MLB Player News

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.

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.