MLB Player News

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes left Wednesday's game with an apparent hand/wrist injury, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Cespedes was 0 for 1 with a walk prior to exiting in the third frame after being hit with a Justin De Fratus pitch. Looks for the Mets to update his status when more information becomes available.

Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich went 2 for 4 with a double and RBI in a defeat to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Yelich continues his torrid pace in September, having now reached base safely in 13 consecutive games and tallying 10 multi-hit performances during the month. He has been a terrific source of offensive production for a Marlins squad that has endured the loss of Giancarlo Stanton since late June, and he will close out the season with three consecutive months of .300-plus hitting.

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf went 1 for 4 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Mets.

The veteran first baseman's first-inning three-run shot off Bartolo Colon was his third in the last seven games, and his fourth overall in September. Ruf has demonstrated some offensive pop in the form of 11 round-trippers over 252 at-bats and a .413 slugging percentage this season.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (hand) Stanton (hand) was officially ruled out for the season by manager Dan Jennings on Tuesday, the Miami Herald reports.

It's been obvious for some time that Stanton would not make it back to game action after his rehab from a surgery to remove a broken hamate bone progressed more slowly than expected. Stanton was noted to have an abnormal amount of scar tissue in his left wrist and struggled to regain strength in thehand while taking batting practice over the last several weeks.

He'll now have a full offseason to let the wrist heal and get back to full strength. The slugger's 2015 season ends with a beastly .265/.346/.606 triple slash with 27 home runs and 67 RBI over just 318 plate appearances (74 games). Still just 25 years old, Stanton's first-round upside will remain intact in 2016, but it's troubling that he's played more than 123 games just twice in his six major league seasons.

Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds.

Soler recorded just one hit over his last four games, so manager Joe Maddon decided to give him a day off Tuesday. Chris Coghlan will get the start in right field in Soler's place.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen has four hits in his last 25 at-bats and has walked 16 times in his last nine games. 

Opponents are pitching more carefully than ever to McCutchen, who has only two RBI in his last 13 games. He did steal his fourth base in 14 contests Monday after totaling seven steals during the first five-plus months of 2015.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter went 1 for 4 with a run scored in Monday's 3-0 win over the Pirates.

Carpenter's run would be the difference maker, as the third baseman scored on a routine single mishandled in the outfield by Gregory Polanco in the ninth inning. The 29-year-old has been the catalyst of St. Louis' offense this season, leading the team in home runs and runs batted in. With four multi-hit performances in his last seven games, Carpenter is primed to lead the Cardinals into the postseason.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter smashed his 27th home run of the season, finishing 2 for 5 in the loss to Milwaukee on Sunday.

So much for Carpenter not offering much power. One of the negatives owners faced with Carpenter from a Fantasy perspective is that he wasn't expected to have much power compared to a typical third baseman.

It appears he's successfully swapped some of his average for a very nice boost in power. Carpenter is currently fifth among all third baseman in home runs this year.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is out of the lineup Monday against the Reds, William Ladson of MLB.com reports.

Harper collected no hits again Sunday, marking the fifth time in the past six games where that has occurred. When adding an escalation in the dugout with teammate Jonathan Papelbon, Harper will receive a day off to cool down and get his head right Monday. Matt den Dekker will replace him in right field, batting seventh for the Nationals.

Nationals pitcher Jonathan Papelbon was involved in a dugout altercation with teammate Bryce Harper during Sunday's loss to the Phillies, The Washington Post reports. 

The incident overshadowed the result of what was ultimately a meaningless game after the Nationals were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday.

Papelbon appeared to be displeased with Harper slowly jogging out an infield ground ball in the eighth inning, and he confronted Harper in the dugout following the at-bat. Shouting quickly escalated into a physical altercation, as Papelbon grabbed Harper's neck before the pair were rushed by teammates and separated. W

hile Harper was removed from the game and replaced in the field for the final inning, Papelbon was on the mound in the ninth inning. He gave up a two-run home run to Andres Blanco and was charged with five of Philadelphia's eight runs in the final frame.

Papelbon is currently appealing a three-game ban for hitting Baltimore's Manny Machado earlier in the week, and it remains to be seen whether he'll be disciplined internally following Sunday's dustup.