MLB Player News

Harper is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Harper is hitless over his last 19 at-bats, so he'll head to the bench for his first breather of the season while Moises Sierra picks up a start in right field. Despite the slump, the 25-year-old is still hitting .230/.410/.541 with 12 homers and four stolen bases through 37 games this season. Look for him to rejoin the starting lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Diamondbacks.

Cespedes is out of the lineup against the Reds on Wednesday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Cespedes will retreat to the bench following two straight starts to open this series after suffering a minor right quadriceps injury during Sunday's game versus Colorado. This seems to be a standard day off in order to keep the outfielder fresh moving forward. In his place, Michael Conforto will start in left field and Brandon Nimmo will start in center.

Turner (wrist) is targeting a return during next week's series against the Marlins, which begins Tuesday, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Turner will take reps at the dish in a simulated game Wednesday. It seems likely that he'll head out on a brief rehab assignment before coming off the disabled list. Until Turner is back to full health, look for Max Muncy and Kyle Farmer to share time at third base.

Cespedes (quad) is in the lineup Monday against the Reds, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes left Sunday's game against the Rockies with a quad issue, which he had apparently suffered the day before. The issue was evidently minor, though, as he won't end up missing a game. It's the second time in eight days that he left with an injury only to start in the team's next game after leaving with what turned out to be a minor thumb issue the previous Sunday. He's doing little to shed the injury-prone label, though he's started in all but one game for the Mets so far this season.

Reyes has eight homers in his last five games for Triple-A El Paso.

Reyes went unprotected in the Rule 5 draft but was not selected, primarily due to the broken hamate bone he suffered at the Arizona Fall League. He's making teams regret passing on him so far this season, hitting .339/.419/.750 with 13 homers. Like many young slugging prospects, Reyes definitely has power but there are concerns about whether or not he'll hit enough to get to that power. He's certainly done all he can to address those concerns so far this season. Perhaps the bigger issue at this point is how he fits with the big club defensively, as he is a mediocre defender in an outfield corner, and the Padres already have one of those in Wil Myers, although he is on the DL with an oblique injury.

Cespedes clarified after departing Sunday's game against the Reds that it was a right quadriceps injury rather than a tight right hip that resulted in his early removal, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Cespedes noted he first experienced the injury during Saturday's game but played through the issue before feeling his quad bother him again Sunday. He labeled his removal as precautionary, though he wasn't certain if he would be ready to play in Monday's series opener in Cincinnati. If Cespedes is forced to miss time, Brandon Nimmo would likely be the primary beneficiary of increased at-bats.

Carpenter is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

With Carpenter receiving off for the series finale following six consecutive starts, Jedd Gyorko will man third base and bat fifth Sunday. After bypassing shoulder surgery over the offseason and addressing the injury through rest and rehab, Carpenter has struggled to regain his usual form through the first month and change of the regular season, limping to a .165/.320/.320 slash line through his first 122 plate appearances.

Pederson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

For the third time in four days, the Dodgers are opposing a lefty starting pitcher, so Pederson will head to the bench as manager Dave Roberts stocks the lineup with right-handed hitters. Tim Locastro will pick up the start in center field in Pederson's place.

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.

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.