MLB Player News

Harper did not suffer an injury in his brawl with Hunter Strickland and the Giants on Monday, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Harper said the only thing he noticed after the fight was a scratch on his arm, which he attributed to teammate Anthony Rendon's attempts to get him out of the scuffle. A suspension may still be coming, but don't expect Harper to miss any time due to injury.

General manager Sandy Alderson said he's hopeful that Cespedes (hamstring) will be able to rejoin the Mets in 7-to-10 days, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

After suffering a setback over the weekend, the Mets are now hoping Cespedes will be able to return from the disabled list during the team's next road trip, though that is a very tentative timetable. "We are going to take it conservatively with him and see where he is over the next two or three days, and our hope is he would be back in a week to 10 days, but that is conjecture," Alderson said. If that timeline holds, he'd likely slide back into the lineup as the designated hitter when the Mets travel to Texas on June 6.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs during Sunday's win over the Angels.

Stanton has hit second in each of the past five games and gone 10-for-24 during that stretch with two homers, four RBI and three runs. Other sluggers -- Kris Bryant and Jose Bautista -- have succeeded in the two-hole, and Stanton's fantasy value won't be significantly impacted if he remains there long term. For the season, he's up to a .280/.341/.545 slash line with 13 round trippers, 34 RBI and 26 runs.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that he doesn't expect Pederson (concussion) to come off the disabled list during the Dodgers' seven-game road trip that begins Monday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

It was revealed earlier Sunday that Pederson was still experiencing some mild concussion symptoms stemming from his collision in the outfield with Yasiel Puig on Tuesday. The Dodgers seem content to let Pederson remain in Los Angeles to recuperate while the club heads to St. Louis and Milwaukee this week. The hot-hitting Chris Taylor is expected to serve as the Dodgers' primary option in center field for the duration of Pederson's absence.

Pederson continues to exhibit mild concussion symptoms, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Pederson's lingering symptoms suggest he won't be able to return from the concussion disabled list as soon as he's eligible, but according to David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports, he could be available for the series in Milwaukee that begins June 2. Until then, Chris Taylor should continue to see regular work in center field.

Carpenter is back at first base and hitting third Sunday against the Rockies.

Stuck in a tough May, Carpenter was given the day off Saturday but will be back in his regular role for the series finale. He's 1-for-3 against opposing starter German Marquez in his career.

Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Angels.

The homer, a ninth-inning shot off Los Angeles closer Bud Norris, was Ozuna's 12th of the season but his first in 16 games. The 26-year-old now has a .311/.385/.559 slash line and is on pace to establish new career highs in all three categories.

Harper is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Padres, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

Harper will take a seat for the series finale, joining the bench along with Jayson Werth, Matt Wieters and Daniel Murphy. It will be Harper's first day off since May 6, costing fantasy owners a favorable matchup against soft-tossing right-hander Jhoulys Chacin.

McCutchen went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double and three RBI during Saturday's extra-innings win over the Mets.

Currently sporting a disastrous .212/.286/.385 slash line through 199 plate appearances, McCutchen is struggling to find the form that made him a fantasy superstar earlier in his career. He's providing respectable counting starts with seven homers, 23 RBI, 21 runs and five stolen bases, but he also has just eight multi-hit games all season. It's worth noting that McCutchen finished 2016 well with a .284 batting average and .852 OPS over the final two months, so perhaps another midseason turnaround is ahead.

Cespedes (hamstring) was scratched from Saturday's rehab start with High-A St. Lucie after experiencing quad soreness while running the bases and will not take at-bats until Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

It's the last thing the Mets wanted to hear regarding the slugger, who missed 14 games with a quad injury last season. Cespedes will stay in St. Lucie until he's cleared to return to regular activities, but it seems he won't be returning to the big leagues for at least another week or so. Expect a new timetable on his recovery to be released after a couple days of rest.