MLB Player News

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner went 2 for 3 with a solo home run in a 2-1 win over San Diego on Saturday.

Turner just continues his breakout season, as this marks his 16th dinger of the year. Since joining the Dodgers last season, Turner has developed into a completely different player, as he has doubled most of his career numbers in that two-year span. It remains to be seen what they'll do with him next year considering all the young depth the Dodgers have, but he's definitely played well enough to earn an everyday role yet again.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup due to a rain delay.

The Cardinals opted to remove the majority of their regular starters prior to the start of the game, one that has been delayed for nearly an hour due to rain. Mark Reynolds will get the start at third base instead and hit fourth in the lineup.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 5 with his 23rd homer Friday against the Reds.

The dinger was his first since Sept. 10 and the RBI was his first in 12 games. Cutch finished September with an unusual .237/.405/.340 slash line as opponents pitched around the center fielder. It's possible Pittsburgh rests him Sunday if the team clinches home field advantage for the Wild Card on Saturday.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (finger) is in the starting lineup Friday.

Manager Terry Collins gave Cespedes the night off Thursday in order to give his injured finger a bit of rest, however it looks like he will be reinserted into center field for Friday's contest against the Nationals' lefty Gio Gonzalez.

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf went 1 for 3 with a two-run home run in a 3-0 win over the Mets on Thursday.

Ruf is finally getting regular at-bats down the stretch run and responding well. The righty has four home runs, two doubles and 10 RBI over his last nine games. Ruf has always shown potential, but has struggled against right-handed pitching this season.

In fact, Ruf is hitting .164 against righties and .374 off lefties this season. The 1.091 OPS against southpaws is an absurd number and if he could just carry some of that power over to right-handed pitching, Ruf would become a fantasy asset.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has some swelling in his arm after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday against San Francisco, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. He is out of the lineup Thursday.

There is no news on x-rays, so it must not be serious.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (finger) remains out Thursday against Philadelphia.

Cespedes had to leave the game Wednesday after taking a pitch off his hand, but was given good news when only finger contusions were discovered on the ensuing x-rays. Nonetheless, it's not overly surprising to see manager Terry Collins give the outfielder the day off in order to provide his fingers with time to heal before the playoffs.

Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler is out of the lineup Thursday against the Reds.

Soler will sit for the second time this series. He has just one hit in the last seven days, so his lineup spot won't necessarily be a lock for every postseason contest.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter got on base four times in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader against Pittsburgh, recording a double, a triple, two walks and three runs.

That's a 4 for 7 day -- with all four hits going for extra bases -- and five runs for Carpenter, pushing him to 101 trips around the bases on the year. He's been racking up multi-hit games lately like it's his job. Oh, wait, it is his job.

X-rays on the left hand of Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes came back negative, as the outfielder has been diagnosed with a contusion of the left, middle and ring fingers.

Cespedes appears to have dodged a bullet here, as a broken hand would have likely ended the year of the late-season acquisition. Nonetheless, Cespedes could be operating at less than 100 percent during the season's final weeks, as the outfielder could still have trouble gripping a bat.

With the NL East wrapped up, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cespedes get some rest during the last few games of the regular season. For now, at least, Mets fans can breathe a sigh of relief.