MLB Player News

Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo shot, his major league-leading eighth home run of the season, in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Marlins.

He's now tied with Trevor Story for the league lead in HR, and his 22 RBI is six ahead of his next-closest competitors for the league lead in that category. Harper is also hitting a scintillating .400/.414/1.040 over the past week, as opposing pitchers have been almost completely unable to get a hittable pitch past him. His 2015 was extraordinary, but it may only have been the tip of the iceberg.

Ozuna blasted a three-run homer in the first inning off Max Scherzer to lead the Marlins to a surprising win Thursday against the Nationals.

Like most of his team, Ozuna has struggled at the plate to start the season, slashing a paltry .200/.214/.345 in his first 55 at-bats. The 25-year-old hit just 10 home runs a year ago after smashing 23 in 2014. Last year's numbers are more likely to be representative of the type of player Ozuna is, which is still a valuable asset in many formats.

McCutchen, who went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Wednesday, is batting .059 in 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

He's hit a pair of solo homers in the past week but has otherwise struggled, striking out 12 times in eight games. McCutchen is slashing .237/.348/.407 in the early going. He's gone 1-for-4 with a pair of walks against Thursday starter James Shields.

Cespedes went 2-for-6 with a home run in Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

The native of Cuba is slashing .291/.371/.636 with five homers and 13 RBI through his first 55 at-bats. Cespedes does have 20 strikeouts, but a high number of K's is par for the course throughout his career. He appears well on his way to another campaign of 25-plus homers and 100-plus RBI.

Stanton is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Stanton has yet to really get anything going with the bat, so manager Don Mattingly decided to give him his first day off of the season Thursday in hopes of providing a spark. Ichiro Suzuki will get the start in right field Thursday in Stanton's place.

Pederson will hit cleanup in Thursday's game against the Braves, Andy McCullough of the LA Times reports.

Pederson has not hit higher than sixth in any other game this season, but he will move up to the fourth spot Thursday with regular cleanup hitter Adrian Gonzalez being bumped up to third for a day. Pederson has a hit in three straight games and owns an .883 OPS against right-handers on the season. He will face a righty Thursday with Matt Wisler on the mound for the Braves.

Turner is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Braves, according to Andy McCullough of the LA Times.

Turner tallied two hits in Wednesday's game but just three hits in the previous seven games, so manager Dave Roberts decided to give him the day off Thursday. Charlie Culbertson will fill in at third base in Turner's place.

Belt is back in the lineup Wednesday, batting cleanup and playing first base against the Diamondbacks.

After getting the night off Tuesday against southpaw Robbie Ray, Belt will get back to his usual spot in the order for Wednesday's matchup. Belt will be facing a familiar foe Wednesday with Zack Greinke on the hill for the Diamondbacks. In 17 career at-bats against the Arizona ace, Belt has collected five hits, including one home run, while striking out six times.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

It's been a rough start to the year for Ozuna, who is hitting .200 with a 14:1 K:BB in 51 plate appearances. Ichiro Suzuki will get the start in center field and hit second Wednesday.

Soler is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals.

He has been the Cubs' primary left fielder of late, but Soler is failing to make a big impact with his bat, going hitless with four strikeouts in his last three games. Kris Bryant will get the start in left field and hit fifth Wednesday.