MLB Player News

Although initially listed in the starting lineup, Mets manager Terry Collins admitted that Cespedes (hamstring) would not have played Tuesday due to the cold and wet conditions had the game not been rained out, Daniel Popper of The New York Daily News reports. "This is certainly a night where I'm not sure (if) the smartest thing to do is play him," Collins said following Tuesday's postponement.

The Mets manager is still taking the long view with Cespedes' injury. The outfielder should return to action Wednesday night against the Braves, but if the weather is still miserable at Citi Field he could be held back once again.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

Brantley's fourth homer of the season, and second in as many contests, extended his hitting streak to nine games. Since April 13, the outfielder is slashing .368/.429/.737 with all four of his bombs, seven RBI and 10 runs. It's safe to say Brantley is back to being the elite player that he was before 2016's lost campaign.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 15-12 loss to the Nationals.

His slow start to the season is a distant memory now. Blackmon now has a 10-game hitting streak and a five-game streak with multiple RBI, pushing his slash line on the year to .286/.330/.642 with seven homers, 14 runs scored and 21 RBI in 21 games.

Buxton went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Rangers.

Perhaps most importantly, he didn't strike out. Buxton's now 4-for-11 over his last four games with a 3:4 BB:K, but he'll need to keep working on his contact skills and plate discipline to significantly improve his dreadful .379 OPS.

Vargas went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Rangers.

The homer was his first in three games since being recalled from Triple-A. Vargas has another 10 days or so to prove he belongs in the majors until the Twins need to make a roster move to add a fifth starter, but so far the 26-year-old is doing exactly that, slashing .333/.455/.667.

Belt is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt will take a seat as the Dodgers send Clayton Kershaw to the mound, given he is just 3-for-51 (.059) over his career against the southpaw. Buster Posey will take over at first base for the game while Nick Hundley serves as the backstop. Belt is batting .247 with four homers and nine RBI through 19 games (73 at-bats) this season.

Cabrera (groin) participated in workouts Tuesday, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports.

Cabrera's workout included riding an exercise bike. Manager Brad Ausmus said that Cabrera was feeling better, so it would appear that he could still be on track to return when he's eligible on May 2. Until Cabrera is back in action, Alex Avila and John Hicks will split time at first base.

Carpenter received a one-game suspension for tapping an umpire over the weekend and will serve the suspension Tuesday night, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Fortunately he'll only miss one game, but it's a shame that he received a suspension while he was finally picking things up a bit at the plate. Matt Adams will slot in at first base to fill in for him Tuesday, but look for Carpenter to return to the lineup Wednesday.

Martinez (foot) ran again Monday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The slugger continues to work out without any issues, with this being his second running outing since Friday. If everything checks out in the next day or so, Martinez could head out on a rehab assignment before returning to Detroit.

Cespedes (hamstring) is back in left field and batting third Tuesday against the Braves.

As expected, Cespedes is back in the Mets' lineup after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury. The 31-year-old slugger will be a welcomed return to the Mets' offense after the team scored just seven runs in the three games Cespedes missed (all losses). He's batting .263 with six homers and 11 RBI in 57 at-bats this year.