MLB Player News

Cespedes knocked three singles, drew a walk and scored a run over the course of four plate appearances Tuesday against Arizona.

He's put together a lovely four-game stretch, racking up nine hits in 15 at-bats (.600), and while Cespedes' power stroke didn't make an appearance in this one, he's been recovering on that front as well after a 33-game span from late June into early August saw him homer just twice. We've seen Cespedes explode down the stretch before, and while he might not be quite so motivated this time with the Mets not jockeying for playoff position, a strong end run would make his fantasy owners feel better about the Cuban's injury-shortened 2017 campaign.

Stanton went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Sunday's win over the Mets.

His seventh-inning shot off Jacob deGrom proved to be crucial and provided the Marlins with insurance runs they would need after the Mets answered back with three runs in the eighth. Stanton now has a league-leading 45 homers on the year, including an incredible 12 in 18 games thus far in August.

Cespedes went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs in Sunday's loss to the Marlins.

Six of his 16 homers on the season have come in August as Cespedes has been trying to make up for the time he lost to injury earlier in the year. Expect the 31-year-old to continue providing big numbers over the final weeks of 2017.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's loss to Minnesota.

This was Martinez's ninth homer with Arizona, and he sports a rock-solid .903 OPS since moving to the National League. He's also settled into a cushy fantasy setup hitting behind Paul Goldschmidt in the heart of the D-backs' lineup and projects to remain a high-end fantasy asset throughout the stretch drive.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Belt is still experiencing concussion symptoms more than two weeks after being hit in the head by a pitch, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports.

While Belt has been pushing himself in cardio workouts, he's still not at a point where he can go through them at full capacity because of his lingering symptoms. There is no guarantee that he will return in 2017, as this is the fourth documented concussion he's suffered dating back to his time as a college player at the University of Texas.

Martinez (illness) is starting in right field and batting fifth for Saturday's game against the Twins.

Martinez is ready to resume his duties in right field after missing Friday's game due to an illness. The 29-year-old, who is slashing .239/.337/.580 with eight homers in 25 games with the Diamondbacks, will face Jose Berrios in his return to the lineup.

Pederson was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Saturday's game against the Tigers, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson has struggled mightily since the All-Star break -- slashing .156/.253/.312 with two homers in 28 games -- and he isn't necessarily needed at the big-league level with the recent acquisition of Curtis Granderson, so the Dodgers decided to send him back to the minors to straighten himself out. "For Joc to take a breath in OKC will be good for him," manager Dave Roberts said. He should be back with the Dodgers once rosters expand in September, while the Dodgers will trot out an outfield combination of Granderson, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig moving forward.

Pederson, who is out of Saturday's lineup, is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers just acquired Curtis Granderson from the Mets, and from an offensive perspective, Granderson is basically a better version of Pederson -- he can handle righties and can't hit lefties. Defensively, Chris Taylor is getting the start in center field against righty Michael Fulmer on Saturday, with Granderson getting the start in left. Pederson is slashing .215/.329/.418 this season and has been worth 0.4 fWAR in 295 plate appearances.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Braves.

Scott Schebler's return from the DL will cut into Winker's playing time, but the rookie has done what he can to convince Reds manager Bryan Price that he deserves a regular spot in the starting lineup, posting a .298/.412/.474 slash line with three homers in 20 games since the All-Star break.

Friday's acquisition of Curtis Granderson could cut into Pederson's playing time in center, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers made a waiver deal to acquire Granderson from the Mets, and Pederson would likely see the largest cut in playing time to get the veteran's bat into the lineup. Both players bring similar skill sets to the table as high-strikeout, high-power center fielders. Manager Dave Roberts hasn't laid out his plans for Granderson going forward, but Pederson will surely have to snap out of his current 2-for-41 (.049) slump in order remain a regular in the lineup.