MLB Player News

When Marcell Ozuna hit .331 over his first 36 games as a major-leaguer last year, I said it couldn't last, suggesting his poor plate discipline would catch up to him in time, especially given his lack of experience. And seeing as he finished the year batting .265, that proved to be the case.

But to be fair, he never got a chance to recover from his first ever slump, tearing a ligament in his thumb and having season-ending surgery in late July. By beginning this season like he has, he's done his best to relieve concerns that he simply caught the league by surprise last year.

Particularly batting in front of a rejuvenated Giancarlo Stanton, Ozuna should see plenty of pitches to hit, making the poor plate discipline less of a concern. He'll need to take a step forward power-wise to make an impact in standard mixed leagues, but considering he had back-to-back-to-back 20-homer seasons in the minors, he didn't even show the best he has to offer in that department last year.

With all he has to prove still, I'm unwilling to rank Ozuna much higher than 70th among outfielders, but if you're in a position to sell out for upside, he certainly offers that. If you liked Avisail Garcia as a sleeper, you should like Ozuna as well.

Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler is rehabbing his hamstring injury at the team's spring complex in Arizona, per MLB.com. He is doing baseball activities, but he has yet to play in an extended spring game.

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon stayed hot in Monday's win over the Giants, going 2 for 4 with one walk and two solo home runs.

Blackmon has three bombs in his last two games as well as seven hits in 17 at-bats over his last four games. He has hit .411/.450/.671 with four home runs, 13 RBI and five stolen bases in what's been a remarkable first month of the season.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf has begun swinging in the batting cage, MLB.com reports.

"He's starting to progress," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "I'm not sure when we'll get him into games yet."

Ruf is on the disabled list due to a strained oblique. He has yet to play in the regular season.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is in the starting lineup a day after being removed for lack of hustle.

Harper is slated to play left and hit second. He was removed from Saturday's game after refusing to hustle on a ball he hit back to the pitcher. Harper is hitting .295 in 61 at-bats. 

For the third time in his last four games, Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna registered a multi-hit game, including his third home run of the season in his team's 7-0 victory over the Mariners Saturday night.

Ozuna launched a three-run home run off starter Roenis Elias in the sixth inning. He also added an RBI single in the eighth inning. He finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and a season-high four RBI. He is hitting .343 with three homers and 10 RBI through his first 67 at-bats.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was pulled from Saturday's game against the Cardinals, but it wasn't because of any lingering issues with a quad injury. Instead, he was benched by manager Matt Williams, who was displeased with Harper's effort following a sixth-inning groundout.

"The inability to run 90 feet," was Williams' response, when asked why Harper was pulled from the game.

Harper finished the game 0 for 3, and Williams told reporters Harper should be back in the lineup Sunday. 

Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper was removed from the game before the top of the seventh Saturday against St. Louis and replaced by Kevin Frandsen.

Harper has been dealing with tightness in his quad, but there has been no announcement as to why he left the game. He made an awkward running catch in the sixth before grounding out to the pitcher in the bottom of the inning.

One of the hottest hitters in baseball entering Friday play remained one of the hottest hitters in baseball as Rockies leadoff man Charlie Blackmon smacked three singes in a rout of Philadelphia. He rose his batting average to a stout .426 while scoring twice and adding an RBI.

Blackmon, who has struck out just three times in 61 at-bats this season, owns an impressive stat line of .426/.446/.590 with 11 runs and 10 RBI.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton played a big part in Miami's 8-4 win over the Mariners, but it wasn't all positive.

Stanton cost the team an early lead with a two-run error in the second inning, and had to make amends late. He drove in one run with an RBI single in the first inning, but made his biggest impact felt late in the game. He clubbed a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning to secure the win, fiishing the game 3 for 3 with a pair of intentional walks.

Stanton is starting to take the next step in his fifth season, and is already more than one-quarter of the way to his first 100-RBI season. Stanton leads the majors with six home runs and 26 RBI after 17 games, while batting .329/.390/.657 in 70 at-bats.