32 against Chicago starter Jake Arrieta, but reversed that trend with a home run to lead off the home side of the first inning. His walk rate rose to a robust 17.6 percent with this effort and the leadoff man crossed the 90-run threshold for the fourth time in five seasons by jumping from 89 to 91.

Turner (finger) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.

Turner sat out the last four games after taking a pitch to the thumb last Thursday, but he is ready to get back on the field Tuesday night. He will man third and hit third against Padres starter Dinelson Lamet.

Harper will play right field and hit second in the Nationals' batting order Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Tuesday's game will be just the sixth this season Harper has spent in the two hole. It remains to be seen if he will stay there moving forward, as manager Dusty Baker may just be looking to maximize his at-bats.

The Nationals activated Harper (knee) from the disabled list Tuesday, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.

Harper is ready to get back on the field after missing roughly a month and a half with his knee injury. It remains to be seen where he will slot into the lineup, but it's a good bet he mans right field and hits third in the Nationals' batting order.

Harper (knee, illness) is feeling better and plans to be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Harper, who has been sidelined since Aug. 12 with a knee injury, was expected to come off the disabled list prior to Monday's series opener against the Phillies, but his return was delayed by a day due to an illness. He's reportedly feeling better Tuesday, so it sounds like he should make his long-awaited return to the starting lineup. It's unclear if the Nationals will deploy Harper in an everyday role right away, but that will likely depend on how he checks out after his initial appearances.