MLB Player News

The Phillies have optioned outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Saturday's game, according to MLB.com.

Ruf had been getting intermittent playing time lately for the Phillies, but he had been swinging the bat well when he got the chance. Ruf has six hits in 14 at-bats this month, including the 0-for-1 effort on Saturday.

"You never know with things like this," Ruf said, per MLB.com. "Hopefully I can go down and swing the bat well."

Overall this season, Ruf is batting .235 with three home runs.

"It is what it is," Ruf said. "Everyday at-bats don't really matter if I'm just going to come up and resume the same role."

His demotion opens up a roster spot for outfielder Domonic Brown, who will be recalled from Triple-A on Sunday.

Outfielder Bryce Harper had a big day at the plate Saturday in the Nationals' 7-2 victory over the Brewers, but the bigger concern was his knee after he was hit in the ninth inning with a fastball right near the quad muscle.

"It hurts," Harper told The Washington Post. "Really bad. … Squared me up pretty well. 95 to the knee don't feel very good. We'll see what happens tomorrow and see if it feels good."

Manager Matt Williams removed Harper immediately after the injury, and the outfielder said that if his knee didn't improve, he would not play Sunday. He has started all but one game this sason for the Nats. 

Prior to getting hit, Harper was 3-for-3 with a walk and drove in two runs to help Washington end a two-game skid. The Nationals slugger is now hitting .343 with 51 RBIs on the season. 

It was the Giancarlo Stanton show for the Marlins on Saturday, as the slugging right fielder hammered his MLB-leading 23rd home run and drove in all four runs in the team's 4-1 victory over the Rockies. 

In the first inning, Stanton crushed a double to the deepest part of the stadium to give Miami a 2-0 advantage and in the sixth, closed out the scoring with a 393-foot, two-run homer. Stanton now has seven home runs in his last 10 games. 

The slugger now has a league-leading 59 RBIs and is on pace for a 59 homer, 152 RBI season. 

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon will get a rest on Saturday. Blackmon is not in the starting lineup, snapping a string of 14 straight starts in center. 

Brandon Barnes replaces Blackmon in center. It's his second start there and first since May 29. He'll bat eighth in the lineup. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper stayed on his season-long power surge in Friday's 8-4 loss to the Brewers. Harper had two hits in three at-bats, including his 21st home run of the season. Harper's longball was a solo shot in the second inning off Mike Fiers.

Harper has five home runs over his last 15 games and is batting .333 over that span as well. 

Dodgers infielder Justin Turner has been cleared to return to the lineup, and he will start at third base on Friday against the Padres. Turner had been sidelined since fouling a ball off of his knee on Monday. But he appears good to go for Friday's series-opener with the Padres. 

Turner has been hitting the ball well lately, as he has hit safely in eight of the nine games he has played this month. Overall, he's batting .310 with five home runs on the year.

Perhaps it won't matter because Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been mashing everything in sight, but he has struggled against Rockies starter Kyle Kendrick, who will face him Friday night.

Stanton is batting a mere .115 against Kendrick lifetime, though one of his three hits traveled over the fence.

He does, however, have seven home runs in the last nine games and eight hits in the last four.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton stayed red-hot at the plate in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Rockies. Stanton went 2 for 5, including his league-leading 22nd home run of the season. Stanton's three-run blast gave the Marlins an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Stanton also had an RBI single in the second inning. He now has nine home runs in his last 12 games. 

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt received a day off Thursday against the Mets, as catcher Buster Posey drew the start at first base. It was the second time in seven games and just fourth time since May 1 that Belt wasn't in the starting lineup.

Belt is batting .241 (7 for 29) with one double, one home run, six RBI, three runs, three walks, nine strikeouts and two stolen bases in eight June games.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt hit his eighth home run of the season during Wednesday night's 8-5 win over the Mets. 

This marked Belt's first home run in the month of June. He finished the game 2 for 5 with two RBI and a run scored. He also struck out once from the plate. He's now hitting .296/.371/.519 this season.