MLB Player News

Turner (thumb) is not in the lineup Saturday for the second straight day, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

Turner was held out Friday after suffering a bruised thumb the day before, and with the Dodgers needing only a couple wins to lock up home-field advantage in the postseason, it's likely he will not play Saturday either. Logan Forsythe will make another start at third base in Turner's place.

Harper (knee) played in another simulated game Saturday and is ready to advance to the next step in his recovery, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

The Nationals are waiting to determine exactly what the next step for Harper will be, but he made it through simulated games the last two days without issue, so he is at least ready to face live pitching again and could rejoin the big-league club soon. The team figures to provide more details on Harper's status over the next day or two.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 13-11 win over the Marlins.

He's been almost unstoppable in September, slashing .400/.439/1.000 in 18 games with 13 homers and 27 RBI. Despite missing a significant amount of time with the Tigers earlier in the year due to a foot injury suffered late in spring training, Martinez has still set a new career high with 42 home runs and is only five RBI shy of hitting the century mark for the second time.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI in Friday's 13-11 loss to the Diamondbacks.

The 26-year-old has already established new career highs in just about every major hitting category, but he isn't resting on his laurels in September, slashing .308/.333/.538 through 19 games with five homers and 15 RBI. With 36 home runs on the year and eight games left on the Marlins' schedule, Ozuna still has an outside shot at his first 40-HR campaign.

Turner (thumb) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

A Mark Leiter pitch hit Turner on the thumb during his first at-bat Thursday, and Turner was eventually forced to leave the game. Fortunately, X-rays were negative, so it seems Turner should be able to return relatively quickly, although his status for the rest of the weekend is up in the air. Logan Forsythe will take over at third base in the meantime.

Harper (knee) spent time taking fly balls in the outfield, running the bases and hitting during batting practice prior to Washington's game against the Mets, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Manager Dusty Baker said that the club will determine the next step for Harper following his simulated game Saturday, which will mark his second "live hitting" session since landing on the disabled list in mid-August. In the meantime, the club hasn't released much information regarding a timetable for his return, besides saying that he could be back as early as next week, as long as all goes well this weekend.

Carpenter (foot) is in the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.

Carpenter exited Thursday's contest after fouling a ball off his foot, although it didn't seem overly serious at the time. As expected, the 31-year-old is in the lineup for the series opener against Cincinnati, while batting leadoff and manning the hot corner.

Winker is not in the lineup against the Red Sox on Friday, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Winker will get the day off following six straight starts, including a 2-for-5 day at the plate, with a double, during Thursday's loss to St. Louis. In his place, Scott Schebler will take over in right for the series opener.

Carpenter left Thursday's game partially due to manager Mike Matheny's desire to get more speed in the game, and partially because he fouled a ball off his foot, Derrick Goold of the St. Loius Post-Dispatch reports. He finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Harrison Bader pinch hit for Carpenter in a close game, so his ailing foot likely had a part to play in the veteran exiting before the game's conclusion. It remains to be seen if this is an issue that will linger, but he should be considered day-to-day for now.

X-rays on Turner's right thumb came back negative, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

This is a big sigh of relief for Turner and the Dodgers, as the third baseman seems to have avoided a potentially more serious injury after getting hit by a pitch on his right thumb in the first inning Thursday. While he was initially able to stay in the game after being checked on by trainers, the Dodgers removed him in the following inning and sent him for tests to make sure he wasn't dealing with anything more than a bruise. Everything checked out, which is good news, but his status for the Dodgers' weekend series against the Giants remains up in the air. With the Dodgers close to clinching home-field advantage in the playoffs -- despite their recent struggles and the Nationals' surge -- they may not be in a rush if Turner isn't 100 percent. Logan Forsythe would likely see some starts at third base if Turner is forced to miss any time.