MLB Player News

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's game against Cleveland.

Cabrera thought his first-inning drive was gone, only to watch it hit off the wall. His fifth-inning drive, on the other hand, had little doubt, a classic Cabrera opposite-field swing toward the right-field corner. The slugger's 36th home run of the season was his 306th as a Tiger, tying him with Hank Greenberg for third in franchise history. It wound up being a game-winning deep fly as the game would end after five innings due to rain. Cabrera is hitting .400 with 14 RBI and three home runs over his last 11 games to help the Tigers stay in the playoff hunt.

Manager Brad Ausmus indicated after Wednesday's game that Cabrera is hobbled by a "contusion" and has "got some fluid in his knee, so it's going to be sore sometimes," Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press reports.

Cabrera's injury doesn't appear to be anything serious and he played the entire game (rain shortened it to five innings). Given the Tigers' current battle for a playoff spot, it would likely require a lot for the veteran slugger to miss a contest. Regardless, it may be something worth monitoring ahead of Thursday's series finale against the Indians.

Turner is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Turner will take a rare seat against a right-handed pitcher Wednesday with the Dodgers facing Luis Perdomo. He's hitting .306 with a .925 OPS against righties on the year, but with the postseason approaching, manager Dave Roberts opted to give him a day off for the first time in over two weeks. Howie Kendrick will take over at third base Wednesday.

Soler (side) is expected to join the team for the weekend series in Cincinnati, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports.

He has missed the last three games after a side injury flared up over the weekend, but an MRI came back clean and he'll be with the club for the final series of the regular season. It's unclear when he will get back in the lineup, but the Cubs would undoubtedly like to have his bat available against lefties in the postseason, and if possible they would probably like to get him some at-bats before the end of the regular season to get him back in the zone.

Harper (thumb) remains out of the lineup Wednesday, CSN's Chase Hughes reports.

Harper will sit out for the third day in a row as a result of the thumb injury he suffered sliding into third base in Sunday's game. Brian Goodwin will get the start in right field in Harper's place.

Belt went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a pair of runs scored in Tuesday's 12-3 win over Colorado.

The Giants' first baseman returned to the lineup after getting Sunday off and fell a homer shy of the cycle. Manager Bruce Bochy has been batting Belt and his .389 on-base percentage second over his last two starts in an effort get guys on base in front of Buster Posey and Hunter Pence. The move has paid immediate dividends with Belt reaching base five times and scoring twice in the two games since the lineup shift.

Cabrera went 3-for-3 with a walk, home run, five RBI and scored twice in Tuesday's blowout win over the Indians.

It's tough to tell if the Indians were trying very hard after clinching the division the night before, but Cabrera certainly didn't miss out on his chance to rack up the stats. His five-RBI effort upped his season total to 102 and earned Cabrera his 12th 100-RBI season, tying him for sixth in MLB history. The slugger also passed icon Joe DiMaggio to move into 48th on the all-time list with 1,537 career RBI. Cabrera will have no reason to ease off the gas pedal in the final days of the season, as the Tigers sit just a game back from a playoff berth.

Soler (side) underwent an MRI Tuesday and everything came back clean, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Soler's side injury flared up after he returned to the lineup Saturday, but it seems that the outfielder avoided any major setbacks from the incident. He's expected to rejoin the team in Cincinnati this week, though it's unclear how quickly the Cubs will push him back into the lineup with the postseason so close.

Carpenter (finger) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Reds.

Carpenter sat out of Monday's contest because of pain in his right ring finger, but it seems that the infielder can swing a bat pain-free once again and can get back into action. Carpenter will slot back in at first base and lead off versus Cincinnati starter Robert Stephenson.

Soler (side) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Pirates.

The results of Soler's most recent examination have not yet been disclosed and thus his status for the days ahead remains uncertain. He had an MRI last week, which reportedly showed nothing serious, but the discomfort in his side has persisted. Ben Zobrist is starting in left field Tuesday.