MLB Player News

Dodgers infielder Justin Turner was one of the few bright spots in his team's 5-3 loss to the Pirates on Sunday.

Turner singled in a run in the second and took starter Edinson Volquez deep for a solo home run in the fourth inning. He finished 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBI. He has homered three times over the past nine games. He is hitting .262 with three homers and 12 RBI in 107 at-bats.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen cranked out three hits, including his fifth home run of the season in his team's 5-3 with over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

McCutchen doubled in the opening frame, homered in the third and doubled again in the sixth. He finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored and one RBI. It was his first home run since April 23, ending a 32-game drought. He is hitting .307 with five homers and 24 RBI in 202 at-bats.

The Phillies have optioned outfielder Darin Ruf to Triple-A Sunday.

Ruf received just 10 at-bats in the majors, hitting .100. There was some talk about him potentially working his way into a platoon role, but the team had other plans. 

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon went 2 for 4 with a home run, four RBI and a steal in his team's 7-6 loss to the Indians Saturday.

Blackmon tallied his first RBI on a third-inning single then delivered a three-run homer in the seventh inning to tie the game. Blackmon has set career highs across the board with 10 home runs, 37 RBI and 10 stolen bases to go with a .317/.355/.523 line in 199 at-bats.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was able to play catch Friday, according to The Washington Post.

Harper is attempting to come back from thumb surgery, and has been able to make progress in recent weeks. It's unclear how quickly he'll be able to ramp up his workload. Harper hit .289 in 83 at-bats prior to the injury.

Last season, Matt Carpenter hit .318 with an MLB-leading 55 doubles. He's on pace for significantly less than that this season.

But a 10-game hitting streak in which he's batting .356 (16 for 45) with five doubles -- or almost half his season total -- is a definite step in the right direction.

His four walks during that stretch may be as well. Yeah, he was walking at a higher rate earlier this season, which is typically a good thing, but clearly, it had an adverse effect on his numbers. He was overly selective, taking a higher percentage of pitches than any player in the majors, and the strikeouts began to pile up as a result. During this 10-game streak, he has just seven strikeouts, which is much closer to the rate he had last season.

Really, it's been going on all of May. The hitting streak simply brought it into focus. Carpenter is back in his comfort zone as far as selectivity goes, and the doubles are coming as a result. Now would not be the time to sell him short.

I've been getting a lot of questions lately asking if it's time to drop Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, who is mired in a 10-for-50 slump in his last 15 games. While I did drop Blackmon in the outfielder rankings, I'm not ready to throw in the towel.

You had to expect a market correction was coming because Blackmon was hitting .355 with a .603 slugging percentage as of May 10. His numbers weren't going to stay that high all season, so we shouldn't hit the panic button at the first sign of adversity. 

Blackmon was pretty good down the stretch in 2013. He hit .316 with a .500 slugging percentage and .850 OPS in August and a .343 average, .500 slugging percentage and .866 OPS in September/October. I envision Blackmon being good enough to produce his August slash line from last season, which is right where his numbers are this season (.314/.513/.867) after his recent slide.

I know Blackmon has found himself on the bench recently when a left-handed starter is on the hill, which doesn't help his overall Fantasy value. But I'm willing to give him a few more weeks to turn it around before many any drastic roster decisions.

With word that Maikel Franco could in fact replace the injured Cody Asche if he gets hot enough at Triple-A Lehigh Valley during the time Asche is sidelined (for more, check out the latest Prospects Report), the Phillies third baseman has officially become one of the most stashable prospects in Fantasy. Of course, by now, that list has become so long that you may need help prioritizing. So here you go.

Gregory Polanco is still No. 1. He's way too good for Triple-A, and even if the Pirates are waiting because of Super 2 concerns, he may be only three weeks away. Oscar Taveras may be only one week away if you buy that the Cardinals plan to promote him for their stretch of seven games in AL parks at the beginning of June. He may not be as prepared for the big leagues as Polanco, but he has arguably more upside.

Jon Singleton is still "on deck" for the Astros and crushing it at Triple-A Oklahoma City. The comes Franco. Andrew Heaney, the top pitcher of choice, edges out Joc Pederson, who seems like a long shot for a promotion even with Carl Crawford's ankle injury.

Boom! End of list. Now, go make us proud.

Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford suffered a tough break Tuesday night, as the ankle injury he suffered against the Reds is expected to send him to the disabled list. It comes at a bad time as Crawford was starting to work his way back into being a Fantasy-relevant option.

Though, his injury could provide the Dodgers with the opportunity to promote highly touted prospect Joc Pederson, who has been toiling at Triple-A Albuquerque despite video-game-like numbers. Pederson is batting .347 with a .454 on-base percentage, .642 slugging percentage, 1.096 OPS, 15 home runs and 32 RBI in 50 games. Now, you could make the argument Pederson's numbers are little inflated because of the hitter-friendly PCL. However, he has a career .307/.402/.522/.924 slash line, so he's a legit offensive weapon. 

Perhaps the most encouraging sign that indicates Pederson is ready for the majors is how well he's hitting lefties, which has been a weakness in the past. He is batting .296 with a .549 slugging percentage and .932 OPS in 71 at-bats against lefties this season.

I hope the Dodgers bring Pederson to the majors. Even though he might not play full-time because the Dodgers still have Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig, Pederson can still make an impact and help the team win games. Also, Puig was in a similar situation last year and yet managed to play his way into the lineup.

The team might have a lot of money locked up in Crawford, Kemp and Ethier, but Pederson is proving he's too good for the minors and needs his shot at the majors. If Pederson is recalled to replace Crawford, then I wouldn't hesitate adding him in Fantasy.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg hinted Tuesday he could move to a Ryan Howard and Darin Ruf platoon at first base, per the Philadelphia Daily News. 

"If it works. If it produces, then it becomes a possibility going forward," Sandberg said.