MLB Player News

Harper (knee) is still "a long ways from running" according to manager Dusty Baker, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

Although the outfielder has been able to resume his exercises in recent days, he revealed that he's dealing with a calf strain that occurred on the same play that he suffered the hyperextended left knee, which suggests there's still a lengthy journey ahead. Harper hasn't been able to do any drills on the field at this point, and with no clear return date set, Baker will give Jayson Werth some time in right field while Harper remains out.

Cabrera (back) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

As expected, Cabrera will sit out the series finale as John Hicks steps in at first base. It doesn't sound like Cabrera is in danger of missing a prolonged stretch, but manager Brad Ausmus told the Detroit News that he thinks Cabrera will have to deal with the chronic back pain for the rest of his career, so occasional maintenance days over the final month seem likely.

Stanton went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Nationals.

He was already one of only six players in history to hit 50 or more home runs before September, joining Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris and Luis Gonzalez in a very exclusive club, but Stanton's first-inning solo shot was also his 18th of the month -- tying Rudy York's 80-year-old MLB record for August, with two games left on the calendar. It's also worth noting that of the five other players in the "50 before September" club, only Gonzalez failed to finish the season with at least 60 homers.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored against the Brewers on Tuesday.

Though the long ball is nice, Carpenter hasn't put together a multi-hit game since Aug. 8 -- a span of three weeks. It's nice to see his power showing up over the past couple games, as he also homered Sunday, but he's hit just .194/.324/.355 over his last 16 outings, contributing to this season's career-worst .244 average. That said, Carpenter's also sitting on a career-worst .277 BABIP, and his plate discipline and pop are still pluses. At only 31 years old, he should still be good for several more productive seasons.

Belt (concussion) may not return this season, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Manager Bruce Bochy remains hopeful that Belt will return this season, but acknowledged Tuesday that he may not return until 2018. This should come as no surprise, given Belt's history with concussions. Ryder Jones should continue to serve as the everyday first baseman for the foreseeable future.

Manager Brad Ausmus said Cabrera (back) is still a little sore and probably won't play Wednesday against the Rockies, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies after exiting Monday's contest with lower-back tightness, and it appears the issue will keep him sidelined for Wednesday's series finale as well. The good news is that Ausmus didn't seem overly concerned about the injury, so the Tigers are likely trying to give him an extra day of rest ahead of Thursday's off day. John Hicks will likely start in his place at first base again.

Vargas will serve as the Twins' designated hitter and bat seventh Tuesday against the White Sox.

Injuries to Robbie Grossman (thumb) and Miguel Sano (shin) have left Vargas the top option on the depth chart at DH. Vargas will draw his third consecutive start Tuesday after going 3-for-9 with two RBI over the past two contests.

Cabrera (back) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies.

Cabrera exited Monday's game with lower-back tightness -- something that has bothered him throughout the season -- and the issue is apparently still bothersome enough to keep him on the sideline for Tuesday's interleague matchup. Consider him day-to-day; John Hicks is starting in his place at first base.

Harper (knee) is no longer walking with a limp and has resumed exercising, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports.

It sounds like Harper is starting to make some progress from the significant bone bruise in his left knee that he sustained Aug. 12, but since he's yet to do any on-field work, a return from the 10-day disabled list doesn't seem to be imminent. Even so, the Nationals remain optimistic that the outfielder will be back on the field before the end of the regular season and enter the postseason at full strength. Because of his uncertain return timeline, Harper makes for a difficult hold in shallower formats, but those in deeper leagues should continue to stash him on the bench in the event he's able to get in a week or two worth of games before the season draws to a close.

Ozuna went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Monday's loss to the Nationals.

While Max Scherzer was able to keep Giancarlo Stanton in check Monday night, he had no such luck with Ozuna. The 26-year-old is now slashing an electric .333/.430/.600 through 25 games in August with seven homers and 22 RBI.